The story of Kitá is one of passion, dedication and community. It is told through the wines of Tara Gomez, Winemaker at Kitá and a member of the Santa Ynez Band of the Chumash Tribe, with whom this story is intricately linked: Kitá's were the first Native-owned, Native-grown and Native-made wines in North America. They were largely made with grapes grown in the Chumash-owned Camp 4 Vineyard, a beautiful and sun-drenched 1,400 acres (250 planted acres) on the eastern edge of the Santa Ynez Valley AVA (now, it's within the newly formed Los Olivos AVA) right next to the Happy Canyon appellation in Santa Barbara. And these were some of the most elegant and head-turning, classic varietal wines we've experienced from California.
Tara's interest in winemaking and the science behind it came at an early age, when she was introduced to the wineries and cellars of California when visiting them with her parents. She was particularly interested in the chemistry of winemaking, and was encouraged by her family to foster this curiosity. Her Tribe supported her further, awarding her a scholarship to attend Cal State University Fresno's oenology program. Upon its completion with a BSc, she was only one of two women to graduate.
From there, her career began at Fess Parker Winery, and later, at J. Lohr in Paso Robles, where she met her future wife and partner in Camins 2 Dreams, Mireia Taribó. It was during her time at J. Lohr that she began crafting small lot red wines under her own label, then called Kawalashaq’ Wine Cellars, and cutting her teeth on a style that would become her own, traveling to wine-producing regions around the world and gaining a deeper insight into their styles and methods. A few years later, Tara left J. Lohr to go back to Spain (where Mireia is from), where she spent two years learning the nuances of vineyard and cellar alike.
2010 was a transformative year. Upon his deathbed, Fess Parker, who previously owned the Camp 4 Vineyard and surrounding land, sold it back to the Chumash Tribe, and Tara came home to help establish Kitá. She remained Winemaker there until the Tribe announced that it was closing its doors in the spring of 2022. But within those 12 years, Tara dialled in her craft of making wines that are balanced, pure, and perfectly structured. She followed Chumash principles of connecting to land, soil and climate, and of regenerative practices that preserve the land for future generations. Decisions like picking for structure (freshness) instead of ripeness in the warmer Santa Ynez climate, and utilizing spontaneous fermentation, led to wines that showed incredible concentration, nuance and depth.
“Growing wine grapes is truly a partnership with Mother Earth. It is about finding that connection to the land, soil and climate. It’s not only about taking what we need, but by giving back in sustainable ways so that we can preserve the land for the longevity of our future generations.”
Today, Tara and Mireia are making the exceptional wines of Camins 2 Dreams in the Sta. Rita Hills AVA, and Tara continues to consult for other Indigenous winemaking projects in California. While it was difficult to see the end to the Kitá wines, her Tribe still grows and maintains the Camp 4 Vineyard, and for Tara – this is just the beginning. We're always excited to see what she does next, and will happily be supporting her wines at every step along the way. This is truly a winemaker to watch.