Presidio

Presidio was founded in 1991 from winemaker Douglas Braun’s concept of bringing European viticultural philosophy to Santa Barbara County. His idea was of a high-density, low-yield per vine vineyard, planted low to the ground to maximize the refraction of heat from the soil, at the winery’s estate Presidio Vineyard located west of the Santa Rita Hills near Lompoc. This certified organic and biodynamically farmed vineyard’s cool climate and southern-facing exposure is particularly well-suited for Pinot Noir, Syrah, and Chardonnay.

Presidio's vineyard management blends modern viticultural techniques with traditional farming methods. Douglas’ involvement in the vineyard is year-round from pruning to harvest. Controlling pruning to limit crop levels, meticulous canopy management, and precisely monitored minimum drip irrigation with organic compost fertilization to maximize concentration result in the highest quality fruit; the essential start to a superior wine. At harvest the fruit is hand-picked and sorted to ensure select clusters and immediately transported to the crushing facility to prevent deterioration of the flavor chemistries in the hot, summer sun.

Throughout, Presidio's focus has been to match the varietals to their preferred environment. While most mountain ranges run north and south, Santa Barbara County is unique in that its two ranges run east and west, creating the Santa Ynez Valley and Santa Maria Valley. These valley’s proximity to the Pacific Ocean, coupled with their orientation, acts as a channel for fog, rendering these valleys as an excellent place for growing many different grape varietals. As the Santa Ynez Valley has been under the ocean several times in the past 150,000 years, the vineyards are deeply rooted in vertical Monterey shale – composed mostly of diatomite and calcium carbonate – a result of thousands of year of marine depository and geological uplift closer to the surface, the sand and loam are excellent for drainage. For these reasons, the cooler western part of the Santa Ynez Valley in Santa Barbara County has the ideal climate and soil conditions to produce fine Pinot Noir, Syrah, and Chardonnay.