Thursday’s Bottle meets Friday (again)

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Happy Canyon of Santa Barbara AVA, Margerum Wine Company, Sauvignon blanc, Succulent Cafe

This week, Thursday’s Bottle left the cozy red couch at home and shared a bottle of wine with friends at Succulent Cafe in Solvang.

The bottle: the 2012 Sybarite Sauvignon Blanc by Doug Margerum, Margerum Wine Company. Sybarite (SIB-bar-right) describes one who is fond of pleasure and luxury.

The grapes come from four vineyards: McGinley, Curtis, Grassini and Star Lane — all but Curtis are in the Happy Canyon of Santa Barbara AVA, known for its sauvignon blanc.

The wine dazzled me with bold, refreshing lime and a complex finish, and paired perfectly with spicy scallops.

I’d buy it again in a heartbeat.

Retail: $21, at http://www.margerumwinecompany.com

 

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Welcome to SBCO, Ballard Canyon AVA

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Ballard Canyon Road American Viticultural Area, Happy Canyon of Santa Barbara AVA, Larner Vineyard, Michael Larner, Santa Maria Valley AVA, Sta. Rita Hills AVA, Wes Hagen

 

While it’s not “official” until Oct. 30, it’s a done deal, according to the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB): Ballard Canyon is Santa Barbara County’s fifth official AVA, or American Viticultural Area.

It joins the Santa Ynez Valley, Sta. Rita Hills, Happy Canyon of Santa Barbara and the Santa Maria Valley.

Ballard Canyon encompasses 7,800 acres, and joins both the Sta. Rita Hills and Happy Canyon of Santa Barbara AVAs as sub-regions inside the larger Santa Ynez Valley.

“The 18 vintners in the Ballard Canyon AVA have always recognized the unique potential of this site,” said Michael Larner, president of the newly former Ballard Canyon Winegrowers’ Alliance.

“We see it each year, in the high quality of fruit we pick, and in the fine wines we craft. We have always known that we occupy a special space at the heart of the Santa Ynez Valley and Santa Barbara County.

The Santa Barbara County Vintners’ Association provided statistics on the acreage and type of grape varietals currently growing in Ballard Canyon vineyards.

Syrah leads the pack of red grape varietals planted  with 274 acres, followed by grenache, at 61. The others, rounded to the nearest acre, are: sangiovese, 26; nebbiolo, 10; cabernet sauvignon, 29; cabernet franc, 20; merlot, 9; petit verdot, 5; petite sirah, 6; mourvedre, 7; tempranillo, 4; counoise, 3; zinfandel, 2; and cinsault, 1.

The total acres planted to red wine grapes are 458; of those, Rhone varietals are 76 percent; Bordeaux, 14; Italian, 8; and California “Heritage,” 2 percent.

Next, white wine grape varietals, by acre, are roussanne, 16; marsanne, 4; viognier, 20; grenache blanc, 7; sauvignon blanc; 31; semillon, 3; and malvasia bianca, 2.

Total: 83 acres planted to white grape varietals, with 57 percent Rhone, 40 percent Bordeaux and Italian, 2.

The winemakers and wine growers included in Ballard Canyon are Purisima Mountain (Beckmen), Boa Vista, Brownell’s Viejo Vineyard, Capazzo Vineyard, Daly, Dohlmeyer, Finkle Family Vineyards, Harrison Clarke, Hinnrichs, Jorian Hill, Kimsey, Jonata, Larner, Rusack, Saarloos and Sons’ Windmill Ranch, Stolpman, Tierra Alta and Willingham Vineyard, according to the SBCVA.

Copyright centralcoastwinepress.com

 

East to West: Back East, with Dragonette Cellars

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Brandon Sparks-Gillis, Happy Canyon of Santa Barbara AVA, John Dragonette, Sauvignon blanc, Vogelzang Vineyard

Nearly one month has passed since I found time to pop in on John Dragonette and Brandon Sparks-Gillis, two of the three winemaker/owners of Dragonette Cellars in Buellton.

