Winery & Vineyard Blog

Taken with a telescopic lens from our Chardonnay bloc on the northside of the river, looking south, the winery can barely be seen behind a clump of trees just below the bare brown hill.

The riverbed is dry but there is actually a trickle flowing – most of it is underground. This ‘trickle’ keeps the wells, downstream from Cachuma dam, filled and in a dry year, like this one, we have to irrigate earlier than usual.

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The Santa Rita Hills is a small appellation at the western end of the Santa Ynez Valley that has gained national recognition for its Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.

The Valley runs west to east permitting the late afternoon ocean fog to roll into the Santa Rita Hills, where it lingers until early morning. The surrounding hills trap the fog before it is dissipated in the wider Santa Ynez Valley.

In the summer the fog moderates the normally warm days of the valley, cooling the grapes at night. Warm days and cool nights are essential to the developement of Pinot Noir providing the necessary acid/sugar balance.

In the spring when frost is our biggest concern a layer of fog over the vineyard can provide protection.

Winemaker Comments: We had a small concentrated crop due to Spring frost damage and strong winds during flowering. This wine is a blend of 14 seperately fermented lots which include 7 clones. Each clone contributes to the complexity and balance of the wine. Arita Hills Vineyard is an adjoining neighbor which we farm and harvest.

Gold Medal 2012 Monterrey Wine Competition

Suggested Retail: 25.00
To order: www.sbwinery.com

This has nothing to do with wine except that we have some great wines that go with seafood. We toured the Kanaloa Seafood plant in Santa Barbara and heard a very impassioned presentation from owner Sandree Disraeli about her company’s dedication to preservation and sustainability. This is their only plant.

Kanaloa buys directly from fisherman, ‘green’ fisherman, who are dedicated not only to sustainability but into all aspects of their work – the way they fish, the engines in their boat, their nets…

By careful management they can increase the size of the fish they catch – using the natural reproductive life cycle of the various species – and bring back species that have all but disappeared.

We are working, at our restaurants with seafood companies, such a Kanaloa, and with the Monterrey Aquarium’s Seafood Watch Alliance, to provide the best and healthiest seafood. Healthy for the ocean and the consumer.

A few images of the fish as they are being prepared – weighing and tagging each item as it comes in, preparing the fish for delivery or shipment to all parts of the country. The care, the sanitation, the work of those who cut it, is very impressive.

When Bruce first identified a section of Hilltop Ranch Vineyard as being particularly well suited to making rosé, we were becoming aware of a re-energized interest in these wines produced in a dry style with serious winemaking techniques.

A dry rose is a prized complement to food and company, particularly well suited for warm summer days outside as an apertif or to accompany a meal.

The 2012 Rosé of Syrah is composed of Syrah fruit from Hilltop Ranch Vineyard in the Santa Rita Hills AVA, on an adjoining property to Lafond Vineyard.

A terrific wine with ample weight to enjoy with all but the heartiest of foods. Delightfully refreshing with a simple lunch of cheese, cured meats, olives and bread on a warm day.

Winemaker’s Comments: The grapes were destemmed and hand sorted, followed by an overnight cold soak on the skins prior to pressing for proper color intensity. A cool fermentation took place entirely in stainless steel tanks. Plum aromas and flavors with some cool climate spice.

Suggested retail: 16.00
Click image to enlarge:
To Order: www.sbwinery.com

This year for the first time we are having large groups of visitors that arrive by bus by way of cruise ships. Santa Barbara has become a popular port of call and what better way to spend the day than to visit the valley. We generally have a group in the morning and one in the afternoon.

In the morning they visit us first and go to three other wineries in the valley and in the afternoon they reverse the order, come to us last before heading back to the ship.

The cruise ship company allows them to bring bottles aboard and many have wine shipped to their residences. Overall it is a pleasant experience. They are an interesting and varied group coming from many places.

Shane Keck, our assistant Winemaker, has returned from a two month absence where he worked at the La Motte Winery in Franschhoek, South Africa, about an hour out of Cape Town.

Shane was there for the harvest, by invitation, he has worked there before. After two grueling months of harvest here, in Santa Barbara, he took advantage of another two grueling months there. Having a globe with two hemispheres allows for many unexpected opportunities.

He is returning just in time to bottle all that wine he made last fall and he has promised photos and descriptions. Stay tuned.

Chardonnay buds early as does the Pinot Noir. This year, because we intentionally pruned the Pinot Noir as late as possible to delay its growth, Chardonnay is well ahead. Our Chardonnay is on a higher plateau and is less at risk from frost and late pruning is not necessary. If you enlarge the image you can see the appearance of the grape cluster.