We went to the Santa Rita Hills/Santa Ynez area this week to celebrate a birthday and do some wine tasting. After researching which wineries had the highest quality wines and reading the reviews, we put Pence on our must-visit list. We stopped in mid-week without an appointment and were graciously squeezed in before several people with appointments arrived. We prefer white wines and were blown away by all 3 of their Chardonnays (as well as their Pinot Noirs). So much so that we made an appointment for the following day to do the full vineyard and tasting tour. When we arrived they had a customized welcome packet with our name printed on it. Phillip was the wine expert who took us on the tour. He was so knowledgeable about both wine and the Pence story. We passed through acres of vineyards and an equestrian area, while tasting the various grapes on the vines along the way. We learned so much about the entire lifecycle of a grape from planting through to the bottle, and also about the big plans Pence has to expand their vineyard and offerings. The various tasting areas for members are in beautiful settings around the property, some next to a beautiful small lake, and some in gazebos surrounded by the vines. By the time we left we had signed up for a membership to their wine club and can't wait to get our first shipment and to return to experience more of the property and the people. Highly recommend this winery and wine club! Kudos to Phillip for making our experience so special and fun. read more

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We had a wonderful experience here at Pence. Our first time and were greeted right away by Tim, who took great care of us during our visit. The wines were very good, both red and white. After our delightful tasting, Tim showed us how to get to the pond above the tasting room. Also, if you venture a little further up from the pond, is a view of the wine valley where you feel like you're at the top of the world! Thank you, Tim, for your kindness and knowledge read more

Pence Vineyards & Winery - Wineries Near Me - Buellton, California

This winery is beautiful Philip was great he was super friendly we really enjoyed the experience. We will definitely be coming back and requesting him. He really explain every wine I learn some new facts and enjoyed the wine!! read more

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Our experience here was a refreshing reminder of how wine tasting should be, where you get an intimate and personal explanation of the wines and the passion that fuels the theme of the vineyard and the wines they make. A definite five star star experience along with a tasting of excellent wine! Our friend is a member so we were treated to a tasting in a separate wine club area. Josh was our very knowledgeable server. He spent some real quality time with us! The quality of their wines are, very simply put, about the soil, growing good grapes, keeping the wine making process simple to get the best you can from the grape, and having a great wine maker. It's organic, it's clean, it's really good! I took home a bottle of their Chardonnay and a bottle of Syrah. Josh offered to take us in the golf cart to tour the property. But, it was a rainy day so that didn't work out. We will return again when the weather is better. Our friend tells us the wine club area up the hill is gorgeous! They are a small boutique winery so be sure to make an appointment. Be sure to order a charcuterie plate. Dogs aren't allowed because they have winery dogs on the property who deservedly get to be the top dogs there. This is a winery that you must check out! read more

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An amazing experience form top to bottom. First, you start off with a nice glass of bubbles and you get a tour of the property. Then you sit and get to taste several of their delicious wines. The service is always great. read more

Amazing wines and a beautiful property!! The vines and livestock is so picturesque. Robert took amazing care of us, we learned a lot and felt so inspired by his recipes!! read more

This place was pretty and had great lighting for photos. The waitstaff was very friendly and answered all our questions about the wine. Minus one star for not having real bathrooms. They had the upgraded porta potties which was kind of gross. We got the regular tasting. It was 3 reds and 2 Chardonnay's. All the wines were very mild tasting. Not too much flavor. My favorite was the Syrah. Just fyi Dogs are not allowed because they have 3 free roaming dogs. read more

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I was so fortunate to check out this place. I have a dear friend who is a member here among other local wineries. She put a girls' day trip and we had the time of our lives. Wine makes everything better :) We received a full tour of the winery. We sampled some of the grapes. Then we sat in the most beautiful location while eating up our entire charcuterie board. It was divine. Their wines were definitely my favorite of all the wineries we visited that day. It was just an overall wonderful experience. A great place to check out if you want to work on mindfulness and being present. read more

