Vineyard

In the mid 1990’s, Jim and Mary Dierberg were searching California and France for a new Vineyard site. Fatefully, they found a property on the eastern edge of the Santa Ynez AVA that they purchased and named Starlane.

The couple started in 1996 after consulting with the highly recommended Dale Hampton. They began by planting 100 acres of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Sauvignon Blanc and Syrah. These varietals are perfect for this location which is the warmest vineyard in the appellation and also has the highest elevation. Starlane now has 237 planted acres.

Recently Jim and Mary Dierberg completed construction on a Bordeaux inspired winery on the property. Their 26,000 square feet of man-made caves beneath the San Rafael Mountains are quite impressive. The barrel rooms are enclosed by a concrete structure that keeps the temperature a constant 56 F. Astonishingly, the crush pad lies in the caves, 3 stories above the cellar where the wine juice can flow by gravity, into fermentation tanks and then down again into the cellar floor.

The Starlane Winery is also home to the winemaking for the Dierberg Estate wines, which are Burgundian varietals grown at the Dierberg Santa Maria Vineyard and the Dierberg Sta. Rita Hills vineyard.

Winemaker Nick de Luca is a firm believer in gentle handling of the grapes, the use of natural, indigenous yeast, and picking the grapes only when they have achieved optimum ripeness.

Starlane wines have fared well in reviews, the 2006 Merlot received 92 points from Wine Enthusiast with these notes…”Aromas and flavors of chocolate covered cherries and freshly roasted coffee beans are complimented by a satiny texture”. Another that has been a favorite is the 2005 Astral Cabernet Sauvignon that received 93 points from Connoisseurs guide “...Big, optimally ripened and positively plush on the palate, it delivers a wealth of luscious, curranty fruit with the sweet, vanilla-bean trappings of first-rate oak making it all the more enticing. “