When your wife has work to do on the day after Thanksgiving, and you've got the day off, might as well hook up with some friends and check out some wineries. We wanted to check out some estate wineries, as well as a few tasting rooms in Los Olivos. Lincourt and Roblar are two of a handful of estate wineries that are on the east side of the Santa Ynez Valley that I had not yet visited, so we wanted to check those places out. After a morning afield, we planned to lunch in Los Olivos and meet up with a few more friends. Los Olivos was filled with folks who found themselves in the same predicament as us - thirsty and looking for something to do.
Once again I apologize for the lack of photos - I'm crap at remembering to take them, that's something my wife is smart about doing.
Lincourt Winery ($10 tasting, wines $18-$50)
'12 Steel Chardonnay, '13 Rosé (Grenache/Grüner Veltliner), '10 "Carol Ann" Chardonnay, '12 Pinot Noir - Lindsay's Vineyard, '12 "Annie Dyer" Pinot Noir, '12 Syrah, '11 Merlot, '12 Cabernet Sauvignon
A long while back, a coworker recommended Lincourt to me. I'd been dismissive of her recommendation, largely because Lincourt is a piece of a wine empire. Lincourt was the first piece, but the Foley Wine Group also is connected to Foley and Firestone in Santa Barbara, as well as wineries in Napa, Sonoma, Lake County, Washington and New Zealand. Empires give me pause - their products can be obnoxiously mainstream. However, over the years, I'd heard random folks saying supportive things about Lincourt, so I put it on my list.
Since my friend and I got such an early start leaving LA, Lincourt was an easy choice being that they are one of the only wineries in the area that opens at 10am. Arrive at 10am we did, first ones in the door. The property was pretty expansive from what I could see, open lawns, and a few patio areas. Inside was decorated typically - light coloring, a good amount of stuff for sale, a few different counters to sidle up to. The tasting room staff were still getting prepped when we waltzed in. We had a good conversation with the dude that took care of us. He was very enthusiastic about Lincourt's wines, and wine in general. He had all sorts of recommendations about where to travel to in France to enjoy wine.
Given the fact that Lincourt and Foley share a winemaker, it's not surprising that the profiles of the wines are similar - calm, smartly made, simple, broad-scale appeal. Of the chardonnays, I preferred the Carol Ann, despite the presence of aging in oak barrels, it was pretty. The Rosé was enjoyably crisp with a slight effervescence. Both Pinots were enjoyable, the Anne Dyer characteristics were well integrated and was quite full flavored - my favorite wine of the tasting. The Syrah was dense with jumpy fruit and vegetable notes. The merlot was overt - too much pucker. I'm bearish on the idea of Cabernet Sauvignons being grown in the region, I don't think that they work out all that well. The Lincourt Cabernet was good for the area, well layered with some chocolate, though still not as contemplative as the exciting Cabernets that I've had before.
Experience: B / Wine: B
Roblar Winery ($10 tasting, wines $20-$42)
'11 "Block One Reserve" Sauvignon Blanc, '12 Central Coast Chardonnay, '12 Sta. Rita Hills Pinot Noir, '11 Grenache, '11 Estate Merlot
I've driven past Roblar a number of times, its on the road to a handful of places that I've visited before. From that vantage, I've been inclined to keep on driving by because it looks like a place that is popular with party buses - expansive parking lot and tons of touristy-looking folks rambling about. While researching this trip, I happened across Roblar's website, and noticed that they are a sister winery to Michel-Schlumberger in Sonoma, which I visited a few years back and loved. Well, if Robar had any of that magic, I was in.
The building is huge - it houses a sprawling tasting room and their winery. The tasting room evokes a hunting lodge feel, lots of wood and a massive fireplace. Even here we were early arrivals, so we grabbed a few tall chairs and sat at the bar. Given the high ceiling, I imagine when the place is busy it can get loud. Thankfully we had the run of the place when we were there. The tasting room manager was fun, very animated and very much about the Roblar wine.
The regular tasting list only scratched the surface of the wines that Roblar offers. It seemed for every varietal, there were three levels of choices. For the chardonnays, we were told that the premium chard was "like Land 'o Lakes," the moderate "I Can't Believe It's Not Butter," and the budget "Parkay." Categorizing the wines like that was a bad sign to me. Buttery chardonnay can beat streets. If that's what they're after they weren't going to be very enjoyable to me. The Sauvingnon Blanc followed that mold - too sweet, various flavors but mainstream. Despite my apprehension, the chardonnay was decent, crisp and approachable, The Pinot Noir as well was pretty good, classic juicy mainstream flavors, lots of cherry. The Grenache was a big disappointment. It is often a favorite of mine, but this fella was far too sweet to be enjoyable. I was surprised by how much I enjoyed the Merlot - fruit-forward yet calm, and very nice acid.
Experience: C+ / Wine: C+
Larner Wine ($10 tasting, wines $23-$65)
'12 Rosé (Syrah/Grenache/Mourvèdre), '10 "Elemental" Red Blend (Grenache/Syrah/Mourvèdre), '10 Grenache, '10 Syrah, '09 Reserve Syrah
I'm a bit familiar with Larner's vineyard, as it's been a esteemed
source of grapes for other wineries - supplying Samsara, Kaena,
Bonaccorsi, Kenneth-Crawford and others. More recently, they've started
making wines for their own label. Larner's tasting room is hidden in plain sight. Right at the main intersection in Los Olivos, smushed next to the Los Olivos General Store and the Panino sandwich shop is their tasting room. It's not even really a room, it's like an alcove. At one point during our tasting there were six people including us, and it was really crowded. Despite that, the woman in the tasting room was very cool, and excited to share Larner wines.
Small room, big wines. The rosé was grand - stark yet had a bright note in the middle. The reds were increasingly bombastic and creative. The "Elemental" was savory, vibrant and dense. The grenache started smooth, but became quite grippy toward the end - too overt for me. The sweet tomato entry on the regular syrah gave way to a dark blueberries profile - quite tart. The reserve syrah was the most interesting red - crushed flowers and juicy tannins - very boisterous.The wines were funny, as I was drinking them I was really engaged in them, until I realized how overt they were - these are big mamma-jamma wines, but they are made with intricate characteristics. Not my favorite profile, but definitely enjoyable and respectable.
