The route for our third trip to SBC was pretty much written before we headed out. There were a number of wineries that were on our must try list: Fiddlehead, Alma Rosa, Beckmen, Qupe, and Dierberg Star Lane. These were all wineries that we had been told we had to see. It was nice to see that after visiting the area three times we were still able to find new wineries to enjoy.
Friday (Lompoc Wine Ghetto)
Road Music: Radiohead - In Rainbows
Fiddlehead Cellars ($10 tasting, wines $22-$50)
'08 Sauvingnon Blanc - Happy Canyon, '04 "Hunnysuckle" Sauvignon Blanc, '10 "Goosebury" Sauvignon Blanc, '10 "Pink Fiddle" Pinot Noir Rosé, '07 "Seven Twenty Eight" Piinot Noir - Fiddlestix Vineyard, '07 "Oldsville Reserve" Pinot Noir - Willamette Valley.
Fiddlehead was high on my list of wineries to visit because I've heard great things about their wine. Our high expectations were not met. The Pinots were nice, but slightly too hot on one, and too flabby on the other. The Rosé was pretty good, but just pretty good. The tasting room staff person was not friendly or informative. This probably affected our opinion of the wines.
Experience: C- / Wine: C+
Loring Wine Company ($10 tasting, wines $35-$45)
'09 Chardonnay - Sierra Mar Vineyard/Santa Lucia Highlands, '09 Pinot Noir - Shea Vineyard/Willamette Valley, '09 Pinot Noir - Keefer Ranch Vineyard/Russian River Valley, '09 Pinot Noir - Rosella's Vineyard/Santa Lucia Highlands, '09 Pinot Noir - Aubaine Vineyard/ San Luis Obispo County, '09 Pinot Noir - Cargasacchi Vineyard/Sta. Rita Hills, '09 Pinot Noir - Clos Pepe Vineayrd/Sta. Rita Hills, '09 Pinot Noir - Rancho La Viña/Sta. Rita Hills.
A tasting at Loring is interesting. They serve eight wines, seven of which are big flavor Pinots. The Pinots are served in geographic order, starting with furthest away (Oregon) - and ending with closest to the tasting room location (a few miles away). Each wine was unique from one another. That said, none of the wines were great and with all of the Pinots tagged at $45, not worth the price.
Experience: B- / Wine: B-
Zotovich Cellars ($10 tasting, wines $28-$42)
'09 Chardonnay, '08 Pinot Noir, '10 Viognier, '08 Syrah.
Zotovich is a new winery and seems to be gaining acclaim. We weren't wowed during our visit. The Chardonnay was quite good, and the Syrah was pretty good. The Pinot and Viognier were not as enjoyable. While we were there a group of well lubricated middle-aged men who arrived in a limo dominated the attention of the one staff person - so we weren't able to learn much about the Zotovich wine making process.
Experience: C+ / Wine: B-
Saturday (Santa Rosa Road, Buellton, Los Olivos)
Road Music: Easy Star All-Stars - Radiodread
Lafond Winery ($10 tasting, wines $22-$48)
'08 Chardonnay, '07 Estate Chardonnay, '08 Pinot Noir, '08 Pinot Noir - Arita Hills Vineyard, '06 Pinot Noir - Lafond Vineyard, '09 Syrah.
We did not expect much from Lafond. We chose it because it was on the same road near as Alma Rosa. We were thanking our random luck after our visit, because it was an excellent stop for us. We enjoyed the full roster of wines. The Chardonnay, '06 Pinot, and Syrah were the standouts. Lafond really rolls out the red carpet for visitors. They had an awesome complementary spread of cheese, meat, fruit, and sweets to pair with the wines. Our favorite part about Lafond was Diane. She was extremely nice, passionate, and helpful. Lafond is one of the oldest wineries in the region - and it seems that they have great confidence in their wine and their customer service.
Experience: A- / Wine: B+
Alma Rosa Winery & Vineyards ($15 for Pinot only tasting, wines $32-$43)
'08 Pinot Noir - La Encantada Vineyard Clone 115, '08 Pinot Noir - Sta. Rita Hills, '07 Pinot Noir - Sta. Rita Hills, '08 Pinot Noir - La Encantada Vineyard, '09 Pinot Noir - La Encantada Clone 667.
