What makes our growing region (AVA) unique?
Lafond Vineyard is planted in the acclaimed Sta. Rita Hills AVA (American Viticultural Area). In 2001, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (BATF) approved this designated area as its own unique appellation within the larger Santa Ynez AVA. Today there are three federally approved appellations in Santa Barbara County – Sta. Rita Hills, Santa Ynez Valley, Santa Maria Valley.
AVA designations are put in place to provide consumers with clear information in regards to the area that the wine was grown. Climatic and geographical influences are considered as well as slope and soil type. These factors are all very important components that influence the wine. The appeal to create a distinct AVA for the Sta. Rita Hills was put in place for these reasons – the distinct geological uniqueness of the area, combination of slope, climate (maritime), soil (sandy alluvial), and a desire to distinguish the western edge of Santa Ynez.
Our winemaker Bruce has said that it is not uncommon for temperature to drop one degree per mile as you drive closer to the ocean. Our vineyard is flanked by two east-west mountain ranges (Purisima Hills in the north and Santa Rosa Hills in the south) that funnel cool morning fog into the valley, thereby extending our growing season and creating wines of intense concentration and excellent acidity. Burgundian varietals, such as Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, flourish in this climate.
Syrah plantings in the region have a pronouced white pepper and lavendar aromatic profile compared to Syrah planted in the warmer inland area. It is a demonstration of two styles of Syrah both coming out of Santa Barbara County, and appellation labelling helps customers differentiate between the type of Syrah they are tasting or purchasing.
The Sta. Rita Hills AVA stretches roughly from Buellton on the east to Lompoc on the west. The unusual occurence of east-west rolling hills on the north and south are the other borders.
Lafond Vineyard was one of the first vineyards planted in the Sta. Rita Hills AVA in 1972.
Joanie Hudson, Director National and International Marketing, Santa Barbara Winery / Lafond Winery & Vineyards
If you live in or close to Santa Barbara, perhaps you have visited one of the Friday night tastings hosted by East Beach Wine Company. I love attending because they put together a fantastic line up week after week of interesting wineries, themes, or distributor hosts. June 26 they will feature Santa Barbara Winery and Lafond Winery hosted by David Lafond and George Fakinos (Local Wholesale). Pop in, say hi, and taste anytime from 4-7pm at East Beach Wine Shop on Milpas St. Here is how it is advertised on their website.
June 26 – Lafond Winery & Santa Barbara Winery
Hosted by David Lafond, George Fakinos, and others
Featuring the Lafond wines and our best-selling Santa Barbara Winery wines.
Bruce McGuire, Winemaker Lafond Winery and Santa Barbara Winery. President of Santa Barbara Winery. After graduating from the University of New Hampshire with a degree in entymology Bruce spent several years working for wineries in Northern California before coming to Santa Barbara Winery in 1981 as winemaker. In that time his wines have received numerous awards and his abilities national recognition.
Bruce was one of the pioneers in the developement of Pinot Noir and Syrah in Santa Barbara County and in California. When Bruce first arrived at the winery he asked that we plant Pinot Noir in our Lafond Vineyard, which we did. Pinot Noir, largely ignored in most of California, has found its true home in Santa Barbara County. As winemaker Bruce controls the total process, from the selection of varieties and clones to plant in the vineyard, to farming practices, cultivation, pruning and when to pick. Accordingly the wines reflect his style and philosophy of winemaking. Bruce lives in Santa Barbara.
David Lafond, General Manager Lafond Winery and Vineyards. David, a native of Santa Barbara, has for many years been a General Contractor. He was, in fact, the general contractor for the new Lafond Winery overseeing the construction and installation of equipment for more than a year. David has been involved with the winery since childhood and will now manage the operations of both the vineyard and the Lafond Winery.
www.eastbeachwine.com
8.00 per person
201 S. Milpas St.
Joanie Hudson, Director National and International Marketing, Santa Barbara Winery / Lafond Winery & Vineyards
On Wednesday night, June 17, in Santa Barbara, the MIT Enterprise Forum of the Central Coast hosted an informative panel focused on “Winemaking in Santa Barbara County – A World of Entrepreneurs,” at the Cabrillo Pavilion Arts Center.
Topics of a struggling economy, growing competition, and challenges of the wine business were at the forefront. I was out of town and unable to attend, but the Daily Sound did a great job in covering some of the highlights.
Despite the troubled economy and growing foreign competition, a panel of Santa Barbara County wine experts said while the industry is faced with problems, it will follow a cycle and rebound as it has over the past four decades.
The MIT Enterprise Forum of the Central Coast hosted the Wednesday night panel, titled “Winemaking in Santa Barbara County – A World of Entrepreneurs,”at the Cabrillo Pavilion Arts Center.
While the fourth quarter of last year “was the worst ever” for California’s 2,700 wineries, Central Valley and Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo sales continued to rise even though Napa and Sonoma counties declined, said Rob McMillan, executive vice president and founder of Silicon Valley Bank Wine Practice.
However, Santa Barbara County’s 90 wineries have only 20,000 acres of wine grapes planted while Napa has twice that, he said. And, vineyard land costs about $50,000 an acre while Napa land goes for $250,000 an acre.
Historically, Napa and Sonoma were once considered the state’s “wine country”since regions such as Santa Barbara did not start large-scale production until 40 years ago when only 200 acres were planted with grape vines.
Several of those wineries are of commercial Napa Valley size. The rest are entrepreneurial enterprises founded by winemakers, growers, retired chief executive officers, gentlemen farmers and others in a bizarre collection of interconnecting relationships.
