Buttonwood Farm is a small gem set amidst the splendor of Santa Barbara County's Santa Ynez Valley. The farm is a shining example of the vision of their founder, Betty Williams. Betty was always ahead of her time, and in the 60's set out to create a working farm based on good practices for people, animals and the earth. First there were horses, then organic vegetables and finally, a vineyard.
Today, Buttonwood's 39-acre vineyard stretches across a sun-drenched mesa on the eastern portion of their 106-acre property. Buttonwood started planting in 1983 and now has 33,000 vines, small in the world of wine, but huge to Buttonwood. Buttonwood's tasting room is surrounded by other bounty from the farm, including olives, pomegranates, peonies, herbs, summer vegetables and of course, their famous peaches! Buttonwood's philosophy is beautifully summed up by their Mission Statement:
In the far distant future may it be said that the owners and stewards of this land so used and protected it that it has been able to absorb the energies of the other forces, those of the infinitely small, of the winds, the birds and the animals, to once again create a balanced ecological microcosm. In this process, effort shall be made to present a financially viable operation, participating fully in the life of the times, the culture and the community. Where possible, the farm shall act as a model for small family husbandry as a source of gain, as well as a personal resource of food and beauty.