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This place is very beautiful and the employees are very nice. The main building where tasting is don is at the foot of a hill, which is completely filled with rows of grapevines. Also, there is a huge sequoia tree on one end of the tasting area. The server that I had was very knowledgeable of the different factors that influence their wines. The wines of course were delicious and quite similar to other wines at other wineries in the area because they are also in the same microclimate by the ocean. Lots of warm sunshine days and cool ocean breeze nights. The standouts to me were the chardonnays, which were very young, crisp, vibrant and slightly buttery. read more

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We dropped in for tastings on a quiet December Thursday and Josh gave us a very nice experience. We toured the grounds with a glass and then did a side by side tasting with two Pinots plus Syrah. Ended up taking home some Chardonnay's and PTG with distinctive Burgundian character that we haven't found in Paso, Sonoma or Napa. read more

We had a tasting in the Canyon where Derek welcomed us with such a warm greeting. The grounds here are gorgeous and I can't think of a more peaceful setting to be in! I've been here a few times, so obviously the wines are spectacular. So good, in fact, that I became a wine club member. Just one tip: wear flat comfortable shoes, as you will be walking to the tasting site ( either the Pond, Canyon, etc). If you venture into the Solvang/Buellton/Lompoc area, this is a stop you should make if you enjoy excellent wine. Appointments are required, so keep that in mind! You will NOT be disappointed! read more

Such a great time with Tim. Wine was fantastic and tour of the estate even better. Please take time to visit.

We really liked it! It's a beautiful place, and really relaxing and peaceful. Their wines are also great, although they only had a couple options when we were there and seemed to be running out of a couple things since it was Labor Day weekend. The pond area is super nice and there's some great seating areas, but just note that there's only about five separated tables, so if they're busy then you might have a hard time finding a place to sit. We also had some confusion checking-in and getting assigned a place to go, but once that was worked out everything was great and all the people working there were really nice. Overall, awesome winery and definitely recommended. read more

Small cozy winery. Very cute and clean. On a Saturday not many people. Reservations only. Wine tasting was great read more

Pence Vineyards & Winery - Wine tasting outdoor table - Wineries Near Me - Buellton, California

Horrible service. Man... he didn't come up to our table for nearly 20 mins... and when he did. My god. "It's 4:31, and we stop serving at 4:30." Like seriously?!??!? We have been waiting for you for 20 minutes. Never felt more disrespected. Will never go back. Nor would I ever recommend this pretentious place to anyone. Good riddance UPDATE: I have now been informed that our service changed dramatically once we were heard discussing... love as love. Avoid read more

We had such a great experience here! We had come with a larger group and had reservations for a private tasting that took place in their beautiful event space! From the moment we parked in the general lot, we were so well taken care of by our host! He was waiting for us with a golf cart that took us right back to the private event space! The table was set up for us with beautiful charcuterie boards (see pics) and the wine list for the tasting! We tried 6 different wines and he let us "re-visit" a wine of our choice at the end! My favorite was the 2016 Sebastiano Syrah! Tasting was $30 each but buying two bottles per couple waived the tasting fee! After tasting, we wandered around the beautiful grounds where there was a lake surrounded by green vineyards! It felt like we were walking through a painting! To top it all off, our host brought us on a bonus tour of the vineyards and up the hill to meet their beautiful horses! Overall a 6 star experience! Would highly recommend booking the private tasting! read more

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Some of the best Pinot Noirs in California by far!! We have been here multiple times and are also long time members of the wine club. This place is magical and gorgeous. The team is some of the friendliest and best in the business. It's always amazing when you get to see Claire who greets you with a smile and welcomes you to the property. Claire is the manager and will always go the extra mile to make sure her customers have a great experience. The last couple times we went we've had Ken as our wine tasting associate. Talk about a guy who knows his wines! Ken is amazing. We love talking to him not only about the wines at Pence but wine tasting and wine in general. The guy knows his stuff. Ken also goes the extra mile to make sure your experience is special. You know the old saying? Attracting more bees with honey? Be nice to these people and you may get an extra taste! I recommend this place to everyone because it's truly a step above. This is a must stop. read more