Making a profit
To make a profit, McMillan said, Santa Barbara-area wineries must sell their products for $25 a bottle. That will yield about a 12 percent profit. Most premium California wines sell for about $15 a bottle. But the biggest problem is getting the wine to the consumer, he said.
Read the Full Article
Joanie Hudson, Director National and International Marketing, Santa Barbara Winery / Lafond Winery & Vineyards
Yesterday was my first time attending the Ojai Wine Festival at Lake Casitas Recreational Area (about a 35 minute drive from Santa Barbara). The crowd was big at the 23rd Annual, hitting its peak halfway through the festival around 2:30. The weather was perfect, a cool breeze brushed through the booths every couple of minutes, keeping the space at a pleasant temperature for sipping both white and red wines. Free 20 minute boat rides were given on the lake, Kettle Korn was popping, pork was pulled, and oysters were shucked.
Santa Barbara Winery Wines Poured:
2007 Sauvignon Blanc
2007 Chardonnay
2007 Reserve Chardonnay
2007 Riesling 7.3
2007 Pinot Noir
2005 Sangiovese
2006 Primitivo
The Ojai Wine Festival is the major fund raiser for the Rotary Club of Ojai-West benefitting the American Red Cross, Ojai Police, Ojai schools, and the National Disaster Search Dog Foundation, among others.
Joanie Hudson, Director National and International Marketing
Santa Barbara Winery/Lafond Winery & Vineyards
Here is a relevant article on where Chardonnay stands today in many consumers minds… I found it interesting mainly because even when Chardonnay is unpopular in the mind of a specific consumer, it is still talked about and never forgotten. For example, it seems that consumers tend to compare other white varietals a lot of times to Chardonnay even if it’s not a wine that they drink anymore. It forever stays in the mind of the consumer…
Chardonnay vines thrive in most wine producing regions around the world due to their ability to adapt to various soils, weather and cultivation practices. The grape itself is delicate and is easily influenced by winemaking techniques and growing conditions. Chardonnay can have a range of flavors, from the typical California style that boasts flavors of butter and oak, to the un-oaked, where crisp flavors of green apple and citrus dominate. Due to the many different styles of Chardonnay, it has enjoyed international fame as both a cocktail wine and a food wine.
In the 1990s, California Chardonnay became the most popular white wine in the United States, and wine consumers grew accustomed to the rich, buttery, oaky style of Chardonnay that California winemakers were known to produce.
Over the past few years, with the popularity of Sauvignon Blanc and other crisp white wines, a trend started with white wine aficionados to drink ABC — Anything But Chardonnay. What many failed to realize was it wasn’t the Chardonnay grape that they didn’t like, it was the heavy, buttery flavors that the oak barrels impart to the wine. Winemakers responded to this trend, and many California producers began to use less oak in their winemaking, and white wine drinkers began to rediscover the world of Chardonnay.
As a wine drinker, I have been enjoying rediscovering Chardonnay. I was never a fan of heavy, over-the-top, oaky Chardonnay. I understood the popularity, appreciated the style, and tasted as many as I could to keep informed, but I wasn’t one to drink that specific style of Chardonnay. I like Chardonnay that has a hint of oak, but not enough to make the wine heavy and rich… Full Article
So, whether or not Chardonnay is a favorite or not so favorite wine of yours, make sure that you at least try a few different styles before you give up.
Joanie Hudson, Director National and International Marketing
Santa Barbara Winery/Lafond Winery & Vineyards
2007 Santa Ynez Valley Syrah
Winemaker Bruce McGuire is an early pioneer in blending Syrah grown throughout the west-east traverse of the Santa Ynez Valley. Because Syrah is proving to be the rare example of a varietal that can be grown in all the temperature zones found in our valley, blending vineyards becomes an intriguing endeavor.
This bottling of Syrah highlights both the cool climate white pepper and lavendar forward flavors and the jammier full fruitcharacter experienced in the back of the mouth courtesy of the warmer eastern Santa Ynez Valley. In 2007, Bruce crafted a blend of about three quarters cool climate Lafond Vineyard and neighboring Hill Top Ranch in the Santa Rita Hills with one quarter warm climate Joughin Vineyard near Los Olivos.
Most of the wine aged in small 60 gallon French and Hungarian barrels as Syrah benefits from ample barrel aging. A smaller than average crop from the our vineyard manager’s Santa Ynez Joughin Vineyard meant that a higher percentage of Santa Rita Hills fruit appears in the blend.
A small amount of Grenache (4%) was added to enhance the aromatics of the finished wine. In the bottle, 2010 to 2013 will be the prime drinking window for this wine. Pair with rustic fare, slightly charred grilled meats, and washed rind cheeses.
Retail: 20.00(750ml)
To order: Santa Barbara Winery
A gem of a local tasting is the 22nd Annual Natural History Wine Festival held on the exquisite grounds of Santa Barbara’s Museum of Natural History behind the Mission. Nestled in the beautiful banks of Mission Creek, the grounds are a top choice for local events. The beautiful scenery and attractive small scale of the event have attracted an impressive lineup of Central Coast wineries (including one of my favorites from Paso Robles, Tablas Creek Winery).
Santa Barbara Winery wines will be poured among about 70 other wineries on Saturday June 27 from 2-5pm. A selection of culinary treats will also be served to accompany the wines.
Tickets are $50 for members of the museum and $75 for non-members. Last year’s event sold out, so if you’re interested make sure to not waste another day without a ticket in your possession.
Proceeds benefit the Museum’s exhibits and educational programs.
Click Here for tickets and more information
Joanie Hudson, Assistant Tasting Room Manager, Santa Barbara Winery
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