Experience: B / Wines: B+
Byron Wines ($10 tasting, wines $22-$45)
'12 Pinot Blanc, '12 Chardonnay, '12 Chardonnay - Nielson Vineyard, '11 Pinot Noir, '12 Pinot Noir - Nielson Vineyard, '11 Pinot Noir - Julia's Vineyard
We really enjoyed Byron on our first visit there a few years back. The wine was expressive and mature, and the staff were confident and fun. This time around they seemed a bit off their game. I will have to say that it was quite crowded, but even with that they didn't seem to be able to deal with the situation. One of my friends purchased wine, which is supposed to then waive the tasting fee, when she pointed out that they had failed to do that, they took ten minutes to fix it, but still didn't fix it correctly. When she brought their attention to that mistake, they were not receptive. Rather than push it, my friend gave up. This experience definitely runs counter to to calmness and nimbleness that we were treated to before - so hopefully an anomaly.
Perhaps it was the busyness, or the exasperated manner of the staff when they were pouring, but I didn't enjoy the wine as much this time either. The whites were quite clean and crisp, but seemed buttoned up. I wrote in my notes that the Nielson Vineyard Chardonnay was the Tracey Flick of wines. The pinot noirs were more compelling. While the Santa Maria Valley Pinot was a bit too sweet, the Nielson Vineyard and the Julia's Vineyard were delicious - dark entry, good acid, well balanced.
Experience: B- / Wines: B
For a one day jaunt, we covered a good amount of ground (I didn't bother to add any notes about my tastings at Stolpman and Samsara considering that I've written so positively before about both that there's little new to add to my enthusiasm for those place). I was definitely thankful to not be the driver for this trip. Visiting some of the older estate wineries - Lincourt and Roblar - was interesting. The Foley/Lincourt empire is definitely smart about their enterprise. And while I didn't love Roblar, I can appreciate that they are creating quality wines with a smart business practice. I think I'm going to have to go back to Larner at some point to figure out if their wines are too big for me, or justifiably bombastic.
Showing posts with label Alamo Pintado Road. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Alamo Pintado Road. Show all posts
May '13 Santa Barbara Trip - Not So Lazy Sunday
We set out with an ambitious agenda for our lazy Sunday: Make sure we got on the road early (difficult with sleepy friends), drive from LA to Santa Barbara Wine Country, get to six wineries in one day, only buy white wines or rosés under $20, have a kick ass day, and get back in one piece. We knew that we needed to go to Stolpman for our shipment, and to Dragonnette for our friends' pickup. I wanted to make sure to hit a few new places as well.
Gainey Vineyard ($15 tasting, wines $15-$55)
'11 Sauvignon Blanc, '10 Chardonnay, '11 Pinot Noir, '10 Merlot, '09 Syrah, '11 Riesling
The Gainey family has had a presence in the region for over 50 years, and started to get involved with wine growing in the early 80's - making them one of the early birds to the area. With it being an older winery, and it seems to be doing successfully, I fit it within my criticism of a winery with a similar situation - Zaca Mesa. Since both are doing so successfully, they are playing it very safe.
The wines were decent to good, aside from the Riesling, which was horrible. However the pricing of the wines was rediculously farfetched for the quality. The Chardonnay, Pinot and Merlot are $38 or higher. The grounds were very nice, though the front area of the winery were wall to wall consumerism. The back tasting area was fun though - ominous and dark. Our attendant Danelle, was extremely friendly - but not knowledgeable at all.
Experience: C+ / Wines: C
Beckmen Vineyards ($10 Estate tasting, wines $18-$30)
'10 "Le Bec Blanc" (Marsanne/Roussanne/Grenache Blanc/Viognier), '07 Rousanne, '12 Grenache Rosé, '11 Grenache, '10 Syrah, '10 Cabernet Sauvignon
We'd been to Beckmen once before, and had been a little disappointed with that visit, especially with the service. This time around the service was better and the wine was stable. The dude who took care of us was a super mellow guy, he wasn't the most helpful or friendly, but had some knowledge about their wine, and got the job done. He was nice enough to pour us the Roussanne off of the reserve tasting list when we expressed interest in it. The wines were fine - just fine. Actually the Le Bec Blanc was quite good, and the Roussanne was really exciting in a wine nerd sort of way. The rest did not impress, certainly well made, but nothing to write home about. Kudos to them for keeping the prices moderate. It was definitely very hot there, but it was quite nice to sit in the shade on their patio overlooking the pond.
Experience: B / Wines: B
Rideau Vineyard ($12 tasting, wines $20-$42)
'11 "No. 15" Viognier, '12 Mourvedre/Grenache Rosé, '10 "Lagniappe" Red (Grenache/Mourvedre/Syrah), '10 "No. 15" Syrah, '10 Petite Sirah, "11 Riesling
One person in our crew needed to stop by Rideau as an errand. Earlier in the year she had bough Travelzoo vouchers for the same tasting and tour deal that we had gone on last year. Our friend bought them with the intention of taking her folks out there. That plan was waylaid by a winter snowstorm, so she was left with the vouchers, and
wanted to see what she could get if she traded them in. After a long as hell negotiation (the guys there were acting like used car salesmen trying to push cases of wine on us), we finally had a free tasting and traded in the vouchers for some wine - the effort to up-sell was unsuccessful.
On the upside, we were able to have a picnic on their beautiful grounds while doing our tasting. The wines were easy to drink, but once again, nothing remarkable. Most of them were way overpriced for the quality - which brings me to another note: Rideau is constantly offering different deals where their wines are severely marked down. I recognize that most wineries offer deals from time to time, but Rideau does it at an extreme level - so I guess if you find a wine that you really like there, wait and hope that it gets it's price slashed.
