Stolpman Vineyards

Tom Stolpman was a Long Beach trial attorney who had developed a passion for wine and a particular fascination with limestone-influenced terroir. In 1988 he located a distinctive calcareous outcrop in Ballard Canyon, a north-south running canyon within the Santa Ynez Valley. He purchased the 220-acre property in 1990 with his wife Marilyn and began planting vines in 1992, focusing on Syrah and Sangiovese alongside Roussanne, Marsanne, and other Mediterranean varieties. Through the 1990s, Stolpman fruit went to producers across the Central Coast, including Manfred Krankl at Sine Qua Non and Adam Tolmach at Ojai Vineyard, many of whom listed Stolpman on the label. The first commercial vintage under the family's own name was 1997. Sashi Moorman joined as winemaker in 2001 and shaped the house style through the early 2000s, building the reputation that would carry through Pete Stolpman's later expansion.

• Tom Stolpman: Long Beach trial attorney; identified Ballard Canyon limestone outcrop in 1988
• Purchased 220 acres in 1990; first plantings 1992 (Syrah, Sangiovese, Roussanne, Marsanne)
• Sold fruit through the 1990s to Sine Qua Non, Ojai Vineyard, and other Central Coast producers
• First commercial vintage 1997; Sashi Moorman winemaker 2001 through 2015

Pete Stolpman, Tom's son, left his career to take over the family operation as managing partner in early 2009. His arrival marked a strategic shift: he pulled the majority of fruit back from outside buyers so the estate could produce its own wines rather than supplying others. Pete also expanded the La Cuadrilla profit-sharing program to direct ten percent of all bottle proceeds to the vineyard crew, becoming an early voice for labor equity in California viticulture. Under Pete's direction, the portfolio grew to include the Para Maria fresh-style line, the L'Avion Roussanne, and the Combe partnership with sommelier and winemaker Rajat Parr. Tom remains involved as senior advisor while Pete leads daily operations and stylistic direction.

• Pete Stolpman became managing partner early 2009 and pulled fruit back from outside buyers
• Augmented La Cuadrilla profit sharing to 10 percent of all bottles produced
• Expanded portfolio with Para Maria, L'Avion, and the Combe partnership with Rajat Parr
• Tom Stolpman remains senior advisor; family-owned and operated

The Stolpman estate covers 220 acres in Ballard Canyon, with roughly 150 acres planted to vines on a distinctive calcareous limestone outcrop with sandy and silty loam topsoils. Elevations run between approximately 500 and 1,000 feet. The vineyard is planted to Syrah as the foundational variety alongside Sangiovese (Tuscan clones), Roussanne, Marsanne, Grenache, Mourvèdre, Trousseau, Chenin Blanc, and other Mediterranean varieties, totaling roughly eighteen cultivars across the property. The estate is one of the few dry-farmed vineyards in Santa Barbara County: young vines receive supplementary irrigation for their first five years and are then weaned off water entirely, producing low yields of concentrated fruit. Farming is certified organic with significant biodynamic practice; the estate uses sheep grazing for cover-crop management and has built an integrated farming system tied to the limestone's water-holding character. The Originals and Hilltops single-block bottlings come from designated parcels within the estate.

• 220-acre estate in Ballard Canyon; approximately 150 acres planted
• Calcareous limestone subsoils with sandy and silty loam topsoils; elevations 500 to 1,000 feet
• Plantings include Syrah, Sangiovese, Roussanne, Marsanne, Grenache, Mourvèdre, Trousseau, Chenin Blanc
• One of the few dry-farmed estates in Santa Barbara County; certified organic with biodynamic practices and sheep grazing

Stolpman's winemaking emphasizes Old World restraint with limestone-driven structure. Estate Syrah and the Originals and Hilltops single-block bottlings are fermented in small open-top tanks with native yeasts and aged in neutral and used French oak for 12 to 18 months, with minimal new oak so the wines emphasize fruit, structure, and minerality over wood influence. Para Maria is a fresh, lighter-bodied red built for early drinking. La Cuadrilla is a Syrah-Sangiovese-Grenache blend named for the estate's vineyard crew. Combe is the Trousseau line born of Pete Stolpman's partnership with Rajat Parr, who began making Chardonnay alongside Stolpman in the Lompoc Wine Ghetto in 2010 and immediately campaigned to plant Trousseau on the Ballard Canyon limestone. The first Combe vintage was 2014, drawn from a 3.5-acre Trousseau planting; the line has since expanded to include Chenin Blanc, with a small Mondeuse block added in 2020 to provide natural acidity for the Pet'Nat and Vin Gris of Trousseau. Alcohols across the portfolio typically run 13 to 14.5 percent, restrained by California Syrah standards.

• Native yeast fermentation; minimal new oak emphasizing limestone structure and fruit clarity
• Estate Syrah plus Originals and Hilltops single-block bottlings; La Cuadrilla blend honors vineyard crew
• Combe = Trousseau-focused partnership with Rajat Parr; first vintage 2014 from 3.5 acres of Trousseau; expanded to include Chenin Blanc
• Alcohols 13 to 14.5 percent; restrained by California Syrah standards

Stolpman Vineyards is the institutional anchor of Ballard Canyon and one of California's most consequential limestone-focused estates. Tom Stolpman's 1988 site identification and his decade-plus of supplying fruit to top producers established Ballard Canyon's reputation as a serious Syrah area years before the AVA was formally designated in 2013. Stolpman was a foundational participant in the 2010 sommelier seminar that catalyzed the AVA petition effort, though the formal petition campaign was spearheaded by Michael Larner, who hired Wes Hagen to research and draft the document. The petition was filed with TTB in April 2011 on behalf of 26 area vintners and growers, including the Stolpman family. Beyond the AVA work, Pete Stolpman's leadership has set benchmarks in Santa Barbara County for dry farming, profit sharing, and stylistic experimentation. The Combe partnership with Rajat Parr has expanded California's vocabulary for Jura-inspired Trousseau, and the estate's broader influence reaches across natural-style winemaking, California Sangiovese, and limestone viticulture.

• Institutional anchor of Ballard Canyon; Tom Stolpman's 1988 site identification established the area's Syrah reputation
• Foundational participant in the 2010 sommelier seminar that catalyzed AVA designation; Michael Larner spearheaded the formal petition effort and hired Wes Hagen to draft it
• Petition filed with TTB April 2011 on behalf of 26 area vintners and growers including Stolpman; AVA approved 2013
• Pete Stolpman set benchmarks for dry farming, profit sharing, and the Combe Trousseau partnership with Rajat Parr