Author Archive for Pierre

The noble grape Riesling is enjoying a well earned resurgence of popularity in America as increasing numbers of writers and chefs become enamored with the wine’s flavors and suitability for pairing with a wide range of foods.

Peer through the fog of history and remember Riesling was really one of the first grapes that showed the promise of the Santa Ynez Valley for fine wine growing back in the middle 1970′s.

Pierre Lafond planted the first block of Riesling in our Lafond Vineyard in 1972 and winemaker Bruce McGuire has crafted several styles of this wine since his arrival in 1981.

The amount of residual sugar in each style may vary slightly from year to year as Bruce balances this sweetness with the natural acid level that a particular vintage has achieved.

This particular wine is a slightly sweeter style, with 8.3% residual sugar. Most of this wine comes from the second crop from a new block planted at Lafond Vineyard in 2006.

This block was planted to three clones – Clone 12 from Germany, Clone 49 from Alsace, and our own Lafond Vineyard Clone from vines planted in 1972 of unknown origin.

Clone 49 was the ripest block in Lafond Vineyard. Fermentation was stopped by chilling at relatively low alcohol to showcase the delicious fruit of the Riesling grape.
Suggested Retail: 18.00/750ml
To Order: Santa Barbara Winery

In our new vineyard, at Burning Creek, some blocks consist of heavy soil that when dry are impacted and make root growth difficult. Now that much of the work in the vineyard that can be done, has been done, freeing up some of the workers, we can try to make it easier for the roots to grow.
First we rip the soil with long shanks that penetrate several feet, and we do this on both sides close to the vine, then we disc to loosen up the center of the rows. As you can see the rows are narrow, 6 feet, and the tractor 4 feet, which leaves less than a foot each side when you add posts and vine. You quickly eliminate bad drivers or those who let their minds wander.
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For more information Sta. Rita Hills Winegrowers Alliance.

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The Pinot Noir is only a few weeks from veraison, when the grapes begin to color. The season is a little late, due to the cool summer and late rains, but the grapes are beautiful.

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This has been one of our finest Chardonnays. Every competition in which we entered it resulted in a Gold Medal, or better. We are quickly running out of it but the 2009 promises to be just as good.
Here is a list of the competitions in which it was entered:
2011 Best of Class
Orange County Wine Competition
2011 Best Chardonnay
Finger Lakes Int. Wine Competition
2011 Double Gold
San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition
2010 Double Gold
San Francisco International Wine Competition
A wine that wins a Double Gold indicates one that has been awarded gold status by all judges in its classification.
If you like rich flavorful Chardonnays order now: www.sbwinery.com
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We are, actually, pushing wine out of barrels, using Nitrogen, an inert gas. Wine , especially finished wine, is very delicate and we avoid pumping wherever possible.

Once the wine is out, the barrel is cleaned with hot and cold water. The water from the barrel cleaning is drained, through about 200 feet of piping, to a mobile water tank set just below the hill. The collected water is used in the vineyard.

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After three decades of wine growing in the Santa Rita Hills of the western Santa Ynez Valley, Pierre Lafond and winemaker Bruce McGuire are still experimenting with unconventional grape varieties in our cool climate growing region.

The knowledge gained since the first planting of six varieties in 1972 (one of the early vineyards in Santa Barbara County) has led to a focused approach in which varietals are sought out according to Bruce’s hypothesis on a grape’s potential to exhibit unique character when grown in our area. This pioneering has paid off with great success such as the introduction of Syrah to the Santa Rita Hills.

Grenache has the same potential as Syrah to show off spicy character expressed in a different way than the white pepper spice found in our cool climate Syrah. The 2.25 acre planting has paid off in a distinctly bright Grenache exhibiting a hint of black pepper with cinnamon spice and dark red fruit flavors with a whisper of menthol.

Three separate Syrah lots showcase the overt cool climate Syrah character. The 2008 vintage was affected by frost, producing a smaller than average crop and very concentrated flavors with an overtly cool climate Rhone character. The blend of these two grapes yields a very pleasing spicy, dense, and full-bodied wine that invites pairing with a wide variety of foods.
To Order: www.lafondwinery.com

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