Monthly Archive for February, 2010

2010 Vintners Festival, April 17

Published on February 27, 2010 in Wine News. 0 Comments

Each year (actually twice each year – spring and fall) all of the wineries in Santa Barbara County get together and pour their wines at the Vintners’ Festival in Lompoc.  The Santa Barbara County Vintners’ Association organizes the Vintners’ and Harvest Festivals year after year, and they are a great opportunity to taste wines across the spectrum of quality, price, and availability from Santa Barbara.

Over the weekend, wineries hold open houses, feature new releases, set up food stands, or host dinners.  At Lafond Winery we host an open house all day (10am-5pm) on the day of the festival and pour new releases alongside food from our famous taco stand.

2010 Vintners’ Festival
April 17th, 1 – 4pm

The annual Santa Barbara County Vintners’ Festival attractes wine lovers from near and far for an opportunity to meet member vintners, taste their wines, and enjoy great food and music in a festive outdoor environment at River Park in Lompoc.

The festival features the wines of our 130+ members of the Association, live and lively music, a silent auction and wine country cuisine by the area’s finest chefs.

Festival ticket: $75 (will be $85 at the door)

Vintners’ Visa: $35 (a ticket to taste at participating wineries for free over the long weekend)

Combo Festival and Visa Ticket: $100

Please visit the Santa Barbara County Vintners’ Association website for more information and to purchase tickets for this great event.

Stolpman and Super Tuscans

Published on February 25, 2010 in Sangiovese and Santa Barbara Winery. 1 Comment Tags: .

Spritland Bistro’s monthly Wine & Dine dinner featured Pete Stolpman from Stolpman Vineyards last night, who attended to speak and sip on Super Tuscan wines.

Spritland Bistro (230 E. Victoria St.) is an intimate local restaurant that holds monthly (sometimes bi-monthly) BYOB wine dinners of a specified variety or region.  Super Tuscans were up last night for the 24th BYOB dinner.  Pete spoke between and over each course about the diversity of Italian wine on the market, the ramifications of Italy’s quality designation system (IGT, DOC, DOCG), and the south-facing, calcareous soil of Stolpman Vineyards in Ballard Canyon.

The care that goes into that vineyard (which we source Sangiovese and Nebbiolo from), is extremely intricate – from farming practices to “La Cuadrilla,” which refers to their full time vineyard crew.  Stolpman Vineyard is organic, sustainable, and dry farmed.  Pete discussed their choice to dry farm as a “quality reason.”  Starting in 2001, they cut irrigation to all mature vines.  How do vines survive without water?  Some of the crowd was perplexed… “Vines are trained weeds,” Pete went on to elaborate, “they will find a way to survive from rainfall throughout the year and sucking up whatever moisture they can from their environment.”  The consequences is a smaller crop (usually less than a ton per acre) and you can’t make cheap wine.  This is just one of the many indicators of quality that has become synonymous with the Stolpman name.

A little bit about Super Tuscan wines… Some may have been confused by the ‘Super Tuscan’ theme, as there were many Chianti wines being passed around and tasted.  To be honest, if I didn’t spend a lot of my time reading wine books and magazines, and I saw the theme Super Tuscan, I would probably just think that I was supposed to bring “a great Tuscan wine – like a SUPER one” so I can see how the confusion occurred!  Super Tuscan describes a Tuscan red that does not adhere to traditional Italian blending laws for the region.  Super Tuscans use grapes such as cabernet sauvignon or merlot, making them ineligible for Tuscany’s acclaimed DOCG status.  So in short, last night featured sangiovese-based wines from all over the world with either some cabernet sauvignon, merlot, or syrah blended in.

For fun I brought along the 2004 Santa Barbara Winery Sangiovese from Stolpman Vineyard, which is one of my personal favorite wines that we have produced at the winery.  It is at a phenomenal place in its wine life, full of juicy fruit and bright acidity, some mellowed out tannins make this wine very approachable.  Our current release of this wine is 2006. (click image to enlarge)

We are proud to be associated with the Stolpman name.

Joanie Hudson, Director of National and International Marketing, Santa Barbara Winery / Lafond Winery & Vineyards

Same Label new Image for Santa Barbara Winery

Published on February 24, 2010 in Wine News. 0 Comments

Installing our first Frost Protection Blower

Published on February 23, 2010 in Wine News. 0 Comments

David has been installing these large blowers which are supposed to push the air 50 feet high. The concept is to create an upward draft removing the cold air, that sinks to the ground, and replacing it with the warmer air above.

We are installing two in one of our Pinot Noir blocks – the block is about 20 acres. This is an experiment and if it works, even moderately well, we will install others. Our hope is that we wont have to test it and temperatures will not drop below freezing.

There are other choices. The gold standard is water but that requires huge amounts of water, a large reservoir, many many pumps and overhead sprinklers. None of which we have.

