Monthly Archive for July, 2008

Lafond 2006 Lafond Vineyard Pinot Noir

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by
Pierre
on July 27, 2008
in New Releases, Pinot Noir, Wine News and Winery News
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New Release Lafond 2006 Lafond Vineyard Martin Ray Clone Pinot Noir

Nestled in the Santa Rita Hills of the western Santa Ynez Valley, Lafond Vineyard is ideally situated to produce Pinot Noir exhibiting the unique and exotic flavor profile one finds in only a few regions of the world.

Specific areas within our vineyard exhibit elevated concentration and complexity due to soil type and exposure to the elements. We have planted eight distinct clones of Pinot Noir, each with subtle differences in flavor and aroma.

After several years of working with the eight Pinot Noir clones planted in Lafond Vineyard, Winemaker Bruce McGuire has become very familiar with the attributes of each particular clone and uses them accordingly in each of the Pinot Noirs he makes.

The Martin Ray Clone was the first Pinot Noir planted in the Lafond Vineyard back in 1982, on the north side of the Santa Ynez River. These 24-year-old vines and different soils make a nice contrast to the sister bottling in 2006, Clone 115. Farming and vinification are identical.

The comparison of these two clones from the same vintage gives one the winemaker’s view of a rather new element in winemaking as the availability of many Pinot Noir clones is a viticultural story less than twenty years old in North America. The complexity and depth of flavor make this Pinot Noir a great match with savory foods such as lamb, Copper River salmon, and hearty mushroom dishes.
Price: 48.00/750ml
To order:

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Hedging Syrah at the Lafond Vineyards.

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by
Pierre
on July 26, 2008
in Hedging, Vineyard and Wine News
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The vines are hedged several times during the growing season to prevent the canes from falling over the training wires and shading the grapes. Both vertical and lateral canes are cut.

The photos show the vineyard from the upper northern shelf, the winery is in the background. Enrique, the vineyard foreman, is hedging the Syrah, our oldest block, planted in 1972 and still producing our finest Syrah. In the first photo this block stands out for the row spacing. In the 1970s we planted in 12 foot rows, because narrower tractors were not available. Today as we re-plant the old vineyard rows are 6 feet.

Click images to enlarge:

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Old Spanish Days Menu at The Bistro

Published
by
joanie
on July 25, 2008
in Articles on Wine and Vineyards, Chardonnay, Joanie Hudson, Lafond Winery, Pinot Gris, Restaurant News, Riesling, Santa Barbara Winery, Sauvignon Blanc and Wine and Food Pairing
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In celebration of the 84th Old Spanish Days Fiesta, The Bistro will have a special Spanish-themed menu next weekend (Wednesday, July 30- Sunday, August 3).  I just took a peek at it, and it looks delicious!  One of the best things about the menu is the wide selection of dishes that will be available.  It is not just two or three specials, but rather an entire menu.  

Traditional recipes cover a lot of bases in terms of Spanish cuisine - from chilled Gazpacho Verde, Ceviche, Chicken Pasole, Shrimp Tamales, Sea Bass Tacos, Pulled Chicken Tortas, and Filet Mignon Enchiladas.  Chorizo, cilantro, and queso are scattered like confetti as reappearing ingredients in menu descriptions.  

The full wine list of Santa Barbara Winery and Lafond Winery will be available.  Spanish dishes call for a little bit of caution when selecting a wine pairing, but the right choice can enhance both the wine and food (like any good pairing should).  Spicy foods call for slightly sweet or fruity wines with little to no tannin.  I would pair any of our white wines with most of the featured items, but would be selective if leaning towards a red.  

Thinking back to The Bistro’s Solstice Wine Pairing dinner, the 2007 Santa Barbara Winery Pinot Gris with the Shrimp Ceviche was my favorite pairing of the night, as well as the most successful in terms of balance. Three wines that would be consistently good with most of the dishes would be the 2007 Santa Barbara Winery Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling 1.7, and Pinot Gris.  

All are light, refreshing, and fruity.  The Riesling is nice with spicier dishes because of the small amount of residual sugar.  Filet Mignon Enchiladas would be good with either the Riesling or 2005 Santa Barbara Winery Sangiovese.  Cesar’s Chicken Salad would be good with either of the 2006 Santa Barbara Winery Chardonnays (Reserve or Color Label).  

Tacos Al Pastor (Marinated Shaved Pork tacos with Pineapple, Cilantro and Onions Served with Black Beans and Corn Rice with Pasilla Chiles and Queso Anejo) would go well with the Riesling because of the sweetness of the marinated pork and the pineapple.  

The Fiesta Breakfast menu features similar bright flavors.  Huevos Con Chorizo, Chile Verde (Slow Roasted Pork in Green Salsa with Poached Eggs, Avocado, and Black Beans), and Calixto’s Thick Cut French Toast with Fresh Strawberries are a few highlights.  Omelet lovers can order the Oaxacan Vegetable Omelet (Mushrooms, Calabasas Squash, Spinach, Pasilla Peppers and melted Queso).  

