About Us
Matilija Wines is a husband-and-wife partnership between Wynne & Cody Sargeant, dedicated to crafting unique single variety wines from Santa Barbara County. Our goal for Matilija is simple: create small lot, hand-crafted wines that highlight the diversity and nuances of Santa Barbara.
Our inspiration for this project comes from our deep love for the Santa Barbara landscape and the vineyards in the area. We met while attending Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and have spent the last fifteen years exploring the chapparal, beaches and ridgelines of the Central Coast. After making wine in this region for a combined 11 years, we decided to start this project in 2022, the year we got married.
In starting Matilija we endeavored to create something our own––working together with fruit that excited us and aiming to make wines that do justice to the beauty of the region. To this end, we sourced from coastal-influenced sites throughout the County and worked closely with local winegrowers to ensure that the vineyards are meticulously and sustainably farmed. We also focused on varieties that, though they are less recognized in Santa Barbara, thrive in the varied microclimates of our region. This allows us to stay creative and continue to learn and explore these varieties ourselves.
We harvest grapes early in the ripening season to preserve acidity and highlight cool-climate aromatics. After we pick and sort the grapes by hand, they are fermented with stems and whole berries and aged in old French oak barrels on primary lees to build texture. Our winemaking approach involves minimal intervention––each step thoughtfully carried out by the two of us with an eye towards quality.
Matilija is a Chumash name for the local wilderness, the Santa Barbara sandstone that scatters the hills, and the Matilija poppy, a flower native to the Central Coast. In many ways, it embodies the beauty of Santa Barbara, which served as the primary inspiration for this project.
We hope our wines bring you as much joy as they bring us. Cheers!