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Monthly Archives: February 2014

Scenes from the Lompoc Rotary Club’s annual wine tasting and auction this afternoon

24 Monday Feb 2014

Posted by lauriejervis in Vineyards and Viticulture, Winemaking

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Tags

Jalama Wines, Kessler-Haak Vineyard & Wines, La Montagne Winery, Lompoc Rotary Club, Turiya Wines

Winemaker Ron Hill. left, of a-non-ah-mus wines, with friend Andrew

Winemaker Ron Hill. left, of a-non-ah-mus wines, with friend Andrew

I absolutely love this event, as while it has grown over the years, it’s still a great chance to meet new winemakers — and hug some winemaking friends I haven’t seen for a while.

Theron and Kimberly Smith of La Montagne Winery

Theron and Kimberly Smith of La Montagne Winery

And it really highlights the many superb wines crafted from grapes grown in the Sta. Rita Hills.

The crowd awaits the next item for bidding during the live auction

The crowd awaits the next item for bidding during the live auction

The live auction always raises thousands of dollars for community projects, and this year, the benefactor was the fire safety training trailer for the Lompoc Firefighters Foundation.

Auctioneer Jim Glines worked up the crowd and auctioned off 16 donated items, among them “Firefighter for a Day;” a vacation in Park City, Utah; a prime rib dinner for 10 prepared by the M&M Cooking Crew at the home of winemaker Mark Cargasacchi, in the Jalama Vineyard; and a guided backpacking tour to Big Sur.

More photos …

Dan and Ellen Kessler-Hawk pour a selection of their wines, including their new sparkling wine. At right is Kenneth "Joey" Gummere, winemaker for Transcendence Winery.

Dan Kessler and Ellen Kessler-Hawk pour a selection of their wines, including their new sparkling wine. At right is Kenneth “Joey” Gummere, winemaker for Transcendence Winery

Karen Steinwachs, winemaker for Buttonwood Farm Winery, with Al Harry tasting, right

The smiling Karen Steinwachs, winemaker for Buttonwood Farm Winery, with Al Harry tasting, right

Angela Soleno with a bottle of her label, Turiya

Angela Soleno with a bottle of her label, Turiya

Image

For the birds …

22 Saturday Feb 2014

Tags

Pinot noir, Santa Barbara County Wines

What I believe are pinot noir grapes, poised on a brightly-colored table outside the home of a friend. Photo taken in December.

What I believe to be pinot noir grapes, poised on a brightly-colored table outside the home of a friend, in December, well past harvest.  

Posted by lauriejervis | Filed under Uncategorized

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Sales of winemakers’ collaborative Rhone blend will benefit The Family School

21 Friday Feb 2014

Posted by lauriejervis in Vineyards and Viticulture, Winemaking

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Santa Barbara County Wines, Santa Ynez Valley, Sunstone Winery, The Molly Ringwald Project

A contingent of Santa Barbara County winemakers — all parents of current students or graduates of The Family School — will debut a new wine, TFS Legacy II Cuvée, during back-to-back events in April.

All case sales of the Rhone-style blend will benefit the Los Olivos school, founded in 1974 on Figueroa Mountain Road. The wine will sell for $500 per case.

The group of winemakers includes Andrew Murray (Andrew Murray Vineyards); Bob Lindquist (Qupe); Bion Rice (Sunstone and Artiste wineries); Frank Ostini (Hartley-Ostini Hitching Post Wines); Jim Clendenen (Au Bon Climat); Joey Tensley (Tensley Wines); John Wright (Standing Sun Wines); Ken Brown (Ken Brown Wines); Larry Schaffer (Tercero Wines); Mark Horvath (Crawford Family Wines); Morgan Clendenen (Cold Heaven Cellars); and Steve Beckmen (Beckmen Vineyards), said publicist Sao Anash of Muse Management.

The cuvée will be launched during the “Bounty of the Valley” dinner on Saturday, April 26, at the Villa at Sunstone Winery. The Villa is an Old World architectural masterpiece constructed from reclaimed materials from Beaune and Normandy, and wood beams and roof tiles reclaimed from a 19th century lavender factory, once owned by Queen Victoria.

Completed in 2004, the Villa was built from artifacts and materials recovered from buildings and rural villages selected by the founders of Sunstone, Fred and Linda Rice, during the couple’s numerous trips to quarries and reclamation yards.

Saturday dinner: “Bounty of the Valley,” 5 to 10 p.m. Saturday, April 26, at the Villa, Sunstone Winery. The evening opens with hors d’oeuvres, followed by dinner at 6 p.m. Chef Stephanie Valentine will prepare a multicourse meal designed to showcase the wine, and other local chefs will compete to made the best slider. Wine tasting and music by The Molly Ringwald Project will also be featured. Tickets: $75 per person.

