United States · California

Jaffurs

Jaffurs Wine Cellars is a Santa Barbara specialist focused exclusively on Rhone varieties, founded by Craig Jaffurs in 1994 after he identified the Sta. Rita Hills and Santa Ynez Valley as ideal Syrah country. The winery sources from a rotating roster of distinguished Santa Barbara vineyards — Thompson, Larner, Star Lane, Verna's, and Stolpman among them — producing vineyard-designate Syrabs that reflect individual site character. At auction, 145 lots have traded at an average of $54 per bottle, ranging from $12 to $339, with the Upslope Syrah averaging $71 and the Thompson Vineyard Syrah averaging $54. Jaffurs produces around 3,500 cases annually across Syrah, Viognier, Grenache, and Roussanne, with Syrah representing the commercial and critical core. Wine Spectator and Wine Advocate have covered Jaffurs regularly, with the single-vineyard Syrabs drawing scores in the 90-94 range for strong vintages. The $339 ceiling at auction reflects large-format bottles or highly rated older vintages from benchmark Syrah years such as 2001, 2003, and 2012 in Santa Barbara. Craig Jaffurs' death in 2008 raised questions about continuity, but winemaking has continued under established protocols. Jaffurs represents a reliable source of site-expressive Santa Barbara Syrah at accessible prices.