If ever there were a Central Coast winery that embodied both a pioneering legacy with an innovative eye toward the future, it would be Beckmen Vineyards. Located in the heart of the Santa Ynez Valley wine country, Beckmen Vineyards was founded by Tom and Judy Beckmen in 1994, when the area was just beginning to blossom. Born of equal parts intrepid determination and elegant finesse—Beckmen wines capture the spirit of California in a glass. Today, Beckmen Vineyards stands as one of the seminal producers of estate-grown Syrah and Grenache varietal wines from Santa Barbara County.
The Beckmens first planted roots in the region when Tom and Judy Beckmen discovered a 40-acre vineyard and winery near the picturesque town of Los Olivos, CA. Just two years later, in 1996, their commitment to building a world-class estate vineyard led them to purchase an unplanted 365-acre ranch they would call Purisima Mountain in the nearby Ballard Canyon AVA, an area today considered one of California’s holy grails for Rhône varieties. The Purisima Mountain Vineyard became the first Demeter-certified biodynamic vineyard in Santa Ynez and is presently California’s fourth largest biodynamic vineyard.
At the heart of Beckmen is Tom and Judy’s son, Steve Beckmen, winemaker and vineyard manager, who has been running the winery since day one. A self-taught winemaker, Steve has pursued relentless experimentation and pushed boundaries in the vineyard and winery, establishing him as a trailblazer in the region. In the vineyard, his early obsession towards sustainability and biodynamics was unparalleled. In the cellar, Steve challenged standard practices by being one of the first in the region to embrace whole-cluster and native fermentations, both now widely utilized. His knowledge continues to evolve by keeping an eye on climate change, testing various blending and aging techniques, and conducting trials with skin-contact Viognier aged in amphora sans sulfur. Today, he remains one of the most respected farmers and winemakers on the Central Coast and is credited with helping put Santa Barbara on the wine map.