Tyler Winery
Tyler Winery is a privately held, founder-owned Sta. Rita Hills winery producing Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Syrah from historic Santa Barbara vineyards and its own Mae Estate, selling direct-to-consumer through a tiered wine club, website, and two tasting venues.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2005
- HeadquartersLompoc, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Tyler Winery does
Tyler Winery is a privately held, founder-owned California winery founded in 2005 by winemaker Justin Tyler Willett, producing Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Syrah from vineyards in the Sta. Rita Hills and Santa Barbara County. The company sources fruit from a portfolio of historic and region-defining sites — including Sanford & Benedict, La Rinconada, La Encantada, and Melville's Westside Vineyard — under long-standing grower relationships, and in 2015-2017 developed its own 41-acre Mae Estate in Sta. Rita Hills, with 28 acres planted to Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Syrah releasing its first estate vintage in 2019.
The winery's production approach is deliberately traditional: organic farming, hand-harvesting at night, hand-sorting at the winery, native-yeast fermentation in large oak vats, and minimal-intervention winemaking with wines typically bottled unfined and unfiltered. Product range spans appellation-level Santa Barbara County bottlings, vineyard-designate wines from contracted sites, and estate-grown Mae Vineyard wines, with distribution into fine-dining restaurant accounts described as globally reaching.
The commercial model is direct-to-consumer-led. Tyler sells through its own e-commerce site, a three-tier Favored Allocation Membership (Social at ~$260, Enthusiast at ~$445, Collector at ~$875 per allocation) billed annually with three releases per year, and two physical hospitality venues: the appointment-only Mae Estate Vineyard House in Lompoc ($50 per person) and the Tyler x Lieu Dit tasting room and wine bar in downtown Santa Barbara's Presidio neighborhood. Headcount is in the 11-50 range, the company has no disclosed institutional funding, and operations remain centered on founder and co-proprietor Justin and Amanda Willett.
Tyler Winery firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Tyler Winery
- Legal name
- Tyler Winery
- Website
- https://tylerwinery.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2005
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Tyler Winery is a privately held, founder-owned Sta. Rita Hills winery producing Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Syrah from historic Santa Barbara vineyards and its own Mae Estate, selling direct-to-consumer through a tiered wine club, website, and two tasting venues.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Tyler Winery industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Premium Wines
- NAICS
- Wineries (312130), Grape Vineyards (111332)
- SIC
- Beverages (2080)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Wine Production & Winemaking (AFAFAAAB)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Wineries & Vineyards (Tasting Rooms) (THAFALAE), Vineyard Establishment & Development (Site Prep, Trellising, Planting) (AFAGAJAA), Wine Tastings & Vineyard/Winery Tours (THAJAGAD)
Keywords
Where Tyler Winery is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Lompoc
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
Tyler Winery business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Operations, Infrastructure, Personnel, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Direct Wine Sales: Direct-to-consumer wine sales through the Tyler Winery website, offering appellation bottlings and vineyard-designate wines including Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Syrah from Santa Barbara County vineyards
- Wine Club Membership: Three-tier membership program (Social, Enthusiast, Collector) with three guaranteed allocations per year, providing priority access to limited-production wines including estate and single-vineyard bottlings, large formats, and sparkling wines
- Tasting Room Experiences: Seated appointment experiences at Mae Estate Vineyard House ($50 per person) and tastings at Tyler x Lieu Dit tasting room in downtown Santa Barbara
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | Social tier: 3 bottles per allocation, 10% discount when doubled |
| Subscription | Annual | Enthusiast tier: 6 bottles per allocation, 10% discount, $15 flat rate shipping |
| Subscription | Annual | Collector tier: 12 bottles per allocation, 15% discount, free shipping |
| Subscription | Pay-as-you-go | Mae Estate Vineyard House Seated Appointment |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels4 records
Tyler Winery product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Tyler Winery produces small-lot Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Syrah wines from Santa Barbara County vineyards, focused on appellation and vineyard-designate bottlings from the Sta. Rita Hills region. The winery sells directly to consumers through its website, a tiered Favored Allocation wine club membership, and two tasting venues (Mae Estate Vineyard House and Tyler x Lieu Dit tasting room), while also distributing to fine-dining restaurant lists worldwide.