Experience: B / Wines: B-
Dragonette Cellars ($15 tasting, wines $20-$58)
'12 Grenache/Mourvedre/Syrah Rosé, '11 Sauvignon Blanc - Vogelzang Vineyard, '11 Pinot Noir, '11 "Black Label" Pinot Noir, '10 "Seven" (Syrah/Grenache/Mourvedre), '10 "MJM" (Syrah/Grenache/Mourvedre/Viognier)
This was our fourth visit to Dragonette. The first time I believe that they were still quite new, and not well known. On the second and third visits, they were extremely busy, and seemed to have become very popular. On this visit, they were thankfully quiet, so we were able to enjoy the space to ourselves. The attendant was very nice and accommodating to our group.
I think highly of Dragonette. They are definitely making delicious wines - I just wish it wasn't as expensive as it is - though I grant them their prices more than I do Gainey or Rideau. I was not blown away by the Rosé or the Sauvignon Blanc. The Sauv had a huge kick to it, and was high quality, but the flavor profile was not my cup of tea. Both of the Pinots were great, the higher quality Black Label was top notch. As well, the Seven and the MJM (both 92% Syrah), were nicely constructed and delicious. I enjoy visiting Dragonnette, but I have a hard time being able to justify the purchase of a bottle at their prices.
Experience: B / Wines: B+
Saarloos and Sons ($10 tasting, wines $24-$50)
'11 "Hunter" Sauvignon Blanc, '11 "Bride" Grenache Blanc, '10 "Groom" Grenache, '10 "Father and Sons" (Grenache/Syrah/Mourvedre), '09 "Courage" Cabernet Sauvignon, '11 "Extended Family" Pinot Noir
From what I've seen, no other winery goes as far as Saarloos and Sons to establish a unique aesthetic, and to weave it into every part of their enterprise. I'm not sure how to explain the feel of this place: steampunk meets rockabilly? I guess we'll go with that. Whatever it was I give them great credit. The aesthetic is also deeply imbued to the Saarloos family. Each of the wines are named in honor of a family member, or a term that is connected to a family element.
I get the feeling that Saarlos appeals to a younger crowd, and it was a lot more busy on Sunday afternoon than the other places that we visited in Los Olivos. We found seats on the patio, and ran back inside for refills on the tasting. Even though it was a madhouse inside and there was only one staff person pouring, the woman there did a good job taking care of people. We were not wowed by the wines - I really wanted to like them, but they just didn't do the job. They all seemed underdeveloped and too quick to the point - thin at times, too hot sometimes as well. Not to say that they were bad, just not good. Also it was strange to discover that all of the wines that we tried were 14.5% alcohol - whites and reds. Not sure if they fudged the numbers - which you can do within 1% in California wines, or if they set that as a hard ceiling during the wine creation process. I'm sure and shit not a winemaker, but it seems hinky to me that such a variety of wines can have the same exact level of alcohol in them. I disliked the Cab and the Pinot, and enjoyed the GSM blend.
Experience: B+ / Wines: C+
Stolpman Vineyards (member tasting, wines $17-$68)
'12 Sauvignon Blanc, '12 Viognier, '11 "Golden Point" (Roussanne/Viognier/Chardonnay/Sauvignon Blanc), '10 "L'Avion" Roussanne, '12 Grenache/Sangiovese Rosé, '11 Grenache, '11 "La Cuadrilla" (Sangiovese/Syrah), '09 Sangiovese, '11"Orignals" Syrah, '10 "Hilltops" Syrah, '11 "Angeli" Syrah
I'll try to be brief with my enthusiasms. Once again Stolpman was amazing. We rolled up to Stolpman at 4:15 at the end of what I imagine was a long weekend for the folks there, though our buddy Tom was as upbeat as ever and took care of us for at least an hour and a half while we sat out on the front porch. He poured everything that was open, and happily introduced our friends to Stolpman. The wines were great. We had never tried the Sauvignon Blanc, Viognier or Rosé before, all were quite enjoyable.
Experience: A / Wines: A
We did a hell of a job packing in a lot of action in one day. It saved us a lot of money to not stay overnight and to pack food for picnicking - and it's not that exhausting to try to get back to LA at the end of the day. We enjoyed the wineries that we knew already, and while the ones that were new to us were not great, it was nice to be able to check them out. We did keep to our rule of buying only sub-$20 whites, though we bought a fair amount of those.
Gainey Vineyard ($15 tasting, wines $15-$55)
'11 Sauvignon Blanc, '10 Chardonnay, '11 Pinot Noir, '10 Merlot, '09 Syrah, '11 Riesling
The Gainey family has had a presence in the region for over 50 years, and started to get involved with wine growing in the early 80's - making them one of the early birds to the area. With it being an older winery, and it seems to be doing successfully, I fit it within my criticism of a winery with a similar situation - Zaca Mesa. Since both are doing so successfully, they are playing it very safe.The wines were decent to good, aside from the Riesling, which was horrible. However the pricing of the wines was rediculously farfetched for the quality. The Chardonnay, Pinot and Merlot are $38 or higher. The grounds were very nice, though the front area of the winery were wall to wall consumerism. The back tasting area was fun though - ominous and dark. Our attendant Danelle, was extremely friendly - but not knowledgeable at all.
Experience: C+ / Wines: C
Beckmen Vineyards ($10 Estate tasting, wines $18-$30)
'10 "Le Bec Blanc" (Marsanne/Roussanne/Grenache Blanc/Viognier), '07 Rousanne, '12 Grenache Rosé, '11 Grenache, '10 Syrah, '10 Cabernet Sauvignon
We'd been to Beckmen once before, and had been a little disappointed with that visit, especially with the service. This time around the service was better and the wine was stable. The dude who took care of us was a super mellow guy, he wasn't the most helpful or friendly, but had some knowledge about their wine, and got the job done. He was nice enough to pour us the Roussanne off of the reserve tasting list when we expressed interest in it. The wines were fine - just fine. Actually the Le Bec Blanc was quite good, and the Roussanne was really exciting in a wine nerd sort of way. The rest did not impress, certainly well made, but nothing to write home about. Kudos to them for keeping the prices moderate. It was definitely very hot there, but it was quite nice to sit in the shade on their patio overlooking the pond. Experience: B / Wines: B
Rideau Vineyard ($12 tasting, wines $20-$42)
'11 "No. 15" Viognier, '12 Mourvedre/Grenache Rosé, '10 "Lagniappe" Red (Grenache/Mourvedre/Syrah), '10 "No. 15" Syrah, '10 Petite Sirah, "11 Riesling
One person in our crew needed to stop by Rideau as an errand. Earlier in the year she had bough Travelzoo vouchers for the same tasting and tour deal that we had gone on last year. Our friend bought them with the intention of taking her folks out there. That plan was waylaid by a winter snowstorm, so she was left with the vouchers, and wanted to see what she could get if she traded them in. After a long as hell negotiation (the guys there were acting like used car salesmen trying to push cases of wine on us), we finally had a free tasting and traded in the vouchers for some wine - the effort to up-sell was unsuccessful.
