Bordeaux varieties planted at Rusack’s Ballard Canyon vineyard
Two more Santa Barbara County producers I visited last month whose wines greatly impressed me possess winemakers who are highly respected by their peers. Both winemakers–Longoria’s Richard Longoria and Rusack’s Steven Gerbac–are modest, low key, high achievers who constantly experiment, searching for ways to improve their already excellent wines.
As it happens, Longoria and Gerbac’s careers intersected long ago: Gerbac’s eighth grade science project involved studying malolactic fermentation with Longoria.
Richard Longoria has been making wine for nearly 40 years. He’s a self-described product of the Sixties counterculture, who graduated from U.C. Berkeley in 1973. He feels this led him early on to a “non-establishment” kind of career, winemaking.
Longoria is gentle and soft spoken, and seems to have a boundless interest in new techniques and experiments going on in the winemaking world: from ocean-submersion wine aging experiments to the Italian Ganimede fermenter, which utilizes the CO2 gas that builds up during fermentation to gently percolate the grape must. Longoria now employs a Ganimede for a portion of his Pinot Noir and Tempranillo.
Longoria, known as Rick in Santa Barbara’s winemaking community, found his first job in wine at Sonoma’s Buena Vista Winery. There he met famous pioneering California winemaker Andre Tchelistcheff who was consulting there. Tchelistcheff told Rick about Firestone’s new winery in Santa Barbara where he was also consulting, and shared with him his excitement about Santa Barbara’s wine producing potential.
Rick had spent some of his teen years in Santa Barbara when his father, an enlisted serviceman, was stationed at Vandenberg Air Force Base. When Tchelistcheff let Rick know that Firestone was looking for a cellar foreman, Rick interviewed, got the job and moved to Los Olivos in 1976.
Rick left Santa Barbara for a job as Cellarmaster at Napa’s Chappellet Vineyards in 1978, but soon returned when he heard about a position at a new small winery, J. Carey Cellars, where he came on as winemaker in 1979.
Rick and his wife Diana, whom he had met while working at Firestone, launched Longoria Wines in 1982 with a focus on Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Those were two grapes he wasn’t working with as winemaker for J. Carey, and he felt those grapes were showing particular promise in Santa Barbara County.
Rick moved on in 1985 to become winemaker for The Gainey Vineyard, a new state-of-the-art winery on the 3600-acre Gainey Ranch. He continued in that position for 12 years before deciding, with Diana, to devote their full efforts to their own wine business in 1997.
The Longorias relied entirely on purchased fruit until Rick had a chance to plant his own vineyard, a partnership with Hank and Brenda Klehn, on the Klehns’ 40-acre ranch located on a small mesa at the western end of the Santa Rita Hills. After discussing and planning the project for two years, they planted 7.75 acres in 1998 to three clones of Pinot Noir: Pommard, 115 and 667.
They named the vineyard Fe Ciega, Spanish for “Blind Faith.” The name is partly a tribute to a favorite band—Rick is a huge music lover, and there is a musical reference in another of his wines’ names (“Lovely Rita”). In 2008, they planted an additional 1.25 acres of Pinot Noir, Mount Eden clone, and three-quarters of an acre of Chardonnay.
I had a chance to try the very first vintage from Fe Ciega, the 2000, over lunch with Rick at Avant, a delightful tapas restaurant that co-occupies and shares a long glass wall with a custom crush facility in Buellton. Rick had salvaged a relatively small amount of grapes that year from the birds–they hadn’t yet installed netting–picking at only 22.4 brix. He aged the wine in neutral, 30 gallon barrels and only made 12 cases.
The wine was a powerful beauty, with a great deal of complexity and a lot of life to it yet. At 13 years of age, it still had fruit, but has also taken on tertiary aromas and flavors, like mushroom, iodine and dried cherry. It also has a sweet green herb note to it that Rick believes is a signature of the vineyard. Rick himself confessed to being surprised as to how the wine had developed, especially at the sweetness and richness it had taken on with age which he hadn’t anticipated from tasting it in its youth.
Over the years, in addition to Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, Rick has also become a fan of Spanish varieties, like Albariño and Tempranillo, so has sought out the few vineyards containing those grapes in the Santa Barbara area. He also makes a Syrah and a Bordeaux blend, called Evidence.
In December 1998, Longoria was the very first to site his winery in the Lompoc industrial park now affectionately known as the “Lompoc Wine Ghetto.” Having planted Fe Ciega in the Santa Rita Hills, Rick was looking for someplace closer to bring the SRH grapes after harvest than all the way up to the wineries in Santa Ynez, where most of the available facilities were. Having gone to high school in Lompoc he was familiar with the area, and knew it was an inexpensive place to rent space. When he saw the Sobhani industrial park, he knew he’d found Longoria Wines’ new home.
This industrial park, together with another park owned by Steve Zotovich that recently opened next door, is now home to about 20 wineries. It’s sort of like a large campus devoted to the study and creation of wine, and Longoria is, for many there, its beloved dean and counselor.
Longoria (right) with Zotovich winemaker Ryan Zotovich
Tasting through about a dozen of Rick’s wines at the winery reinforced my conclusions from many other tastings of Longoria over the years. These are very consistent, well made wines that are significantly lower in alcohol than most other wines from the region. Despite their lower alcohols, they typically have a lot of power and structure, giving them great aging potential.
For me, Rick’s most striking and successful wines are the Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs, especially those based on fruit from his Fe Ciega vineyard. The 2011 Lovely Rita Pinot, from Pommard clone vines at Fe Ciega, with relatively little new oak (20%), is a terrific value for high quality Cali Pinot Noir at $32. The 2011 Rita’s Crown Vineyard Chardonnay, his first vineyard designate Chard in 10 years, also stands out for its crystalline acidity and minerality, and its long finish. The Tempranillo is also a very good effort–one of the better domestic Tempranillos I’ve had, bringing to mind a delicious Rioja Crianza from a ripe year.