Product overview
Tyler Winery is a single-brand wine producer focused on crafting Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Syrah from Santa Barbara County, with its primary offerings being appellation and vineyard-designate wines. The company operates two hospitality venues: the Mae Estate Vineyard House (appointment-only tasting experience in Sta. Rita Hills) and the Tyler x Lieu Dit Tasting Room & Wine Bar (walk-in and appointment tastings in downtown Santa Barbara). A three-tiered Favored Allocation Membership (Social, Enthusiast, Collector) provides priority access to limited-production wines through three guaranteed allocations per year. Products include appellation bottlings (Santa Barbara County Chardonnay, Sta. Rita Hills Pinot Noir), vineyard-designate wines (La Rinconada, Sanford & Benedict, La Encantada, Mae Estate), and a Happy Canyon Cabernet Sauvignon.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Santa Barbara County Chardonnay Entry-level appellation Chardonnay from Santa Barbara County, sold as a standalone wine bottle.
- Sta. Rita Hills Pinot Noir Appellation-level Pinot Noir from the Sta. Rita Hills region, sold as a standalone wine bottle.
- Mae Estate Chardonnay Single-vineyard Chardonnay from Tyler's 28-acre estate vineyard in Sta. Rita Hills.
- Mae Estate Pinot Noir Single-vineyard Pinot Noir from Tyler's estate vineyard in Sta. Rita Hills.
- La Rinconada Chardonnay Chardonnay from La Rinconada vineyard in Sta. Rita Hills.
- La Rinconada Pinot Noir Pinot Noir from La Rinconada vineyard in Sta. Rita Hills.
- Sanford & Benedict Chardonnay Chardonnay from the historic Sanford & Benedict vineyard, a region-defining site in Santa Rita Hills.
- Sanford & Benedict Pinot Noir Pinot Noir from the historic Sanford & Benedict vineyard in Santa Rita Hills.
- La Encantada Pinot Noir Pinot Noir from La Encantada vineyard in Sta. Rita Hills.
- Happy Canyon Vineyard 'RSW' Cabernet Sauvignon Cabernet Sauvignon from Happy Canyon Vineyard in Santa Barbara County.
- Favored Allocation Membership - Social Tier Entry-level wine club membership offering 3 customizable wine allocations per year, with 2 complimentary tastings (2 guests twice yearly) at Tyler x Lieu Dit and 1 complimentary visit to Mae Estate (2 guests). Average allocation price $260; 10% discount when doubling allocation.
- Favored Allocation Membership - Enthusiast Tier Mid-tier wine club membership with 6 customizable allocations per year, 10% discount on all wine purchases (15% when doubling allocation), $15 flat rate shipping, 4 complimentary tastings (4 guests twice yearly), and 4 complimentary Mae Estate visits (4 guests once yearly). Average allocation price $445.
- Favored Allocation Membership - Collector Tier Top-tier wine club membership with 12 customizable allocations per year, 15% discount on wine purchases (20% when doubling allocation), free shipping, 6 complimentary tastings (6 guests twice yearly), and 6 complimentary Mae Estate visits (6 guests once yearly). Average allocation price $875.
- Mae Estate Vineyard House Tasting Experience 75-minute intimate, appointment-only seated tasting experience at Tyler's 41-acre estate in Sta. Rita Hills, focused on wine education overlooking the organically farmed vineyard. Starting at $50 per person.
- Tyler x Lieu Dit Tasting Room & Wine Bar Walk-in and reservation-based tasting room and wine bar in downtown Santa Barbara's historic Presidio neighborhood, featuring Tyler and Lieu Dit wines, inspired by European wine culture with a California focus.
