Tag Archive for 'Bistro'

Stolpman and Super Tuscans

Spritland Bistro’s monthly Wine & Dine dinner featured Pete Stolpman from Stolpman Vineyards last night, who attended to speak and sip on Super Tuscan wines.

Spritland Bistro (230 E. Victoria St.) is an intimate local restaurant that holds monthly (sometimes bi-monthly) BYOB wine dinners of a specified variety or region.  Super Tuscans were up last night for the 24th BYOB dinner.  Pete spoke between and over each course about the diversity of Italian wine on the market, the ramifications of Italy’s quality designation system (IGT, DOC, DOCG), and the south-facing, calcareous soil of Stolpman Vineyards in Ballard Canyon.

The care that goes into that vineyard (which we source Sangiovese and Nebbiolo from), is extremely intricate – from farming practices to “La Cuadrilla,” which refers to their full time vineyard crew.  Stolpman Vineyard is organic, sustainable, and dry farmed.  Pete discussed their choice to dry farm as a “quality reason.”  Starting in 2001, they cut irrigation to all mature vines.  How do vines survive without water?  Some of the crowd was perplexed… “Vines are trained weeds,” Pete went on to elaborate, “they will find a way to survive from rainfall throughout the year and sucking up whatever moisture they can from their environment.”  The consequences is a smaller crop (usually less than a ton per acre) and you can’t make cheap wine.  This is just one of the many indicators of quality that has become synonymous with the Stolpman name.

A little bit about Super Tuscan wines… Some may have been confused by the ‘Super Tuscan’ theme, as there were many Chianti wines being passed around and tasted.  To be honest, if I didn’t spend a lot of my time reading wine books and magazines, and I saw the theme Super Tuscan, I would probably just think that I was supposed to bring “a great Tuscan wine – like a SUPER one” so I can see how the confusion occurred!  Super Tuscan describes a Tuscan red that does not adhere to traditional Italian blending laws for the region.  Super Tuscans use grapes such as cabernet sauvignon or merlot, making them ineligible for Tuscany’s acclaimed DOCG status.  So in short, last night featured sangiovese-based wines from all over the world with either some cabernet sauvignon, merlot, or syrah blended in.

For fun I brought along the 2004 Santa Barbara Winery Sangiovese from Stolpman Vineyard, which is one of my personal favorite wines that we have produced at the winery.  It is at a phenomenal place in its wine life, full of juicy fruit and bright acidity, some mellowed out tannins make this wine very approachable.  Our current release of this wine is 2006. (click image to enlarge)

We are proud to be associated with the Stolpman name.

Joanie Hudson, Director of National and International Marketing, Santa Barbara Winery / Lafond Winery & Vineyards

A Trip to Santa Barbara

Santa Barbara wine and fashion pioneers Pierre Lafond and Wendy Foster have spent the past few decades establishing and building an empire with businesses spread out between Montecito’s glitzy upper and lower villages, bustling State Street, and the serene vineyard packed Sta. Rita Hills.  An ocean side drive that spans about an hour in length can get you from one end of their trail to the other – shopping, wine and dining along the way.  

Trip length 2 days

Day 1

Pierre Lafond Market and Deli where a cluster of Pierre Lafond and Wendy Foster businesses are located on San Ysidro Road.  Enjoy wraps, sandwiches, deli entrees, and salads outside on the foliage-filled patio.  

Just next door from the Market, Wendy Foster has laid claim to three of the most talked about boutiques in Santa Barbara – Wendy Foster Dress Shop, Wendy Foster Sportswear, and home décor shop Upstairs.  The stores have been fixtures in Montecito since 1964.  Pick up an outfit for dinner at Wendy Foster and some colorful table accents for your home Upstairs.  

Make your way down to the lower village and walk up Coast Village Rd. to stop at Angel, a more contemporary and trend flaired boutique with labels like Vince, Juicy Couture, and whimsical Rebecca Taylor designs.   

From Coast Village Rd., head north into downtown Santa Barbara’s Funk Zone for a wine tasting at Santa Barbara Winery, the oldest post-Prohibition winery in Santa Barbara County.  Tasting hours are from 10am-5pm, and wine tasting includes six wines and your crystal logo glass ($5).  Sample award winning Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Syrah, and lesser-known varietals such as Primitivo.   

Walk from wine tasting a few blocks up State Street to the Pierre Lafond Wine Bistro for dinner – bring a bottle from the winery and receive free corkage with your entrees.  Seasonal and fresh menu items from Flatbreads to Grilled Duck Breast are wine friendly and masterfully constructed.  Huge windows allow the space to be full of light until the sun goes down, and an outdoor patio is perfect for State Street people watching over your meal.  

