Santa Ynez

Laguna Beach knew it had to bring its best game to topple top-seeded Santa Ynez in Saturday's Southern Section Division III boys' volleyball championship match at Cypress College. Unfortunately for the Artists, they didn't play well and their opponents were sharp, resulting in a 15-4, 15-8, 15-2 blowout that took a little more than an hour.

I had always intended to get to one of the private, invitation-only supper club events held after closing hours at Rosso Wine Shop in Glendale. When I saw the notice that Raj Parr , the ebullient wine director for Michael Mina Restaurant Group, would be there pouring his Sandhi wines at a supper last night, I reserved a spot. When we walked into the shop just before 7 p.m., owner Jeff Zimmitti told us to grab a glass and poured us a white Burgundy, the 2010 Maison L'Orée Bourgogne Blanc, of which Parr made just eight barrels.

Fess Parker, who played Daniel Boone on TV and Davy Crockett in the movies during the '50s and '60s, and his wife, Marcy, have listed a ranch they own in the Santa Ynez Valley at $28 million. The Parkers and their family own other property in the area, including Fess Parker Winery and the Fess Parker Wine Country Inn & Spa at Los Olivos. They also own commercial real estate in Santa Barbara, where he plans to build a hotel next door to his DoubleTree resort.

Renee's Titan rallied to win the $150,000 Santa Ynez Stakes by three-quarters of a length as a 20-1 longshot on Monday at Santa Anita. Ridden by Tyler Baze, Renee's Titan ran 61/2 furlongs in 1:16.14 and paid $43.80, $7.80 and $4.20 while ending a six-race skid. Beholder, who the Eclipse Award as champion filly last weekend, wound up second in her 3-year-old debut. She returned $2.20 and $2.10, and Dawn's Charm was another nose back in third and paid $3.20 to show. Baze rallied Renee's Titan from six lengths behind at six furlongs despite losing his whip in the upper stretch.

Meghan Gnekow, an All-American forward from Santa Ynez, has committed to the USC women's basketball team. The 6-foot perimeter player averaged more than 20 points and 10 rebounds a game as a junior.

First came the Southern Section Division IV boys' volleyball final Saturday afternoon for Santa Ynez, which made quick work of Irvine Northwood, 15-12, 15-9, 15-12. Then the Pirates flew home Saturday evening to Santa Ynez so they could attend to personal business--the prom.

Another year, another good team and another season of highlights and high hopes ended for Lincoln in the Southern California Division IV Girls' Regional semifinals Thursday. The second-seeded Hornets, an efficient team through much of the season, came up short, 53-44, against second-seeded Santa Ynez, Southern Section runner-up. The Hornets shot only 22%, making 15 of 68 shots from the field on their home floor.

It took one year and nine match points, but Corona del Mar finally grabbed its Southern Section boys' volleyball title. After three-time defending champion Santa Ynez fought off eight match points in the fifth game, Corona del Mar's Dennis Alshuler ended it with a spike from the back row, setting off the Sea Kings' celebratory dog pile in the Division III championship match Saturday at Cypress College.

Fourth-seeded Corona del Mar, plagued by unforced errors and a shaky passing game, fell to second-seeded Santa Ynez, 15-9, 15-5, 15-8, in the Southern Section Division IV boys' volleyball final Saturday at Cypress College. "It's a simple equation," Sea King Coach Steve Conti said. "The team that makes the most mistakes is going to be on the losing side, and that was us." The teams battled back and forth in the first game, with Brian Gallagher's kill tying the score at 7-7 for the Sea Kings.

One of the Conejo Valley's top educators will leave the district to become superintendent of the Santa Ynez Union High School District beginning July 1. Fred Van Leuven, director of secondary education at the Conejo Unified School District since 1993, helped bring several successful programs to the district, his supervisors said.

Actress Cheryl Ladd has listed her 22.5-acre estate in Santa Ynez at $3.995 million. The Italian-style villa, with 6,557 square feet of living space, sits off a circular motor court ringed with potted olive trees, Italian cypress and native landscaping. A large foyer overlooks a sunken living room. Features include stone fireplaces, a covered colonnade loggia, four bedrooms, five bathrooms and beamed and paneled ceilings. Ladd, 61, joined the cast of "Charlie's Angels" from 1977 to 1981.

