In 1996, with forty years of winemaking experience, Jim and Mary Dierberg’s dream of producing wines worthy of their 250 year plan became a reality. After a long search through France and Napa, while learning the craft and making wine in the mid-west, they discovered the potential of Santa Barbara’s cool coastal valleys. The family planted two estates -first their namesake Dierberg Vineyard and later Drum Canyon Vineyard – both under their DIERBERG label. These estates, along with the family’s iconic warm climate site Star Lane Vineyard, culminated in a trio of peerless properties in Santa Barbara County.

Today, the entire operation is one big family affair, with the Dierbergs’ grown children and their spouses intimately involved in the day-to-day operations of the vineyard and winery.

Bankers by profession, Jim and Mary are no newcomers to wine. Since 1974, they’ve owned the Hermannhof Winery in Hermann, Missouri, which was one of the United States’ most significant wine-growing regions prior to Prohibition. Located about an hour’s drive west of St. Louis, Hermannhof is one of America’s oldest wineries. The Dierbergs have dedicated the past 40 years to renovating the property and raising its reputation as a place for education and entertainment.

While the town’s history and charm brought the Dierbergs to Hermann, the region’s Midwestern climate cannot support the traditional European varietals that Jim and Mary have become fans of over the years. In the 1980s, the Dierbergs began looking outside of Missouri for a place to plant that passion. After realizing that properties in Bordeaux and Napa Valley weren’t suitable for their desires, they chanced upon the Santa Barbara area in 1996.

Dieberg Vineyard:

Thirteen miles from the Pacific Ocean in one of the cooler winegrowing corners of Santa Barbara County, Dierberg Vineyard is on the western edge of the Santa Maria Valley appellation and is comprised of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Perched on a mesa above the south bank of the Santa Maria River, the property consists of sandy loam soils, heavily infiltrated by the marine sediments of yesteryear and kissed by the fog from the Pacific.

Founded in 1997, the family planted twelve “heritage clones” of Pinot Noir (tracing back to Burgundy). This diversity of material is rare in California, and allows the selection and discovery of the ideal clones to build the backbone of DIERBERG Pinot Noir. Chardonnay selections were derived from marquis cuttings of historic Wente clones — and the closely related Clone 4 grape. These California-developed clones are high quality and low yielding, producing expressive but graceful Chardonnays by retaining fresh structure with delicious ripe fruit.