Friday, April 25, dinner: Food and wine aficionados seeking a once-in-a-lifetime event can attend a wine dinner in the Villa’s underground cave, to be hosted by the winemakers behind TFS Legacy II Cuvée. Tickets: $1,000 per person; fee includes six bottles of the cuvée.

Special package: Dinner in La Cav Friday evening, followed by an overnight stay in one of the Villa’s five luxurious suites, private tour of the Santa Ynez Valley Saturday, tickets for two to Saturday’s “Bounty of the Valley” and a case of the wine. Tickets: $5,000 per couple.

One of the master suites inside the Villa at Sunstone Winery.

One of the master suites inside the Villa at Sunstone Winery.

Rarely open to the public, the Villa includes five master suites, each with a private bath; eight fireplaces, a billiard room and many terraces and patios with mountain and vineyard views.

Tickets are available only at www.syvfamilyschool.org

East to West: A tale of two harvests — barrel tasting with Lindley Wines

14 Friday Feb 2014

Posted by lauriejervis in East to West: A Tale of Two Harvests, Faces Behind the Wine, Vineyards and Viticulture, Winemaking

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chardonnay, Dragonette Cellars, Lindley Wines, Pinot noir, Santa Barbara County, Sta. Rita HIlls

 

Last September, I started spending time with the owners of Dragonette Cellars and Lindley Wines. In both cases, the owners double as the winemakers.

My goal: Writing a series starting with harvest and ending with bottling (whites or rosés) or barrel aging (reds), and to alternate back and forth with the two wineries. My most recent installment featured Buellton-based Dragonette Cellars and was posted on Oct. 24 — nearly three-and-a-half months back. 

I interviewed Francesca “Frankie” and Jake Lindley on Dec. 19, and have absolutely no valid excuse for taking so long to whip up the story.

So once again, with “East to West,” I want to convey how the vast Santa Ynez Valley appellation encompasses two smaller AVAs: Happy Canyon of Santa Barbara to the east, and the Sta. Rita Hills to the west. At the east end, various Bordeaux grapes thrive in the heat; on the west end, it’s all about pinot noir and chardonnay, which flourish in the fog.

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In September, when “East to West” last featured the Lindleys, both were short on sleep and knee deep in harvest. Jake had picked up cellar work at Pali Wine Co., which meant he went straight from harvesting grapes to long days at another winery. Frankie housed and cooked meals for out-of-town friends who rose with the sun to pick grapes alongside the crew members from Coastal Vineyard Care Associates, the company that manages Lindley Vineyard.

In September, I wrote: “About 11 a.m. (one Monday), Jake left for an all-day industry event in San Diego. He got home at 2 a.m. Tuesday — and went straight back to Lindley Vineyard for an overnight pick. About 10 a.m., he reached the winery to press that pinot, and at 2 p.m., he left for an eight-hour shift at Pali Wines.

Early in November, Frankie e-mailed me in response to my query about our next interview: “Sorry, Laurie: I would actually like to see him myself! He’s had one day off so far and slept for 21 hours … ”

But in two months’ time, as fruit was picked, fermented, pressed and eventually put to barrel, the two caught up on sleep. After Thanksgiving, Frankie graciously invited me to taste barrels at the Lompoc winery they share with Wes Hagen of Clos Pepe.

Visiting for the coming holidays were Jake’s parents, Karen and Rodney Quigley.

Jake Lindley and the 2013 viognier from Duvarita Vineyard.

Jake Lindley and the 2013 viognier from Duvarita Vineyard.

On Dec. 19, we five gathered around a table at the winery, the Lindley’s three large dogs lounging at our feet. Frankie checked glasses and Jake sat quietly, seemingly lost in thought, but their anticipation was palpable — the chardonnay lined up in glasses was the inaugural vintage from their estate vineyard, located on Sweeney Road on the western edge of the Sta. Rita Hills AVA.

(They’ve bottled Lindley Chardonnay before, but sourced it from Sierra Madre Vineyard in the Santa Maria Valley).

Also on the tasting menu was the first Lindley viognier, which Jake had produced from Duvarita Vineyard on Purisima Road, and another vintage of pinot noir from Lindley Vineyard.

The couple finished harvest 2013 with 20 barrels of estate pinot noir; 2.5 of viognier; three of estate chardonnay; two pinot noir from Radian Vineyard; five from La Lomita Vineyard, and three barrels of blended pinot noir.

Of the viognier, Jake said: “We wanted a white to pair with our release of the 2012 pinot noir.” In December, they anticipated bottling the viognier in January, and would release it in the coming months.