On the upside, we were able to have a picnic on their beautiful grounds while doing our tasting. The wines were easy to drink, but once again, nothing remarkable. Most of them were way overpriced for the quality - which brings me to another note: Rideau is constantly offering different deals where their wines are severely marked down. I recognize that most wineries offer deals from time to time, but Rideau does it at an extreme level - so I guess if you find a wine that you really like there, wait and hope that it gets it's price slashed.
Experience: B / Wines: B-
Dragonette Cellars ($15 tasting, wines $20-$58)
'12 Grenache/Mourvedre/Syrah Rosé, '11 Sauvignon Blanc - Vogelzang Vineyard, '11 Pinot Noir, '11 "Black Label" Pinot Noir, '10 "Seven" (Syrah/Grenache/Mourvedre), '10 "MJM" (Syrah/Grenache/Mourvedre/Viognier)
This was our fourth visit to Dragonette. The first time I believe that they were still quite new, and not well known. On the second and third visits, they were extremely busy, and seemed to have become very popular. On this visit, they were thankfully quiet, so we were able to enjoy the space to ourselves. The attendant was very nice and accommodating to our group.
I think highly of Dragonette. They are definitely making delicious wines - I just wish it wasn't as expensive as it is - though I grant them their prices more than I do Gainey or Rideau. I was not blown away by the Rosé or the Sauvignon Blanc. The Sauv had a huge kick to it, and was high quality, but the flavor profile was not my cup of tea. Both of the Pinots were great, the higher quality Black Label was top notch. As well, the Seven and the MJM (both 92% Syrah), were nicely constructed and delicious. I enjoy visiting Dragonnette, but I have a hard time being able to justify the purchase of a bottle at their prices.
Experience: B / Wines: B+
Saarloos and Sons ($10 tasting, wines $24-$50)
'11 "Hunter" Sauvignon Blanc, '11 "Bride" Grenache Blanc, '10 "Groom" Grenache, '10 "Father and Sons" (Grenache/Syrah/Mourvedre), '09 "Courage" Cabernet Sauvignon, '11 "Extended Family" Pinot Noir
From what I've seen, no other winery goes as far as Saarloos and Sons to establish a unique aesthetic, and to weave it into every part of their enterprise. I'm not sure how to explain the feel of this place: steampunk meets rockabilly? I guess we'll go with that. Whatever it was I give them great credit. The aesthetic is also deeply imbued to the Saarloos family. Each of the wines are named in honor of a family member, or a term that is connected to a family element.I get the feeling that Saarlos appeals to a younger crowd, and it was a lot more busy on Sunday afternoon than the other places that we visited in Los Olivos. We found seats on the patio, and ran back inside for refills on the tasting. Even though it was a madhouse inside and there was only one staff person pouring, the woman there did a good job taking care of people. We were not wowed by the wines - I really wanted to like them, but they just didn't do the job. They all seemed underdeveloped and too quick to the point - thin at times, too hot sometimes as well. Not to say that they were bad, just not good. Also it was strange to discover that all of the wines that we tried were 14.5% alcohol - whites and reds. Not sure if they fudged the numbers - which you can do within 1% in California wines, or if they set that as a hard ceiling during the wine creation process. I'm sure and shit not a winemaker, but it seems hinky to me that such a variety of wines can have the same exact level of alcohol in them. I disliked the Cab and the Pinot, and enjoyed the GSM blend.
Experience: B+ / Wines: C+
Stolpman Vineyards (member tasting, wines $17-$68)
'12 Sauvignon Blanc, '12 Viognier, '11 "Golden Point" (Roussanne/Viognier/Chardonnay/Sauvignon Blanc), '10 "L'Avion" Roussanne, '12 Grenache/Sangiovese Rosé, '11 Grenache, '11 "La Cuadrilla" (Sangiovese/Syrah), '09 Sangiovese, '11"Orignals" Syrah, '10 "Hilltops" Syrah, '11 "Angeli" Syrah
I'll try to be brief with my enthusiasms. Once again Stolpman was amazing. We rolled up to Stolpman at 4:15 at the end of what I imagine was a long weekend for the folks there, though our buddy Tom was as upbeat as ever and took care of us for at least an hour and a half while we sat out on the front porch. He poured everything that was open, and happily introduced our friends to Stolpman. The wines were great. We had never tried the Sauvignon Blanc, Viognier or Rosé before, all were quite enjoyable.
Experience: A / Wines: A
We did a hell of a job packing in a lot of action in one day. It saved us a lot of money to not stay overnight and to pack food for picnicking - and it's not that exhausting to try to get back to LA at the end of the day. We enjoyed the wineries that we knew already, and while the ones that were new to us were not great, it was nice to be able to check them out. We did keep to our rule of buying only sub-$20 whites, though we bought a fair amount of those.