I’m also delighted by the fact that Rick doesn’t believe in using whole cluster, or grape stems, in his Pinots. For him, that’s a technique that “obscures the site expression and adds an element, like new oak.”
This is an intentionally small production operation at about 3,000 cases a year, so Rick can stay hands on and keep the quality high. The wines may therefore be harder to find outside of the California market, but they are well worth seeking out.
Rusack Vineyards is likewise a relatively small operation, with annual production at about 7,000 cases, aimed at making very high quality wines. Steven Gerbac was named winemaker there this year, after having worked his way up, starting in 2003, from production assistant, to cellar master and then to assistant winemaker under John Falcone, who has since moved over to direct winemaking at Gainey.
Rusack’s Steven Gerbac
Prior to coming to Rusack, Gerbac had worked for both Whitcraft Winery and Brander Vineyard.
Rusack’s owners are Geoff Rusack, an aviation lawyer, and his wife Alison Wrigley Rusack, a Disney exec and descendant of the Wrigley chewing gum family, which also owned the Chicago Cubs and, through their purchase of the Santa Catalina Island Co. in 1919, all the developable land on Santa Catalina Island, which is located 22 miles off the coast of Los Angeles.
The two had long dreamed of starting a vineyard and winery, and purchased a 48-acre property in 1995 in Ballard Canyon that now has 17 planted vineyard acres.
This estate vineyard is planted primarily to Syrah and Sangiovese, with smaller blocks of Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon and Petite Sirah. They also grow one-half acre each of Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Petit Verdot, with meter by meter spacing, for their Bordeaux blend called Anacapa. The vineyard was substantially replanted in 2002-2003 with realigned rows, following the contours of the land and running 11 degrees off from a north-south direction, to allow for balanced sun exposure on both sides of the canopy.
The Rusacks also source grapes from other top growers in Ballard Canyon as well as, for their Pinot Noirs and Chardonnays, cool climate vineyards in Santa Rita Hills and Santa Maria Valley. This includes the Bien Nacido and Solomon Hills vineyards that I highlighted in my last blog piece on Santa Barbara County.
Having gained substantial experience in grape growing and winemaking in Santa Barbara County, the Rusacks turned in 2007 to a project they’d been thinking about since their first visit to Santa Catalina Island together in 1982, planting an “extreme” vineyard on Wrigley family land on the island’s southwestern coast.
The challenges here are many, including very saline soils and grape-loving foxes, quail and yellow jacket wasps.
They have so far planted 4.5 acres there–2.5 acres of Pinot Noir, 1.5 of Chardonnay and half an acre to a heritage clone of Zinfandel that Geoff Rusack obtained from nearby Santa Cruz Island.
It turns out that back in 1884, a San Francisco businessman named Justinian Caire also had dreams of an island vineyard. He built a red brick winery and planted vines on Santa Cruz Island off the coast of Santa Barbara, turning it into a very successful winery until Prohibition brought the business to an end in 1932.
David Dewey, ranch manager on Santa Cruz Island, located one of the last remaining vines on the island growing on a willow tree on a hillside. Rusack, with two of his sons, collected cuttings and had the vine identified as Zinfandel at U.C. Davis. He then took 200 cuttings for propagating into vines. Another last vine on the island was found to be the Mission grape, and Geoff Rusack has taken cuttings from that too, with the intention of ultimately planting a half acre plot of Mission vines from those cuttings in Ballard Canyon.
With help from an Australian soil scientist, Alfred Cass, who has expertise in planting on highly saline soils, the Rusacks planted their Catalina vineyard in two rows, side by side, on mounds. The mounds are used to double up the top soil and permit more salt drainage, with mist being sprayed on a regular basis to keep the salt moving downwards.
Steven Gerbac flies to the island once a week after veraison to monitor the progress of the vines. He told me that they are working to keep the foxes out by building a low voltage electric fence with advice from the island conservancy’s fox expert. They are also trying to redirect the foxes elsewhere using Calvin Klein’s Obsession, to which the foxes are highly attracted.
Steven explained that they have to fly workers from Santa Barbara to the island during harvest, and that they then fly the grapes, one ton at a time, from Catalina to Santa Ynez to make the wine at the Rusack winery in Ballard Canyon.
As you can imagine, the Catalina vineyard project currently has some of the highest production costs–if not the highest–of any vineyard in the country. The Rusacks plan to eventually build a winery and tasting room on the island, and could eventually expand the vineyard to 18 acres.
Hearing this story about the Catalina Island project, I was dying to try the wines. They did not disappoint. The 2010 Chardonnay is quite complex, with highly unusual salty caramel aromas and flavors, along with more typical lemon, mineral and almond notes. The Pinot Noir also had very unusual, but appealing, aromas and flavors, including salty and dried cherries.
The best of the island wines of all, however, for me, was the Zinfandel from the Santa Cruz Island heritage clone. Steven only had one bottle left of this elixir, of which only a small amount had been made–half of the first crop was decimated by yellow jackets–and quickly sold out. I am so glad he ultimately decided to open this bottle for me, as I’ve never tasted a Zin quite like it. As Steven said, this was a Zin “made by a guy who makes a lot of Pinot.”
To start with, this wine is intensely aromatic, with dried currant, saline and iodine aromas. The palate includes salty dried plum, lavender bath salt and dried blueberry flavors. That may not sound like the most appetizing description, but believe me, this is a very tasty and unusual wine. It could also benefit from three years or so of additional bottle age.
I am very hopeful that they will plant more of this Zin and produce a lot more of this extraordinary wine. I think there should be a seminar devoted to it at an upcoming ZAP tasting.
Turning back to Rusack’s Santa Barbara-based wines, this is also a very strong lineup. I like everything they make, but am particularly a fan of their Anacapa Bordeaux blend, two of their Pinots–the 2011 Sta. Rita Hills Reserve and the 2011 Solomon Hills Vineyard, and both of their Syrahs. The 2011 Ballard Canyon Estate Syrah, which includes 9% Petite Sirah in the blend, is a particularly good value. I gave it 93+ points and it sells for only $25.
