October '14 Santa Barbara Trip - Backtracking

We found ourselves drawn up to the area once again by a party. This time we were going to one of Stolpman's member parties at their vineyard in Ballard Canyon. That party, btw, was off the chain. Even though it was ridiculously hot that day, they really rolled out the red carpet for their members - a great tour led by Peter Stolpman, Ruben "The Grape Whisperer" Solórzano cooked up some awesome tacos, almost the full roster of Stolpman wines were being poured, and they even had a mariachi band - quite a shindig. After the party we had that afternoon and next morning to visit some other wineries.
I've realized that many of the places that I visited early on deserve a second glace. After a second visit to Zotovich, I changed my tune. Some places, like Beckmen, took a second visit to confirm my opinion. And at Palmina, which I loved on my first visit, strongly lost it's luster the second time around. So with that in mind, we decided to revisit Cold Heaven in Buellton on Saturday, and then Longoria and Moretti on Sunday in Lompoc.

Cold Heaven Cellars ($10 tasting, wines $22-$75)
'12 Viognier- Le Bon Climat, '11 "Mutchmore" Pinot Noir, '10 "Nevertell" Pinot Noir, '10 "Second Sin" Syrah, '04 "Second Sin" Syrah, '08 "Domaine Des Mondes" Syrah, '13 Late Harvest Viognier
Owner/winemaker Morgan Clendenen is an interesting character. She got her start in wine working for a distributor in North Carolina. During a stint at a Napa winery, she met Jim Clendenen, an institution in the Santa Barbara region - most known for his winery Au Bon Climat. Morgan and Jim married and she started the Cold Heaven label with him. They are now divorced, and Morgan know runs the winery independently.
Cold Heaven is a quandary. Despite how our first visit was off-kilter, we still enjoyed the wines. And, at one of our early wine parties, a Cold Heaven Pinot was a big hit. It's focus on Viognier was one of the original attractants for us, it's my wife's favorite white grape. We were excited to go back for a revisit.
Once again the tasting room was a bit of a disaster. The dude running the place was terribly nice, but really not on top of things. The tasting room is tiny, and any time there was more than one small group in for a tasting it got really cramped, which he didn't really have a solution for. Also, we were looking forward to the Viognier - on our first visit we tried four different ones - this time around there was only one to try.
The wine was just pretty good. The Viognier was easy and enjoyable - candied lemons. I enjoyed the Muchmore Pinot somewhat more than the Nevertell Pinot, especially given the price difference ($22 vs. $38). The Nevertell was overflavored while the Muchmore had a lighter body and blueberry compote. I wasn't expecting to try three Syrahs, but that was the order of the day. The '04 Second Sin was by far my favorite of the three - velvety with some meat on it. The other two were both quite dense, giving me the feeling that they could probably age and turn out like the older Second Sin. Finally the Late Harvest Viognier was a treat - light/bright lemons and caramelized grapefruit.
Experience: B- / Wine: B-


