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Syrah Could Be the Grape That Defines the Santa Ynez Valley

On the far western edge of Santa Barbara County, winemaker Matt Dees is pushing this Rhône grape to its coldest limit—and making syrah very difficult to ignore.

Ask winemaker Matt Dees the local spot where he’s most likely to take a bottle of The Hilt’s red wine, and he answers without missing a beat: Jalama Burger. It’s not the fanciest spot on California’s Central Coast, even if Lompoc is “on the edge of the continent,” as he describes it. But this local beach shack is a legend in its own right, a hole-in-the-wall set right on the ocean that’s accessible to anyone…if they know where to find it. 

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Dees and his crew from the winery regularly drive the 20 minutes or so down to Jalama after a long day in the vineyard, to blow off some steam and grab what he calls “an exceptional burger and great fries.” Sitting on the beach, they pair the burger with old vintages they’ve saved for celebrations, or occasionally, a bottle of their own syrah.

Located right on the edge of Santa Barbara County, the vineyards that define The Hilt’s estate in Lompoc are some of the most unusual in the region. Part of the Sta. Rita Hills AVA, landmark plantings like Radian and Bentrock Vineyards receive so much cool coastal air straight off the Pacific Ocean that the fruit translates beautifully into velvety pinot noir and sea-sharpened chardonnay. These bursts of cold, salty air, plus soil conditions like rare diatomaceous earth, have put The Hilt on the map as one of the region’s foremost producers.

But right alongside those two dominant cool-climate grapes, a tiny planting of syrah is slowly emerging as a star of the winery’s portfolio. “Everything about the vineyards goes........

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