The owner of Duvarita Vineyard sold the Lindleys one ton of viognier grapes, Jake said, which he turned into about two and-a-half barrels’ worth of juice, most of it fermented in “really old neutral barrels.”

And so we sipped. Here are our notes:

Barrel One: “Full of perfume; pretty; rosy, with a traditional viognier nose full of honeysuckle.”

Barrel Two: “Not as floral as Barrel One; more muted, full of straw; still a mouth punch; has a tiny bit of spritz; it’s still in ML (malolactic fermentation).”

Barrel Three: “This one is more like the first barrel; this is the half barrel, and is in stainless steel; lovely on the palate; really yummy;” (and, from Frankie): “Jake, you might just have a future!”

From viognier, we segued to the estate chardonnay, and tasted three more single barrels, slightly out of order:

Barrel One: “This tastes like chardonnay! … It’s a little simple, yet clean.”

Barrel Three: “This has a vibrant nose; way more fun; complex; this is a beautiful wine already; very pleasing.”

Barrel Two: “Butterscotch-y, but overall, much more simple; nutty; the nuttiness in this chardonnay comes from a heavier press — it produces some tannins from the skins.”

And then it came time to sample four barrels of pinot noir, all Pommard clone.

Samples of very young pinot noir from the Lindley estate pinot noir, Sta. Rita Hills

Samples of very young pinot noir from the Lindley estate pinot noir, Sta. Rita Hills

“At this point (early in the aging process), I’m looking for flaws in the wine,” Jake said.

Flaws? Nope. The young wine was exquisite, and as we swirled, sniffed and tasted, Frankie lavished praise on Jake: “We grew this!” and, “Oh my god, honey!”

Jake just smiled.

“I didn’t have to fight this wine,” he explained. “It was easy — the vintage itself, 2013, was easy.”

The Lindley’s young pinots were color-rich and complex in flavor. One barrel sample showed more mocha (“that may have been a newer barrel,” said Jake); another had already finished ML and displayed a softer and smoother mouthfeel. Yet another had a “big nose” — “This is MY kind of wine, a classic pinot noir. Pommard is perfume-y and has a silkiness to it.”

“To have something this fun … already .. to have this, now!” Frankie enthused about the progress of their pinot noir. “This is our first barrel tasting, because we’ve been so busy, and we wanted to do this with you,” she told me.

Indeed, though the wines are young, they each radiate a certain je ne sais quoi. They are bright yet elegant, layered and subtle.

“So far, so good,” Jake smiled.

Coming next: Dragonette Cellars bottles a 2013 vintage

Copyright centralcoastwinepress.com

 

 

Chardonnay Symposium Update: SMV Wine Country Association disbands

13 Thursday Feb 2014

Posted by lauriejervis in Commentary, Santa Barbara County Vintners' Association, Vineyards and Viticulture, Winemaking

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Clarissa Nagy, James Ontiveros, Nicholas Miller, Paul Lato, Presqu'ile, Santa Barbara County Vintners' Association, Santa Maria Valley, Santa Maria Valley Wine Country Association, The Chardonnay Symposium

The recent news that the popular Chardonnay Symposium would no longer be held in Chardonnay-ville, aka the Santa Maria Valley, now makes a little more sense.

In a news release Tuesday, the Santa Maria Valley Wine Country Association, founder in 2010 of the Chardonnay Symposium, announced that it will dissolve, and has handed over ownership of the annual event to the Dolphin Bay Resort and Spa in Pismo Beach.

The SMVWCA plans to give its “website and collaterals” to the Santa Maria Valley Chamber of Commerce, publicist Sao Anash (Muse Management) announced in a news release.

Taking over for the association is a “think tank” of industry volunteers, who will promote the Santa Maria Valley in ways that “are not hemmed in by the restrictions associated with many advocacy group models,” said volunteer member Dayna Hammell.

The Santa Maria Valley was recognized as an American Viticultural Area in 1981, making it Santa Barbara County’s first appellation.

Among the members of the think tank are Nicholas Miller (Bien Nacido Vineyards); vineyard manager Jim Stollberg (Maverick Farming Company); winemaker James Ontiveros (Alta Maria and Native 9); Matt Murphy (Presqu’ile); Katy Westgaard (Presqu’ile Winery); Laura Booras (Riverbench), winemaker Clarissa Nagy (Nagy Wines); Dayna Hammell (Thornhill Companies); winemaker Paul Lato and Anash.

While “ … many of us here in Santa Maria Valley will remain avid supporters and engaged members of the Santa Barbara County Vintners’ Association,” said Presqu’ile’s Murphy, adding that members intend to more “closely align our AVA’s interests with SBCVA, (which is) a testament to the revitalized leadership and vision at the association.”

