Please join us for the 2009 November Santa Barbara Winery Wine Club Pick Up Party. This will be our third Pick Up Party after the success we have been having with these events since our first in May. Stop by the winery between 11:00am-2:00pm on Saturday November 14th, pick up your wine, sample the current selection and pair a tasty culinary selection of small bites from our Pierre Lafond Wine Bistro.
If you normally get your wine shipped and would like to attend, just give Suzanne a call and we’ll hold it for pick-up on this day. Save the shipping cost and come visit. Reservations are required so give us a call or email. We will be wrapping up Harvest here at the winery and there may even be some fermenting white grape juice floating around…
Wine Club Members receive 20% off all purchases, free wine tasting, and access to Special Events. Not to mention that these benefits apply to both Santa Barbara Winery and Lafond Winery. If you are not in our wine club and are interested in becoming a member, you can sign up on our website, by phone, or in the tasting room.
wine@sbwinery.com 805-963-3633
Botrytis cinirea is occurring, in a very small block of older Riesling vines, in our Lafond Vineyards. It will very likely produce less than 1500 375ml bottles. Botrytis cinirea can occur, under wet conditions, in other fruits, such as strawberries, where it is simply called rot and the fruit discarded. In grapes, usually after an initial rain, and if followed by dry weather, we call it Noble Rot. Which sounds infinitely better. Wikipedia describes it very well…
In the Botrytis infection known as “noble rot” (pourriture noble in French, or Edelfäule in German), the fungus removes water from the grapes, leaving behind a higher percent of solids, such as sugars, fruit acids and minerals. This results in a more intense, concentrated final product. The wine is often said to have an aroma of honeysuckle and a bitter finish on the palate.
This is a recent photo at our vineyard showing the grapes at various stages. When complete the grapes are brownish in color and collapse on themselves as the water is removed by the fungus. The flavors become very concentrated and complex and, although sweet, maintain high acidity. The finished wine is usually under 10% in alcohol with residual sugar exceeding 20%.
If you ever find yourself as a consumer intimidated by wine, remind yourself that it is just a beverage to be enjoyed… The only way to learn more is to invest some time and energy into paying attention to what you are drinking, where it comes from, why you smell blackberries, why you smell vanilla, and all down the taste and aromatic wheel…
I found some fun tips in this article on “How You Can Build Your Wine Know-How”
One way to build your wine knowledge is to attend wine tastings. Free tastings offer one of the best opportunities to be objective because you have neither money nor ego on the line. At the events, keep your ears open to the musings of more experienced wine enthusiasts. Listen to their descriptions and determine if you can distinguish the same flavors in the wine. Don’t be afraid to talk to people and ask questions.
You can also build your knowledge by
enrolling in wine education classes. These offer the opportunity to explore a wide spectrum of wines. In addition, classes have the luxury of built-in wine partners — the other students. Attend classes that offer wines that you are less familiar with, as well as those that rank among your favorites.
Click Here for the full article.
Taste some new wines, retaste old wines, repurchase wines you have enjoyed in the past and see how they are tasting today…
Joanie Hudson, Director National and International Marketing, Santa Barbara Winery / Lafond Winery & Vineyards
We are getting near the end. All the whites have been picked and what is left of the reds, Syrah, will be picked next week.
Winemaker, Bruce McGuire, goes through the field and marks off what is ripe and ready and what is not. This may mean going back into the same block and same row several times during harvest. Ancient river beds, which is what most of the Santa Rita Hills Appelation comprises, have very uneven soil profiles which makes for uneven ripening. The low fertile areas are generally picked first and the more fertile, sometimes weeks later.
Photo shows the change in color in the Pinot Noir as the vines begin to close down. The other photo shows the last of the Pinot Noir being barrelled. In the background you can see part of the more than 325 Pinot Noir barrels from this harvest. Photos were taken today.
Check out this article on Zinfandel and Primitivo, referring to the two grapes as “Identical Wine Vino Cousins…”
Zinfandel wines denote California grown, yet DNA tests reveal that the variety is of European descent with “the same DNA as the Italian grape Primitivo.”
Also interesting in this article is the discussion of the uniqueness of Zinfandel grape clusters, which states that the berries in the clusters do not ripen evenly, producing “unique flavor dynamics… There is bright acidity from slightly underripe grapes, perfect fruit flavors from the ripe berries, and concentration and depth from the slightly withered or overripe ones.”
We used to have Zinfandel vines planted at Lafond Vineyard, until as recently as 2004, but as we get to know our vineyard site better with each year, we have discovered that the Sta. Rita Hills are a bit too cool to successfully grow consistent quality Zinfandel. Replantings of Pinot Noir is a result of this key cool climate (warm days, cool nights, and a long growing season) aspect to our vineyard.