Longoria Wines ($10 tasting, wines $19-$48)
'13 Pinot Grigio, '12 "Cuvée Diana" Chardonnay, '11 Pinot Noir - Fe Ciega, '11 Tempranillo, '11 "Blues Cuvée" Red Blend (Cabernet Franc/Syrah/Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot/Malbec), '10 "Vino Dulce" Syrah Dessert Wine
We had a great time during our first visit to Longoria's Lompoc Wine Ghetto space. That time we visited in late fall, as grapes were fermenting, and since the tasting room was on part of the winery, we were given an up close view on the fermentation process by the tasting room attendent. We also really enjoyed the wine. I had heard that Longoria was moving into a new space in Lompoc, so I was interested in seeing their new spot.
The new space is a very old space for the Lompoc community. Rhe building was constructed in 1913 to as the "JM Club" - a gathering space for employees of the Johns-Manville Company, then the Celite World Minerals Company. The space was often used for dances or parties. Many long-time residents recalled going there for weddings or other celebrations. The space had fallen on disrepair, prompting the Longorias to purchase it and spruce it up for the tasting room, adding a winemaking facility in the back. They faithfully restored old features of the building, the molding, windows, doors, fireplace, etc.. Lucky for us, Diana, Rick Longoria's wife was in the tasting room on the day of our visit, she was happy to show us around the new space and discuss the efforts they went to in bringing the place back to life.
I take it as a good sign that Longoria is establishing a space outside of the Ghetto. Rick and Diana were the first winery to open up in the Wine Ghetto. Now some 19 wineries call the Wine Ghetto home. As the area becomes more serious about wine, more wineries are going to pop up and help to renew spaces throughout the town - which I think will be positive for the economic health of Lompoc. It's a neat model to see unused buildings being adapted into wineries.
Diana guided us through our tasting. Pinot Grigio has been a mainstay of their roster since 1999. It was crisp with clear notes of lemons and pineapples, not braggy for sure, but a bit too understated. The Chardonnay showed clear signs of oak on the palate, though it was well integrated. It was serious but playful. The Pinot opened brightly with tar and inky dark jam, simple yet high quality. I dug the Tempranillo most - a quiet dusty entry lead to a macho blackberry body and then late playfulness. Definitely Cali-style but mature. The red blend was bright and had rust, but it was monochromatic. The dessert wine was smartly made, a nice balance of sweet and zip - chocolate raspberries. None of the wines knocked it out of the park, but they were thoughtful.
Experience: B+ / Wine: B

Moretti Wines ($10 tasting, wines $20-$35)
'13 "Bianchetto" White Blend (Tocai Friulano/Arneis/Malvasia Bianca), '13 Rosé (Pinot Noir), '11 Pinot Noir - Machado, '10 "Rosso Mio" (Dolcetto/Barbera/Nebbiolo), '11 Merlot
Antonio Moretti is a big booster of the Santa Rita Hills. A long-time restauranteur from Italy, he fell in love with wines from the area, and decided to move there. Eventually he opened up "Taste of Sta. Rita Hills" wine bar located in the Wine Ghetto - a shop focused on featuring wines from a variety of smaller labels that didn't have their own tasting rooms. Back in 2011 we visited Taste of Sta. Rita Hills. Antonio was an awesome host, sharing his enthusiasm for the wine of the region, even pairing cheeses and meats that paired well with the wines on the tasting list. In that first tasting, we did try a few of the wines that Antonio had made himself under the Moretti Wines label. More recently, Antonio and his wife Jeni opened up an additional tasting room in the Ghetto to display their own wines.
It is a welcoming space with a little patio area so that folks can have their lunch while enjoying a glass of Moretti wine. On the day of our visit Jeni Moretti was staffing the space along with her big German Shepherd. She, like Antonio, was an amiable host. We chatted at length about her experiences in the wine world, living in a rural area, and of course Moretti wines. I was not wowed by the wines. Easy yes, interesting not as much - which is how I remember the Moretti wines that I had back in '11. The Bianchetto had lots of lemon lime and late stonefruit. The Rosé was pretty with strawberries, and slightly sweet. For me, the Pinot Noir had a big flavorful entry and too much of a mainstream profile. The red blend followed suit - big bright fruit entry with a jammy acid kick. I enjoyed the Merlot most, thanks to its tobacco/chocolate characteristics, which added depth to the fruit notes.
Experience: B / Wine: C+

It's nice to be able to revisit. My opinion of Cold Heaven was confirmed - pretty good wine with a tasting room that lacks organization. Longoria is a solid institution in the region, with solidly made wine. I and am very happy to see how they are revitalizing Lompoc with their new tasting room. And Moretti has great customer service and simple, flavorful wines.
What was fun about this visit was the conversations. At both Longoria and Moretti we were able to have long talks with the matriarchs of the wineries. Owning a winery is an exercise in passion and frustration, and both Diana and Jeni were calm yet passionate people. I'm certain that I wouldn't be able to be as cool as they are if the wine world was my career.