Day 2

Return to the Pierre Lafond Bistro for breakfast and pick up a picnic lunch to bring up to the Lafond Vineyard for more wine tasting at the estate vineyard in the Santa Ynez Valley.  Thick Cut French Toast from the Griddle, Omelets, Scrambles, and Santa Maria Grilled Tri Tip with Eggs are among the AM menu.  

Hit the road with your box lunches and drive 45 minutes along the coast to Lafond Vineyard to sample the wines from Santa Barbara Winery’s sister winery.  The vineyard was planted in 1972 and provides fruit for both labels under the guidance of winemaker Bruce McGuire.  Taste through a selection of vineyard and Sta. Rita Hills appellation designated (SRH series) Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Syrah at the vineyard site and enjoy an outdoor picnic over looking the yellowed and vibrant hillsides of the valley. 

www.pierrelafond.com
www.wendyfoster.com
www.sbwinery.com
www.upstairsatpierrelafond.com
www.lafondwinery.com

Joanie Hudson, Assistant Tasting Room Manager, Santa Barbara Winery

Jesusita Fire Update

If you are looking for updates on the current state of the Jesusita Fire burning in the hills of Santa Barbara, visit KEYT.com (our local news station).  As of right now (around noon on Thursday) the smoke isn’t as smoldering and overpowering as yesterday afternoon, and we are just hoping that the winds stay calm. 

The tasting room will remain open for regular business and normal hours, and our Wine Club Pick Up Party will still be happening on Saturday. 

Unfortunately, we had to cancel our Chardonnay Passport Tasting (these tastings happen the first Wednesday of each month) night at the Wine Bistro (www.pierrelafond.com) last night due to the falling ash and state of emergency of town. 

Please call the winery tasting room if you have any questions about the state of the fire in our area.

Again, we plan on being open for regular business and tastings from 10am-5pm through the weekend.

Joanie Hudson, Assistant Tasting Room Manager, Santa Barbara Winery

Wine Club Pick Up Party, May 9

This Saturday the Santa Barbara Winery tasting room (202 Anacapa St. in downtown Santa Barbara) will host our first ever Wine Club Pick Up Party.  Coming to pick up your shipment wines at the winery is a great opportunity to taste the wines to see how they are developing and tasting in the bottle, and also to talk to winery staff about the varietal, pairing advice, etc.  Also, an excuse to come taste these wines for free for up to four guests.  We are really excited to get as many members who would like to join us in one comfortable tasting room space as we can, on one day. 

All Santa Barbara Winery Wine Club members are invited to stop by the winery on Saturday May 9th for our first ever Club Pick-Up Party (10am-5pm).  Guests are encouraged to enjoy a tasting of the current shipment (and our newest release – 2007 Dry Riesling) as well as light appetizers from our Pierre Lafond Wine Bistro

This is open to club members only (pick-up and ship), and reservations are necessary.  Take a bottle from your shipment over to the Pierre Lafond Wine Bistro on State St. and enjoy free corkage with your dinner.

To sign up for the wine club, click here

To make reservations please call us at the winery at (805) 963-3633 or email us at wine@sbwinery.com.

Joanie Hudson, Assistant Tasting Room Manager, Santa Barbara Winery

Wine Club Pick-Up Party

All Santa Barbara Winery Wine Club members are invited to stop by the winery on Saturday May 9th for our first ever Club Pick-Up Party.  The event will take place during our normal tasting room hours from 10am-5pm.  Guests are encouraged to enjoy a tasting of the current shipment as well as light appetizers from our Pierre Lafond Wine Bistro.  If you currently have your selection shipped to you, this will be an opportunity to save on the shipping cost and stock up for the summer. 

This is open to club members only (pick-up and ship), and reservations are necessary.  Take a bottle from your shipment over to the Pierre Lafond Wine Bistro on State St. and enjoy free corkage with your dinner.

We hope your club shipments add a bit of affordable luxury to your lives in these challenging economic times.

To sign up for the wine club, click here

To make reservations please call us at the winery at (805) 963-3633 or email us at wine@sbwinery.com.

Joanie Hudson, Assistant Tasting Room Manager, Santa Barbara Winery

Free Corkage

Wine club members (Santa Barbara Winery and Lafond Winery members) who tote their shipment wines along to the Pierre Lafond Wine Bistro will receive free corkage.  This means you can enjoy your club wines at your next meal out for no restaurant surcharge for bringing a bottle in. 

I am going to start putting out a supplementary pairing page that will be attached to club shipment newsletters to suggest helpful pairing tips for the wines that club members receive.  Now, I am still experimenting myself, so they will just be my thoughts on what to eat with your wines, and the reasons why the pairings work.  Experiment away yourselves and make sure to let me know if you come across any stellar pairings with our wines.

