Justin Tyler Willett began Tyler in 2005 at the age of 24 with a few barrels tucked away in the corner of the Sta. Rita Hills cellar where he was working in at the time. It was there, as the assistant winemaker, that he honed his approach to Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.
Produced from top vineyards throughout Santa Barbara County, this wine has an exquisite mineral profile, beautifully interwoven with citrus and floral notes on the nose and palate.
The rise to prominence of Justin Willet’s Tyler Winery has been meteoric. Although he was born and raised in Santa Barbara, Justin’s family had no connection to the industry, and Justin himself studied history of art at college before being drawn irresistibly to winemaking. He established Tyler in 2005 and has been gradually expanding the operation ever since—remarkably, without outside investment.
The majority of Justin’s wines are made from grapes purchased through long-term contracts, but his own holdings increased dramatically with the recent acquisition of some forty hectares in Fiddlestix. Justin is a supremely articulate champion of Santa Barbara, pointing out that, despite the effects of global warming elsewhere in California, the trend here is for cooler growing seasons owing to the influence of the nearby Pacific. Not for nothing does he describe Tyler wines as “wines of the sea.” They are characterised by low pH, a clear mineral component, and an absence of overt oak.