Doug's Picks

Lineup of 6 bottles of local wine on a wood tabletop. — A lineup of recommended wines for fall sipping. Photo: Rosminah Brown

Fall is upon us, but the heat of summer still lingers and the cool nights of autumn seem far away. Now is the time to select wines built for the zestier dishes you will be making in a month or two, while ensuring that a few of them can be enjoyed while the heat goes on. My autumn selections do that and then some. Let’s dig in.

Spear 2023 Syrah $55
Winemaker: James Sparks
AVA: Sta. Rita Hills

Spear Vineyards and Winery is a wonderful vineyard off Highway 246 between Buellton and Lompoc, on a property with very sandy soil. It even has visible seashells in the vineyard. To me this wine is just the epitome of a cool-climate Syrah: It has classic structure, and the palate has a long roller-coaster ride of flavors. I would pair this with a lamb dish with a mushroom cream sauce.

Carr 2023 Pinot Noir $63
Winemaker: Ryan Carr
AVA: Sta. Rita Hills

This Pinot Noir is a combination of two different Sta. Rita Hills vineyards: Rio Vista Vineyard and Zotovich Vineyard, making it more complete for the Sta. Rita Hills. Ryan hit the nail on the head with this wine. He tends to make bigger wines, but this has a soft richness to it … so it doesn’t feel big—just tasty! This would go well with teriyaki salmon or a chicken or pork dish that has a bold or spicy sauce. If you’re in Santa Barbara, Ryan himself recommends the Gambas Alcazar and the bacon-wrapped dates from Alcazar Tapas Bar on the Mesa. This wine has the structure to stand up to these sorts of dishes—it’s not delicate, but it is Pinot Noir.

Riding Monkey 2023 Cinsault $32
Winemaker: Dieter Cronje
AVA: Santa Maria Valley

This Cinsault is made by Dieter Cronje, the winemaker from Presqu’ile up in far north Santa Barbara County. He’s a super nice guy from South Africa who is a lot of fun and loves to ride motorcycles. He and his partner, Nick Petrone, use the term “riding monkey” for riding in a motorcycle sidecar. The labels were printed using a vintage 1958 Kelsey Excelsior 5-by-8 letterpress and every label has the bottle number on it, so each label is different. Crazy! They won’t do that again, so enjoy the extra creativity with this vintage. The wine is light in color and a little spicy and rather juicy. A little chill is all it needs and you will want to drink it all afternoon. Pairing it with spaghetti or a hamburger is perfection—it is a light and fun wine!

The Ojai Vineyard 2025 Rosé $31
Winemaker: Adam Tolmach
AVA: Santa Barbara County

This Ojai Vineyard Rosé is made largely from Carignan grapes, a fantastic red grape widely used for rosé in the South of France, followed by Pinot Noir, which brings minerality and elegance, and finally some Paseante Noir in the blend, which contributes beautiful color, tannin and tension. The Ojai Vineyard and Adam Tolmach have, in particular, pioneered Paseante Noir here in California. This rosé has aromas of watermelon rind and white flowers that lead to a fresh, mineral palate. It’s a perfect evening starter, but it’s also wonderfully food-friendly—great with tacos, especially al pastor, shellfish, or a spicy noodle dish. But really, just give it a good chill and enjoy.

Rococo 2025 Chenin Blanc (own-rooted) $27
Winemaker: Natalie Brown
AVA: Central Coast

Rococo Chenin Blanc is made by winemaker Natalie Brown and is our geographical outlier coming from the Central Coast. It is a white wine; it’s just in a dark bottle, which is fine by me. Own-rooted vines, meaning these aren’t grafted, are increasingly rare nowadays. It is more common to plant a version of a UC Davis rootstock, which is resistant to phylloxera and other vine diseases, and graft varietals onto it. But this wine is made from complete Chenin Blanc vines—older too, giving the wine more minerality and earthiness. It is not sweet and has a little more mouthfeel than you might expect from a Chenin—just a flavorful wine. Pair it with a shrimp salad or butter-poached sole—Voilà!

Dreamcôte 2024 Blanc au blancs (pét-nat) $35
Winemaker: Brit Zotovich
AVA: Santa Barbara County

Dreamcôte’s Blanc au Blancs is a pét-nat (pétillant naturel) of Chardonnay grapes, and because of that process it has some harmless sediment in the bottom of the bottle. It is light, fizzy and refreshing—good for celebrations (and is not expensive, unlike most Champagnes). It’s just a great “afternoon on the boat” wine, you know? Or perhaps some friends show up unexpectedly and you pop this bottle and it makes everyone happy. It’s a happy wine. Pair it with French fries, Manchego cheese or caviar—something that is rich and salty, because this just washes everything away and cleanses your palate.