Heading for the Hills
If the Busch name reminds you of a certain beverage, it’s time to think again, as polo patron Andy Busch debuts Folded Hills wines
Andy Busch walks his horses—including those iconic Clydesdales—around his 600-acre Folded Hills ranch.
Written by Joan Tapper
Photographs by Erin Feinblatt, Edward Clynes
Tucked between Santa Barbara’s mountains and the Santa Ynez Valley, Folded Hills is a postcard of ranch life. White fences edge sprawling lawns and a plantation-style estate house is outfitted with a long deck and rocking chairs. Heritage pigs play near the chicken coop—where fresh eggs are gathered each morning—and those iconic Clydesdales roam the fields.
Riding on the ranch.
Owner Andy Busch—who, as a 5-goal player, served as captain for the U.S. World Cup team for the Federation of International Polo—retired from professional-level polo after 28 years and loves his horses. Looking forward to the high-goal games this season, he says, “I plan to be there watching friends compete. I love to see the professional players and the incredible horses perform on the Santa Barbara Polo & Racquet Club fields—there’s nothing like it.”
The table is set for dinner alfresco with wildflowers and wineglasses.
Now, the patron of Grant’s Farm polo team is devoted to life on the farm. He and his wife, Kim, have poured love into every inch of their property (which a few lucky guests get to visit each year), and a vineyard seemed like a natural extension of the land. “When we started working on wine five years ago, we put together a team of professionals to assess the soils and ocean-influenced microclimate,” he says. The environment proved to be well suited to Rhône varietals, which was “a perfect fit” for Angela Osborne, the New Zealand-born winemaker and general manager who is known as a “guru of Grenache.” The grapes are grown with a common interest in sustainability, adds Busch, who has planted the vineyard organically, just like his row crops.
Busch’s organic vineyards.
“Angela Osborne, the New Zealand-born winemaker and general manager is known as a “guru of Grenache.””
A winery and tasting room are envisioned for 2018, set near the Farmstead, an idyllic produce stand that sells organic crops grown on the ranch along with baked goods. In the meantime, the first vintages include Lilly Rosé, an estate rosé that’s an homage to Busch’s great-grandmother, Lilly Anheuser Busch and six generations of family women down to his granddaughter Lilly; Grant Grenache, which recalls President Ulysses S. Grant, previous owner of the ancestral home, Grant’s Farm, where Andy grew up and was manager for two decades; and August Red, a blend of Grenache and Syrah, named for his father and grandfather. Ballard Canyon Grenache and Syrah are following in late summer with more estate wines planned for 2018. Each bottle is a true reflection of the ranch and a tribute to the family and the legacy.
Close friends gather for dinner among the grapevines.