Morgen McLaughlin, new executive director of the SBCVA, calls the Santa Maria Valley a “jewel in the crown of the Santa Barbara County wine region. As the SBCVA continues to work towards its strategic mission of raising the visibility of Santa Barbara County and its five AVAs, the ideas and input from this new think tank will be vital in assisting our efforts.”

Copyright Central Coast Wine Press

The CCWP Wine Week

12 Wednesday Feb 2014

Posted by lauriejervis in The CCWP Wine Week, Vineyards and Viticulture, Winemaking

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2013 California Grape Crush Report, Cabernet Sauvignon, chardonnay, Santa Barbara County California, Santa Barbara County Vintners' Association

This week’s preliminary 2013 Grape Crush Report revealed that California’s wine grape industry produced 4.23 million tons of fruit — a crop that tops the record haul set in 2012.

The production of red wine grapes rose by 5 percent in 2013, yielding 2.41 million tons, while white wine grapes’ figure was 1.83 million tons, 6 percent over that of 2012, according to the state’s report.

Add table grapes to the mix, and the total rises to 4,685,075 tons crushed.

The state’s most popular grape continues to be chardonnay with 16.1 percent of the volume crushed. Second is cabernet sauvignon with 11.1 percent.

Thompson Seedless grapes led the pack of table grapes with 6.2 percent of the total tonnage crushed.

CCWP 9.17 SR RoadThe average per-ton price of red wine grapes was $842 — 4 percent less than last year’s. For white wine grapes, the average price was $620, less than 1 percent below the 2012 average.

Let’s compare highest with lowest price per ton: District 4 (Napa County) was highest, with $3,691.07, and District 13 lowest with $339.55 per ton.

Take note: District 13 is no wee lot — it comprises Madera, Fresno, Alpine, Mono and Inyo counties, as well as Kings and Tulare counties north of Nevada Avenue (Avenue 192). District 13’s total haul equaled 1,588,985 tons.

In addition, more vines were planted in District 13, translating to an 8 percent increase in its total tonnage.

Most of the state’s 17 districts saw an increase in growth. District 2, Lake County, provided the highest percentage with an increase of 24.1 percent, or 43,209 tons of wine grapes.

District 8 — Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo and Ventura counties — harvested 10.5 percent more grapes in 2013 than in the prior year with 241,405 tons, the report noted.

The California Office of USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) and the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) turn figures provided by the state’s vintners into this annual report.

The entire grape crush report is available at www.nass.usda.gov/ca

+ + +

Despite the relatively small amount of rain the Central Coast received last week, I have seen a few green shoots sprouting up from the brown hillsides and along our roads.

Many local vineyard owners used their overhead sprinklers to soak the vines in the weeks before the our recent rains. They no doubt feared the worst, as day after warm day of sun continued to parch the lands.

This week, the vineyards I pass on a near-daily basis — Duvarita, Kessler-Haak, Clos Pepe, Zotovich, Melville, Babcock and Ampelos — have at least the beginnings of lush green carpets from vine row cover crops.

Copyright Central Coast Wine Press

Chardonnay Symposium moving to Pismo Beach May 16 — 18

04 Tuesday Feb 2014

Posted by lauriejervis in Santa Barbara County Vintners' Association, Vineyards and Viticulture, Winemaking

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

chardonnay, Chardonnay Symposium, Cliffs Resort, Pismo Beach, Santa Maria Valley, Sta. Rita HIlls

Some updates on The Chardonnay Symposium have been posted via Facebook: http://www.thechardonnaysymposium.com.

Since I wrote this story late yesterday, another day’s been added (Sunday, May 18), and the event has been christened “The Chardonnay Symposium 2014: A Gathering of Good Taste.”

And: “Events include a Grand Wine Tasting, focused educational seminar with representatives from top Chardonnay wineries, and a sumptuous multi-course Chardonnay dinner. In conjunction with The Symposium, many Central Coast wineries will offer special promotions and events to complete the experience.”

A full schedule of events and ticket information is expected to be announced in the coming weeks.

(My original story follows)

After debuting in the Santa Maria Valley in 2010, the Chardonnay Symposium will relocate to San Luis Obispo County for its fifth year, organizers have announced.

The event will take place May 16 through 18 at the Dolphin Bay Resort & Spa in Pismo Beach.

Central Coast Wine Press photo

Central Coast Wine Press photo

The symposium unites winemakers, sommeliers and food and wine enthusiasts to taste and learn more about “America’s Sweetheart” grape, which is grown throughout Santa Barbara County, especially in the Sta. Rita Hills and Santa Maria Valley.

The Dolphin Bay Resort and the Cliffs Resort had long been host sites for the World of Pinot Noir (WOPN), but last year organizers of the popular pinot noir event relocated it to the Bacara Resort & Spa north of Santa Barbara.

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