August '14 Santa Barbara Trip - Knocking Their Socks Off

For years I've been haranguing old friends who live in Northern California to come down to Santa Barbara to enjoy the wine country. Finally they succumbed to my demands. In choosing which wineries should go, I wanted to show them my favorite haunts. Of course a number of places that I dig are in the Wine Ghetto, so Lompoc was on the list. Lucky Ken Brown, Lafond and Presqu'ile are on the west side of the valley as well, so we didn't have to spend much time driving across the region.

Lafond Winery and Vineyards ($10 tasting, wines $20-$48)
'12 Riesling, '12 Stainless Steel Estate Chardonnay, '11 Pinot Noir, '10 Pinot Noir - Arita Hills Vineyard, '11 Syrah, '10 Estate Syrah
We took scenic Santa Rosa Road from Lompoc first thing in the morning, and wound along the road to get to Lafond. On my first and prior visit to Lafond, the front tasting room was crowded with patrons, but the wine manufacturing floor was being used for tasting as well, and one of the best tasting room employees I've met to this day - Diane - took great care of us. This time around, the place wasn't as crowded, the back area was getting prepped for a wedding, and Diane was nowhere to be found. This time around our visit was more pedestrian. The staff were perfectly nice - the zing was gone though. Regardless of our individual experience, Lafond is the oldest established winery in the region, opening in 1962. The next winery to open was in 1972. Given that, they are dependable and confident.
I found the wines to embrace that same quality, though also a bit mainstream. The Riesling showed some nice flavors - peach, machine, leaves - but too crisp on the back end. Stainless Steel Chardonnays are become more popular, and I think that's a good thing. This one was nicely crisp and interesting. Of the two Pinots, I enjoyed the Santa Rita Hills blend more than the Arita Hills Vineyard designate - both were fruity, but the blend was more approachable, the designate too juicy. Perhaps some aging would change my preference. I enjoyed the Estate Syrah more, but both were a bit to heavy for my tastes.
On both the experience and the wine, I wasn't quite as captivated with Lafond as I was on my first visit. It's still a high quality place, and probably will be for another fifty years.
Experience: B / Wines: B

Ken Brown Wines ($10 tasting, wines $35-$60)
'12 Chardonnay - Nielson Vineyard, '12 Pinot Noir, '11 Pinot Noir - Santa Rita Hills, '11 Pinot Noir - Garey Vineyard, '10 Pinot Noir - Rancho La Viña Vineyard, '11 Syrah - Watch Hill Vineyard
Ken Brown's covered a lot of ground over the past 35 years. He was the founding winemaker at Zaca Mesa Winery - one of the first wineries to open in the area, and still one of the largest. In 1984, he established Byron (Byron is his first name). Byron was an extremely successful label, eventually being bought out by Robert Mondavi, and then Kendall Jackson. After leaving both of those enterprises, he still found himself a very busy man - consulting and mentoring other wineries throughout the region. But he still had a hankering for making is own wine. And for that many are thankful. Ken Brown Wines are some of the most solid in the area. He's best known for his Pinots and Chardonnays, but also puts out Syrahs.
This was our third visit to Ken Brown over the past few years. The last two visits were in an appointment only space - the new space is just down the street and has regular hours for folks to drop in for tastings. The new spot was quite attractive - open with lots of wood features. I was curious about staff, the appointment visits were always with Ken and his wife Deb, who were very welcoming and of course knowledgeable. The staff at the new place were extremely competent and quite friendly. They also recommended the new restaurant in Buellton - Industrial Eats - which was amazing.
As usual the wine was great. The Chardonnay was showy, a bit sticky, and well balanced. The fun thing about visiting the godfather of Pinot is trying lots of Pinots. On this visit, all four that we tried were great. The SBC was easy and pleasing. The SRH was smooth and complex - elements of plum and thyme. The Garey Vineyard was my favorite - wood bark and big acid - seriously balanced and just plain serious. The Rancho La Viña was also very enjoyable - intricate, lengthy and fruity. Finally the Syrah - nice notes of savory preserves and mushrooms - though it was a bit binary.
Experience: A- / Wines: B+