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Amazing experience with great wine and very friendly service. Ken even took us on a ride around the vineyard, very knowledgeable and just a nice guy. Wine was excellent, we even got to have a glass of a 10 year aged Pinot. Highly recommend for a fun afternoon. read more

Our group visited this incredibly cute tasting room in Buellton CA. Clair hosted us and was very educated on the wines she was pouring for us. Unfortunately it was so hot, we couldn't sit outside on the cute patio they had set up for us but were able to accommodate us inside. They excellent tasting wines with a good variety. I would highly recommend visiting this group on your next trip to CA. read more

Pence Vineyards & Winery - Wineries Near Me - Buellton, California

Went to Pence for the Labor Day weekend. Had Ken as our wine guest service aka sommelier. Huge disappointment when I found out that he lied to us. I am a wine enthusiast. I asked him if he had any another Chardonnay (already opened) I can taste besides the estate one. He said no unfortunately. 10 minutes later after i finally ordered for 6 bottles to take home. My neighbor table who was hosted by other nice sweet lady (2 feet away) was served with additional Rosa Chardonnay (which has 40% left as the guest service was pouring for my neighbor table: means that there was an opened bottle of Rosa Chardonnay already) with full explanation about the wine education, comparing side by side with the estate Chardonnay. Really?????. When you do things like that. People could hear and see it. All tables were pretty much 2 feet away from each other. And we are not stupid. I could see and hear what's going on around us. In addition, Ken didn't offered us to taste the rose when the other 4 tops table next to me got offered. I had to ask. I could not help to feel that because we are not caucasien. That why we got treated differently. Just so Not impressive. Huge disappointment with the service here. The wine is not too bad though. We bought 6 bottles total. If I knew that he lied to us, I would not buy any. I just wish that no customer should have felt the selective treatment. We are in America. Everyone deserves to be treated equally. read more

Pence Vineyards & Winery - Wineries Near Me - Buellton, California

Booked a Canyon Tasting for a birthday weekend and was treated to an excellent experience at Pence. Everything was clearly marked on where to go once entering the property, and covid precautions were strictly followed. The staff was helpful and attentive. The canyon tasting venue is a short, beautiful walk through the property, past the pond and arriving in an immaculate maintained lawn. We even brought our Bobs Bread Bakery sandwiches to enjoy during our tasting! Wonderful afternoon. read more

Pence Vineyards & Winery - On our way to The Canyon venue - Wineries Near Me - Buellton, California

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My wife and I are visiting Santa Barbara for a few days and while there are several tasting rooms on the agenda, we wanted to visit at least one actual vineyard estate and Pence ended up being the choice (lots of places in the area are closed Mon-Wed, at least this time of year). It ended up being a great one! Austin was our host and he made the entire experience for us. While we enjoyed the tasting room visits we had so far, those definitely felt a little less personable and very much "here's a couple sentences about the wine, enjoy" and we were in and out in 30-45 minutes. Admittedly it was a quiet Wednesday afternoon with only one other couple that was a already underway when we started, but Austin spent a lot of time with us to talk about each wine, where the grapes were sourced in the vineyard, the wine making process, etc. He also answered all our related (and some probably unrelated) wine-related questions as well as recommendations for things to do, drink and eat in town. We ended up being the last reservation as well and we were able to hop on the golf cart with our wine and get an unscheduled tour of the grounds, which was awesome. The winner for us was the PTG, a Pinot and gamay blend that was very unique. Good balance of fruit and acidity and low tannin, so quite different than our usual Cabernet Sauvignon and Bordeaux leanings. Neither of us are big Chardonnay fans, but I quite enjoyed the Rosa Estate Chardonnay. The tasting area is on the smaller side, but pretty. They also have some additional areas tucked within the vineyard where they host members and those spots were beautiful as well. Overall highly recommended visit. Thank you Austin for a memorable experience! read more

Nice tasting in a beautiful location! Really enjoyed their sparkling wine! Beautiful patio and lake behind the winery, where you can eat a picnic lunch! read more

