Our Story
We grow great wines.
Under Santa Barbara Skies
In this day and age, wines just aren't made the way they used to be. Wine brands compete for your attention with glossy labels, impressive promises, and an array of award stickers that can leave you feeling intimidated and stuck. We don’t blame you if you feel dumbfounded by the paradox of choice! Call us old-fashioned, but at Beckmen Vineyards, we don’t chase the latest trends but stick to our traditional family values to produce estate-grown premium wines made in harmony with nature that reflect a sense of place.
That place is right here in the Santa Ynez Valley. As the first biodynamically farmed vineyard in Santa Barbara County, we focus on what counts: growing great grapes. As a result, our critically acclaimed wines have been served in the finest restaurants and houses in the country (including the White House). Our priority is to produce a broad yet deep portfolio of Rhône-style wines to consistently provide a definitive wine experience you can trust - each and every time.
Tom Beckmen is the pioneer and leader that founded Roland Corp. US, one of the biggest names in the electronic music business. The heart of Tom's entrepreneurial success has always been his ability to look towards the future and embrace new challenges.
Like his father, Tom, Steve also looked towards the future, pushing the winery to produce the Rhône style wines for which Beckmen and Santa Barbara County have become so well known, as well as establishing the first certified Biodynamic vineyard in the county.
After a 24-year career on Wall Street, Jeff Beckmen joined the family winery in 2016 to help with national sales. After working in a service business, Jeff is excited to be selling and marketing a product in which he and his family take great pride.
Our Vineyards & Wines
Beckmen wines are crafted almost exclusively from our two vineyards: the Thomas and Judith Beckmen Estate Vineyard in Los Olivos District AVA and Purisima Mountain Vineyard in Ballard Canyon AVA. Tending vines from dormancy through harvest since 1994, we’ve discovered, row by row, the unique soil and microclimate that best hosts each type of grape varietal ensuring every block in the vineyard consistently produces the highest quality fruit possible.
On the west side of Ballard Canyon AVA lies our acclaimed, certified biodynamic Purisima Mountain Vineyard. The most unique feature of this vineyard is its limestone subsoil which is only found in a few corners of the central coast. These soils are prized in regions like Champagne, Burgundy, and the Southern Rhône Valley for producing wines with intense flavors and complexity. The 125 acre vineyard runs up the southwestern slope of a mountain gaining 500 feet in elevation with multiple exposures across its slopes. We have found that our white wine grapes and Rhône-style grapes such as Syrah, Grenache, Mourvèdre, and Counoise thrive in our Purisima Mountain Vineyard. Over the years, Syrah has risen in the ranks to become our flagship variety, loved for its consistency and complexity.
Over time, we’ve let experience be our guide in determining which grapes thrive best on our vineyards.
The Thomas and Judith Beckmen Estate Vineyard is 40 acres (25 planted) of rolling hills situated on the western border of the Los Olivos District. This top-tier single vineyard has a slightly warmer climate and a gravely, well-drained soil, which allow us to focus on Cabernet Sauvignon, as well as small amounts of Grenache, Mourvèdre, and Syrah. Our Santa Ynez Valley wines, such as our single varietal Grenache and Cuvee le Bec blend, are produced from fruit from both our vineyards, offering the perfect introduction to Beckmen Vineyards. Our single vineyard bottlings form the apex of our portfolio, producing complex wines that are eminently suitable for cellaring.
Today, our wines are sold in 20+ states and can be purchased at boutique retailers and fine restaurants across the United States. The best place to sample our wines is where they’re grown, at the Beckmen Vineyards tasting room, or ordered through our online store and enjoyed in your home.
Committed to Biodynamic Farming
As the first biodynamically farmed vineyard in Santa Barbara County, we focus on what counts: growing great grapes. We go beyond organic farming by treating the farm as a living organism, avoiding the use of herbicides, insecticides, pesticides, or nitrogen based fertilizer in our vineyards.
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Winemaking
As we guide the grapes from the vineyard to bottle, our mission is to showcase the distinct qualities expressed by each grape variety, and the unique character of both vineyards. We ferment and age our wines in small lots of 1 – 2 tons in order to capture the individuality of each block in both of the vineyards. We age and blend most of our wines from this collection of small lots, so that each bottle of finished wine receives the same meticulous attention to detail that the vineyards receive year round.
Rather than being locked into a rigid process or timeline, our winemaking is done through“smart interventionism.” We make the best decisions at every step in order to create wines that balance depth of flavor, complexity, and the elegance our vineyards naturally possess.
Traditional Craftsmanship
We’re fascinated by the ways in which winemaking has evolved over the last 8,000 years. That’s why we consider the wisdom of ancient traditions when we craft 1NGREDIENT wines by hand. From our commitment to chemical-free farming to the use of custom amphora, we’re a winery dedicated to rediscovering and preserving “slow” agriculture and folk craftsmanship. Learn more.