What I missed: Documenting additional fermentation of the grenache and mourvedre grapes that comprise Dragonette Cellars’ 2013 rosé. Both were harvested in recurring picks from Vogelzang Vineyard in Happy Canyon of Santa Barbara; the moniker of this particular Dragonette rosé is Happy Canyon of Santa Barbara.

By the time I made it back Oct. 18, those juices had been barreled down and were aging away.

In fact, all of the grapes harvested for the 2013 vintage were “in house,” Dragonette said. “All of our fruit has been in for about 10 days.”

Grenache for the 2013 Dragonette Cellars’ rosé is barreled down

“The rosé is now consolidated in barrels of varying sizes — some in barrels, some in (the larger) puncheons,” Sparks-Gillis said. And the juices were fermented at varying temperatures; some via a cool fermentation and others without any temperature control, he added. The commonality: All utilized native yeasts.

The morning I visited, the two were pressing off about six tons of Dragonette’s 2013 syrah from the John Sebastiano Vineyard.

Dragonette calls the 2013 harvest a “fast and furious” one, with several grape varietals reaching optimal ripeness within just a few weeks’ time. Dragonette’s first pick was sauvignon blanc Aug. 26 from Grassini Vineyard, and the harvesting wound up on Oct. 8 with grenache.

For comparison, Dragonette said, “This time last year, we were just picking grenache and syrah from Sebastiano Vineyard. This year, we’re already pressing it.”

Sure sign things are in barrel: Fermenting bins stacked outside the winery, cleaned and ready for 2014

“Since the entire season was a dry one,” Sparks-Gillis said, the lack of rain and extra degree days culminated in a harvest that “broke records — by a long stretch,” for being so abbreviated.

Missing from the weather picture were late-season heat spikes and rain, which can translate into sugar-ripe but unbalanced (immature) grapes, and a risk of cluster mildew.

The result: “Reasonable sugar levels — a little overripe, but good overall, and good phenolic maturity,” Dragonette said.

As far as yields for their 2013 Happy Canyon of Santa Barbara rosé and two lots of sauvignon blanc (from Vogelzang and Grassini vineyards), the two estimated the 75 barrels destined for rosé will produce roughly 1,050 cases.

Dragonette’s 2013 sauvignon blanc consists of about 30 Grassini barrels and 40 Vogelzang barrels, Sparks-Gillis noted.

The two said they anticipate bottling the finished rosé in March or April, and the sauvignon blancs between April and August.

Coming next: Back out West, with Lindley Wines

Copyright Laurie Jervis and http://www.centralcoastwinepress.com

Thursday’s Bottle: With an invitee

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2012 Leon Perdigal Côtes du Rhône, France, McPrice Myers L'Ange Rouge, Ogier, Phil Carpenter, Rhone Valley, Santa Barbara Wine Talk

Here’s what to look for next time you’re in Phil’s hood

Welcome to a special edition of Thursday’s Bottle! This week, a dual tasting: One bottle from Lompoc, and one shared by special guest Phil Carpenter from across the pond.

For those of you not lucky enough to know Carpenter, he recently relocated to Summertown, a suburb of Oxford, England, with his lovely wife, Rachel, and their darling daughter, Anna.

While those of us left behind miss the Carpenters, most of us “chat” with Phil throughout the day, thanks to Facebook. Phil’s own blog is Santa Barbara Wine Talk, http://santabarbarawinetalk.com/sbwt/

He and Rachel have relished tasting many of the “local” wines that line the shelves at neighborhood shops. Face it: We have the Central Coast; Phil and Rachel have France. Next door.

This week: Phil tasted a 2012 Leon Perdigal Côtes du Rhône, and I sipped a 2008 “L’Ange Rogue” from McPrice Myers (grenache, Santa Barbara County).

In Phil’s words: “While I was perusing the aisles, this bottle popped out to me … expert marketing, if you ask me: The right glisten off the label on a beautiful Summertown afternoon.

“I’ve always LOVED CdRs due to their “Bang for the Buck” potential.  Swooped this into the cart ASAP.

