Mass market American “blush” wines that were popular in the 1970s are a far cry from the dry and refreshing Rosés being produced today in California, Spain, Italy, and southwest France. These pink wines are not to be confused with the cloying sweetness of grocery store boxed wines. The resurgence of dry style Rosés in California has resulted in the production of a variety of styles that are a playful alternative for the summertime.
But what makes these wines pink? How are they different from red and white wines? I hear these questions often. Red wines get their deep color and tannin from being fermented on their skins to extract color and tannin. White wines are produced by immediately pressing the juice off of the skin to minimize contact between the two. The next step is to ferment the freshly squeezed grape juice (aka the must). During Rosé wine production, the juice is left in contact with the red skins for a short amount of time (anywhere from one to three days) resulting in its characteristic pink color. Fermentation continues as a white wine, usually carried out in stainless steel tanks. Rosés can be made from any variety of red grape — Syrah, Grenache, and Pinot Noir are popular here in Santa Barbara County.
Rose wines possess characteristics of white wine, making them popular as temperatures rise. Stainless steel fermentation results in pleasantly light and crisp fruit qualities. They are extremely versatile — popular by the glass as well as to accompany summer meals. I personally think that Rosé wines can e drank all year round, especially in California because they also complement a variety of fall and winter root vegetables.
Our 2007 Rosé of Syrah is the fifth vintage Bruce McGuire
has produced with grapes from the Hilltop Ranch vineyard in the Santa Rita Hills. It is made from 100% Syrah grapes. Plump strawberry and orange peel aromas are emerging with an extremely refreshing mid-palate fruit explosion and crisp acidity.
Joanie Hudson, Assistant Santa Barbara Winery Tasting Room Manager
Santa Barbara Winery 2007 Santa Rita Riesling 7.3
The nobel 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.
As we recall, 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 to finish the 1981 harvest.
Recognizing that residual sugar (r.s.) marks the style of each Riesling we produce, either the word “dry” or a number representing the amount of r.s. in the wine appears on the label under the AVA designation. The amount of r.s. in each style may vary slightly from year to year as Bruce balances this sweetness with the natural acid level that a particlar vintage achieved.
The “7.3″ style can only be made when a section of our Lafond Vineyard meets Bruce’s criteria for clean, flavorful fruit and firm acidity to balance a higher level of sugar. Good weather for a later harvest helps with the magical flavor intensity found in this wine. Flavors of stone fruits such as peach, apricot or nectarine appear in this Riesling style as well as pear and tropical flowers.
The balancing acid is key in tightening the flavors at the back of the mouth and is responsible for the long, satisfying finish. A very pleasant stand alone sipping wine, it would also be a nice match for a peach tart. This is another wine built for extended aging. Eight to twelve years should prove quite interesting.ineyard and its microclimate.
Suggested retail: 20.00
To Purchase:
Winemaker Bruce McGuire has made another first for 43 year old Santa Barbara Winery, Pinot Gris. This grape is grown throughout the world, with Northern Italy perhaps getting the most recognition in recent times.
A fairly hearty variety, Pinot Gris is ideally grown in a climate just cool enough to develop the acidity needed to provide structure for the near full-bodied mouth feel. Bruce is very impressed with the Thompson Vineyard in Alisos Canyon, a site he feels is well suited for grapes to make big, rich wines.
This vineyard seems to be in the climate mid-range as it is in neither the coolest or warmest area in Santa Barbara County. The varietals planted here have been thoughtfully chosen and are starting to show the full potential of this vineyard and its microclimate.
Citrus to pear flavors dominate, and while this wine is a very pleasant aperitif, it has ample weight for pairing with young goat cheeses, roasted pork dishes, crab, or Thai sea bass. Enjoy this wine through 2009.
544 cases produced.
Suggested Retail 16.00/750ml
To order:
Santa Barbara Winery 2005 Petite Sirah 
After 43 years of winemaking, we have finally made a Petite Sirah. This grape has had a rather muddled history ever since it was first cultivated in California circa 1890 shortly after being either propagated or identified as a seperate varitety in France in the 1880’s.It is not Syrah, and there is nothing “petite” about it in terms of grape size or flavor.Many older Petite Sirah vineyards in California are actually “field blends” containing as many as five grape variteies (including Petite Sirah and Syrah). DNA fingerprinting has also shown what we know as Peitite Sirah could actually be the ancient Rhone variety peloursin.
