Mosby Winery and Vineyards

Santa Rita Hills, Buellton, California

By: Sarah O'Brien - Senior Editor - floatingcork.com

When I was a kid we had a neighbor - Mildred - who grew rows of vegetables and flowers and sold them outside her home – putting money in an old coffee tin was the way to pay.  Getting out of the car at Mosby brought me back to Mildred’s place just briefly.  I think it was because the tasting room sits across from someone’s home and for what seemed like an eternity we waited for that someone to greet us.  This is very much what happened to those passing by Mildred’s on their way home from work – seeing the "Fresh Vegetables and Flowers" sign and stopping for cucumbers waiting to pay, produce in hand, and not seeing the coffee tin and not knowing what to do next.  The grounds, like Mildred’s, are very beautiful.  Although it was late in the season and the vines were almost finished shedding their gold leaves, the brown of winter setting in on them, there was still something beautiful about the ancient vines, thick trunks to prove that they have been around for an eternity (Mosby is one of the oldest wineries in Santa Barbara County).

The tasting room sits inside an old carriage house that was built in 1853, the room itself is just about right for a party of eight – anymore than that would be stifling.  Waiting inside I looked around timidly – not knowing if we should even be there.  Andrea Bocelli filled the room with his arias so that was an indication that there was life besides me and my friends.  It was apparent that Italy influenced this California winery.  Besides Bocelli, there were flyers informing of an upcoming trip to Italy with Mosby, Italian artwork gracing the walls and we soon found out – Italian style wines to taste (better known as Cal-Ital). 

The pourer came out of the back room mumbling something about tending to the wine, and quickly filled the room with boisterousness and vociferousness.  I didn’t catch his name but he filled us in on tales about wine, Italy and of growing up in the Carolinas, Texas, North Dakota and I couldn’t keep up with the rest – he apparently had a lot of childhood.  In any case, the guy could yarn.  I had a hard time keeping up with his stories, and his pours.  We whipped through five wines: Stelline di Cortese, Cortese, Rosato di Sangiovese, Primativo and La Seduzione in what seemed like five minutes.

It was clear to me that Mosby seemed to be a mom and pop establishment, not as put together as other larger wineries in the area – but there was something unique and warm about it not running like clockwork – it was also very homey.  All of the bottles were beautifully labeled with bright pastel paintings designed by Robert Scherer for his friend Bill Mosby.  Each design proves that care and craftsmanship goes into each bottle of Mosby wine.  With one last sip, a purchase and a handshake goodbye, we departed from Mosby filled with good wine and a slight longing for the old country.