Archive for the 'New Releases' Category

New Release Stolpman Vineyards 2004 Nebbiolo

Published
by
Pierre Lafond
on November 11, 2007
in Nebbiolo, New Releases and Santa Barbara Winery
. 0 Comments

Winemaker Bruce McGuire jumped at the chance to make his first Nebbiolo back in 1998 when a small amount became available from the Stolpman Vineyard out in Ballard Canyon. Bruce did not get a chance to make a second edition until this 2004 vintage when a small amont was available from this vineyard, a vineyard rapidly gaining a good reputation for Italian varieties.

Nebbiolo is a true vintners challenge.Often described as the noblest grape of Italy, it is fond in the northern Piedmont region and is most familiar when bottled as Barolo and Barbaresco. One of the most finicky grapes to grow, Nebbiolo will reward careful site selection with big beautiful wines. Should the soil, exposure, or climate be less than perfect the vintner is handed truckloads of frustration in the form of under ripe grapes and thin, uninteresting wines.

The very high tannin and acid found in this grape meant a long time in the barrel (bottled in June of 2006) and then almost a year and a half of cellar time in the bottle before Bruce deemed the 2004 Nebbiolo ready for release. The tannins will continue to resolve and flavors will further develop through 2011. Try this beauty with a big dish of white truffle pasta or experiment with a variety of artisan cheeses from the Piedmont region.

2004 Stolpman Vineyard Nebbiolo: Suggested Retail 30.00 (750ml)

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Santa Barbara Winery New Release

Published
by
Pierre Lafond
on October 24, 2007
in Chardonnay, New Releases, Santa Brabara Winery Resrve Chardonnay and Wine News
. 0 Comments

 2006 Reserve Chardonnay

The Santa Rita Hills of the western Santa Ynez Valley is an area were local geography influences the climate to create conditions unusually well suited for growing world class Chardonnay. We give this wine a “reserve” designation because these grapes are harvested from distinct soil types and Chardonnay clones that yield the greatest flavor concentration and fruit intensity. The resulting wine is full-bodied and richly textured with complexity of flavor further enhanced by barrel fermentation.

Three to five years of bottle aging allows the wine to open up and show off well-integrated flavors. In 2006, Winemaker Bruce McGuire honed in on the Wente Clone blocks from our Lafond Vineyard our neighbor, Hill Top Ranch and the old Sanford and Benedict Vineyard just down Santa Rosa Road. Planted thirty years ago, one of the Lafond lots is 30% of the total blend and contributes aromatics and texture.

The other two vineyards were planted in the 1970’s in sand and gravel. These low vigor lots afford the wine great concentration and fruit. We find this full-bodied style to be an ideal match with hearty, rich foods like salmon, pork roast, and of course, lobster.

1321 cases produced

Suggested Retail 22.00

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Lafond Winery 2005 Arita Hills Pinot Noir

Published
by
Pierre Lafond
on October 9, 2007
in New Releases, Pinot Noir, Vineyard Designated Wines and Wine News
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New Release 2005 Arita Hills Pinot Noir

Nestled in the Santa Rita Hills of the western Santa Ynez Valley, and across Santa Rosa Road from our Lafond Vineyard, Arita Hills Vineyard is located in prime Pinot Noir countryAs we continue our relationship with Arita Hills Vineyard, Winemaker Bruce McGuire will seek out specific areas within this vineyard that exhibit elevated concentration and complexity due to soil, exposure and clonal selection. The 2005 Pinot Noir was harvested from the top of the vineyard in a section that “stressed” early and consequently was harvested before most of the vineyard.

This selection consisted of three clones: 29% 777 clone, 29% 115 clone and 43% 667 clone. 2005 was a terrific growing year and Pinot Noir yields were much improved comared to the previous three years This wine shows supple texture and flavor backed by firm acidity. These young vines still show more perfumed character than the more established vines in our vineyard, but we are seeing more complexity of flavor as the vines become established. In this wine’s youth, a little “air time” via decanting will help the flavors marry. Bottle aging through 2010 will be beneficial.

