Fires are raging throughout Southern California and the temperatures are soaring. There have been some wildfires in Santa Barbara County — not the size of the recent Zaca fire which destroyed over a quarter million acres — smaller and more easily controlled. The main fires are to the south of us.
The Santa Rita Hills, where our vineyards are located, are not surrounded by virgin vegetation — the hills are not wooded and this may due to the strong winds that blow through this narrow valley from the ocean.
Indian Summer is unusual this late in the season — it is more common in September. We are still picking but the end is in sight. Time for cooler temperatures and above all rain.
Wines & Vines reports on the 2007 harvest. The magazine is an authorative standard for the wine industry and consumer. They report a very light crop throughout the state with the largest shortages in Pinot Noir.
The vintage of ‘07, which will prove to be a short crop by 10-25%, is a tale of three harvests. Even, albeit cool, temperatures throughout most of the state had workers picking earlier than usual, only to see a halt in activity in the middle of September.
In Santa Barbara County, Jeff Newton of Coastal Vineyard Care Assoc. said the yields are down 30%, but the quality is “excellent. The color was very good, the flavors of Syrah and Pinot Noir are excellent. It will be a much better than average year.”
To read the complete article.
A beautiful day for a car club rally. We have always admired the simplicity of the Porsche design, a design philosophy which can be applied to — well — everything.
A philosophy familiar to every architecture and design student.
Form follows function — less is more — God is in the details.
As we finish picking blocks we rip the soil to loosen it up — tractor wheels tend to compact the soil — to prepare it for winter seeding. We use a combination of grasses which , primarily, are to combat erosion.
With 6 foot rows and a 4 foot tractor you pay attention.
Pinot Noir is pressed just before fermentation is complete with residual sugar about 3 or 4 percent. At this stage the solids, the must, are treated very delicately and pumps are not used to prevent damaging the skins and releasing undesireable components.
This is a short video — from fermenting tank to wine press.
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A short video taken from the Tasting Room at Lafond Winery, a view shared by many visitors to the winery.
Workers first remove leaves and sometimes rocks and even the occasional shears before the grapes pass through the stemmer. From there they pass over a vibrating screen which allows dried and shot berries to fall through. After that, a longer sorting table where small stems, called jacks, are removed. And from there they are collected in a picking box amd loaded to the fermenter.
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New Release 2005 Arita Hills Pinot Noir
Nestled in the Santa Rita Hills of the western Santa Ynez Valley, and across Santa Rosa Road from our Lafond Vineyard, Arita Hills Vineyard is located in prime Pinot Noir countryAs we continue our relationship with Arita Hills Vineyard, Winemaker Bruce McGuire will seek out specific areas within this vineyard that exhibit elevated concentration and complexity due to soil, exposure and clonal selection. The 2005 Pinot Noir was harvested from the top of the vineyard in a section that “stressed” early and consequently was harvested before most of the vineyard.
This selection consisted of three clones: 29% 777 clone, 29% 115 clone and 43% 667 clone. 2005 was a terrific growing year and Pinot Noir yields were much improved comared to the previous three years This wine shows supple texture and flavor backed by firm acidity. These young vines still show more perfumed character than the more established vines in our vineyard, but we are seeing more complexity of flavor as the vines become established. In this wine’s youth, a little “air time” via decanting will help the flavors marry. Bottle aging through 2010 will be beneficial.
The complexity and depth of flavor make this Pinot Noir a great match with savory foods such as Copper River salmon, hearty mushroom dishes and stewed meats.
Suggested Retail Price: 42.00
To order
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