As water freezes, enclosing the grapes it gives off heat as it changes from liquid to solid. The problem is you have to keep pumping until it gets warm enough to melt the ice or goodbye the grapes.

Tall vertical fans work but they generally push the problem to your neighbor or another part of your vineyard. Helicopters really move the air but the hourly cost is astronomical. So, we are trying these horizontal blowers which can be powered by a tractor, are movable and don’t break the bank. (click images to enlarge)

Lafond Winery, Lafond Vineyard, 2007 Pommard Clone Pinot Noir

Published on February 22, 2010 in Wine News. 0 Comments

Lafond Winery releases Lafond Vineyard 2006 Pinot Noir

Published on February 16, 2010 in Wine News. 0 Comments

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 and exposure to the elements. We have also planted eight distinct clones of Pinot Noir, each with subtle differences in flavor and aroma.

The Lafond Vineyard Pinot Noir is Winemaker Bruce McGuire’s selection of those vines that fully express the character found in our vineyard.

The 2006 Pinot Noir was harvested on ten days from September 24 th to October 2nd. 2006 yielded an average crop size with small clusters. Bruce chose four clones from five of the least vigorous vineyard lots (clones 667, 777, 115, and 4) to make this highly structrued wine.

He experimented with parallel shoot positioning, which showed very well, increasing succulence and fruit intensity. The potential of this Pinot Noir should start to show itself as soon as 2009 with aging rewarded through 2013.

The complexity and depth of flavor make this Pinot Noir a great match with savory foods such as lamb, Copper River salmon, hearty sushi, and dark mushroom dishes.

Suggested Retail 48.00/750ml
To order:

Big Girls, Small Kitchen Blog Post on SB Chard Wine Pairing

Published on February 16, 2010 in Chardonnay and Joanie Hudson. 1 Comment

My dear friend Phoebe Lapine has a great blog on cooking / creating dining experiences / food and wine pairing.  She recently visited and we had the opportunity to taste through various stages of white wine fermentation down at Santa Barbara Winery (she visited during Harvest 2009).  I sent her home with a bottle of 07 Santa Barbara Winery Chardonnay, and in a Phoebe-like fashion, she created a fantastic recipe to pair with the wine.

Here is the link to her website (Big Girls, Small Kitchen: A Guide to Quarter Life Cooking) with the posting.  I recommend checking out her site as it is a truly voyeuristic glimpse into the her life experiences through cooking.  She is working on a book, and I can’t wait to read it when it comes out.  I love her use of the phrase ‘quarter life cooking.’

Her post also really hits home for me because I truly believe that wine better experienced when there is a real story behind it.  That story can include and interesting history, personal experiences with the wine, or having friends who have their hands in the production process.

2007 Santa Barbara Winery Chardonnay

We washed this meal down with a bottle of Chardonnay I brought back from my day trip to Santa Barbara. My friend Joanie works for the winery and took me through the whole process of how this particular chardonnay was made. Things always taste a little better once you understand where they came from, but regardless, this is a delicious mid-level wine, and one I will be buying again in the near future.

Joanie Hudson, Director of National and International Marketing, Santa Barbara Winery / Lafond Winery & Vineyards

Scenes from Valentine Day at Lafond Winery Sunday February 14, 2010

Published on February 16, 2010 in Wine News. 0 Comments
Click images to enlarge
 
 
 
 
 

The Big Sur Bakery Cookbook

Published on February 15, 2010 in Joanie Hudson. 0 Comments

Just a quick jaunt up the Central Coast’s windy, coastal cliff enclosed 1 Highway, lies Big Sur.  Known for its awe inspiring California and Pacific Ocean views, it is a great spot to escape and relax.  The Big Sur Bakery (tucked behind a gas station) is a classic spot in the area to grab a bite, and the house that the business has flourished within was built in 1936.  We just got their cookbook into the Santa Barbara Winery Tasting Room, and since taking it home a couple of weeks ago I haven’t stopped cooking out of it. 

The Big Sur Bakery Cookbook – A Year in the Life of a Restaurant

“The Big Sur Bakery Cookbook tells the compelling story of the people and community that created that rare beauty: a great restaurant with soul. This book perfectly captures the spirit and passion of Michelle, Philip, and Michael, their food, and the grandeur of the California Coast.” (David Kinch, chef/owner of Manresa Restaurant )

“This is not just another restaurant cookbook. In it, every dish comes enriched with a tale. . . . No matter where you live, through these recipes and stories you’ll experience the exquisite food and soulful charm that is Big Sur Bakery.” (Nancy Silverton, chef/founder of La Brea Bakery and chef/owner of Mozza )

Product Description

Here from the celebrated California restaurant Big Sur Bakery is a stunningly photographed cookbook showcasing seasonal ingredients, local vintners, fishermen, and farmers—and the food that makes the Big Sur Bakery unique.

Come pick up a copy at your next tasting!  Wine Club Members receive 20% off of purchase.