Historic Santa Barbara County Wine Properties Change Hands

Two of the Santa Ynez Valley’s most historic and impactful wine properties — Fiddlestix Vineyard, an early hotbed for pinot noir in the Sta. Rita Hills, and Buttonwood Farm Winery & Vineyard, a pioneer in organic farming just north of Solvang — changed hands last month, and the new owners for both are excited about furthering their respective legacies for the long haul. 

Founded by sustainability visionary and land conservationist Betty Williams in 1968, Buttonwood was sold by her heirs to Gleason Family Vineyards, owners of the Refugio Ranch and Roblar brands. And Fiddlestix’s founder Kathy Joseph — the owner of Fiddlehead Cellars who planted her property in 1998 when very few other vines existed on Santa Rosa Road — sold the 100-acre vineyard to a group led by Tyler Winery owner Justin Willett and viticulturist Erik Mallea. The pair owns a vineyard management company together, and Mallea also works for Sanford Winery across the road, home to the legendary Sanford & Benedict Vineyard. Prices for each deal were not disclosed. 

Meanwhile, the more recently developed Hilliard Bruce Vineyard — which had been on the market for nearly three years, initially listed at nearly $15 million — also sold recently for $10,550,000. The new owner is Michael Mente, who is CEO of the e-commerce fashion company Revolve, which went public in 2019 and is valued at more than $2 billion today.