Thursday’s Bottle

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Ballard Canyon Road American Viticultural Area, Clos Pepe Estates, Grenache, Santa Ynez Valley, syrah, Wes Hagen

2010 Axis Mundi Grenache/Syrah

Axis Mundi is the center of the world, and in mythology, the connection between Heaven and Earth.

While until today I wasn’t sure of the Axis Mundi definition, I am familiar with this particular wine — although it’s been a while since I’ve enjoyed it.

If anyone would name a label Axis Mundi, it would be Wes Hagen, the erudite viticulturist and winemaker behind Clos Pepe Estates. Axis is his second label.

This bright Rhone blend is 67 percent grenache and 33 percent syrah from Windmill Vineyards on Ballard Canyon Road in the brand new Ballard Canyon Road American Viticultural Area, a sub-appellation of the greater Santa Ynez Valley AVA.

Hagen keeps this blend a vivid expression of the typical grenache — full of just-ripe strawberry with the slightest hint of cherry smoked tobacco and spice.

This wine is light in color, but full of flavor. I sipped it just last night with a spicy tortilla soup and it proudly held its own. It’s definitely a food-friendly wine.

Released February 2012. Retail: $29. Neither Clos Pepe or Axis Mundi has a tasting room, but the wines are available online at www.clospepe.com and can be found at Taste of the Sta. Rita Hills in the
Lompoc Wine Ghetto

East to West: A Tale of Two Harvests: Dragonette Cellars

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Brandon Sparks-Gillis, Dragonette Cellars' rosé, Grenache, Happy Canyon of Santa Barbara AVA, John Dragonette, Mourvèdre, Vogelzang Vineyard

Grenache vines produce large grape clusters like this one — which will eventually be part of Dragonette Cellars’ 2013 Happy Canyon rosé

Today: East, back to Buellton with Dragonette Cellars

Early Monday morning, Sept. 23, the remainder of Dragonette Cellars’ Vogelzang Vineyard grapes — grenache and mourvedre — were harvested and trucked to the winery.

Roughly two tons of grenache grapes were already dripping juice via a “free run” — no pressure — from the press into the tray below when I caught up winemakers Brandon Sparks-Gillis and John Dragonette about 8:30 a.m. at the Buellton facility.

“This is it from Vogelzang” for the 2013 harvest, Dragonette said. The winemakers source some of their sauvignon blanc and the grenache and mourvedre for their Happy Canyon of Santa Barbara rosé from Vogelzang Vineyard.

The two planned to press off everything — 2.5 grenache tons and 2 tons of mourvedre — that morning. The pressed juice would be drained into a tank for one night and then pumped into various neutral barrels Tuesday, Dragonette said.

Next in the series: Frankie and Jake Lindley survive a week of minimal sleep and maximum grapes as they finish their estate harvest (pinot noir and chardonnay) and get more pinot noir from two more of their other vineyard sources.

Copyright Laurie Jervis and centralcoastwinepress.com