Barn Raising

Backen & Gillam Architects and L.A.-based interior designer Amber Lewis collaborated on the restoration of The Barn at The Hilt

Lompoc’s latest lure is one for wine and design buffs alike

Written by Jessica Ritz

We’re in the wine business because we love to share our passion,” says Armand de Maigret, estate manager of Jonata and The Hilt. As of this past summer, THE BARN AT THE HILT ESTATE offers a distinctive experience in the Santa Rita Hills AVA. Howard J. Backen and Silvia Nobili of noted Backen & Gillam Architects helmed the restoration of the barn that dates from 1914. Also new is a sumptuously appointed tasting room by in-demand L.A. interior designer Amber Lewis and a 50,000-square-foot winemaking facility. The 3,600-acre site south of Lompoc is ideally located “for the Pinot Noir and the Chardonnay we want to make—wines with elegance, with presence, with personality,” de Maigret notes. Now The Barn at The Hilt expresses those values in its physical environment, too. By appointment only. 2240 Santa Rosa Rd., Lompoc, 805-564-8581, THEHILTESTATE.COM.