Like Longoria, Steve entirely destems his Pinot Noirs. As a strong advocate of destemming Pinot myself, I appreciated meeting two kindred spirits who happen to be great winemakers on this trip.
I was so excited by my visits with these and other Santa Barbara producers that I’ve returned for a couple more days this week, to taste with a few more recommended producers in this area. I hope to report soon on the results of those tastings, and of a special event at Sanford & Benedict I will be attending tomorrow.
For my tasting notes on all of the wines I sampled at both Longoria and Rusack, see below.
Longoria
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2012 Longoria Albariño Clover Creek Vineyard – USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Ynez Valley (4/5/2013)
Very light yellow color; appealing, tart peach, ripe pear nose; clean, rich, ripe pear, tart peach palate with good acidity; medium-plus finish 90+ points (90 points) -
2011 Longoria Chardonnay Cuvée Diana – USA, California, Central Coast, Sta. Rita Hills (4/5/2013)
Light yellow color; appealing, white jasmine, ripe pear, vanilla nose; rich, round but balanced, ripe pear, ripe lemon, ripe grapefruit palate with vibrant acidity; medium-plus finish 91+ points (an acid lover’s treat at 3.07 pH; 13.7% alcohol; 13-14 mos in barrel, 30% new) (91 points) -
2011 Longoria Chardonnay Rita’s Crown – USA, California, Central Coast, Sta. Rita Hills (4/5/2013)
Bright light yellow color; appealing, light hazelnut, almond nose; tasty, rich, hazelnut, ripe pear, lightly saline, mineral palate with crystalline acidity; long finish (Clone 96; 13.6% alcohol; Rick’s first vineyard designated Chardonnay in 10 years) (93 points) -
2011 Longoria Pinot Noir Bien Nacido Vineyard – USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Maria Valley (4/5/2013)
Very dark cherry red color; appealing, sous bois, tea leaf, tart cranberry, rosehips nose; tasty, Pommard-like, tart cranberry, rosehips, sous bois, mineral palate with good acidity; could use 2-plus years; medium-plus finish 91+ points (13.6% alcohol) (91 points) -
2011 Longoria Pinot Noir Lovely Rita Sta. Rita Hills – USA, California, Central Coast, Sta. Rita Hills (4/5/2013)
Medium dark ruby color; appealing, ripe cranberry, strawberry, light sous bois nose with a sense of salinity; delicious, well delineated, poised, ripe raspberry, strawberry palate with medium acidity; medium-plus finish (an elegant Cali Pinot for $32; 3.24 pH; 20% new oak) (93 points) -
2010 Longoria Pinot Noir Fe Ciega Vineyard – USA, California, Central Coast, Sta. Rita Hills (4/5/2013)
Very dark ruby color; appealing, tart cherry, dried cranberry, roses nose; tight, ripe cherry, baked raspberry palate with light salinity and roses on finish; needs 3 years; medium-plus finish 92+ points (13.9% alcohol; 30% new oak for 14 mos) (92 points) -
2011 Longoria Pinot Noir Block M Fe Ciega Vineyard – USA, California, Central Coast, Sta. Rita Hills (4/5/2013)
Saturated very dark ruby color; very appealing, tart cherry, ripe raspberry, roses nose; youthful, ripe and delicious cherry, ripe raspberry palate with fine tannins and good acidity; needs 2-3 years; long finish 93+ points (14.5% alcohol; 30% new oak for 14 mos) (93 points) -
2011 Longoria Pinot Noir La Encantada Vineyard Sta. Rita Hills – USA, California, Central Coast, Sta. Rita Hills (4/5/2013)
Very dark ruby color; sous bois, forest floor, tree bark, light cinnamon nose; tight, powerful, complex, juicy, ripe cherry, orange oil, cinnamon, nutmeg palate; could use 2 years; medium-plus finish (13.6% alcohol) (93 points) -
2010 Longoria Syrah Alisos Vineyard – USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Barbara County (4/5/2013)
Opaque purple red violet color; ripe, bright, cinnamon, plum nose; ripe but poised, ripe plum, cherry palate with bright fruit and good acidity; could use 2-3 years; medium-plus finish (22 mos in 25% new French oak) (91 points) -
2010 Longoria Tempranillo Santa Ynez Valley – USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Ynez Valley (4/5/2013)
Dark ruby color; baked berry, ripe red berry nose; youthful, plush, juicy, ripe red berry, cherry, vanilla palate reminiscent of a Rioja Crianza from a ripe year; medium-plus finish 90+ points (13.6% alcohol; 22 mos. in 33% new American oak; with 6-7% Merlot) (90 points) -
2010 Longoria Evidence – USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Barbara County (4/5/2013)
Saturated very dark ruby color; tart red currant, black currant, loamy nose; tasty, ripe red currant, cassis palate with firm sweet tannins and nice balance; good now but could use 2 years bottle age; medium-plus finish 90+ points (14.4% alcohol; 39% Cabernet Sauvignon, 36% Cabernet Franc, 20% Merlot, 5% Malbec) (90 points) -
2000 Longoria Pinot Noir Blind Faith Vineyard – USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Maria Valley (4/5/2013)
From 375 ml – slightly cloudy dark cherry red color; mature, mushroom, iodine, ripe cranberry, dried cherry nose; tasty, mature, complex, ripe cherry, iodine, sweet green herb, dried cherry, mineral, mushroom, cinnamon palate with power, intensity and great acidity; medium-plus finish 93+ points (1st vintage from Fe Ciega Vineyard; picked at 22.4 brix to beat the birds from getting everything) (93 points)
Rusack
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2012 Rusack Sauvignon Blanc – USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Ynez Valley (4/4/2013)
Very light yellow color; clean, tart grapefruit nose; precise, tasty, tart lime, saline, minerally palate with medium acidity; medium-plus finish (13.5% alcohol; stainless steel; no malolactic) (91 points) -
2011 Rusack Chardonnay – USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Barbara County (4/4/2013)