Piedrasassi Winery ($10 tasting, wines $18-$42)
'13 "Light Summer Red" Carbonic Sangiovese, '11 "White Wine" (Albariño/Sauvignon Blanc), Lompoc Wine Company '12 Pinot Noir, '10 Syrah
Piedrasassi is one of the most exciting places to visit in the Wine Ghetto. It's the the most stylish - even though they've redecorated three times in the past two years. They bake bread that they sell at the local farmers market and share samples with the tasting. And the wine is unique. Piedrasassi is the personal wine label of Sashi Moorman, winemaker extraordinaire for the region - he also makes wine for Stolpman and Sandhi.
The redecorated space was great fun. A big wraparound bar and lots of tile. The staff person there was tremendously friendly, and even though things got a bit hectic due to a malfunction with their credit card machine, she was cool and on top of things.
I was a little concerned that the wine would be too avant garde for my friends, but it all went over well with them. The Carbonic Sangiovese was good times - chewy with lots of acid, apricot and plum skins. Stolpman is doing a Carbonic Sangio as well - both are good, but Stolpman's is slightly more mainstream. I enjoyed the White Wine thoroughly, it was macho but also had sweetness. The Pinot was full-flavored yet simple, nothing to plant a flag to. As usual the Syrah was great - very full flavored, well-balanced, almost aggressive in it's youthfulness.
Experience: B+ / Wines: B+

Clos Pepe Estate ($0 tour, wines $20-$59)
Axis Munde '13 Rosé (Mourvèdre/Grenache), '12 "Homage to Chablis" Chardonnay, '12 "Barrel Fermented" Chardonnay, Axis Munde '12 Grenache/Syrah, '11 Pinot Noir, '09 Pinot Noir, '10 Pinot Noir
Almost all wineries are character-driven enterprises - the wine emulate their leadership - Stolpman is calm and friendly, Zotovich is classy, Sarloos is quirky, Ampelos is boisterious. Wes Hagen of Clos Pepe may be the biggest character in the area. No one that I've interacted with in the Santa Barbara wine community is more effusive, nerdy, and instructive as him. The tours that he leads at Clos Pepe are bar none. We've done the tour once before, and that time it was just our small group of four. This time around he had a huge group, and he held court. During the tour, Wes connected wine to a wide range of human history - the formation of society, the creation of philosophy, medicine, politics, and lots of other stuff. During the tasting in the beautiful Pepe home, Wes gave an informal lessen on wine pairing and general sommelier concepts.
The tasting was accompanied by warmed baguette and various cheeses (one of these f'ing days I need to figure out how to get over my lactose issues and enjoy some damn cheese). Wes hovered around the room, introducing the various wines - telling stories to accompany each. As on my first visit, the wine was superb. The Rosé was a savory blend of strawberries and watercress, structured by strong acid. The "Homage to Chablis" showed a fun interplay between acid and calm fruit - it was subtle and attractive. The "Barrel Fermented" Chard was definitely more mouth-filling with a cute maple syrup note, though it retained it's minerality. The three Pinots were all delicious, and definitely showed individualized characteristics. The '11 showed fruit, but remained slight. The '09 was more aggressive on the opening and had a good amount of refined fruit. The '10 was very upfront and boisterous. All in all, a profound wine geek's experience. 
Experience: A+ / Wine: A