The complexity and depth of flavor make this Pinot Noir a great match with savory foods such as Copper River salmon, hearty mushroom dishes and stewed meats.
Suggested Retail Price: 42.00

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Santa Barbara Winery New Releases

Published
by
Pierre Lafond
on September 18, 2007
in New Releases and Wine News
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Three new releases.

Looking for interesting grapes to plant in his Santa Ynez Valley vineyard, Mr. Andrew Joughin purchased the cuttings for this wine from vines originating in Italy. Primitivo is well known as the primary wine from the Puglia region of Italy where it was widely planted starting in the 1850’s.

Interestingly, recent genetic research has confirmed that Primitivo is identical to Zinfandel. Because of the similarities of climate in his Los Olivos area vineyard and the Puglia region, Mr. Joughin thought this would be an interesting selection as well as a very good food wine.

2005 gave us improved yields from the Joughin Vineyard when compared to the paltry 2004 harvest. Flavors are more supple and extended barrel time adds to the length and desnsity of the wine.

This is a terrific wine to experiment with a wide range of flavors and cheeses, we feel the list of food pairings is rather large with this concentrated Primitivo tilting things to bigger, richer flavors and grilled meats.

After three decades of wine growing in the Santa Rita Hills, Pierre Lafond and winemaker Bruce McGuire are still experimenting with unconventional varieties in this very cool growing region.

Primitivo Retail Price 23.00/750m

Following their successful introduction of Syrah to Santa Rita Hills in the early 1990’s, they are now releasing their second Grenache from Lafond Vineyard. With Grenache, Bruce is probing the plump flavors for which this grape is known and evaluating its suitability for blending with Syrah or bottling as a single varietal wine.

Planted in loose conglomerate (sand and rocks to four inches) in the warmest section of the vineyard, we had a small yield of just under 5 tons from 2 acres of vines for this vintage. Historically, Grenache has been grown in the Southern Rhone of France as well as large areas of Spain.
Often used for blending, recent years have seen more Grenache bottled by itself as growers limit yields to make more flavorful wines highlighting the plump, mid-palate flavors that make this wine so versatile with food.
Simple, easy to prepare foods are at home with this wine, and the summer of 2008 should see the tannins integrate with fruit to make a most enjoyable quaff. We anticipate this wine aging nicely through 2009.

Grenache Retail price 22.00/750ml

Lagrein is one of the indigenous grapes grown around the town of Bolzano in the Alto Adige; Italy’s northernmost wine growing region. Locally known for its big, rich tannins and very dark color, this is a remarkable food wine.The key is a richness of fruit character, instead of hard tannins that delights and surprises the mouth at the same time.

“This grape yields the darkest, most saturated wine I’ve experienced”, remarked Winemaker Bruce McGuire. Mr. Andrew Joughin, who also happens to be the vineyard manager at our Lafond Vineyard, planted the Joughin Vineyard.
It was his idea to look for unusual grape varieties from around the world that would be suitable for his soils and Los Olivos climate. Of course Bruce was happy to offer some suggestions that would also add to the wide variety of wines he makes for Santa Barbara Winery. Poor fruit set in 2004 led to a very small crop of less than a ton per acre resulting in a four barrel production.

Pair with angel hair pasta in a light tomato garlic sauce to much heartier foods. This is also a great wine to taste with cheeses such as Brie, Camembert, Fontina, semi-hard Gouda, or your own selection in the fresh goat’s milk catagory. Cellaring is still an unanswered question, but this wine should age nicely through 2010.

Lagrein Retail price 30.00

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New Release 2005 Santa Barbara Winery Syrah

Published
by
Pierre Lafond
on May 24, 2007
in New Releases, Syrah and Wine News
. 0 Comments

New Release:

Santa Ynez Valley 2005 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.

The year after Bruce grafted the first Syrah in the Santa Rita Hills (1993) into our Lafond Vineyard, he noted the cool climate character of white pepper and complex lavender aromas were quite a bit more pronounced than even he had anticipated.