The Sanfords - who own Alma Rosa - are basically the first family of this wine region. They began planting Pinot Noir in 1970. After separating from Sanford Winery in 2005, they created Alma Rosa in their minds eye. They create organic and sustainable wine. We had a choice of a mixed tasting with a variety of wines for $10, or a Pinot Noir only flight for $15. We went with the Pinot flight. The bummer was that our friends decided to go with the mixed flight, so they were served in a different area from us, which was kind of annoying that we couldn't hang out. The grounds are funky and cool - though a bit crowded when we were there. Our pourer was not knowledgeable about the wines unfortunately. It was fun to see Chris Burroughs, the Tasting Room Manager, who had a role in "Sideways." We dug each wine. There were interesting differences between them and each had high quality. The '07, '08 La Encantada, and the '09 were our favorites.
Experience: B- / Wines: B+
Cold Heaven Cellars ($10 tasting)
'09 Viognier - Santa Ynez Valley, '09 Viognier - Le Bon Climat Vineyard, '09 Viognier - Sanford & Benedict Vineyard, '07 Domaine des Deux Mondes "Saints and Sinners" Viognier, '09 "Makepeace" Pinot Noir, '09 "Nevertell" Pinot Noir, '03 "Second Sin" Syrah, '03 Late Harvest Viognier.
Cold Heaven is known for Viognier, which is a nice departure from the norm in the region. The tasting room was in a state of disarray while we were there. Apparently the manager had just quit, and the staff person there was trying to figure out how to deal with everything. Withstanding that, the wine was very nice. It was nice to visit a winery that put a lot of energy into making good quality white wine.
Experience: C+ / Wines: B
Beckmen Vineyards ($10 tasting, wines $16-$39)
'10 Sauvignon Blanc, '09 Le Bec Blanc (Rossanne, Marsanne, Grenache Blanc), 09 Cuvee Le Bec (Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre, Counoise), '09 Syrah, '09 Grenache - Purisima Mountain Vineyard.
Beckmen has a really good reputation. They are 100% biodynamic, which is huge undertaking and in my opinion makes better wine. They have a rambling property with picnic areas looking over a small pond. The staff there were not engaging, which put a damper on the experience. We had a choice between a regular $10 flight and a $15 reserve flight. We chose the regular flight. The wines on the regular list were nicely priced. We dug all of the wine especially the Syrah and the Grenache.
Experience: C+ / Wines: B+
Qupé Winery ($10 tasting)
Verdad '10 Albariño, '10 Viognier, '10 Marsanne, '08 Chardonnay, Verdad '08 Tempranillo, '09 Grenache, Ethan '09 Syrah, '05 Syrah.
Qupé is a very solid winery. They are also one of the original wineries of the region. We enjoyed all of the wines on the tasting list. They host three wine labels: Verdad - for their Spanish wines, Ethan - for wines created by Ethan Linquist, the second generation of the owners, and Qupé. The Albariño, and the '05 Syrah were the standouts. It was a busy day and the staff were efficiently handling customers. The guy that took care of us was really low key, verging on uninterested.
Experience: B / Wines: A-
Sunday (Highway 246)
Dierberg & Star Lane Vineyards ($10 tasting, wines $20-$80)
Star Lane '08 Sauvignon Blanc, Star Lane '09 Sauvignon Blanc, Dierberg '08 Chardonnay, Dierberg '07 Pinot Noir, Star Lane '07 Merlot, Star Lane '06 Cabernet Sauvignon, Star Lane '05 Cabernet Sauvignon, Star Lane '06 "Astral" Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve.
Of all of the wineries that we visited on this trip Dierberg was our favorite - which is saying a lot. The tasting room is a funky farmhouse brightly painted. The staff were very helpful. They spoke in depth and at a level that suited our experience level with wine. The winery has two labels. Dierberg produces the Chardonnay and Pinot Noir from a vineyard near Santa Maria. Star Lane produces Sauvignon Blanc, Merlot, and Cabernet Sauvignon from their warmer weather Happy Canyon location. Each wine aside from the Chard were unique, complex, and tasty. We really enjoyed the Merlot and all of the Cabs.
Experience: B+ / Wines: A-
Another fine weekend spent in Santa Barbara County. Qupé and Dierberg Star Lane really blew us away, Lafond and Cold Heaven were great finds, Alma Rosa and Beckmen were good - though slightly below our high expectations. The mellow mood of the wineries and the opportunity to learn from the staff sets the region apart from others.
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