Presqu'ile Winery (member tasting, wines $18-$48)
'13 Sauvignon Blanc, '12 Chardonnay, '13 Rosé (Pinot Noir), '12 Estate Pinot Noir, '12 Pinot Noir - Steiner Vineyard
Presqu'ile completely blew me away on my first visit - which was not to long after they had opened their estate winery for tastings. I thought that the wine was confident and clear, the staff intelligent, and the location austere and attractive. One thing that I had noted at the time was that the winery was really gearing itself toward exclusivity. Based on my recommendation, a friend who frequents the area for work went to Presqu'ile. He liked it so much that he became a member. So on this visit, I was able to partake in the exclusivity with my member friend - the member's only patio, the extra tasting, etc. As Presqu'ile grows, I think that the exclusivity aspect taints the experience for me. Folks that are attracted to exclusive access are not people that I enjoy being around.
Regardless, the property is gorgeous. The architecture is the most exciting that I've experienced in the area - modern and clever. We tasted our wine on the member's only back patio - trendy outdoor furniture abound. The patio had a bar to sidle up when we were ready to progress through the wine list - for the most part we sat around our table and chatted or played rousing games of foosball.
The Sauvignon Blanc was clean with a hint of jalapeños. The Chardonnay was a bit over-flavored. I enjoyed the '12 Pinot, it had a lot of funky flavors - green and black olives, and was high in tannins. The Steiner Vineyard Pinot Noir was extremely flavorful, bordering on over-extracted, but still a very enjoyable drink. The wines were all high on the flavor-scale, a bit to much collectively.
Experience: B- / Wine: B

Well it worked, my friends were thoroughly impressed by the region. Specifically Clos Pepe, Ken Brown and Stolpman (which I opted to not review since I visit it so frequently) were the biggest hits, though all were enjoyed. It was a weekend of catching up with great friends and superb wine. These friends are important to me, so to be able to spend a relaxing weekend of epicurean pursuits with them was a boon. 

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+

After a short visit we discovered one new great winery - Byron, one to keep an eye on - Kaena, and one that I'm sure now can be taken off the list - Flying Goat. We were very happy that our traveling companions enjoyed Stolpman, Samsara, and Ken Brown as much as we do. I was a bit fearful that traveling up to the area on the weekend after Christmas would be a headache, but aside from a few wineries that were a bit busy, it wasn't a problem at all.

November '11 Santa Barbara County Trip - In Which We Meet a Legend

Since we had a free weekend, we decided to head up to the Santa Barbara wine country to visit a few wineries we hadn't been to before. As it worked out, the general theme of the trip was keystone winemakers. Ken Brown is the owner and winemaker Ken Brown Wines. Rick Longoria is the owner and winemaker at Longoria. Sashi Moorman is a partner/creator/winemaker at  Piedrasassi, one of the winemakers at Evening Land, and the winemaker at Stolpman. We planned to spend most of our trip at the Wine Ghetto - which now my favorite wine destination. It was an especially cool time of the year to visit, the Ghetto was a hive of activity. Wineries were receiving their grapes from the fields and were in the beginning stages of creating wine.


Saturday (Buellton, Highway 246, Lompoc)
Road Music: Florence and The Machine - Lungs

Ken Brown Wines ($10 private tasting, wines $35-$50)
'08 Nielson Vineyard Chardonnay, '08 Santa Maria Valley Pinot Noir, '08 Sta. Rita Hills Pinot Noir, '09 Clos Pepe Vineyard Pinot Noir, '08 "A" Cuvee Syrah.
Ken Brown has had an immense influence on the growth of the wine industry in Santa Barbara County. He began making wine in the area 35 years ago and was the head winemaker at Zaca Mesa and Byron before creating his own wine label. Tastings are by appointment only. We had an excellent time. Ken makes tremendous wine and is a wealth of knowledge. He shared wine growing techniques with us like we were old friends, and it was interesting to hear about the growth of the wine industry in the region during his career. Anyone who is at all interested in the essence of wine and seeing the passion that goes into making great quality wine should visit Ken Brown.
Experience: A+ / Wine: A