See the full menu at pierrelafond.com.

Joanie Hudson, Assistant Tasting Room Manager, Santa Barbara Winery

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Bottle Shock and Judgement of Paris

Published
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Pierre
on July 24, 2008
in Articles on Wine and Vineyards, Wine News and Winery News
. 1 Comment

Two new movies about the 1976 Paris tasting which Hollywood will not let the French forget. No doubt encouraged by the sleeper success of Sideways these new movies will probably not receive the same critical acclaim – judging by this article in the Toronto Globe and Mail by Beppi Crosariol.

Wine connoisseurs - I call them cons

BEPPI CROSARIOL
bcrosariol@globeandmail.com

July 23, 2008

It was the taste-off that turned wine upside down.

In 1976, an esteemed all-French jury gathered in Paris for a blind tasting to compare eight of France’s greatest wines against a dozen upstarts from California. In an upset worthy of Hollywood, the United States trounced France, winning top honours in both the red and white categories.

Now, Hollywood has finally found its way to the story. Not one but two films based on the so-called Judgment of Paris will duke it out for attention this year. Bottle Shock, a rollicking comedy-drama based on true events that stars Alan Rickman, opens in Toronto on Aug. 6 and is slated to roll out to theatres across the country later in the summer. The second film, Judgment of Paris, based on the official story by the only journalist to attend the Paris tasting, Time magazine’s George Taber, is due later this year.

The event’s significance has predictably been interpreted the same way ever since: California had vaulted its way into the wine stratosphere. True. But if there’s justice, the films will also be a reminder - in these boom times for wine snobbery - of a message far more overdue…..

Ending with…

……Ironically, Bottle Shock perpetuates that superhuman-taster myth even as the factual part of the story undermines it. In one pivotal, fictional scene, Gustavo, a Mexican-American cellar hand employed by Chateau Montelena, wows a crowded Napa barroom by identifying the legendary 1947 Cheval Blanc, a red Bordeaux, in an impromptu brown-bag challenge.

So, let me get this straight: A spunky American kid can nail the nuances of great French terroir in a blind tasting when an esteemed panel of seasoned European experts can’t?

Apparently, 32 years after French arrogance got its comeuppance in the Judgment of Paris, wine jingoism is alive and well and living in America.

To read full article:

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French to buy Chateau Montelena

Published
by
Pierre
on July 23, 2008
in Articles on Wine and Vineyards and Wine News
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Irony of ironies a French Chateau  is rumored to be buying the winery that startled the wine world in 1976 and which is the subject of a new movie soon to be released.

BERKELEY - Chateau Montelena, which shocked the wine world in 1976 when it beat French vintages in a famous Paris tasting, is expected to be sold, officials close to the deal said today. The buyer? The owner of a Bordeaux estate.

“This is the ultimate recognition, that the French are now buying these great California wineries,” said Jon Fredrikson, a wine industry consultant and publisher of the Gomberg-Fredrikson report which tracks wine shipments.

Company officials released a joint statement saying talks were in progress between Michel Reybier, owner of Chateau Cos d’Estournel in Bordeaux, and Chateau Montelena founder Jim Barrett for a sale, pending regulatory approval.

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Pinot Noir Block at Lafond Vineyards

Published
by
Pierre
on July 21, 2008
in Pinot Noir, Vineyard and Wine News
. 0 Comments

Photo of our largest Pinot Noir Block as seen from the Lafond Winery. This block was planted in 1997 and, up to now, has provided the majority of grapes for our vineyard designated wines. The other photo is of a vine whose growth we have been recording since Spring. Both photos were taken July 19, 2008.

Click images to enlarge.

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2006 Lafond Pinot Noir Martin Ray Clone

Published
by
joanie
on July 20, 2008
in Articles on Wine and Vineyards, Joanie Hudson, Lafond Winery, New Releases and Pinot Noir
. 0 Comments

We have a relatively new release here in the tasting room, and it has quickly become one of my favorites.  It is the 2006 Lafond Martin Ray Clone Pinot Noir.  The highest quality fruit (exclusively Martin Ray Clone Pinot Noir) has been selected to be included in this bottling.

Lafond Vineyard is home to eight Pinot Noir clones, all of which have their own unique character and flavor profile.  Bruce McGuire has produced this small batch of Martin Ray clonal designate Pinot Noir from a specific 25-acre block of the vineyard that was planted 24 years ago.  The wine was aged in 100% French Burgundy Oak barrels for about 10 months, during which its complexity was enhanced. 

The structure and depth of flavor makes this Pinot Noir a nice match with savory foods such as lamb, Copper River salmon, and hearty mushroom dishes. I have had it recently paired with crusty herbed flatbread, baked zucchini flowers (a beautiful summer seasonal vegetable), and tender grilled lamb. Enjoy it now through 2014.  Only 174 cases were produced. Price: 48.00/750ml

To order:

Joanie Hudson, Assistant Tasting Room Manager, Santa Barbara Winery

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