Tasting Location

The name alone will make you want to stop in and ask, just out of curiosity, what the word Consilience means. Coined by Professor E.O. Wilson the term Consilience means the unity of knowledge, which is something similar to the idea of world peace; it is a concept that there is a general unity of knowledge based on all philosophies and principles, which makes one wonder what the magical potion inside the bottle will actually evoke.

In the tasting room you’ll likely be greeted by not only friendly smiles but also by the wagging tale of the infamous black lab ‘Mambo’. This dog friendly space is one of the larger tasting rooms in Los Olivos but even with two bars and ample floor space, you may have to arm wrestle other fans for a spot at one of the bars on the weekends. The picturesque room has a rustic yet modern feel to it and the energetic staff makes you sense that you’re amongst friends.

The winemaker, co-owner, and overachiever, Brett Escalera, earned his winemaking roots with the Fess Parker winery’s second label Parker Station Wines and has been making wines for other wineries in the Santa Barbara County for about 30 years, but by no means are the wines at Consilience anything like you’ve ever had before. His personal style of unapologetically high octane wines, surpass your expectations for high extraction and bold, aggressive tannins. That said, his forte lies not only within the flavors of his wines but in the expression, making his wines some of the most impressive, stand alone, wines produced in the region.

Some offerings at Consilience are more than enough for any connoisseur of quality including his massive, teeth staining, Petite Sirah as well as his famed Rhodes Zinfandel which you can expect to bag up and take home as a new favorite. Other favorites are comprised of Rhone style whites and reds and his two Cuveés named after the wine dog Mambo.

Best times to taste: anytime. Open daily 11-5. Group reservations preferred.

-Syrah Society