Bright light canary yellow color; appealing, white jasmine, tart pear nose; rich, tasty, ripe lemon, ripe pear, white jasmine palate; needs 1-plus year of bottle age; medium-plus finish (14.2% alcohol; barrel fermented with lees stirring) (91 points) -
2011 Rusack Chardonnay Reserve – USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Maria Valley (4/4/2013)
Bright light canary yellow color; appealing, tart pear, white jasmine, light vanilla nose; ripe, rich, vanilla, ripe lemon palate with density, balanced for a ripe style, with good acidity; medium-plus finish 91+ points (14.2% alcohol; pH 3.2; barrel selection of the best 12-20 barrels) (91 points) -
2010 Rusack Chardonnay SCIV Catalina – USA, California, Central Coast (4/4/2013)
Light lemon yellow color; appealing, tart pear, salty caramel nose; tasty, unusual, ripe lemon, light salty caramel, mineral, almond palate with medium acidity; medium-plus finish 92+ points (clone 4; 14.2% alcohol) (92 points) -
2010 Rusack Pinot Noir SCIV Catalina – USA, California, Central Coast (4/4/2013)
Dark ruby color; intriguing, roses, tart salty cherry, dried raspberry nose; tasty, unusual, intense, salty dried cherries, mineral, dried cranberry palate with medium acidity; needs 2 years of bottle age; medium-plus finish (14.2% alcohol; 3.7 pH; clones 4, 667 and 777) (91 points) -
2010 Rusack Pinot Noir – USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Barbara County (4/4/2013)
Very dark ruby color; appealing, aromatic, baked cherry, black raspberry, incense nose; rich, youthful, baked black cherry, black raspberry, spice palate with a touch of orange acidity; needs 2-3 years bottle age; medium-plus finish 91+ points (14.2% alcohol; 30-40% new oak) (91 points) -
2011 Rusack Pinot Noir Reserve – USA, California, Central Coast, Sta. Rita Hills (4/4/2013)
Very dark ruby color; appealing, tart cherry, roses, loamy, earthy nose; delicious, rich, ripe raspberry, roses, tart cherry, ripe cranberry palate with good acidity and structure; could use 2-3 years of bottle age; medium-plus finish 93+ points (14.3% alcohol; 3.5 pH) (93 points) -
2011 Rusack Pinot Noir Solomon Hills Vineyard – USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Maria Valley (4/4/2013)
Dark ruby color; roses, dried roses, dried cherry, saline, earthy nose; tasty, rich but poised, tart cherry, ripe cranberry, mineral, rosehips palate with density and good acidity; medium-plus finish 92+ points (14.3% alcohol; clones 667 and 777) (92 points) -
2010 Rusack Syrah Reserve Ballard Canyon – USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Ynez Valley (4/4/2013)
Very dark ruby color; green peppercorn, roasted plum nose; tasty, rich, dense, complex, tart plum, charcoal palate showing salinity and good acidity; medium-plus finish (92 points) -
2011 Rusack Syrah Ballard Canyon – USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Ynez Valley (4/4/2013)
Saturated, very dark ruby color; roasted black fruit, roasted meat, pepper, oregano nose; tight, dense, roasted black fruit, tart black fruit, savory, pepper, dried cured meat palate; medium-plus finish 93+ points (good value at about $25; with 9% Petite Sirah; 2% American oak) (93 points) -
2010 Rusack Sangiovese Ballard Canyon – USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Ynez Valley (4/4/2013)
Very dark ruby color; tart dried berry, charcoal nose; smoky oak, roasted tart black fruit, tart red berry palate with medium acidity; could use 2-3 years of bottle age; medium-plus finish (14.5% alcohol; 20% new oak) (89 points) -
2010 Rusack Anacapa – USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Barbara County (4/4/2013)
Saturated very dark red violet color; tart black currant, loam, fresh oregano nose; tight, tart black currant, loam, tart berry palate with a light sense of salinity and good acidity; needs 3-plus years of bottle age; medium-plus finish (14.7% alcohol; 46% Cabernet Franc; 27% Merlot, 27% Petit Verdot) (92 points) -
2010 Rusack Zinfandel SCIV Catalina – USA, California, Central Coast (4/4/2013)
Dark ruby color; intense, lifted, aromatic, dried currant, saline, iodine, dried salt nose; unusual, intense, salty dried plum, lavender bath salt, dried blueberry palate with good acidity; could use 3 years of bottle age; medium-plus finish (from cuttings of Zin taken from Santa Cruz Island) (93 points)
looking toward northern end of Santa Maria Valley from Bien Nacido
Santa Maria Valley is the country’s third oldest official wine appellation, producing distinctive, balanced, cool climate Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Syrah. So why do marketing consultants advise producers here that they need to highlight Santa Barbara County and/or California on their labels? Because, sadly, the vast majority of consumers don’t know where Santa Maria Valley is or why it’s so special.
This alluvial plain that was once an extensive bay extending inland from the ocean is bounded on two sides by mountains in one of the most geographically unusual orientations in all of North America. These mountains run east to west, unlike any other coastal mountains on the West Coast, not including Alaska. As a result, they funnel in a steady stream of cold ocean air from the Santa Barbara coast.
Thanks to this funnel effect, the region is typically blanketed with ocean fog all evening through mid-morning, and the temperature averages a mild 64 degrees. The growing season, an average of 125 days, is longer than pretty much anywhere in the nation. As a result, grapes that like it cool—the Burgundy varieties Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, and the Rhone variety Syrah—can really excel here, slowly developing complex flavors and retaining great natural acidity. The ocean air influence also seems to impart a sense of salinity to many of the wines, much like the ocean breezes do in nearby Santa Rita Hills. That makes these wines a little more savory than their counterparts from elsewhere and delightful for pairing with food.
