In 1962 the Gainey family purchased 1,800 acres of undeveloped land stretching across the eastern end of Santa Ynez Valley. Within a year, they started a cattle operation and converted 600 acres into farmland for vegetables, fruit, flowers, and hay crops that have sustained the family for generations. They eventually planted 50 acres of grapevines, nurturing a dream he had of one day producing a Gainey family wine. In 1984, the Gainey family established their Spanish-style winery - designed to produce small quantities of high-quality wine - and released a Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Riesling, Pinot Noir, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. Today their vineyards and winery comprise an important part of the family's agricultural operations, and the vineyards yield enough high-quality fruit to estate bottle all Gainey wines.
Gainey's three ranches are located in two of Santa Barbara County's most esteemed appellations: the Santa Ynez Valley and the Sta. Rita Hills. Each ranch offers a unique combination of soil types, microclimate, sun exposure and grape varieties, ensuring great complexity in their wines. They grow warm climate varieties at Gainey's Home Ranch in the warmer, eastern end of Santa Ynez Valley and cool climate varieties at their Evan's Ranch and Rancho Esperanza in the cool, marine-influenced Sta. Rita Hills appellation. All three ranches yield grapes of exceptional character, allowing Gainey to craft 100% estate-grown wines. Controlling the process from vine to bottle ensures they maintain a consistently high level of quality.
Gainey has long employed sustainable farming practices at their three Santa Ynez Valley ranches. Long before it became fashionable, Gainey was using cover crops, compost, and natural soil amendments to condition their soils; avoiding the use of pesticides to ensure the well-being of their environment and vineyard workers; controlling weeds by hand to prevent the use of herbicides that can leach into ground water; and relying on organic sprays to combat mildew and vine pests.