Your next getaway is just two hours up the coast from Los Angeles in the Santa Ynez Valley, the heart of Santa Barbara County's wine country. Make plans to visit the Santa Ynez Valley communities of Ballard, Buellton, Los Alamos, Los Olivos, Santa Ynez and Solvang now - when winter daytime highs are in the 60s and 70s and plenty of sunshine beckons you outdoors to go golfing, hiking and cycling. Amid thousands of twinkling lights and holiday trees, during the month of December experience Solvang's Julefest (winter festival)

Santa Barbara County supervisors Tuesday handed the Chumash tribe a land-use victory that, according to some neighbors, may set a precedent for much larger fights to come. At issue was a 6.9-acre parcel owned by the tribe across Highway 246 from its busy Santa Ynez casino. Rejecting a request from anti-casino community groups, the supervisors chose not to appeal a federal ruling allowing annexation of the land to the Chumash reservation. Opponents feared a tribal win on 6.9 acres would pave the way for the reservation's proposed annexation of the 1,400-acre property known as Camp Four.

My first reaction to this assignment was (to sanitize the expression) "Drat! What have I gotten myself into?" Biking is my main outdoors activity, but grinding 13 miles straight up a mountain? I'm really just a mountain bike dabbler. I can't dazzle you with tales of handlebar flips or skin-shredding tumbles off rocky drop-offs. Yet I've long been drawn to the chaparral, mesmerized by its strange mix of rattlers and butterflies, scratchy branches and lacy wildflowers. Nothing captures this better than the ride to Little Pine Mountain, which local trail expert Ray Ford describes as "the premier ride in the Santa Ynez Valley.

  2008 Holus-Bolus Santa Ynez Valley Syrah Holus-Bolus does it again with this terrific Santa Ynez Valley Syrah from the 2008 vintage. The label is an octopus with eight arms, two each for the four winemaker partners: Chad Melville, Jim Knight, Sashi Moorman and Peter Hunken. Buy a bottle and revel in the heady aroma of cherries, blackberries, smoke and earth. The texture is velvety, the tannins round. A prime example of Central Coast Syrah that's drinking beautifully right now. Have it with jamón or prosciutto, lamb or pork, paté or meatloaf, or with a cheese plate.

SANTA YNEZ VALLEY, CALIF. Wine Around When, where: Monday and Tuesday, Bridlewood Estate Winery, Fess Parker Winery, Foley Winery Highlights : A last-minute Valentine's celebration features a winery tour and tasting. Cost: $125, including wine tastings (with hors d'oeuvres) and transportation Info: (800) 742-2843, http://www.santaynezvalleyvisit.com/winearound SAN FRANCISCO Noise Pop Festival When, where: Feb. 22-27, multiple venues Highlights: The weeklong celebration of indie music and culture also includes a film festival, art shows and an educational day. Cost: Some shows are free, others require tickets and prices vary, though a comprehensive ticket costs $160.

Ventura High girls' water polo Coach Mark Schmidt did not expect to stop Deanna Lowry or Tina Huff when the Cougars hosted fourth-seeded Santa Ynez on Tuesday in a Division II Southern Section quarterfinal. He just wanted to slow them down. Schmidt gave Dolores Johnson the task of defending Lowry, an All-Southern Section player, and turned Elizabeth Derse loose on Huff.

Trumpeter DOC SEVERINSEN, who will leave "The Tonight Show" in May with his band when longtime show host Johnny Carson retires, has purchased a ranch in the Santa Ynez Valley and sold his Hollywood Hills home. Severinsen, who has been on the NBC show since it started in 1962, will take the band on tour in June. They have two albums coming out this fall. He will also succeed Mitch Miller as the main pops conductor for the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra.

Santa Barbara County's Santa Ynez Valley is known for its fine wines and upscale horse farms, but some of the Old West remains, including two historic stagecoach stops that continue to operate as successful restaurants. Cold Spring Tavern, near the top of San Marcos Pass (Highway 154) between Santa Barbara and Solvang, and Mattei's Tavern, in Los Olivos at the north end of the valley, date to the 1880s and are chock-full of historic collectibles and nostalgia from the stagecoach era. One hundred years ago, travel between Los Angeles and San Francisco meant a stagecoach ride over the nearly 2,500-foot pass above Santa Barbara and through the Santa Ynez Valley.

SANTA YNEZ, CALIF. Vaquero Show & Sale When, where: Friday, Saturday and Nov. 14, Santa Ynez Valley Historical Museum & Parks Highlights: This annual event showcases Western gear to peruse and purchase, food, live music, a raffle and an auction. Friday opens with a gala dinner and preview party attended by honored vaqueros and craftspeople. Cost: $7 for two-day pass. The Friday preview party is $20, or $75 with dinner. Info: (805)