We have finished picking the Pinot Noir and Chardonnay but there are still many grapes to come. Every so often they have to take a day off to press and fill barrels. The barrel cleaner is in the foreground and the press, barely visible, in the background.
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. In 2008 no Primitivo was produced due to frost, making 2009 the eighth Primitivo crop from Mr.Joughin’s vineyard, with yields filling about 14 barrels.
It considered a moderate sized crop with a very even growing season. “As Andy’s vineyard gains maturity, I am seeing increasing complexity and depth in the finished wine” notes winemaker Bruce McGuire. Small loose clusters in 2009 led to an intensely concentrated 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, richerflavors and grilled meats. In the bottle, this wine will continue to evolve through 2012.
Suggested Retail: 28.00/750ml
To Order: Santa Barbara Winery
One by hand and two with mechanical assistance.
In the spirit of California Wine Month, take a look at these winery fun facts below. Some fun trivia to impress your friends at your next tasting room visit:
One barrel of wine equals approximately 24.6 (12-bottle) cases and 1,180 glasses.
One ton of grapes makes about 780 bottles of wine, or 65 cases.
One vine produces between four and six bottles of wine.
Approximately 2.8 pounds of grapes are used to make one bottle of wine.
Today was warm, in the 80s, exactly what we need to ripen grapes. Winemaker Bruce McGuire was sampling the Pinot Noir.
Bruce commented – it’s not quite there, the flavors are good, the color is good but the seeds are not sufficiently brown and the skin is still too crispy.
The samples show a sugar of over 24 degrees brix and the ph is perfect but we need to hold off a few days until all these factors are in alignment. Bruce is a perfectionist.
A very popular event at Santa Barbara Winery.
To find out more about A Private Tasting
Rising in the middle of the western Santa Ynez Valley, the Santa Rita Hills are the distinguishing feature of our AVA, home of Lafond Vineyard and a wonderful area to grow Pinot Noir.
The long, very cool growing season of this area is exemplified by February bud break and September harvest, a long period for vine physiology that creates wines of intense concentration and balanced acidity.
Winemaker Bruce McGuire chooses very specific sites in the vineyard for each of his Pinot Noir selections. Several different Pinot Noir clones, some planted as early as 1983, add to the palate of flavor and texture from which to craft each Pinot Noir. In 2009, Bruce chose 8 clones from 17 vineyard lots (the majority from Lafond Vineyard and the nearby Arita Hills Vineyard) picked at ripeness over a four week period.
A pleasant growing season yielded an average sized crop. This wine benefits greatly from about an hour of decanting to allow the concentrated aromatic and flavor profiles to fully open up. The complexity of flavor found in Pinot Noir from Lafond Vineyard is a wonderful match with savory foods and a classic with grilled salmon or mushrooms.
Suggested Retail: 27.00
To Order: Lafond Winery
Yesterday harvest started at Lafond Winery, in The Santa Ynez Valley, and today at Santa Barbara Winery, in the heart of the city. Here is where we make all our white wines. The technique is different from red wine and the equipment is different. The whites are pressed before fermentation and the reds after.
The grapes are loaded, stem and all, into the press. A press that is much larger because we include the stems to form channels for the juice to find its way out. The juice is immediately refrigerated to allow all the solids to settle. After a few days the juice is racked and fermentation is begun. The juice is generally kept at 45F during fermentation.
Santa Barbara Winery has a large number of enclosed refrigerated tanks, for red wines you need open tanks to dissipate the heat generated during fermentation.
The images show the grapes being brought in, loaded to the conveyor (pumping would damage the skins and stems) and once the press is loaded begin the press cycle.
Click images to enlarge:
We picked last night Wednesday the 14th. Picking began at 8:00pm, after dark. We pick at night for the coolness, we began this many years ago, an innovation at the time, and today many wineries follow this practice.
What is new this year is our crusher/stemmer which is extremely delicate, removes all non-grape material and in addition is faster 
and requires fewer hands to operate. We were also testing, last night, David Lafond’s ingenious new night lighting system which eliminates the gas generator and replaces it with the tractor’s own torque. This greatly reduces noise pollution and the smell of gasoline in the air.
Everything worked according to plan, the only disappointment is the size of the crop. The berries are extremely small and where on average we would expect close to 3 tons per acre, this first picking, our Martin Ray Clone, we picked a little over 1 ton per acre.
The quality is going to be very high only there wont be as much of it.
Click images to enlarge:
We are still a few weeks away from harvest. This year the the crop is going to be a little light – the bunches are there but the grapes are small. The consolation is that flavors will be more concentrated.
The grapes are behind nets, which protects them from birds but not from wasps. Wasps cause damage but not on the same scale – plus there is no way to keep them out. In the image on the right you can see some of their handiwork – it is minor, affects symmetry, but not quality.
Click images to enlarge:
Click images to enlarge:
These are the last days of bottling before harvest. Harvest is anticipated to begin at the end of September, later than normal. There is always a frenzy towards the end of August to get the wines bottled to free up the tanks. Normally this would not be a good time for us to be doing this.
The first photo shows the cleaning and filling. The second the corking – hard to see what is actually going on but photos of functioning machinery have their own fascination. The third illustrates the one part of bottling that has not been mechanized – putting the capsule over the neck of the bottle before it is spun tight. At 60 bottles per minute it takes considerable manual dexterity, not helped by the fact that the capsules have a tendency to stick together, making them difficult to separate.
Click images to enlarge:
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
We were asked to send high definition photos of the Lafond Tasting Room interiors. Here are the photos we sent – it shows, among other things, how incredibly well stocked it is with some very interesting and attractive merchandise – the work of Mirella Ramirez, our buyer and manager.
Click images to enlarge:
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.
Click images to enlarge:
This is a photo taken through the windshield of my car and at the time I saw only two birds. It is always fascinating to watch these large birds with their extended wingspans flying, taking advantage of the thermal currents and gliding over the vineyard.
Wikipedia has a good entry on these birds with many images.
Beautiful day. Temperature around 80F and with a nice breeze.
Click images to enlarge:
Recent Comments