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You may have heard of Cambria Wines through their parent company, Jackson Family Wines, a winemaking powerhouse who sells an astounding 6 million cases of wines a year!
While the family name does give this label some serious wine street cred, what makes it standout among all of the other wineries in the Jackson Family portfolio, and among US wineries in general, is that not only is Cambria Wines a women-owned wine company, it’s also a women-led wine company.
We were introduced to this wine at a wine tasting, and for $16 a bottle, we were surprised at how good it was. As we learned a little more about the brand, the level of quality made sense.
Cambria earned the number one spot on Wine Enthusiast’s Top 100 Wineries list with the 2006 Julia’s Vineyard Pinot Noir. More recently, the label’s 2017 Katherine’s Vineyard Chardonnay, placed well on Wine Spectator’s Top 100 Chardonnays in 2019!
If you’re searching for a sustainable California Chardonnay, Cambria Wines is a great place to start.
Cambria Wines was founded in 1986 by the influential husband and wife team of Barbara Banke and Jess Jackson. Today Cambria Wines is co-owned by their daughters, Katherine (Katie) Jackson and Julia Jackson, who are responsible for the brand’s sustainability, and philanthropy efforts, respectively.
Cambria’s vineyards hold a unique place in California winegrowing history, because one of their vineyards, the Tepusquet vineyard, was one of the very first commercial vineyards planted in the Santa Maria Valley. In fact, the Tepusquet Vineyard was first planted to grapes over fifty years ago in 1971, in what is now known as the Santa Maria Valley AVA.
The winery’s current winemaker, Jill Russel, has been with Cambria since 2017. Prior to joining Cambria, Jill worked with winemakers up and down the coast, so she’s incredibly familiar with the region’s microclimates, and how they impact different vineyard sites and grape varieties.
The Santa Maria Valley AVA is California’s second oldest AVA, after Napa Valley, and the Central Coast’s first official AVA.
As an AVA, Santa Maria Valley is known for its exceptionally long growing season, about 200 days a year, owing to the region’s unique geography. The area has what’s known as a “transverse” geography, which means the mountain range faces east-west, which allows the cool Pacific Ocean air to travel right from the ocean to the vineyards. The combination of cool ocean air and hot afternoon sun creates an environment ideally suited for grape growing, and the result is complex, but vibrant grapes with great acidity.
More and more consumers are seeking out sustainable products, including sustainable wines.
Unfortunately, sustainability has become such a buzzword, that many wine companies who claim to be sustainable, don’t actually have the measurable data to back up those claims.
What’s great about Cambria Wines is that they practice what they preach. Co-owner Katherine Jackson invested a significant amount of time and resources into learning about, and then pursuing certification for the company’s Santa Maria vineyards, and her efforts have paid off by all of the brand’s vineyards being certified through the California Sustainable Winegrowing Alliance (CSWA) and Sustainability in Practice (SIP).
Achieving dual sustainability certifications is no easy feat, because CSWA and SIP use different measurements to measure a winery’s sustainability. Without getting too much in the weeds about this, we’d like to mention just a few sustainability initiatives Cambria Wines highlights on their website.
California, USA
Santa Barbara County, Santa Maria Valley
Chardonnay
14.1
49–55°F / 9–12°C
Chardonnay
Not Necessary
Now-2023
This single vineyard wine is a classic chardonnay with a gorgeous gold-yellow color and medium legs. On the nose, we picked up hints of lemon, apple, a little peach, honeydew, and very slight stoniness. On the palate, we get hints of green apple, lemon, pink grapefruit, and honeydew, and Brett swears he tastes some pineapple (Tina was not so sure).
The body and acid are light/medium, with a silky texture, and a short finish. There’s a touch of toasted oak that’s balanced by refreshing acidity.
Cambria recommends pairing this wine with grilled chicken and mango salsa, roast salmon and Gruyere mac and cheese, or fish tacos.
We give this a solid 87, and a steal for the $16 price tag. CellarTracker has an average rating of 89.4.
Cambria Wines is located about an hour northwest of Santa Barbara, and thirty minutes south of Pismo Beach, in the beautiful Santa Maria Valley.
For more information about making your Cambria Wines tasting reservation, click here.
Wine tasting in and around the Santa Barbara area can get pretty busy, so if you’re able to make a reservation, it’s highly recommended that you do.