Piedrasassi / New Vineland Winery ($10 tasting, wines $26-$56)
New Vineland '09 Santa Barbara County Chardonnay, Piedrasassi '08 Central Coast White Wine, New Vineland '08 Santa Barbara County Syrah, Piedrasassi '08 Central Coast Syrah, Piedrasassi '08 Rim Rock Vineyard Syrah, Piedrasassi '06 Santa Ynez Valley Sangiovese Dessert Wine.
Piedrasassi is a super hip and funky place. Everything about their tasting room exudes style. The winery is pretty new and they have a very small distribution. Each wine was exciting to drink and were of high quality. The tasting was accompanied by their Syrah jelly on cheese and red wine vinegar and olive oil on heirloom tomatoes. We felt cooler and smarter for having visited.
Experience: B+ / Wine: B+

Evening Land Vineyards ($10 tasting, wines $25-$60)
'10 Chardonnay, '10 Etoile Pouilly-Fuisse Chardonnay - Burgundy, '09 Oregon Pinot Noir - Eola-Amity Hills, '09 Sonoma Pinot Noir - Occidental Vineyard, '09 Sta. Rita Hills Pinot Noir, '09 Sta. Rita Hills - The Tempest Vineyard.
Evening Land is moving their tasting room into a different space in the Wine Ghetto soon, so their current tasting room is no frills. The goal of Evening Land is exhibit how a specific place has an effect on wines. Evening Land makes wines from four distinct places: Burgundy France, Oregon, Sonoma, and Santa Barbara County. These distinctions are made through Chardonnay and Pinot Noir wines. All of the wines had good flavors, but were slightly short on length and complexity. We had a very nice conversation with the staff person there - she was very helpful.
Experience: B / Wine: B

Stolpman Vineyards - Lompoc Tasting Room ($10 tasting, wines $19-$68)
'10 Sauvignon Blanc, '09 'L'Avion' Roussanne, '10 'La Cuadrilla' (Syrah/Grenache/Petit Sirah/Viognier), '08 Estate Sangiovese, '09 "Originals" Syrah, '09 'Hilltops' Syrah, '09 'La Coppa' Sangiovese, '09 La Croce (Syrah/Sangiovese), '08 'Angeli' Sangiovese.
On the day of our trip, we learned that Stolpman had just opened their new tasting room in the Wine Ghetto. We'd visited Stolpman's Los Olivos tasting room back in April and were huge fans of their wines. The current setup of this tasting room overlooks the warehouse floor - and given that harvest is just completing we were able to watch the Stolpman team make new wine while we tasting their current wines. The tasting list had a number of Sangiovese's. The entry-level priced Sangio was very good, and the "La Croce" and "Angeli" were fantastic. Alicia was a great host.
Experience: B+ / Wine: A-

Sunday (Lompoc)
Road Music: Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears - Scandalous

Longoria Winery - Lompoc Tasting Room ($10 tasting, wines $22-$48)
'10 Albariño - Clover Creek Vineyard, '08 Pinot Noir - Fe Ciega Vineyard, '09 Pinot Noir - Rancho Santa Vineyard, '09 Pinot Noir - Bien Nacido Vineyard, '04 Syrah - Alisos Vineyard.
Longoria also has two tasting rooms - one in Los Olivos and one in Lompoc. The Lompoc tasting room is attached to their winemaking facility. Christopher was kind enough to tour us around the warehouse and pointed out the different processes that were going on. We had a great time chatting with Christopher about a variety of topics and we enjoyed the wines that were on the tasting list. The three Pinots had unique differences - we enjoyed the Fe Ciega and Bien Nacido quite a bit. The Syrah was awesome as well.
Experience: A- / Wines: B+

After visiting a few other wine regions recently it was really nice to come back to SBC. There is such a true passion there that it's impossible to not get excited about wine. This was especially true when we visited with Ken Brown. He is one of the most influential people to the wine industry in the region - and he's willing to spend an hour just chatting with us and share with us his great knowledge. There's no ulterior motive there - he's a dude who's committed his life to wine and will share his love of wine purely. Experiences like that are truly unique, and I'm glad we were a part of it.

July '11 Santa Barbara County - Going Where We're Supposed To

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.