Or, as the most popular theory goes, this grape is actually Durif, a cross of peloursin and Syrah created in France in the 1880’s.Whatever the reason, the name “Petite Sirah” has stuck and the wine became an early avorite in California as the rich, massive wines it produces were a natural favorite when paired with old rancho cuisine featuring grilled meats and vegetables.
The big flavors, black pepper spice and rustic tannins are also a terrific match with hearty stews. Winemaker Bruce McGuire is very impressed with the Thompson Vineyard in Alios Canyon, a site he feels is well suited for grapes to make big, rich wines. We have bottle aged this wine for a year before release to smooth some of the tannins. Petite Sirah is not known for aging ability and we suggest enjoying this wine before 2011.
Suggested Retail 26.00/750ml
To purchase:
Santa Barbara Winery 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon
After over a quarter century of making
Cabernet Sauvignon from our Lafond Vineyard, winemaker
Bruce McGuire is now sourcing this grape from vineyards on the warmer eastern side of the
Santa Ynez Valley. While we still mourn our departed Cabernet vines, we now look forward to learning from this grape planted in a more traditional climate than our very cool growing area and tended to by very professional wine growers.
The 2005 vintage was primarily grown in the Westerly Vineyard located in Happy Canyon on the warmer, eastern side of the Santa Ynez Valley. Note: Westerly Vineyard is named for the road it is on, not its location in the valley. This is only a five barrel lot that was harvested on the mildly late date of November 5th. After a year of bottle aging in the winery, the wine still wants for more age to fully “flesh out”.
At this young age, the nose shows hints of chocolate, wood spice and dark berrys. The dark berry character is opulant in the mouth and the tannins are soft and pleasing. Decanting and air time are highly recommend to help this Cabernet to show off its concentrated fruit character. A very good choice for beef or hearty pasta. Cellaring from 2011 through 2013 should be amply rewarded.
To Order:
Santa Barbara Winery Rosé of Syrah
The 2007 vintage of our
Rosé of Syrah marks the fifth consecutive vintage winemaker
Bruce McGuire has made of this dry wine. A very nice milestone indeed because
Santa Barbara Winery has been making rosé wines since the 1960’s utilizing grapes such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel and Pinot Noir.
These wines were made in various years as we plumbed the public’s taste for rosé as a wine catagory and for particular styles that pleased not only our palate but enough folks to make this a commercially viable production. When Bruce first identified a section of Hilltop Ranch Vineyard as being particularly well suited to making rosé, we were becoming aware of a re-energized intrest in these wines as wine and food journalists seemed to be devoting much more time to the appreciation of rosé wines and their versatility in the world of food pairings.
To make a complete and mouth filling wine from Syrah is not an easy task. When Bruce harvests this aforementioned block of Syrah, the fruit is hand sorted and destemmed. The juice and skins are then given a “cold soak” overnight followed by a light pressing the next day before a cool fermentation in stainless steel.
This process preserves the electric color and the bright fruit flavors and aromas nicely balanced by firm acidity courtesy of the cold climate Sta. Rita Hills. A terrific wine to enjoy with all but the heartiest of foods, a simple lunch of cheese, cured meats, olives and bread is a favorite. Enjoy through the winter of 2009.
To order:
Santa Barbara Winery 2005 Negrette
The 2005 vintage Negrette from Andrew Joughin’s vineyard near Los Olivos is a welcome sight after growing conditions precluded a 2004 vintage from Mr. Joughin’s central Santa Ynez Valley vineyard. A very uncommon varietal in California; we have yet to see another winery bottle this varietal. Negrette traces its origins to the warm climate area north of Toulouse in southwestern France where it is known for its dark color and fragrant berry aroma and flavor.
The warmer climate around Los Olivos combined with a relatively long growing season yields a Negrette with interesting flavor and a touch more complexity than one usually finds with this grape. Winemaker Bruce McGuire sums up this wine with a two word description, “very berry”. Bruce made 12 barrels of this wine utilzing a mix of American and Hungarian oak of which 30% were new barrels.
The barrel aging added a little spice and body to further compliment food. Another easy wine to pair with washed rind cheeses; it would also be a good choice for hearty Mexican cuisine or Bistro style fare. Paring with food is highly recommended to cut the firm acid, bottle aging will probably be rewarded in 2010.
The wine sells for 22.00/750ml. To Order:
has produced with grapes from the Hilltop Ranch vineyard in the Santa Rita Hills. It is made from 100% Syrah grapes. Plump strawberry and orange peel aromas are emerging with an extremely refreshing mid-palate fruit explosion and crisp acidity.
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