Babcock Winery

Walt Babcock was a successful Seal Beach dentist when he and his wife Mona started Walt’s Wharf in 1970. At that time, if you wanted fresh fish, you had to travel 10 miles to Newport Beach to the south or 25 miles to San Pedro to the north. Initially, Walt used his own fishing boat to procure the fresh fish for the restaurant. Later, he established contacts with fisherman so there was always an extensive choice of fresh fish on the menu. By 1978, the rigors of running a dental practice and a restaurant had sent Walt and Mona looking for a retreat. Upon finding 110 acres of land in the Santa Rita Hills region of Santa Barbara County, they sold Walt’s Wharf in 1979 and devoted themselves to winegrowing. Within a few years, several producers were making compelling wines from the Babcock’s 25-acre vineyard.

In 1984, son Brian was attending the University of California Davis majoring in food science and enology. He joined his parents as winemaker and a winery was built. With Brian’s first harvest, he was awarded a double gold medal for the 1984 Babcock Estate Sauvignon Blanc, and Babcock Winery was off and running. Today Babcock Winery and Vineyards is a 20,000-case-a-year winery with 80 acres planted to multiple varietals including Pinot Noir. The wines feature estate fruit as well as grapes from other select California vineyards. Brian Babcock has won multiple winemaking awards including being named one of the “Top Ten Small Production Winemakers in the World,” in 1995 by the James Beard Foundation (the only American so honored).