Archive for the 'Wine News' Category

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Prior to harvest, Winemaker Bruce McGuire is on the road scouting out and securing great lots of Sauvignon Blanc from the eastern side of the Santa Ynez Valley.

Taking advantage of a more traditional climate for this grape than our cool climate Lafond Vineyard, Bruce is mindful of the importance of carrying on the style he developed over the years from the Musque clone of Sauvignon Blanc previously grown at our vineyard.

McGinley Vineyard is located in Santa Barbara’s newest appellation, Happy Canyon of Santa Barbara, a warmer area known for producing exceptional Bordeaux varietals. Bruce barrel fermented 22% of the juice in neutral oak puncheons to give texture to the lean character of this wine without compromising the racy acids naturally found in Sauvignon Blanc.

This results in richness and a silky mouthfeel while maintaining true varietal expression. Our Sauvignon Blanc is a perfect wine to pair with light or spicy foods found in Pacific Rim cuisine, and is a favorite with the Thai cuisine we find at Meun Fan restaurant located on the Mesa in Santa Barbara. This fresh-tasting wine is also a great match for many seafood preparations and salads.

Suggested Retail: 15.00/750ml
To Order: Santa Barbara Winery

Jean Saint-Pierre, my second cousin in Quebec, has sent me copies of the recent Vintages publication in Ontario. Vintages are fine wine stores in the Province of Ontario and because this is Canada, everything is printed in French and English. Vintages loved these wines and made a commitment for what, to us, is a large quantity.
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Beautiful day. Temperature around 80F and with a nice breeze.



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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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