Stolpman Vineyards is a family-owned estate in Ballard Canyon, Santa Barbara County, founded by Tom and Marilyn Stolpman. The idea began on their honeymoon in Napa, when Marilyn planted the seed of someday owning a vineyard. Tom—who was, and remarkably still is, a practicing trial lawyer—took the idea seriously, searching for the combination of limestone soils and coastal influence he believed could produce exceptional wine. He found it in Ballard Canyon in 1988 and purchased the property in 1990.
The estate sits on limestone-rich soils exposed to cooling Pacific winds, conditions particularly well suited to Syrah and other Rhône varieties. Stolpman farms organically, relies on little to no irrigation where conditions allow, and favors native fermentation and minimal intervention in the cellar, with the goal of making energetic, site-driven wines rather than overly polished ones.
Tom’s legal career is actually an important part of the Stolpman story. A USC Gould School of Law graduate and longtime trial attorney, he built the vineyard while continuing to practice law in Long Beach—often handling vineyard business early in the morning before heading to the office. His son Pete Stolpman took over day-to-day leadership in 2009, carrying the estate into its next generation while maintaining the farming philosophy established by Tom and longtime vineyard managers Ruben and Maria Solorzano.
Perhaps the best expression of the Stolpman philosophy is La Cuadrilla, a program created with Ruben Solorzano to give the vineyard crew greater ownership and education in the farming process. What began as a dedicated training block evolved into a wine whose profits benefit the vineyard workers—a fitting reflection of an estate that has always viewed the people farming the land as integral to the wine itself.
Fun fact: Tom is still practicing law today. When USC asked why he hadn't retired from the profession, he joked, “I need to practice law to support my habit.” The habit, of course, is Stolpman Vineyards.