December '12 Santa Barbara Trip - Quality Family Time
Usually for the holiday festivities we head back to Northern California, this year some of our family decided to converge on LA instead. Since I've been talking up Santa Barbara wineries for awhile, my brother and sister-and-law who were in from NY insisted that we take them to some wineries during their visit. So we knew that we had to take them to a few of our favorites and try to sneak in a few that we hadn't tried before as well. Saturday (Buellton / Los Olivos)
Ken Brown Winery ($10 tasting, wines $35-$55)
'10 Chardonnay - Nielson, '11 Pinot Noir (Santa Barbara County), '10 Pinot Noir (Sta. Rita Hills), '10 Pinot Noir - Clos Pepe, '09 Pinot Noir - Cargasacchi, '09 "A" Cuvee Syrah
Since Ken Brown is a critical figure in the expansion of the wine industry - especially Pinot Noir - in Santa Barbara, he was an obvious choice to share with my brother and SIL. This was our second visit, and it was slightly less exciting than our first. The first time around we had Ken all to ourselves, which was awesome. This time there was another group of four, so it was harder to have an in-depth a conversation. Just the same, Ken was a friendly host once again. The wines were slightly less exciting this time around - still great, but not "socks blowing off" amazing. All were well balanced, exhibited friendly fruit, but not overly so. The Santa Barbara County Pinot was quite impressive, nice acids, and good structure. My favorite was the Cargasacchi Pinot - it had a fantastic nose, a candy-like zip, some darkness to the flavor, and good grip.
Experience: B+ / Wines: A-
Buttonwood Farm Winery and Vineyard ($10 tasting, wines $14-$26)
'11 Grenache Blanc, '09 Marsanne, '10 Sauvignon Blanc "Signature", '11 Syrah Rosé, '08 Merlot, '09 Syrah, '07 Cabernet Sauvignon, '09 Cabernet Franc, '10 Malbec, '10 Syrah Port "P.O.S.H."
I've been thinking about swinging by Buttonwood for awhile. It's an independent organic winery with moderately priced wine that seems to have their own take on things - which are favorable characteristics in my book. Unfortunately those characteristics did not add up to a great experience. The tasting room had counters on both sides of the building, with a bunch of merchandise in the middle. Being a holiday weekend, there was not a lot of space left at the counter, and the staff person that attended to us did not seem excited to have more customers. She poured the wines quickly and gave little background and generally didn't engage us. They poured ten(!) different wines - none were very good. Across the board the wines were clunky and simple. My favorite note was on the Marsanne, I called it a "jank oakfest." The Merlot was quite a mess as well - overt sulfur and poor structure. My favorite was the Cab Franc.Experience: C / Wines: C-
Kaena Wine Company ($10 tasting, wines $25-$38)
'11 "Hapa Blanc" (Grenache Blanc/Rousanne), '09 "Look me in the Eye" Grenache, '10 Grenache, '10 Grenache - Tierra Alta, '09 "Hapa Red" (Syrah/Grenache/Mourvedre)
Kaena's a pretty new winery. The guy behind it is also the head winemaker at Beckmen, so he knows his stuff. I'm also a big fan of Grenache, and since it's their main grape, I figured it would be good to check them out. The space is quite sleek with a huge wrap-around counter and a couch area. There was a bit of a unique rocker vibe to the place. During our visit there was a huge family group there, and the staff person had to move quickly to keep up. She was friendly through the fray and was happy to share Kaena wine with folks.The wines were definitely friendly and fruity - overly so. I really admire good Grenache, when it's done well its sweetness is tempered and allows complexity to slip through, but it's easy to let it be sticky sweet and slight. That's not to say that the Grenaches here were bad news - but they were a bit too sticky and clunky. The reds were a bit high in alcohol - 15.3, 14.9, 15.1, and 15.3. I enjoyed the Hapa Red most, but it too was overly sweet.
Experience: B- / Wines: B-
Byron Wines ($10 tasting, wines $22-$45)
'10 Pinot Blanc, '08 Chardonnay "Stainless Steel", '08 Chardonnay (Santa Maria Valley), '06 Chardonnay "Wente Clone", '10 Pinot Noir (Santa Maria Valley), '10 Pinot Noir "Julia's Vineyard", '07 "IO" Syrah - Whitehawk Vineyard
While visiting Ken Brown earlier in the day, he encouraged us to visit Byron. He actually started Byron in 1984 (Ken Brown's first name is Byron), grew that business, and then moved on when he decided he wanted to mellow his life out. I had avoided going to Byron in the past because it's owned by Kendall-Jackson. I've assumed that the fact that it's owned by a huge conglomerate means that it creates sub-par wine, but Ken Brown assured me this was not the case. Apparently the conglomerate lets the creative team at Byron direct themselves, which apparently means that they create kick-ass stuff. I'd rather not give love to a big corporation, but sometimes hulking monoliths do something right.
The tasting room is comforting and classy at the same time. As well the staff were very friendly. The first (Pinot Blanc) and last (Syrah) wines were just pretty good, which makes them the laggards of the group. All of the Chards and the Pinots were very good. Well built, restrained, and a variety of flavors. I especially enjoyed the Wente Clone Chard - calm, citrus, and tropical fruit.
Experience: B+ / Wines: B+
Stolpman Vineyards (member tasting, wines $19-$66)
'09 "L'Avion" Rousanne, '09 Sangiovese, '10 "La Coppa" Sangiovese, '10 "La Cuadrilla" (Syrah/Petite Sirah), '10 "Originals" Syrah, '10 "Hilltops High Density" Syrah, '09 Sangiovese "degli Angeli", '10 "La Crocé" (Syrah/Sangiovese), '02 Merlot
Clearly we can't bring new folks on a visit to the area without stopping by at Stolpman. We actually visited twice on this trip, the first evening in Los Olivos, and the next morning in Lompoc. I am consistently blown away by how great their staff is, and how solid their wine is.We were a very rambunctious group by the time that we got to Stolpman on Saturday night. But Brian rolled out the red carpet and treated us very well. The tasting list included many of the Stolpman big hitters (showing off the pricey wines during the holidays) like the La Crocé and the Sangio degli Angeli. The Sangioveses and the La Crocé were really knocking me out that day.
Our visit the next morning was equally awesome. Tom was a great host, and since it was a quiet morning we were able to chat with him for quite awhile.
