Ad Ripa is a project over a decade in the making, born from a deep connection to place, family, and the remarkable potential of Bordeaux varieties in Santa Barbara County’s Happy Canyon.
Since 2010, winemaker Justin Willett has worked with Cabernet Sauvignon and other Bordeaux varieties grown in this unique eastern corner of the Santa Ynez Valley. Nestled between the San Rafael and Santa Ynez Mountains, and bordered by the Santa Ynez River with the Pacific Ocean to the south and west, Happy Canyon has revealed itself as one of California’s most exciting regions for Cabernet-based wines. The ocean’s influence — much like Bordeaux’s relationship with the Gironde — plays a defining role in shaping the wines grown here.
While Willett is best known for Pinot Noir and Chardonnay through his work with Tyler Winery in the Sta. Rita Hills, Cabernet Sauvignon has always held a personal significance. Following the passing of his father in 2016, he began producing a small amount of Cabernet under the Tyler label as a tribute — his father wasn’t a big wine drinker, but always appreciated a good bottle of Cabernet on special occasions. After six vintages, it became clear that those wines deserved their own identity. Ad Ripa is that identity.
The name Ad Ripa, Latin for “by the shore,” is both a nod to the region’s coastal influence and a tribute to Willett’s family story. Nearly 60 years ago, his parents drove west from Indiana and landed in Santa Barbara. When they reached the coast, his mother turned to his father and said, “Stop. This is home.” That spirit of arrival — of finding a place that feels deeply right — is at the heart of the brand.
Ad Ripa is not an extension of Tyler. It is a distinct project, focused solely on Bordeaux varieties from Happy Canyon, offering a new platform for wines of structure, freshness, and place. Wines that speak clearly and confidently of where they’re from.
They certainly have a lot to say.