The vineyards here are planted on hillsides, elevated plateaus or along the river benches of the Santa Maria and Sisquoc Rivers. The soils range from clay loam to sandy loam, with good drainage. Rainfall generally averages only about 14 inches annually—and it’s been significantly less than that for the last couple of years. Yields also tend to be low due to cool Spring temperatures, which affect fruit set, causing the vines to produce fewer clusters with greater flavor intensity.
Viticulturalist Jim Stollberg with 40-year-old vines at Riverbench
So why aren’t the wines of this appellation better known? I think it has a lot to do with the fact that the vast majority of vineyard acreage here has long been owned by just a handful of companies, who originally planted and sold their crop mainly to well known producers in Northern California. That includes Kendall-Jackson’s 1500-acre Cambria Vineyard, the 950-acre North Canyon Vineyard long a source for Beringer, and the giant White Hills Vineyard, recently sold to a large Midwestern agricultural group.
One very large vineyard that has, by contrast, done a lot to raise the visibility and quality standards of this region is the justly famous Bien Nacido Vineyards.
Bien Nacido
In 1969, brothers Stephen and Robert Miller, the fourth generation of a California farming family, purchased two neighboring parcels totaling over 2,000 acres that were once part of the Rancho Tepesquet Mexican land grant. They began planting grapes there in 1973 with the help of pioneering area grape grower Dale Hampton.
In an unusual move, the first 300 acres were planted entirely with certified virus free increase block from U.C. Davis rather than the more typical planting with cuttings from other vineyards. These vines were also planted on their own rootstock. Most of the initial plantings were Pommard and Martini clones of Pinot, and clone 4 of Chardonnay. Trial plantings of Bordeaux varieties did not perform so well in this cool climate, so those were soon grafted over to Chardonnay and Pinot. There was also some Riesling and Gewurztraminer planted early on, which reportedly made some great wine, but for which there proved to be no market. Those vines have since been grafted over as well.
Even the market for Pinot Noir was very weak in the vineyard’s early years. The Millers sold a lot of their Chardonnay in the late ‘70s to sparkling wine producers in the north, insisting that they take some Pinot Noir along with the Chardonnay they were buying.
The Miller Family, owners of Bien Nacido and Solomon Hills vineyards
Jim Clendenen of Au Bon Climat was an early purchaser of the Millers’ Chardonnay and Pinot Noir grapes, and based on the quality of his wines, the Millers agreed to allow him to use Bien Nacido as a vineyard designation. They also ultimately let him build his utilitarian winemaking facility, which houses both Au Bon Climat and Bob Lindquist’s Qupé, on property toward the northwestern end of Bien Nacido. Now grapes from about one-third of the vineyard—largely from blocks grown on slopes and hillsides, and older vineyard sections—are deemed eligible for vineyard designation, with the approval of the Millers.
Bien Nacido was the first cool climate vineyard in California in which Syrah was planted, at the urging of Bob Lindquist. He’s made excellent Syrah from these plantings for Qupé, and wrote a technical paper on cool climate Syrah that got the attention of other cool climate growers.
Bien Nacido is also renowned for planting custom blocks on behalf of a number of highly respected producers. This has included blocks for Sine Qua Non’s Manfred Krankl, hillside Syrah plantings for Maggie Harrison of Lillian, a block of nine different Pinot Noir clones for Foxen, and biodynamically cultivated plots for both Qupé and Bonny Doon. Bien Nacido grapes are sold to these customers not by the ton, as is the case for most growers, but by charging a flat rate for a particular area or rows, so the winemaker is free to crop the vines to whatever level they wish.
Bien Nacido now encompasses about 800 planted vineyard acres, and the nearby Solomon Hills Vineyards, which the Millers planted in 1999, contain another 100 acres of vines.
Winemaker Trey Fletcher and Vineyard Manager Chris Hammel at Bien Nacido
I toured Bien Nacido with Vineyard Manager Chris Hammell during my trip last month to Santa Barbara County. The tour amounted to a graphic history lesson on the development of California vineyard management over the past four decades.
This included the valley floor plantings of virus free increase stock with their solid steel posts; a hillside “amphitheater” of southwest facing Roussanne, clone 174 Syrah and Mount Eden selection Chardonnay; and blocks of Pinot Blanc—another cool climate loving grape that, despite performing quite well in this area, are being grafted over to Pinot Noir due to lack of demand.
Chris told me that the old vine Martini clone Pinot Noir, dating back to 1973, is in particularly high demand amongst buyers these days. There are about 20 acres of these grapes in Block N, and another eight or so in Block Q. Although this clone was disparaged in decades past as being the main culprit behind the herbaceous flavors sometimes found in Santa Maria Valley Pinot, the old vines have proven to be very drought and heat resistant, and to produce low, flavorful yields. The Martini also ripens at lower brix, resulting in lower alcohol levels, than the Dijon clones and Pommard.
Chris also showed me new plantings of Grenache he’s quite excited about–both Alban clone and Garnacha Tinta from Spain–in a sheltered, warmer area of the vineyard. The vineyard is also home to roughly 100 sheep and goats, a few donkeys and two dogs.
Besides wine grapes, about 10% of the vineyard area is devoted to other crops like avocados, Meyer lemons and blueberries. These crops and the different schedules at which they develop and ripen help the Millers keep a year-round labor force in place.
Bien Nacido blueberries (l to r: Spring High, Sapphire, Jewel)
The blueberries, by the way, are quite delicious. I got to sample three of the four varieties they grow—Jewel, Sapphire and Spring High–which are distributed by Driscoll’s (Bien Nacido and Oxnard are the first places in California where blueberries ripen in the Spring). Each variety is packed separately, although they’re not marketed by Driscoll under their variety names (apparently only in England can you buy particular varieties of blueberries).
