Wine to try at the end of your New Years Eve Dinner Party: 2008 Santa Barbara Winery Late Harvest Riesling (28.00 / 375 ml)
Dessert wines are delicious and give us just one more reason to sit around the table with family and friends for a little bit longer… Bruce McGuire is known to produce some of the best dessert wines in Santa Barbara County.
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..
Thanksgiving has always been one of my absolute favorite holidays. The entire month of November is spent in anticipation of this amazing meal that brings friends and family together from all across the world, just to sit around the dinner table together for this special night. This drawing factor of Thanksgiving is one of the things I love most about wine as well. I am so greatful for any event or beverage that has the ability to bring people together to relax at the end of their day, and reflect on what matters most in this world, the company that we surround ourselves with and close friends and family. Thanksgiving is a North American Harvest Festival, and it pretty much signals the end of a vintage for our winemakers, just in time to get everything in barrel to be home with family for the holiday. 
The 28th Annual Taste of the Town will be held this Saturday, September 13 at the Riviera Park Gardens (12-3pm). Pierre Lafond Wine Bistro and Santa Barbara Winery / Lafond Winery are looking forward to participating at the beautiful venue alongside numerous local favorites.
This wine is a light straw color. The nose is tropical, and the palate was tropical as well. There is a bit of spice , citrus notes and nice acidity on the finish. I like the fact that this wine has some weight on the mouth feel. It can definitely be a white wine that can stroll into Fall and Winter. I had a friend over who is a new wine drinker who likes wines that are pink or red in color. She loved this wine, so I think Santa Barbara has converted her into a white wine drinker. She loved the tropical flavor profile of the wine.My thanks to Bruce McGuire the wine maker. I would pair this wine with a crab based dish or sweet and spicy Asian chicken and pasta dish. This wine is also good just to sip!
This wine was a light straw color with a nose of apple, pear and pineapple; and the palate mimics the nose. This wine is delicious; it made you want another glass and another glass…. The guest I had over really loved sampling the wine. They both stated, “This will be a chardonnay I will buy.” This wine was paired with fish, and chicken. It also is a great wine just to sip!
This wine was a deep garnet color, with hints of cherry. The nose and palate was more earthy, than fruit forward. This wine would be great with a turkey dinner, and a pork roast dinner with mushrooms in the gravy. I think this is a wine that begs to be paired with food.
Please join us at the 2009 Seventh Annual Malibu Wine Classic Charity Event benefitting Childhelp at the Malibu Civic Center this Saturday, August 29. 
Santa Barbara is brimming with excellent wine tasting venues, but the Courthouse’s Sunken Gardens has to be a favorite. Elements Restaurant hosted their 4th Annual Fiesta Winetasting on the grassy area this past Saturday, August 15 from 4-7pm.
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