Blackjack Ranch

Blackjack Ranch is the result of 30 years of imagination and preparation. At the age of 14, I began studying the wines and winemaking of France and California. Two years later, I was fermenting small batches of wine in the produce section of my parent's grocery store. By 17, I was collecting the wines of Bordeaux and Burgundy. Passion for all aspects of wine enabled me to envision the characteristics of the wines I eventually intended to produce. In 1990, I invented and introduced a casino card game called "California Blackjack" in Los Angeles. The standard game of "21" was outlawed in California in 1873, but my game was different in that two aces was a "natural" and technically that made the game "22", not "21". Our winery was founded in 1996 and is named in honor of the game. Recently the world's most respected wine critic, Robert Parker, Jr. awarded Blackjack Ranch a Five-Star Rating for the production of Bordeaux varietals, Billy Goat Hill Merlot and Harmonie. We are one of only two wineries outside Napa/Sonoma to achieve his highest ranking. In issue #148 of The Wine Advocate, Robert Parker included the following pronouncement: "Blackjack Ranch is one of the best-run wineries in Santa Barbara. Proprietor Roger Wisted clearly looks to France for his inspiration. His wines possess all the flavor of California yet more elegance and complexity than is typical for many of this state's wines. Wisted fashions the finest Bordeaux-blends of the region." He awarded us the area's highest scores for Syrah and for Chardonnay. We hope you will agree as you enjoy our wines.

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