Flying Goat Cellars Celebrates 25th Anniversary

 Established by Winemaker Norm Yost in 2000, Flying Goat Cellars is celebrating its 25th anniversary. The year-long celebration features several events and special release wines. A grand celebration will be held at the winery, located at 1241 West Laurel Ave. in Lompoc, on June 21, 2-5pm. All are welcome; RSVP is required at info@flyinggoatcellars.com. 

Yost recently released 2021 Pinot Noir Wine of Wisdom to celebrate his milestone Silver Anniversary. He commented, “Flying Goat Cellars is a culmination of my diverse experiences in the wine industry, from Napa, Sonoma, Oregon, Australia to Santa Barbara County. I feel honored and grateful to have landed here with the opportunity to produce wines from two of the finest cool weather wine growing regions in CA – Sta. Rita Hills AVA and Santa Maria Valley AVA. Wine of Wisdom gives tribute to my personal 45-year journey in the wine industry.” 

When Yost was “exfoliated” from his role as winemaker at Foley Estate Winery in 2004, he was motivated to focus solely on his nascent label Flying Goat Cellars. That year the movie Sideways also positioned Santa Barbara County Pinot Noir in popular culture. To distinguish himself from other winemakers, Yost launched his méthode champenoise sparkling wine program in 2005. He courted Kate Griffith with his first Goat Bubbles release and the couple married in 2010. Griffith brings marketing and communications expertise to complement their owner-operator winery.    

Yost is the “OG” (Old Goat) of bubbles in Santa Barbara County. In 2005, he launched the first sparkling wine program with Goat Bubbles Rosé. As the program grew, Yost launched a bubbles wine club (Club Celebrate) and a bubbles tasting flight. His family of méthode champenoise sparklers now includes Crémant, Rosé, Brut Cuvée, Blanc de Blancs, Blanc de Noirs (with 2 expressions) and Pinot Meunier. Yost released a limited edition bubbles for the Wine Club called Silver Cuvée, a blend of Pinot Noir & Pinot Meunier. The CA State Fair recently bestowed the 2021 Goat Bubbles Pinot Meunier with Best of Show Sparkling, Double Gold and 99 points.

Flying Goat Cellars Tasting Room is open Thursday-Monday 11am-4pm. Tasting flights of both Pinots ($30) and Goat Bubbles ($35) are available. With each three bottle purchase, one tasting flight is complimentary. Flying Goat Cellars Tasting Room is located at 1520 East Chestnut Court in Lompoc, CA. The Tasting Room is also an art salon with rotating exhibits. The current exhibit features textiles that Griffith has collected from around the world. The couple, who have been beekeepers for 13 years, offer their raw, unfiltered Hush Honey for sale at the Tasting Room.