The stewards of this admirably managed vineyard, the Millers, established Central Coast Wine Services in the late 1980s as a custom crush facility. The availability of this resource has helped incubate new wineries, as well as increase the local demand for Bien Nacido fruit. They more recently opened a similar operation in Paso Robles, where they also own the extensive French Camp Vineyards .
The latest vinous development for the Miller family is the production of small quantities of wine from their Santa Maria Valley vineyards under their own Bien Nacido and Solomon Hills Vineyard labels.
Initially Steve’s son Nicholas, who is the enterprise’s VP of sales and marketing (brother Marshall is on the operations and finance side of the business), made this wine working with consultants. In 2011, they hired Trey Fletcher, then assistant winemaker at Littorai and previously assistant winemaker at Domaine Alfred, to head the winemaking for both the Bien Nacido and Solomon Hills labels.
I got to taste through the latest releases under those labels with Trey in the project’s aluminum sided winemaking facility. These are delicious wines with vibrant acidity that will add further luster to Bien Nacido’s already excellent reputation. The 2010 Bien Nacido Chardonnay and 2009 Solomon Hills Pinot Noir are particularly strong, while the 2009 Bien Nacido Syrah is an absolutely delicious and peppery cool climate Syrah.
Another reason for this appellation’s relatively low profile with consumers is that the area has been devoted much more to viticulture than to tourism. Until recently there were relatively few tasting rooms or facilities devoted to tourists here. That is changing in a dramatic way this year with a massive new winery, cave and visitor’s complex about to be completed at Presqu’ile.
Presqu’ile
Presqu’ile is the project of Matt Murphy and his family. The Murphys hail from Arkansas, where their Gulf Coast family compound, called Presqu’ile after the Creole phrase meaning “almost an island,” was essentially destroyed by Hurricane Katrina.
Presqu’ile’s Matt Murphy
Matt’s father and grandfather originally made money in the oil business. Matt had worked summers in Napa at Signorello starting in 2004, and moved to California in 2006. The family had been involved in wine ventures through partnerships, including the now basically defunct Ambullneo Winery (succeeded by Greg Linn Wines) where Matt met South African Dieter Cronje. Dieter became Matt’s best friend and the winemaker for Presqu’ile when that project began with the purchase of 173 acres on a hill in the cool southern end of Santa Maria Valley in 2007.
They have so far planted 65 of the 173 acres at Presqu’ile, and purchased an additional 10.5 acres of Pinot Noir planted in 2001 that lay adjacent to the property.
The land here was previously occupied by a gladiola bulb and cut-flower farm. Working with vineyard manager Jim Stollberg, Matt and Dieter planned the vineyards to ensure each grape variety was planted in multiple locations, row directions and spacing, with multiple clones and rootstocks. Both Matt and Dieter are Burgundy collectors and fanatics, so the plantings are primarily Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, along with some Sauvignon Blanc, Syrah and an acre of Matt’s next favorite grape after Pinot Noir, Nebbiolo. They have also made wine from purchased grapes, including grapes sourced from the Bien Nacido and Solomon Hills vineyards.
Presqu’ile winemaker Dieter Conje with La Fenêtre owner/winemaker Josh Klapper
Their first commercial vintage was 2009. I got to taste wines from both the 2010 and 2011 vintages, and I think it’s clear they’ve been quick learners, as I found the 2011 bottlings were all superior to their 2010 counterparts. The standouts for me were the 2011 Chardonnay from their first harvest of the new plantings and the 2011 Sauvignon Blanc, both relatively good values at $35 and $22 respectively. The Pinot Noirs, which have substantial whole cluster inclusion (Matt and Dieter are big fans of Burgundy’s Dujac, which is heavy on stem inclusion) have a lot of stemmy tannins that will need a few years of bottle age to integrate.
The new winery and visitor complex, which was still under construction when I visited and which is scheduled for a June 20 opening, is breathtaking. There’s truly nothing else like it in the appellation.
Riverbench
Riverbench is another longtime Santa Maria vineyard source that has more recently gotten into the winemaking business since the vineyard was purchased in 2004 by a group of local families. One can also now visit and taste the wines in their Santa Maria Valley tasting room, open daily in a newly restored Craftsman style house, or at their brand new tasting room in Santa Barbara’s trendy Funk Zone.
The Riverbench Vineyard, where 260 acres are now planted, includes 120 acres of old vines planted in 1973—50 acres of Martini clone Pinot Noir and 70 of Chardonnay. New plantings of Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris and Viognier were added in 2007.
Chuck Ortmann of Meridian was the original winemaker, starting with the 2006 vintage. After Chuck announced his retirement in 2011, Clarissa Nagy, formerly assistant winemaker at Longoria and the Bonnacorsi winemaker since 2006, came on board as winemaker. The vineyard manager since 2006 is the same Jim Stollberg who is also vineyard manager at Presqu’ile.
I particularly liked the Riverbench unoaked 2011 Bedrock Chardonnay and the 2010 Mesa Pinot Noir, from a block of own-rooted Martini clone planted in 1973. They also make a small quantity of very respectable sparkling wine.
With the new developments at these three Santa Maria producers, I expect the appellation’s profile will soon be rising. Savvy wine buyers already know that Bien Nacido on the label is a signal that the wine inside is bound to be good. Other producers who are making wonderful wines highly worthy of consumers’ attention from grapes grown in this region include Chanin, Foxen, La Fenêtre, Paul Lato, Summerland and Tyler.
For my tasting notes on all the wines I tasted from these producers, along with notes on current releases from other producers based on Bien Nacido grapes, see below.