Companies that use Tyler Winery
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Tyler Winery technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration2 records
Feature4 records
Tyler Winery partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Lieu DitcoreTyler x Lieu Dit is a collaborative tasting room and wine bar in downtown Santa Barbara featuring two wine brands led by winemaker Justin Willett. Lieu Dit is a related winery brand also founded and managed by the same winemaker, with shared tasting room operations and co-marketing.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Tyler Winery competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Liquid Farm: Small Sta. Rita Hills Chardonnay-focused producer with a wine club/mailing-list go-to-market and similar minimal-intervention winemaking philosophy.
- The Hilt Estate: Single-estate Sta. Rita Hills winery producing Chardonnay and Pinot Noir from own-rooted vines, with a comparable estate-driven, premium DTC and on-premise model.
- Sandhi Wines: Sta. Rita Hills and Santa Barbara Chardonnay and Pinot Noir specialist with low-intervention winemaking and a restaurant- and DTC-led distribution model closely mirroring Tyler's approach.
- Jaffurs Wine Cellars: Santa Barbara County boutique winery producing premium Rhône- and Burgundian-style wines for an allocation and DTC base comparable in scale and customer profile to Tyler's.
- Lieu Dit: Santa Barbara County winery also founded and led by winemaker Justin Willett; the two brands share a downtown Santa Barbara tasting room (Tyler x Lieu Dit), making it the closest possible peer in portfolio and operations.
- Domaine de la Côte: Sta. Rita Hills estate-grown Pinot Noir producer with a similar small-lot, vineyard-designate, allocation-driven DTC model and comparable premium positioning.
- Chanin Wine Company: Sta. Rita Hills/Santa Barbara small-lot Pinot Noir and Chardonnay producer selling primarily through allocations and a mailing list, targeting the same collector segment.
- Paul Lato: Boutique Santa Barbara Pinot Noir and Chardonnay producer with a vineyard-designate portfolio, mailing-list allocation model, and on-premise presence overlapping with Tyler's trade customers.
- Brewer-Clifton: Iconic Sta. Rita Hills producer of small-production Chardonnay and Pinot Noir with a similar cult allocation following and trade-driven prestige.
Regional players
- Penner-Ash Wine Cellars: Willamette Valley, Oregon Pinot Noir and Chardonnay specialist with a comparable small-lot, vineyard-designate, DTC-and-fine-dining model; useful as a regional benchmark for the same varietals outside California.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Tyler Winery social profiles
Digital presenceTyler Winery financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Tyler Winery leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Tyler Winery funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Tyler Winery M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Tyler Winery
What does Tyler Winery do?
Tyler Winery produces small-lot Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Syrah wines from Santa Barbara County vineyards, focused on appellation and vineyard-designate bottlings from the Sta. Rita Hills region. The winery sells directly to consumers through its website, a tiered Favored Allocation wine club membership, and two tasting venues (Mae Estate Vineyard House and Tyler x Lieu Dit tasting room), while also distributing to fine-dining restaurant lists worldwide.
Is Tyler Winery a public or private company?
Tyler Winery is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Tyler Winery founded?
Tyler Winery was founded in 2005. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Tyler Winery based?
Tyler Winery is headquartered in Lompoc, United States, in the North America region.
How does Tyler Winery make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Direct Wine Sales are the primary driver. The others are wine Club Membership and tasting Room Experiences.
Who are Tyler Winery's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Liquid Farm, The Hilt Estate, Sandhi Wines, Jaffurs Wine Cellars, Lieu Dit, Domaine de la Côte, Chanin Wine Company, Paul Lato and Brewer-Clifton. Penner-Ash Wine Cellars is listed as a regional player.
Does Tyler Winery have an API?
No public API is recorded for Tyler Winery.
What industry is Tyler Winery in?
Tyler Winery's product category is Premium Wines. Its primary akta.pro industry code is AFAFAAAB, Wine Production & Winemaking, with a secondary code of THAFALAE, Wineries & Vineyards (Tasting Rooms). Its NAICS code is 312130 and its SIC code is 2080.