Experience: A+ / Wines: A-
Sunday (Lompoc Wine Ghetto)
Samsara Winery ($10 tasting, wines $22-$46)
'11 Grenache Rosé - Windmill Ranch, '09 Pinot Noir - Rancho La Viña, '09 Pinot Noir - Turner, '10 Pinot Noir - Kessler-Haak, '08 Syrah - Ampelos
Odds are, if we go to the Wine Ghetto, we're going to stop by Samsara. Lee's always a cool dude to visit with, and the wines always impress. it was an especially mellow morning, and Lee was happy to chat and even take photos of us in front of the wine barrels. The winery seems to march to it's own beat. The wine stock is always shifting, and they aren't interested in selling merchandise or memberships. I get a big kick out of that vibe.The wines were very good once again, well balanced. Samsara wines are quite full-flavored, probably because they include the stems during the winemaking process, thereby adding more tannins and flavor. The Rosé was quite nice - though we pine for the Pinot Rosé that they had a few years back. The Kessler-Haak Pinot was the standout once again.
Experience: B+ / Wines: B+
Flying Goat Cellars ($10 tasting, wines $20-$42)
'10 Sparkling Pinot Noir Rosé, 09 "Goat Bubbles" Blanc de Blancs - Sierra Madre, '10 Pinot Gris - Sierra Madre, '09 Pinot Noir - Solomon Hills, '09 Pinot Noir "Clone 2A" - Rio Vista, '08 Pinot Noir - Salisbury Vineyard
We visited Flying Goat a long time ago. I didn't enjoy our first visit, but I figured that it would be fair to give them another shot. My experience level is higher, so I thought that that I may be able to appreciate them more. NOPE. The reason that I didn't like Flying Goat the first time around is the same reason I didn't like them the second time. They are snotty. It's odd that their motto is "wine without pretense." We did not feel welcomed there, and at the end of our tasting the staff person there asked us "What wine will you be taking home with you today?" I'm really not a fan of the hard sell, and generally wineries manage to avoid this techniques. Thankfully, the wines were better than the experience. The Pinots were all pretty good, though a bit slight and also overpriced.Experience: D / Wines: C+
June '12 Santa Barbara County Trip - Double Down
We've now been to the Santa Barbara Wine Country so many times that we've probably been to a majority of the wineries - and we have found several places that we really enjoy to visit. This time around we brought good friends who are also wine geeks, but hadn't been to the area, so we really wanted to show them some of our favorite places. So we figured we'd take them to the Wine Ghetto, and a couple of other other highlights in the area as well as check out a few places we hadn't been to before.
Saturday (Highway 246, Lompoc Wine Ghetto)
Dierberg & Star Lane Vineyards (wines $22-$80)
Star Lane '10 Sauvignon Blanc, Dierberg '09 Chardonnay, Dierberg '08 Pinot Noir, Dierberg '08 "Drum Canyon" Pinot Noir, Star Lane '07 Estate (Cab blend), Star Lane '05 Cabernet Sauvignon, Star Lane '06 "Astral" (Bordeaux blend)
By now we are very familiar with Dierberg. It's a solid place to visit - the setting is beautiful and the Dierbergs are talented winemakers. On our previous visit we purchased four bottles of the '09 Sauvignon Blanc because we liked it so much. We had hoped the would still have some in stock, but unfortunately had run out. The '10 Sauv that we tried on this visit was good, but did not hold a candle to its predecessor. Our favorite this time around was the Drum Canyon Pinot Noir - which I believe is their new vineyard right next to the winery.
Experience B / Wines B+
Melville Vineyards & Winery ($10 tasting, wines $26-$52)
'09 Chardonnay, '11 Chardonnay - Clone 76 Inox, '10 Pinot Noir, '10 Pinot Noir - "Carrie's", '10 "Verna's" Syrah
We'd been to Melville once - on our very first wine tasting trip. On that visit, we really enjoyed Melville, but we were curious if we'd dig it the same as the first time, or if as our wine intake increased - thereby making us more discriminating tasters - we'd find that Melville wasn't as great as we had previously though. Lo and behold Melville is still awesome, perhaps even more so that we previously thought. The grounds are great, with an Italian villa style structure, looking out onto the vineyard. We'd brought a picnic lunch, and one of the staff offered to have us sit on the patio, enjoy our lunch, and he'd bring our tasting out to us - quite the solid dude. Totally dug the wines. Prices weren't outlandish, and the baseline Chard and the Syrah were impressive. The wines that are being sold are younger that wines sold elsewhere in the area as far as I could tell - Melville has confidence in the taste of their wines right away and also state that they will age well. Who am I to doubt their recommendation? Their stuff is on point.
Experience B+ / Wines B+
Arcadian Winery ($15 tasting, wines $30-$65)
'06 Chardonnay - Sleepy Hollow, '07 Pinot Noir - Fiddlestix, '06 "Jill's Cuveé Pinot Noir, '06 Syrah - Westerly/Santa Ynez Valley, '06 Syrah - Stolpman, '04 Pinot Noir - Pisoni, '06 Syrah - Purisima
Arcadian is one of the newest additions to the Wine Ghetto, though owner and winemaker Joseph Davis has been creating wine under the Arcadian label since 1996. The wines come from the Santa Lucia Highlands up in Monterey County, as well as in a few different places in Santa Barbara County. Each bottle that we tried were single vineyard designates. The woman at the tasting room was super stoked on the Arcadian wine, and her abundant enthusiasm was worrisome and infectious at the same time. The wines are all well built - each having unique characteristics but also fitting within a restrained paradigm. We were able to taste a few older vintages - the '04 Pinot was fan-tas-tic. Arcadian's median prices are a bit steep for me, but they are definitely a good addition to the Ghetto.
Experience B / Wines B+
Samsara Wine Company ($10 tasting, wines $22-$46)
'11 Grenache Rosé - Windmill Ranch, '10 Pinot Noir, '09 Pinot Noir - Turner, '09 Pinot Noir - Kessler-Haak, Syrah - Verna's
Our first and only visit to Samsara was over a year ago, and we enjoyed it that first time - especially the Rosé. This second time around, we were really impressed with all of their work. Samsara is a small production winery, putting out less than 1000 cases a year. Chad Melville, the owner, is very interested in natural production, relying upon native yeasts, and does not fine or filter the wine. The dude in the tasting room - Lee - is a super fun cat to chat with. He's very mellow, but also very passionate about wine. He's happy to discuss Samsara and Santa Barbara wine in-depth. The wines are playful, though not obnoxious. All were good, though we most enjoyed the Pinot from Kessler-Haak.
