The beauty of the Santa Ynez Valley is breathtaking and made more of an impact on us than we even realized. This oasis of rolling hills, ancient oak trees and cattle ranches lies between the Santa Ynez and San Rafael mountain ranges. The Valley includes four small towns, the best well known of which is Solvang, a Danish Village. The region starts east of Solvang and goes west more than 25 miles to the Pacific Coast and Lompoc, a military town next to Vandenberg Air Force Base. The Santa Ynez coastal range is the only stretch of land from Alaska to Cape Horn with an east-west traverse and this unique topography allows the flow of fog and ocean breezes to shape distinct microclimates perfect for growing grapes. Not surprisingly, Santa Ynez Valley has become a premier destination for fine wine producers and grape growers in three American Viticultural Areas (AVA); Santa Barbara County, Santa Ynez Valley, and Sta. Rita Hills.
Some years ago on one of those magical Los Angeles weekends in September, we woke up with thoughts of pastry. We decided to drive to Solvang to satisfy the pastry craving and to spend some time getting to know the Santa Ynez Valley. We had driven through the valley many times but had never stopped to enjoy its beauty so we decided this was the day to do so. We drove to Solvang, enjoyed our Danish pastries and thought, a great way to see the Valley would be to look at properties for sale. So, we chummed up with a real estate agent and spent the majority of the day looking at land and homes from Los Olivos along CA 154 to Buellton along the 101 freeway. The properties we viewed were exciting. Our heads were spinning with visions of getting out of the city and living the rural life again as we did as children.
But the real estate agent was not finished with us yet. She said that she had saved the best for last, so we drove to a 20 acre parcel above Buellton looking over the Santa Ynez Valley. We were on a subdivided cattle ranch with 40 parcels of 20-60 acres each. The property that was to become the home of Robléon had scores of live oaks and other native plants scattered throughout, and a building envelop that sat along the highest part of the property to maximize views of the valley, foothills and mountains. The view was incredible and it wasn’t even sucker time, the name realtors affectionately call springtime, when rains cause the hills and ranges to appear as if covered by a large green carpet. This beauty can only be appreciated by being in the Santa Ynez Valley in the spring. This was fall, the hills were golden, and we were hooked anyway.
By the end of the day, we were proud owners of that 20 acre parcel and the dreams of what to do with such a wonderful piece of raw land in such a glorious part of California.
Read on for the next leg of the Robléon story.