Pence Vineyards & Winery - Beautiful picnic area at Pence! - Wineries Near Me - Buellton, California

We had an exceptional experience with Linda today at Pence Winery. Peaceful, beautiful outdoor setting in the canyon for the tasting. Wine was fantastic, premises were lovely and secluded, and we felt very safe with excellent COVID precautious. The tasting experience felt thoughtful and personal. We even got to say hi to the three resident Rhodesian Ridgebacks. Highly recommend. read more

Pence Vineyards & Winery - Wineries Near Me - Buellton, California

this is one of my favorite spots in the area. the space is laid back, the wine is very good. if you get a chance to make a reservation in The Canyon, definitely hop on it. its a bit of a walk but its lovely back there. Super spacious and a nice reprieve from the wind. they also serve charcuterie and will bring you a bottle of water to stay hydrated. I really love their Rosé, great summertime sip! read more

Pence Vineyards & Winery - Wineries Near Me - Buellton, California

I have been a member at Pence Ranch for almost a year, but have been visiting and referring business to them for quite sometime. I have never been disappointed with their quality of attention and level of care. The service and luxury feel to the tasting is top of the line. We had some friends visit us last week from Los Angeles who wanted to do some tasting, and Pence Ranch has been a team that I knew we could trust with our health during the Covid-19 pandemic. We were one of two groups on the outdoor terrace above the tasting room with more than enough distance to put us at ease. Our server wore a mask the entire and was wonderful. Of course, the wines were great as always, but it was the overall feel of the fantastical setting and cool Sta. Rita Hills breeze running throughout the property that added a special kind of magic. It was just brilliant. read more

Me and my girlfriends had the most amazing time at Pence winery! They were soo kind and accommodating. The grounds are stunning and it just had such a family/home vibe. Can not wait to go back! read more

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We were fortunate to have a chance to visit this beautiful winery. The tasting room is being remodeled, so they shuttled us to their open air tasting location. On the way we passed peacocks including an albino peacock. When we arrived to the tasting location it was lovely. I noticed the most amazing tree almost immediately. They call it the "Dragon Tree." What an apt name. My photo doesn't do it justice. All this before we even tasted the wine. The location is a fitting accompaniment to their fine wines. We enjoyed very personal attention during the tasting and were so happy with the wines we decided to join the wine club. We had to laugh at the Rhodesian Ridgebacks flopped on the drive as we left. Their dogs are living the life. read more

Pence Vineyards & Winery - Wineries Near Me - Buellton, California

Visited for the first time yesterday and it was a beautiful experience! The staff are so knowledgeable and kind. They even assisted my boyfriend in setting up a proposal. This was the perfect place to get engaged. It's absolutely breath taking and the wine is so good! We are now wine club members and have memories that we will cherish forever. Thank you Pence Ranch for an unforgettable experience! read more

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Pence Ranch is by FAR one of the best wine tasting experiences in Santa Barbara County. The setting is beautiful, the wines are spectacular and the service is second to none. Ask for Ken! He's extremely knowledgeable, personable and enthusiastic about wine. I've been here with friends many times and Pence is always a hit! Highly recommended! read more

After my plans got canceled for Channel Island due to high winds, I found myself here for some same day wine tasting. My bf and I quickly switched gears and drove here to make our reservations. Everything else seemed to be fully booked. It was $20-$30 per flight for wine tasting I can't remember. I orignally picked this place because of the pictures and the dogs, but my experience was shy from what I had seen. The dogs didn't really come up to you, which I understand, but that sucked. I was seated right in front of the "barn" and there was no where to wonder. I wanted to see the vineyard but that wasn't an option. Nothing else was offered to us while we did our tastings. As I am looking at past reviews, it seems like there are so many other things to do on the vineyard but I didn't see anything that was posted on here. This place is French style boutique so not as big as other producers. As more people arrived for their reservations, our server became more and more harder to flag down for our next wines. I must admit, their wines are drier and have lots of unique flavors. I could really taste the citrus notes on the chardonnay and the pepper notes in the Syrah (which was my favorite.) Tasting experience could have been better, but they are a small boutique winery so I won't be too harsh! read more