Experience B+ / Wines B+
Jalama Wines ($10 tasting, wines $26-$40)
'09 "Giallo" (Pinot Gris), '08 Pinot Noir, '10 Grenache - La Presa, '10 Mourvedre, '08 Syrah - La Presa, '08 Syrah - Paradise Road
Last year, Jalama was the winery that we were seeking out that drew us to the Wine Ghetto. It's one of two wine labels that are operated by Marc Cargasacchi, the other being the brand new Joseph Blair. We had hoped to visit both during this trip, but Marc was not available that day to run the Joseph Blair room, because a tractor broke down or something. So we had a fun time visiting with Christy at Jalama and plan on visiting the other label in the future. As before, the Jalama wines were very good. The Mourvedre was very fun to drink, and the La Presa Syrah really knocked my socks off.
Experience B / Wines B+
Sunday (Alamo Pintado Rd., Los Olivos)
Rideau Vineyard (tour, wines $18-$35)
'10 Viognier, '10 "Siempre" Albariño, '09 "FDL" Grenache, '07 "'FDL' Chateau Duplantier" (Syrah/Grenache/Mourvedre), '10 Riesling
I'd heard good things about Rideau from a few friends, and had planned on going at some point. So when Rideau ran a deal on Travelzoo I grabbed it. The deal was for two people to go on a tour, have a tasting and wine lesson, a cheese pairing, and a bottle of wine to boot. Our guide for the tour was the fantastic Shay. He took great pleasure in telling the history of Rideau, showing the vineyard and the winemaking area. During the pairing, he shared a lot of knowledge about wine appreciation and patiently answered everyone's questions. The force behind Rideau is Iris Rideau, who has had a long and successful career in the financial sector. She appreciated the Santa Ynez area, and was interested in restoring the old adobe bunkhouse that is now the winery. Shay toured us around the grounds, spending a lot of time discussing grape-growing, and a bit about the winemaking process. Rideau focuses largely on Rhone varietals. Their wines are well built - tasty and restrained - but lack excitement. Dug the Grenche most - did not enjoy the Riesling. Most of the wines were affordably priced. The grounds are quite nice, there is a large shaded lawn in the back with tons on seating for picnics. I'd recommend a visit, especially if you can get Shay to be your guide.
Experience A- / Wines B
Stolpman Vineyards ($10 tasting, wines $19-$68)
'10 Viognier, '09 "L'Avoin" (Roussanne), '10 Grenache, '10 "La Coppa" Sangiovese, '08 Sangiovese, '10 Syrah, '10 "High Density Hilltops" Syrah, '10 "Angeli" Syrah
The previous two times that we visited Stolpman, we've really enjoyed ourselves - somehow this time was even better. It was a lazy Sunday afternoon, and when we walked inside, an employee named Tom asked if we'd prefer to enjoy our tasting on the front patio. It was a beautiful day, and being able to enjoy Stolpman wine while watching folks passing by on the street was a fantastic way to spend the afternoon. Tom was a tremendous host, he was excited to discuss the wines and was able to answer my numerous in depth. I wasn't a huge fan on the whites, they were good wines, but they didn't tickle my fancy. However, the reds were all a hit with me. The Grenache was a really interesting wine - it was wispy slight, but still had a firm structure. The "Angeli" Syrah was awesome - Angeli is Stolpman's reserve wine. What's neat about their wines is that the wines that we were being served were young and could use some aging, but were good to drink right away.
Experience A / Wines A-
This trip reaffirmed our enthusiasm for the Santa Barbara region and likely made converts out of our first-time visiting friends. On each trip we take to the area, there is at least one or two places that really do a fantastic job of ensuring that we have a great time. The staff at the different wineries are often so friendly and passionate about the wine that it's impossible to not get caught up in the excitement. This time around, every place that we went to we had great conversations with winery staff - Lee at Samsara, Shay at Rideau, and Tom at Stolpman were standouts. Between the excellent people and the delicious wine, how doesn't one become a wine geek?
Saturday (Highway 246, Lompoc Wine Ghetto)
Dierberg & Star Lane Vineyards (wines $22-$80)Star Lane '10 Sauvignon Blanc, Dierberg '09 Chardonnay, Dierberg '08 Pinot Noir, Dierberg '08 "Drum Canyon" Pinot Noir, Star Lane '07 Estate (Cab blend), Star Lane '05 Cabernet Sauvignon, Star Lane '06 "Astral" (Bordeaux blend)
By now we are very familiar with Dierberg. It's a solid place to visit - the setting is beautiful and the Dierbergs are talented winemakers. On our previous visit we purchased four bottles of the '09 Sauvignon Blanc because we liked it so much. We had hoped the would still have some in stock, but unfortunately had run out. The '10 Sauv that we tried on this visit was good, but did not hold a candle to its predecessor. Our favorite this time around was the Drum Canyon Pinot Noir - which I believe is their new vineyard right next to the winery.
Experience B / Wines B+
'09 Chardonnay, '11 Chardonnay - Clone 76 Inox, '10 Pinot Noir, '10 Pinot Noir - "Carrie's", '10 "Verna's" Syrah
We'd been to Melville once - on our very first wine tasting trip. On that visit, we really enjoyed Melville, but we were curious if we'd dig it the same as the first time, or if as our wine intake increased - thereby making us more discriminating tasters - we'd find that Melville wasn't as great as we had previously though. Lo and behold Melville is still awesome, perhaps even more so that we previously thought. The grounds are great, with an Italian villa style structure, looking out onto the vineyard. We'd brought a picnic lunch, and one of the staff offered to have us sit on the patio, enjoy our lunch, and he'd bring our tasting out to us - quite the solid dude. Totally dug the wines. Prices weren't outlandish, and the baseline Chard and the Syrah were impressive. The wines that are being sold are younger that wines sold elsewhere in the area as far as I could tell - Melville has confidence in the taste of their wines right away and also state that they will age well. Who am I to doubt their recommendation? Their stuff is on point.