Bien Nacido Vineyards
- 2010 Solomon Hills Chardonnay – USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Barbara County (4/2/2013)
Light yellow color; appealing, tart pear, white jasmine nose; tasty, tart pear, mineral palate with good acidity; medium-plus finish (13.9% alcohol; 33% new oak) 91 points - 2010 Bien Nacido Vineyards Chardonnay – USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Maria Valley (4/2/2013)
Light yellow color; ripe pear, light poached pear, butter poached pear nose; tasty, light-medium bodied, light footed, tart pear, mineral palate with light salinity and vibrant acidity; medium-plus finish 92+ points (14.1% alcohol; 60% new French oak; all from Bien Nacido’s Block W planted to clone 4; ideal pairing with oysters, scallops, calamari) 92 points - 2009 Solomon Hills Pinot Noir Solomon Hills Vineyard – USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Maria Valley (4/2/2013)
Dark black-tinged red violet color; appealing, tart cherry, saline, floral, light sandalwood nose; youthful, tight, tart black cherry, light sandalwood, spice palate with good acidity; could use 2-plus years for development; medium-plus finish (30% new oak; 16 mos on lees; about 1//3 each Pommard, 115 and 667 clones) 92 points - 2009 Bien Nacido Vineyards Pinot Noir Santa Maria Valley – USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Maria Valley (4/2/2013)
Black-tinged medium dark red violet color; dried roses, tart cherry, cranberry nose; tasty, tart cranberry, tart cherry, rosehips palate with medium acidity, grip and character; could use 1-2 years; medium-plus finish (14.1% alcohol; old vine Pommard from Q Block, with small amounts from Block G and Block 40) 91+ points - 2009 Bien Nacido Vineyards Syrah Santa Maria Valley – USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Maria Valley (4/2/2013)
Opaque black red violet color; appealing, lifted, roasted black fruit, black and white pepper,charcoal nose; tight, tasty, tart roasted black fruit, black and white pepper, mineral palate with purity and salinity; needs 3 years; medium-plus finish (14.5% alcohol; from Block Z, with about 5% interplanted Viognier, planted in late 1980s) 93+ points
Presqu’ile
- 2011 Presqu’ile Sauvignon Blanc – USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Barbara County (4/1/2013)
Light yellow color; appealing, smoky, lemon grass, tart gooseberry nose; firm textured, tart gooseberry, tart citrus palate with medium acidity; medium-plus finish (60% malo; 6-7 mos on lees) 91+ points - 2011 Presqu’ile Chardonnay – USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Maria Valley (4/1/2013)
Light yellow color with lots of small SO2 bubbles; appealing, ripe pear, butter poached pear nose; tart apple, butter poached pear, mineral palate with good density and acidity; medium-plus finish (18 mos in neutral oak) 92 points - 2010 Presqu’ile Chardonnay – USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Maria Valley (4/1/2013)
Light yellow color; leesy, tart lemon, ripe pear nose; round, rich, creamy textured, ripe lemon, almond palate; medium finish (10% new oak) 90+ points - 2011 Presqu’ile Pinot Noir – USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Maria Valley (4/1/2013)
Dark cherry red color; lovely tart cherry, tart cranberry, sous bois nose; tasty, balanced, tart cranberry, mineral, sous bois, saline palate with medium acidity; ready now; medium-plus finish (60% whole cluster) 91+ points - 2010 Presqu’ile Pinot Noir – USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Maria Valley (4/1/2013)
Very dark cherry red color; tart berry, roasted plum, green pepper nose; soft mouthfeel, tart cranberry, sour cherry, green bean palate; medium finish (25% new oak) 90 points - 2010 Presqu’ile Pinot Noir Rimrock Vineyard – USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Maria Valley (4/1/2013)
Pre-release (Fall ’13 release) – Very dark cherry red color; tart cranberry, sous bois, charcoal, sage nose; savory, textured, tart cranberry, roasted currant, sous bois, charcoal palate with medium acidity and firm tannins; needs 2-3 years; medium-plus finish (100% whole cluster; clones 667 and 115) 91 points - 2010 Presqu’ile Pinot Noir Presqu’ile Vineyard – USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Maria Valley (4/1/2013)
Dark red violet color; tart cranberry, roasted plum, dried berry nose; tasty, tart berry, dried berry, tart currant, light olive tapenade palate with firm tannins; needs 4-5 years; medium-plus finish (100% whole cluster; 18 mos in 30% new oak) 90+ points
Riverbench
- 2010 Riverbench Vineyard & Winery Chardonnay Cork Jumper Blanc de Blancs Riverbench – USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Maria Valley (4/2/2013)
Light yellow color with speedy column of very tiny bubbles; lemon powder, tart apple, lime, tart pear nose; bright, tart pear, fresh cut lime, mineral, chalk palate with tangy acidity; medium-plus finish (12.5% alcohol) 89+ points - 2011 Riverbench Vineyard & Winery Chardonnay Bedrock Riverbench Vineyard – USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Maria Valley (4/2/2013)
Bright canary yellow color; fresh, tart lemon, tart pear, honeysuckle nose; focused, clean, ripe lemon, tart pear, lightly saline palate with bright acidity; medium-plus finish (14.2% alcohol; stainless steel, 90% malolactic; 3.5 pH; great pairing with grilled shrimp or burrata) 91 points - 2010 Riverbench Vineyard & Winery Chardonnay Estate – USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Maria Valley (4/2/2013)
Light lemon yellow color; tart guava, green apple, pineapple nose; rich but poised, rounded, tart pineapple, ripe pear palate; medium finish (14.5% alcohol; 11 mos in French oak, 55% 1 year old; good pairing with white cream cheeses or lobster pot pie) 89 points - 2010 Riverbench Vineyard & Winery Pinot Noir Estate – USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Maria Valley (4/2/2013)
Very dark cherry red color; ripe raspberry, tart cherry, rhubarb nose; tasty, sappy, tart cherry, ripe raspberry, berry jam palate; richly flavored but balanced with a dusting of milk chocolate; medium-plus finish (14.6% alcohol; mainly vines planted in 1973) 91 points - 2010 Riverbench Vineyard & Winery Pinot Noir The Mesa Riverbench Vineyard – USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Maria Valley (4/2/2013)