For those of you reading this who are not in the wine club, if you are interested there is a secure sign up here.  Wine club members receive 20% off of all wine and retail merchandise at both Santa Barbara Winery and Lafond.  Two bottle shipments are sent every other month (excluding summer months), and average $40.  Members also receive free tastings at both winery for up to four guests and access to special events put on exclusively for members, from barrel tastings to our annual Wine Club Barbeque at Lafond Vineyard.

Pierre Lafond Wine Bistro, 516 State St., Santa Barbara

962-1455

Joanie Hudson, Assistant Tasting Room Manager, Santa Barbara Winery

A little more on Petite Sirah

Last night I attended the packed Wednesday Wine and Dine at Spiritland Bistro for which the night’s featured wine was Petite Sirah.  Everybody totes along a bottle (or two) of Petite Sirah (no rules, other than it has to be Petite Sirah).  I brought our two most recent, and only, vertical vintages of Thompson Vineyard Petite Sirah, 2005 and 2006

Craig Jaffurs of Jaffurs Wine Cellars spoke about the varietal between courses of wontons, venison riblets, and molten chocolate cake.  I wasn’t aware how rare it is to find the varietal outside of California.  Though it technically is a Rhone varietal, everything about it is American.  Jaffurs’ wife called it “Manifest Destiny in a glass.”  Big, plump, extracted, juicy, fruit forward… all of these adjectives demand some meat to go alongside the hearty glass of vino.  A cross between Peloursin and Syrah, has yielded a wine that can be found in hot spots all over California. 

If you have a bottle of the 2005 Santa Barbara Winery Petite Sirah at home, it is drinking very nicely right now.  It definitely benefits from some time in the decanter to allow it to open up…

Joanie Hudson, Assistant Tasting Room Manager, Santa Barbara Winery

Santa Barbara Winery New Release

Joughin Vineyard 2006 Negrette

Attention Joughin Vineyard Negrette fans and interested bystanders! This is the last vintage of Negrette to be produced as Mr. Joughin tired of seeing his labors not be rewarded by fruit.

Truth be told, we are also big fans of the delicious dark berry character found in this wine, but with misfortune ranging from extreme deer predation to frost susceptibly we could not fault the decision to yank these particular vines.

Negrette traces its origins to the warm climate area north of Toulouse in southwestern France where it is known for its dark color and fragrant berry aroma and flavor. The warmer climate around Los Olivos combined with a relatively long growing season yields a Negrette with interesting flavor and a touch more complexity than one usually finds with this grape.

Bruce made 12 barrels of this wine utilzing a mix of American and Hungarian oak of which 25% was new Hungarian barrels. The barrel aging added a little spice and body to further compliment food.

Another easy wine to pair with washed rind cheeses; it would also be a good choice for hearty Mexican cuisine or Bistro style fare. Paring with food is highly recommended to cut the firm acid, bottle aging will most likely be rewarded in 2011.
Suggested retail: 24.00/750ml
To Order:

Upcoming Santa Barbara Tastings

Calling all Santa Barbara oenophiles… Over the next two weeks there are three events that I can’t choose between so they all ended up pencilled in on my calendar.  A few blocks away from the winery, the Pierre Lafond Wine Bistro will hold two tastings next week – the Bottle Shock screening (Monday, February 2) followed by a blind tasting and the monthly Passport to the World of Wine (Wednesday, February 4).  

This month’s Passport theme is Cabernet Sauvignon.  If you are unfamiliar with this monthly themed tasting held at the restaurant, each one features a particular varietal from different areas of the world.  This theme captures what is to me one of the most intriguing aspects of a wine’s expression – how the same grape can take on particular characteristics depending on the weather and area that it was grown in.  Passport tastings are $25 and include a tasting of 5 wines and paired appetizers, by chef Nathan Heil, that always fill me up. Reservations are required 962-1455.

Following this theme of varying expression of the same grape, Spiritland Bistro puts on one of my favorite themed dinners.  This Wednesday January 28 will mark the first Wednesday Wine & Dine at Spiritland and will feature Shiraz from the Southern Hemisphere (Australia, South Africa, and South America).  Our tasting room neighbors, Seth Kunin of Kunin and Westerly Wines, and Martin Brown of Kalyra will be the speakers.  

The tasting portion of the dinner occurs during the stand up cheese course, followed by a sit down dinner that will include a wild mushroom fricassee over polenta to start, braised lamb shank as a main, and an apricot marzipan tart for dessert.  Email lesliewine@aol.com for reservations.  $45 all inclusive, just bring a bottle of Shiraz.  

Hope to see some familiar faces at each of these events.

Joanie Hudson, Assistant Tasting Room Manager, Santa Barbara Winery