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By K. Reka Badger
Tchelistcheff visited Longoria.
A pure love of winemaking Rick Longoria's unwavering dedication to making handcrafted wines has brought him critical acclaim, awards and a solid reputation as one of the best winemakers in Santa Barbara County.  
Early Santa Ynez Valley ranchers farmed cattle and grain, never guessing that the future belonged to wine grapes. Today, world-class vineyards carpet the rolling terrain, enticing wine lovers to sample the local wares and reminding one self-proclaimed old-timer that every industry must evolve. For 32 years, winemaker Rick Longoria has plied his craft with patience, persistence and attention to quality.

From his mid-1970s hitch as Firestone Vineyard's first cellarmaster to his current position as proprietor of his own label, Longoria has forged an enviable career in the mercurial world of wine.

"I got into the business," Longoria said, "because it's this quiet, wonderful pursuit in a quiet cellar. I love working with the wine and making it the best possible product. That's an old-school perspective, but I learned from old-school winemakers."

Among Longoria's mentors was Andra Tchelistcheff, the preeminent winemaker who revolutionized California's wine industry by bringing "French quality winemaking to America."

"Andra was a legend," Longoria declared, "but at his home, there was hardly anything to indicate he was in the wine business. His wine cellar was under his bed. He was a consummate winemaker, but he didn't wear it on his sleeve. And I learned from him."

Raised in an Air Force family, Longoria traveled a circuitous route to the vineyards of the Santa Ynez Valley. His early life journey wound from Nevada to Minnesota to Alaska, and finally to Inglewood, California, where his dad taught ROTC at the University of Southern California. 

"Then we moved to Vandenberg," he remembered, "and that was my introduction to Santa Barbara County." The transition was dramatic and made a positive impact.
"I was a city kid seeing lots of open space," he continued, "and I liked it a lot. It really influenced my whole direction, looking at ag and living in the country, and seeing winemaking as a way to make a living." 

Longoria attended UCSB, and then UC Berkeley, where he spent many weekends touring nearby tasting rooms; he graduated in 1973 with a B.A. in Sociology. He considered becoming a lawyer to serve the poor, but balked at the thought of more schooling, and after a free-wheeling hiatus in South America, decided to pursue winemaking.

Viniculturally inexperienced but fiercely determined, Longoria applied to several northern California wineries and officially launched his career in 1974 when Buena Vista Winery hired him to work in the cellar. While there, he met Tchelistcheff, who shaped his wine aesthetic, and discovered an enduring passion for the craft
Two years later, Longoria signed on as cellarmaster at the fledgling Firestone Vineyard, in Los Olivos, and began a love affair with both his wife-to-be and the "laidback lifestyle" of the Santa Ynez Valley. 

"Diana and I met when she started as a tour guide," he recalled. "Our first date was March of '77. I worked fast, because by August, we were married." Their wedding, held at Mission Santa Ines, with a reception at the Alisal Guest Ranch, ranks as one of the first collective, wine country celebrations in Santa Barbara County

"It was great," Longoria laughed. "Most of the winemakers were there: Richard Sanford, Tony Austin, Fred Brander. There were just a handful at the time."

Married, eager for advancement and ready for a change, Longoria took a job as cellarmaster at Chappellet Winery, in Napa Valley. "Diana grew up here," he mused, "and had never been anywhere else, so it felt right to start our life together somewhere else, even though I didn't want to leave." 

The couple stayed up north about a year, long enough to have their first child, James. "The experience in Napa made me realize how much I love the Valley," Longoria admitted. "Not just to live and raise kids, but the winemaking community was more down-to-earth. I realized how special Santa Ynez was and I wanted to get back here." 

Through his friend Fred Brander, Longoria heard that J. Carey Cellars needed a winemaker. "I interviewed with the Careys and they hired me on the spot," Longoria smiled. "So, May '79, we came back. I'd never been a winemaker before, and here I was back in the Valley I loved!"
When the Carey family realized they only needed a part-time winemaker, Longoria headed out to Rancho Sisquoc Winery to drum up a few more hours. "There I was," he beamed, "a brand new winemaker, making wine for two wineries. It was so cool!"

By the next harvest, Longoria was working full time at J. Carey Cellars, where he spent five years. Along the way, he and Diana had a daughter, Sarah, and started their own label, Longoria Wines, to accommodate a growing passion for Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, varietals missing from the J. Carey lineup.

In January 1985, Longoria moved to Gainey Vineyard and proceeded to rack up 11 harvests at the showcase facility. "I was so excited about Pinot Noir," he said, "that I encouraged Gainey to make some. I bought grapes from Sanford & Benedict, Los Alamos Vineyard and Sierra Madre, and that was the beginning of Gainey's Pinot Noir program."

After making an arrangement with Rideau Vineyard, Longoria left Gainey in 1996. He would help Iris Rideau design the new winery and make her wine, while using a portion of the facility for producing Longoria Wines. "n May 1, 1998, the Longorias opened their own tasting room in one of Los Olivos' oldest buildings, a charming space that once served as the Valley's machine shop.

Boasting a shady patio and flower-filled garden, as well as an art and antique bedecked interior, the Longoria Wines tasting room plays host to artist receptions and lively open houses, as well as visitors in search of a stellar lineup of wines.

The Longoria Wine tasting room is located in Los Olivos or visit www. longoriawine.com.
Longoria stayed at Rideau Vineyard through the 1998 harvest, but as he began to develop his own vineyard in the Santa Rita Hills, he opted for independence. Countless trips from the Valley to the vineyard convinced him to consider locating his winery in Lompoc, a novel idea at the time and the genesis of what's now affectionately known as the "wine ghetto."

"The space I rented had been empty for six months," he explained, "and there was a vacant lot with a bunch of old buses and homeless people living in them. It was a little scary, so I kept a low profile, I didn't even put up any signs. I thought maybe they'd be lining up with their cups. I had no idea that within months of moving in," he added, "other winemakers would express an interest in the place. Now there are twenty brands being produced out there! Seriously", he chuckles, "if someone had said, 'you're gonna start a wine industry in Lompoc,' I would have laughed."

Since the 1970s, Rick Longoria has played a vital role in Santa Barbara County's wine country and its dramatic evolution from marginal to world class. His faith in local fruit and commitment to quality continue to inform his work, and his long-standing love of the Santa Ynez Valley endures.

"That hunch I had in the late '70s, that this was the place to make world-class wines," Longoria concluded with a sparkle in his eye, "it's all come true. I'm more than delighted to still be here making these wonderful wines."

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