Experience B+ / Wines B+
Arcadian Winery ($15 tasting, wines $30-$65)
'06 Chardonnay - Sleepy Hollow, '07 Pinot Noir - Fiddlestix, '06 "Jill's Cuveé Pinot Noir, '06 Syrah - Westerly/Santa Ynez Valley, '06 Syrah - Stolpman, '04 Pinot Noir - Pisoni, '06 Syrah - Purisima
Arcadian is one of the newest additions to the Wine Ghetto, though owner and winemaker Joseph Davis has been creating wine under the Arcadian label since 1996. The wines come from the Santa Lucia Highlands up in Monterey County, as well as in a few different places in Santa Barbara County. Each bottle that we tried were single vineyard designates. The woman at the tasting room was super stoked on the Arcadian wine, and her abundant enthusiasm was worrisome and infectious at the same time. The wines are all well built - each having unique characteristics but also fitting within a restrained paradigm. We were able to taste a few older vintages - the '04 Pinot was fan-tas-tic. Arcadian's median prices are a bit steep for me, but they are definitely a good addition to the Ghetto.
Experience B / Wines B+
Samsara Wine Company ($10 tasting, wines $22-$46)
'11 Grenache Rosé - Windmill Ranch, '10 Pinot Noir, '09 Pinot Noir - Turner, '09 Pinot Noir - Kessler-Haak, Syrah - Verna's
Our first and only visit to Samsara was over a year ago, and we enjoyed it that first time - especially the Rosé. This second time around, we were really impressed with all of their work. Samsara is a small production winery, putting out less than 1000 cases a year. Chad Melville, the owner, is very interested in natural production, relying upon native yeasts, and does not fine or filter the wine. The dude in the tasting room - Lee - is a super fun cat to chat with. He's very mellow, but also very passionate about wine. He's happy to discuss Samsara and Santa Barbara wine in-depth. The wines are playful, though not obnoxious. All were good, though we most enjoyed the Pinot from Kessler-Haak.
Experience B+ / Wines B+
Jalama Wines ($10 tasting, wines $26-$40)
'09 "Giallo" (Pinot Gris), '08 Pinot Noir, '10 Grenache - La Presa, '10 Mourvedre, '08 Syrah - La Presa, '08 Syrah - Paradise Road
Last year, Jalama was the winery that we were seeking out that drew us to the Wine Ghetto. It's one of two wine labels that are operated by Marc Cargasacchi, the other being the brand new Joseph Blair. We had hoped to visit both during this trip, but Marc was not available that day to run the Joseph Blair room, because a tractor broke down or something. So we had a fun time visiting with Christy at Jalama and plan on visiting the other label in the future. As before, the Jalama wines were very good. The Mourvedre was very fun to drink, and the La Presa Syrah really knocked my socks off.
Experience B / Wines B+
Sunday (Alamo Pintado Rd., Los Olivos)
'10 Viognier, '10 "Siempre" Albariño, '09 "FDL" Grenache, '07 "'FDL' Chateau Duplantier" (Syrah/Grenache/Mourvedre), '10 Riesling
I'd heard good things about Rideau from a few friends, and had planned on going at some point. So when Rideau ran a deal on Travelzoo I grabbed it. The deal was for two people to go on a tour, have a tasting and wine lesson, a cheese pairing, and a bottle of wine to boot. Our guide for the tour was the fantastic Shay. He took great pleasure in telling the history of Rideau, showing the vineyard and the winemaking area. During the pairing, he shared a lot of knowledge about wine appreciation and patiently answered everyone's questions. The force behind Rideau is Iris Rideau, who has had a long and successful career in the financial sector. She appreciated the Santa Ynez area, and was interested in restoring the old adobe bunkhouse that is now the winery. Shay toured us around the grounds, spending a lot of time discussing grape-growing, and a bit about the winemaking process. Rideau focuses largely on Rhone varietals. Their wines are well built - tasty and restrained - but lack excitement. Dug the Grenche most - did not enjoy the Riesling. Most of the wines were affordably priced. The grounds are quite nice, there is a large shaded lawn in the back with tons on seating for picnics. I'd recommend a visit, especially if you can get Shay to be your guide.
Experience A- / Wines B
Stolpman Vineyards ($10 tasting, wines $19-$68)
'10 Viognier, '09 "L'Avoin" (Roussanne), '10 Grenache, '10 "La Coppa" Sangiovese, '08 Sangiovese, '10 Syrah, '10 "High Density Hilltops" Syrah, '10 "Angeli" Syrah
The previous two times that we visited Stolpman, we've really enjoyed ourselves - somehow this time was even better. It was a lazy Sunday afternoon, and when we walked inside, an employee named Tom asked if we'd prefer to enjoy our tasting on the front patio. It was a beautiful day, and being able to enjoy Stolpman wine while watching folks passing by on the street was a fantastic way to spend the afternoon. Tom was a tremendous host, he was excited to discuss the wines and was able to answer my numerous in depth. I wasn't a huge fan on the whites, they were good wines, but they didn't tickle my fancy. However, the reds were all a hit with me. The Grenache was a really interesting wine - it was wispy slight, but still had a firm structure. The "Angeli" Syrah was awesome - Angeli is Stolpman's reserve wine. What's neat about their wines is that the wines that we were being served were young and could use some aging, but were good to drink right away.
Experience A / Wines A-
This trip reaffirmed our enthusiasm for the Santa Barbara region and likely made converts out of our first-time visiting friends. On each trip we take to the area, there is at least one or two places that really do a fantastic job of ensuring that we have a great time. The staff at the different wineries are often so friendly and passionate about the wine that it's impossible to not get caught up in the excitement. This time around, every place that we went to we had great conversations with winery staff - Lee at Samsara, Shay at Rideau, and Tom at Stolpman were standouts. Between the excellent people and the delicious wine, how doesn't one become a wine geek?
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