Since these components are forward flavors, Bruce sought out Syrah grown in the warmer eastern end of the valley where the grape exhibits the jammy fruit and black pepper character experienced in the back of the mouth.

In 2005, Bruce was able to split nearly equal portions of warmer climate Syrah with cool climate Syrah. Our cool climate Lafond Vineyard and neighboring Hill Top Ranch in the Santa Rita Hills represent 56% of the blend while the Joughin Vineyard near Los Olivos is the remaining 44%. Most of the wine aged in the small 60 gallon barrels as Syrah benefits from ample barrel aging.

“I chose six lots of Syrah from these climates to make a complete Syrah with big fruit intensity for a complete mouth experience” adds Bruce.

This small production wine shows big structure, black fruit and intense white pepper spice. In the bottle, 2009 should see full flavor development. Pair with rustic fare, grilled meats, and washed rind cheeses.

Suggested Retail: 16.00

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Santa Barbara Winery 2005 Grenache/Syrah

Published
by
Pierre Lafond
on May 19, 2007
in Grenache / Syrah, New Releases and Wine News
. 0 Comments

New Release:
Santa Barbara County
2005 Grenache / Syrah
After three decades of wine growing in the Santa Rita Hills, Pierre Lafond and winemaker Bruce McGuire are still experimenting with unconventional varieties in this very cool growing region.

Following their successful introduction of Syrah to Santa Rita Hills in the early 1990’s, they are now introducing their first Grenache/Syrah blend. Utilizing Syrah from neighbor Hilltop Ranch (right across the dirt road) and Grenache that Bruce sourced from the Byron Vineyard up in Santa Maria, Bruce has crafted a wine showing the cool climate spicines of Syrah and the bright red fruit flavors of Grenache.

The Grenache helps to tame the Syrah making this middle weight wine more approach- able than straight Syrah and thus easier to pair with a wider range of foods. A delightful wine to have with Spanish tapas, lighter meats, or an afternoon repast of olives, cow’s milk cheeses and fresh bread.
This wine should show complete flavor development by the end of 2007 and be quite enjoyable through 2009.

Suggested retail 22.00/750ml
Production: 424 cases

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Santa Barbara Winery 2006 Sauvignon Blanc

Published
by
Pierre Lafond
on May 2, 2007
in New Releases, Sauvignon Blanc and Wine News
. 0 Comments

New Release:

2006 Sauvignon Blanc

The Sauvignon Blanc landscape in California is resplendent with a wide variety of flavors and styles. Because this varietal can be successfully grown in a wide climate range, albeit showing different fruit qualities from different areas, one has to pay careful attention to clonal selection and site selection within the vineyard.  

In general, warmer areas are well suited to classic Bordeaux clones while cooler growing regions are better suited to exotic clones such as our Musque clone of Sauvignon Blanc. With an eye toward many of the foods produced in Santa Barbara County and the seafood caught in our coastal waters, Winemaker Bruce McGuire has created a blend that combines two different clones of Sauvignon Blanc from two climate zones.

He pairs the tropical fruit and citrus flavors of our Musque clone with the warm climate “Davis Clone 1” from Westerly Vineyard, 16 miles to the east of Lafond Vineyard and about 15 degrees warmer. This clone is also on the delicate side, keeping the grassy, herbal side of Sauvignon Blanc in check and makes up about 25% of the total blend. Bruce then blended in 7.5% Viognier to add to the spicy fruit character.

About three quarters of this wine was fermented in stainless steel as opposed to the neutral oak puncheons used in the balance of the wine. This keeps the racy acids lively on the tongue. Our Sauvignon Blanc is a very useful wine to pair with light or spicy foods found in Pacific Rim cuisine.

A favorite pairing is with Thai dishes like we find at Zen Yai restaurant located near the winery on State Street. This wine is also a great match for many seafood preparations and salads.

Suggested retail: 15.00

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