Lafond Winery Pinot Noir SRH Sta. Rita Hills 2019

In 1962, Pierre Lafond opened the first post-Prohibition winery in Santa Barbara. He was a trailblazer in the Santa Barbara wine scene, and it would be another 10 years before the second post-Prohibition winery would open in Santa Barbara, and there are over 100 now. Pierre took the leap because he loved fine wine, particularly French wine, and saw it as a fun business venture to complement his wine and cheese shop. Just shy of a decade later, he would oversee one of the first commercial vineyard plantings in Santa Barbara post-prohibition. Those holdings are in the highly acclaimed Santa Rita Hills AVA between two east-west mountain ranges that funnel morning fog into the vineyard valley, extending their growing season and allowing for intensely concentrated fruit. Today, Santa Barbara is a major player in stellar pinot noir production, and Lafond is the producer that reignited the winemaking flame in the region. 

Roasted chicken.