Santa Barbara Wine Tasting at Cebada

Cebada Wines is #24 on the Santa Barbara Urban Wine Trail map. Located just off state street in downtown Santa Barbara near the Paseo, is is an easy 15 minute walk from my house. Given it was a nice and sunny Santa Barbara afternoon, I headed down for a little wine tasting last Sunday afternoon.

Cebada is a lovely tasting room. A very open space with large windows for all the sunny Santa Barbara days with walls that are filled with wine along with jams, syrups and tea all grown and made on the Forbidden Fruit Farm, which is owned  and operated by the same lady – Sandy Newman. Check out her website for the cool backstory of the farm and winery.

Cebada Wines only grows Chardonnay and Pinot Noir grapes, making from them typical Chardonnay and Pinot Noir wines along with a Rosé made from Pinot Noir and a Blanc de Noirs sparkling wine made from Pinot Noir as well (that is what Bland de Noirs means – white wine from black grapes). In addition, Sandy makes a blueberry sweet wine fortified with brandy. This is made from blueberries grown on the farm and was quite delicious!

I had previously tried to visit Cebada Wines back in October when I started my project, but that day I walked into the tasting room it was quite busy and there were a bunch of large groups tasting. I decided to visit another tasting room and come back another time when it was a bit less crowded and I could focus a bit more on the wines.

My recent visit fit the bill perfectly. I walked in and the room was lively, but not overly crowded; with one group of college kids and a few older couples sitting at the bar tasting wine and having a good time. I sat down at the far end of the bar area and was quickly welcomed by Brittany who told me she was the wine-tender today!

Brittany explained that Cebada offers 3 tastings, one of all the chardonnays, one of all the pinot noirs and the Cebada tasting which includes a mix of chardonnay, rosé, pinot noir and the famous blueberry dessert wine.

She said that with the urban wine trail membership, I was able to choose which tasting I would prefer and since this was my first time she recommended the Cebada tasting so that I could get a taste of everything they had to offer.

That seemed reasonable to me, so off I was on my tasting adventure with Cebada’s 2015 Chardonnay (They had the 2013 as well, but Brittany poured me the 2015 instead, as she thought I would like it better). The chardonnay smelled very fruity and tasted quite sweet, reminding me a bit of taffy. It was nicely oaked, but not too heavy with a slight bit of butteriness as well. 

Brittany next poured me the 2017 Rosé of Pinot Noir. It was surprisingly dry with a nice mixture of cherry and citrus flavors. I thought this was a really good rosé. Well balanced and flavorful, but light as well. It would be perfect for a day at the beach or to bring camping. 

Next up I tried two of Cebada’s pino noirs: the 2014 regular pinot and the 2014 Cuvée pinot. The regular pinot noir was very herby with a licorice and piny flavors. The wine’s fruit as also a bit tart. I honestly did not at all like this wine.

The 2014 Cuvée Pinot Noir was much better with more robust fruit, but it still a bit tart. I think it could have benefitted from a bit more time on oak to smooth out its finish. 

Last on the Cebada tasting flight was the 2018 Forbidden Fruit Libation blueberry dessert wine. This is not a grape wine flavored like blueberry, it is actually made from fermented blueberries. Sandy grows the blueberries on her farm, leaving them on the plant extra long to get extra sweet. While the wine is fortified with aged brandy, it still comes in at only 15% which falls in line with the general theme of lower alcohol wines as Cebada.

The Forbidden Fruit Libation was delicious! It was not too sweet, but is still definitely a dessert wine. The fresh blueberry flavors come through so well and it is so easy to drink. This would be a perfect wine to bring to a dinner party as a unique dessert drink. 

Brittany said this was actually Sandy’s first wine she made and it was so well loved she continued her ventures into the wine making world. 

Interestingly this is not a Port style wine, as most dessert wines you find are. Instead of being aged for a long period of time, it is crafted to be released right after it is made. I think this is why it is so fresh tasting!

As I was wrapping up my tasting at Cebada, I asked Brittany about their sparkling wines and where they were made, as it is quite a different process than still wines. Brittany and I chatted about it for a bit then she offered me a taste of their newly released 2015 vintage, which happened to be open from mimosas that morning. I am so glad I got to try this sparkling wine as it was fantastic. It tasted to me as good as the many Champagnes we drank when we visited the region last year!

It was dry and well balanced. I must say it is a bit pricey at $60 a bottle, but if you are looking for a high quality Champagne wine for a special occasion and want to support a local producer instead of a far away winery, definitely stop by Cebada to pick up a bottle or two. It is delicious! 

It was a great wine to end my tasting with.

Interestingly enough, my 3 favorite wines from Cebada were all the specialty wines: the rosé, the blueberry dessert wine and the sparkling wine. These were my favorite not only because I thought the Chardonnay and the two Pinots were disappointing, but instead I actually think these three unique wines were well crafted and are great examples of what each type of wine could taste like. It is wonderful to find a wine maker who is making unique wines like this and doing it so well!

I really enjoyed my visit to Cebada. Brittany was a really fun wine-tender and there was a great energy to the tasting room with her as the host. I look forward to returning for some of the fun events that Brittany said Cebada typically hosts, including art events and special tastings. I also can’t wait to bring Alena here as well to try one of their blueberry mimosas, made with the blueberry dessert and sparkling wines!

Cheers! – Alan Evans

– Visited on February 24, 2019

Make sure you get home safe from your own tasting adventures. I always bring along my breathalyzer just in case. No excuse to drink and drive!