Joanie Hudson, Director National and International Marketing, Santa Barbara Winery / Lafond Winery & Vineyards
To order Santa Barbara Winery Primitivo
Lafond Vineyard’s Riesling vines were originally planted in 1972. Our long, cool growing season enables firm acids to develop which highlight the flavor intensity that makes this a wonderful full-bodied example of a noble grape we feel is underappreciated in the world.
Extended hang time on the vines helped to produce a wonderfully rich, yet elegant and clean dessert wine with an extraordinary balance of acids and sugars.
Riesling is a popular late harvest dessert wine when grown in the right conditions that will allow sugars to develop, while also maintaining the necessary acidity, very low pH, to keep the resulting wine fresh. Alcohol is kept low to showcase the purity of fruit courtesy of the Sta. Rita Hills’ long growing season.
In its youth, the 08 Late Harvest Riesling showcases aromas of orange blossom, honeyed pear, and burnt sugar. On the palate, stone fruits intermingle and rich viscosity is balanced by crisp acidity. The finish is long and mouth coating, leaving behind a clean feeling that is far from cloying. Serve slightly chilled in small glasses with a Rustic Peach or Pear Tart.
Suggested Retail: 28.00/375ml
To order: Santa Barbara Winery
Santa Barbara County will soon welcome a new sub-appellation (AVA) to the currently recognized three: Santa Ynez, Sta. Rita Hills, and Santa Maria. The Sta. Rita Hills AVA was recognized by the TTB as its own distinct viticulture area in 2001, and now it has been announced that the formation of the Happy Canyon of Santa Barbara AVA will go through, consisting of 23,941 acres (of which less than 500 acres is planted vineyards).
AVA’s are important to wineries as they alert consumers to the geographical area that their wines are coming from. Instead of classifying a wine as a Santa Barbara Pinot Noir, consumers and labels can go further and declare it a Sta. Rita Hills Pinot Noir or a Santa Maria Pinot Noir. These AVA’s are put in place to mark distinct geographical attributes, climate, and topography.
There is a great article on redwinebuzz.com about the newly formed Happy Canyon of Santa Barbara AVA.
Click Here for full article.
Joanie Hudson, Director National and International Marketing, Santa Barbara Winery / Lafond Winery & Vineyards
The Stolpman Vineyard is located in Ballard Canyon about 9.5 miles east of our Lafond Vineyard. The warmer climate in Ballard Canyon is nicely suited for Sangiovese, historically the primary grape of the Chianti region of Italy.
Known for its dense cherry fruit, Sangiovese’s popularity has been on the increase as winemakers around the world discover the structure and full-bodied nature of the wine along with its affinity for blending with other varietals.
Winemaker Bruce McGuire continues to be pleased with this newer block of Sangiovese; 2006 is the fifth harvest from this section.
This wine is enflamed with rustic spice, bright forward cherry flavors, an underlying core of acidity, and soft food-friendly tannins. Walking the tight rope between the true Tuscan style and a New World flare, Bruce strives to maintain the structure of the acclaimed Chiantis from the Montalcino and Montepulciano regions.
It is always a champion in summer especially with dishes utilizing fresh vine-ripened tomatoes. Enjoy between the summer of 2009 and 2012.
Suggested retail 24.00/750ml
To order: Santa Barbara Winery
We had a great time pouring at the 2009 Harvest Festival this past Saturday — the wines and the turnout were spectacular.
I love the setup of this Festival. Though they attempt to make it alphabetical, it never quite turns out that way, and it can be a maze to find what you’re looking for. But that causes guests to stumble upon wineries or restaurants that they may have otherwise passed if only going by their checklist of places they know they like.
I talked to a handful of people who were pleased with their happy accidents. The venue is beautiful — a grassy, soft hilled area at Rancho Sisquoc Winery in Santa Maria. White tents are backdropped by the rolling Santa Ynez hillsides, blue skies, and grazing livestock.
I was prepared for cold, as when we left Downtown Santa Barbara a little before 11, it was socked in grey. But once we passed over the 154 Highway, that sock quickly disappeared and it was all blue skies from there…
Santa Barbara Winery poured seven wines:
2007 Sauvignon Blanc
2007 Chardonnay
2007 Chardonnay Reserve
2007 Riesling 7.3%
2008 ZCS
2006 Lagrein
2006 Petite Sirah
The Petite Sirah was a perfect match with the individual lamb legs served up by Solvang’s new restaurant, Root 246. Delicious.
Joanie Hudson, Director National and International Marketing, Santa Barbara Winery / Lafond Winery & Vineyards
Recent Comments