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Huge huge huge fan of this place! The treatment is 5 stars, their vineyard is taken care of very well. We had great experience from beginning to end. Upon arriving they greeted us with wine and took us on this wonderful quick tour of the vineyard. The tour guide was super knowledge of not only wine but the winery in particular. The tasting room was very cozy and inviting. Small area so perfect for groups of 10-20 people. Tastings are intimate and very informative. I loved their special varieties, known for their Gamay Wine. Highly suggest to visit and buy a few of their special wines, very worth it! They have the nicest porta-potties I've ever been to in my life. Very clean and well maintained Enjoy your visit!!! * ***********Heres a good IDEA ************* ********Did you enjoy reading the review ?****** ************PLEASE Share some ************* ************ vote for this review!*************** read more

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Attended an event for a friend's birthday at this lovely winery and our location was called The Pond House - a lovely covered gazebo that could easily hold 4-5 tables with seating. It overlooked their large pond and had pretty lighting and pathways in greenery -very pretty. The caterer was able to cook for us behind the scenes and the staff of Pence were friendly and so accommodating with their tasting and pours. I highly recommend this winery setting for so many great reasons! read more

Visited the winery after a moderate amount of time researching local wineries. We arrived on a Monday around 1pm, without an appointment. Luckily, they were able to accommodate us. Lenora drove us up to the canyon tasting area. The ride up, the tasting itself, the entire setting was picture perfect. We didn't feel rushed, the salesmanship was very casual and not too aggressive. The expertise from the host was excellent as well, she even provided other winery recommendations to sample on our vacation. Everyone was very accommodating to my nine-month old daughter as well. The wine itself was easily the best we tried in the Santa Ynez Valley. The chardonnay in particular converted me to the grape after years of derision and spite. We were so enamored that we joined the wine club, a rare thing for me to do. If you have the chance, I could not recommend this winery enough. read more

Had a lovely visit to this winery. The wines and process used to produce them are organic, interesting to learn about. The grounds are pretty, there's a nice pond in the back to walk around and great views from the hilltop. Service from head sommelier Josh was on point. He gave us a ton of great reccos for food and other wineries. Learned a lot, enjoyed the wines and bought some to go. Def worth visiting. read more

Pence Vineyards & Winery - two glasses of wine on a table - Wineries Near Me - Buellton, California

The staff here is top notch! These guys really know their vineyard inside and out and do a fantastic job immersing folks and meticulously explaining to their customers how each of their bottles are made. The chardonnay here is especially refreshing and best of all they have a very generous military discount for those who have served. Props to the Pence team for taking care of the troops! Pro tip: Our server Philip was a very knowledgeable, kind server whom I would go back just to chit chat with while sipping wine. read more

Beautiful and peaceful grounds with exceptional service and lovey wines! We have been members for a number of years and they have always delivered in terms of service and wine. They have been extremely family friendly when we have brought our little ones. Their Syrah and Pinot have been or household favorites. read more

Pence hands down has some of the best wines from California! Love that they do a natural wine fermentation process and the taste of the wine definitely speaks to that! Has a great tasting experience and honestly from all the wines I tasted there wasn't a single one that I didn't like. read more

Pence Vineyards & Winery - Beautiful Pence labels and delicious wine! - Wineries Near Me - Buellton, California

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Really sad about Pence this weekend. Was so impressed my last visit but disappointed that the wine was mediocre, the service was terrible ( the gentleman just poured without telling us anything about the wine) just because we are young doesnt mean we don't know anything about wine..considering some of our group members are actually sommeliers/ from napa. The pours are ridiculously small which I was quite in shock about you could barely get a sip of it. We bought several cases last visit last year and now wont be returning ever. Go to peake instead. Better experience. Better wine and service! read more

Very good experience at this winery. Thanks to Austin who is truly a superstar extremely knowledgeable and just great service. All round wines are solid. Chardonnay was delicious. You could tell they put a lot of time and effort into crafting elegant wines.... read more