A California Winery Blog

Los Alamos’ Thompson Vineyard is where we source Pinot Gris, Petite Sirah, and some Chardonnay. I took the hour long trip up to the steep sloped vineyard to check out grapes yesterday evening and got to walk through Syrah, Grenache, Petite Sirah, Mouvedre, Grenache Blanc, Pinot Gris and Chardonnay vines. To get to Thompson Vineyard, which is planted to 37 acres, you take the 101 north from Santa Barbara to Alisos Canyon Road. They are one of the most respected vineyards in the valley and consistently produce richly concentrated wines because of their low tonnage per acre that is farmed.

Walking through the vineyard you can see that each winery who sources fruit from there farms there fruit to their own specific standards. Clusters hang from the vines like Christmas ornaments, heavy and tugging their support vines down with them. Clusters such as Grenache have berries so tightly pressed together they look like they are about to pop. Pulling individual grapes from the clusters we could see how some are riper than others at this point when harvest has started for some, but will continue through as late as November. We used a tool called a Refractometer to test brix (sugar levels) in the grapes, which increase as the grapes get riper and is a huge determining factor when winemakers are deciding when to pick. Another test is acidity (or pH). Acidity is higher when the pH number is lower. That tangy liveliness that you get from the fruit is reflective of the acidity in the fruit, which is result in a more vibrant wine. On the flip side grapes can be undesirably flabby and lacking character if they don’t develop properly.

Right now all of the vines are netted so that the birds don’t pick at the tiny berries. We found and a released a hawk that was caught inside of the nets and it calmly glided out to freedom. While Thompson got hit hard by frost damage this year, everything that remains in the vineyard looks beautiful. The Petite Sirah berries were my favorite, with skins that are thinner and softer than Syrah, yet have more tannin. If you are curious, Petite Sirah berries are about the same size as Syrah and possess a deep inky purple color.

If you ever have the opportunity to go on a vineyard trip, take it. Being able to identify the site where your wine comes from adds to the tasting experience.

Joanie Hudson, Assistant Tasting Room Manager, Santa Barbara Winery