“I wish I could tell you more about the esteemed Leon Perdigal.  I’m sure our Somm friends could dispatch more info about the gentleman. After reading the back of the label, I fully expected to get rather “geeky” with this wine.  Sadly, I couldn’t find too much info.

“Perdigal is a famed cellar master. Making his name at Ogier, which has been around since 1859, Perdigal was its first celler master, and established quite a legacy. Ogier is the largest cellar in Châteauneuf-du-Pape, with the ability to make large amounts of wines under one roof.

“Upon initial pop, this wine was full of smoke, black pepper and licorice. After I let it breathe for a bit (two hours), out came ripe cherry and raspberry, underbrush and savory herbs.

“The initial impression was very disjointed, but it leveled out a bit. Still a solid acid streak going, but a real bramble, dark blue fruit on the end of mid, going to finish. A rather ripe CdP, and I was not expecting that.

“Look, I understand the disjointed effect is probably due to this bad boy being freshly bottled. On potential, I don’t know where it will go. As I mentioned, the wine has some acid, but it’s pretty ripe off the bat.  All and all, not bad for L7 ($11.32 U.S.), and as a candidate for a “daily drinker” wine.

My turn: Friends gifted me this bottle for feeding their cat. I have great friends. I opened this Tuesday, and let it breathe for, oh, about 10 minutes. And then I took a sip.

I wrote: “Lovely” — but it deserves stronger. Try: “Exquisite.” What a stunning wine! Smoky dark cherry with a finish that lasted a full minute. Great weight in the mouth. I’m literally drooling as I write this, remembering the dusky spice, and sheer power. A better pairing would have been pulled pork or a turkey burger, but on my plate was … a tuna salad. The fish mellowed out the wine, but still. Wow. More, please.

The second night, the wine was much more subtle, but still displayed cherry and blackberry with light smoke.

Retail: About $30. Santa Barbara County, www.mcpricemyers.com

Who else wants to have Phil be a regular contributor to “Thursday’s Bottle?” Can I have a show of hands, please?

Thursday’s Bottle

Tags

Alicante Bouschet, Amador County, Tempranillo, Tinta Roriz, Touriga Nacional

It’s still Thursday … at least for another hour!

2007 Mistura Noceto 180 Degree Selection

For this week’s selection, I dug deep in my cellar for “Thursday’s Bottle.” This week has been one of the busiest in recent memory, but I’ve met deadlines, helped a good friend harvest grapes and savored another fall’s cooler temperatures and a light rain.

Tonight I celebrated finishing a writing project with a glass or two of a rustic wine, Mistura from Vino Noceto in Amador County. I visited this winery almost two years ago on my way to a family Thanksgiving.

As I hoped, this stick-to-your-tongue tannic, “dusky” red embodies the flavors of fall. Think roasted vegetables with a side of mashed potatoes and thick butternut squash soup with a hint of white pepper and cumin.

That was the pairing I envisioned; in my world, I microwaved leftover quinoa and topped it with mushrooms sautéed in butter. And it was heaven.

This 2007 red table wine is hearty and aptly named. “We call it 180 Degrees because it’s different than any other wine we produce,” according to notes from winemaker Rusty Folena on Vino Noceto’s website, http://www.noceto.com

While the 2007 has no doubt sold out and fallen off the website, notes on the 2008 state: “This is a blend of the Portuguese varietals in our Almirante port-style wine: Tinta Roriz, Tinta Cao, Touriga Nacional and Tinta Amerela, plus Alicante Bouschet, Tempranillo, Syrah and Petite Sirah.”

This wine prompted me to craft a “Thursday’s Bottle” acronym: MPWF, or Must Pair With Food. This wine is big and spicy and bold. Needs food.

Retail: About $23, but likely sold out. http://www.noceto.com, Amador County Red Table Wine.

 

 

Thursday’s Bottle Takes Week Off

My weekly “Thursday’s Bottle” is taking a one-week break so its author can stay focused on another project’s looming deadline. Yes, it’s one of those weeks, and I’m all about Gary Larson of the Far Side: “Objects in your (side view) mirror are closer than they appear.”

See you Oct. 10 with a fresh review.