Alma Rosa Winery winemaker Samra Morris has been named one of five nominees for Wine Enthusiast’s 2025 Winemaker of the Year award, a recognition that places the Santa Barbara County vintner on the national stage.

Morris, who joined Alma Rosa in 2019, is the first Bosnian American winemaker in California. Since taking the helm, she has overseen six vintages from the winery’s 628-acre El Jabali estate in the Sta. Rita Hills, the property said. Twenty of those wines have scored between 95 and 98 points in Wine Enthusiast reviews.

“It is an incredible honor to be nominated for such an esteemed award,” Morris said in a statement. “The Sta. Rita Hills AVA is one of the greatest places in the world for Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Rhône varietal wines, and making wines here is a dream come true

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