Dark red violet color; deep, black cherry, black raspberry, tart berry nose; rich, tasty, black fruit, black cherry, black raspberry, tart berry syrup palate; medium-plus finish (14.5% alcohol; 9 mos in oak, 7% new, 60% 1-yr-old; all own-rooted Martini clone) 92 points
Other Producers’ Bien Nacido Designate Wines
Gavin Chanin
- 2010 Anglim Viognier Bien Nacido Vineyard – USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Maria Valley (3/25/2012)
Very light green-tinged yellow color; tart pear, floral nose; tasty, tart pear, floral palate; medium-plus finish (very good Viognier) 91+ points - 2009 Au Bon Climat Chardonnay Historic Vineyards Collection Bien Nacido Vineyard – USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Barbara County (4/6/2013)
Light yellow color; appealing, butter poached pear, saline nose; tasty, tight, tart pear, mineral, saline, iodine, light hazelnut palate with good acidity; needs 2-3 years; medium-plus finish 92+ points - 2010 Chanin Chardonnay Bien Nacido Vineyard – USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Maria Valley (2/4/2013)
Light lemon yellow color with 1 millimeter clear meniscus; ripe pear, ripe lemon, pineapple, French oak nose; French oak on entry that should integrate in two years or so, tart pear, tart lemon, mineral, ripe grapefruit palate with medium acidity; needs 2 years; medium-plus finish (13.9% alcohol) 92+ points - 2011 Chanin Chardonnay Bien Nacido Vineyard – USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Maria Valley (2/4/2013)
Light canary yellow color; tart lemon, vanilla, lemon drop nose; tasty, rich, lemon drop, tart lemon palate; medium-plus finish 92+ points - 2011 Chanin Pinot Noir Bien Nacido Vineyard – USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Maria Valley (2/4/2013)
Medium cherry red color; sous bois, rosehips nose; sous bois, rosehips, mineral palate with nice texture, balance and medium acidity; needs 3 years to fully integrate; medium-plus finish 92 points - 2011 Foxen Chardonnay Block UU Bien Nacido – USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Maria Valley (4/2/2013)
Light yellow color; butter, poached pear, butter sauce nose; juicy, ripe pear, tart apricot palate with a sense of salinity and good acidity; medium-plus finish 91 points - 2010 Foxen Pinot Noir Block 8 Bien Nacido Vineyard – USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Maria Valley (4/2/2013)
Very dark ruby color; appealing, ripe black cherry, black raspberry, boysenberry, lifted nose; very appealing, tart black cherry, black raspberry palate with a sense of salinity; medium-plus finish 91+ points - 2010 La Fenêtre Chardonnay Bien Nacido Vineyard – USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Maria Valley (4/1/2013)
Light medium yellow color; golden delicious apple, tart pear nose; rich, ripe apple, pear, ripe lime palate with good, balancing acidity; medium-plus finish (14.5% alcohol; 18 mos in 25% new oak) 91 points - 2010 La Fenêtre Pinot Noir Old Vines Bien Nacido – USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Maria Valley (4/1/2013)
Dark cherry red color; ripe cherry, baked cherry, baked raspberry nose; tasty, balanced, rich, tart cherry, strawberry jam, ripe raspberry palate with good acidity; could use 2-plus years; medium-plus finish 92 points - 2009 Paul Lato Syrah Il Padrino Bien Nacido Vineyard – USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Maria Valley (4/28/2012)
Very dark purple red violet color; aromatic, charcoal, tart black fruit, blueberry nose; complex, charcoal, tart black fruit, blueberry palate; medium-plus finish 93 points - 2010 Paul Lato Syrah Il Padrino Bien Nacido Vineyard – USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Maria Valley (4/28/2012)
Dark ruby color; lifted, tart black fruit, ripe black fruit, pepper, graphite nose; tasty, intense, tart black fruit, pepper, violets, mineral palate; needs 3 years; long finish 93+ points - 2010 Qupé Chardonnay Y Block Bien Nacido Vineyard – USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Maria Valley (4/9/2012)
Light yellow color; focused, tart pear, poached pear nose; tasty, poached pear, tart pear, tart pineapple palate; medium-plus finish 91 points - 2009 Qupé Syrah Bien Nacido Vineyard – USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Maria Valley (3/25/2012)
Dark ruby color; roasted black fruit, smoke, savory nose; tasty, tart black fruit, roasted plum, mineral, light pepper palate; medium-plus finish 92 points - 2009 Summerland Pinot Noir Bien Nacido Vineyard Block T – USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Maria Valley (4/2/2013)
Medium dark cherry red color; appealing, tart cherry, tart raspberry, floral nose; tasty, tart cherry, tart raspberry, light spice, light sandalwood palate with good acidity; medium-plus finish (Martini and Pommard clone) 91 points - 2009 Summerland Pinot Noir Proprietors Reserve Bien Nacido Vineyards – USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Maria Valley (4/2/2013)
Dark cherry red color; roses, ripe cherry, berry syrup nose; tasty, tart cherry, tart raspberry, saline, roses, mineral palate with near medium acidity; medium-plus finish 92+ points - 2010 Twomey Pinot Noir Bien Nacido Vineyard Santa Maria Valley – USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Maria Valley (11/11/2012)
Very dark ruby color; rich, ripe cherry, ripe berry nose; tasty, tart cherry, tart berry, ripe raspberry palate; medium-plus finish (13.5% alcohol; sample provided by winery) 91+ points - 2010 Tyler Chardonnay Bien Nacido – USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Maria Valley (2/4/2013)
Lightly cloudy lemon yellow color; poached pear, hazelnut nose; tasty, rich, ripe pear, ripe lemon, pear cream, mineral palate with good acidity; medium-plus finish (from block planted in 1973) 93 points - 2010 Tyler Pinot Noir Q Block Bien Nacido Vineyard – USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Maria Valley (3/19/2012)
Medium dark cherry red color; focused, appealing, tart cherry, roses, rosehips nose; tasty, tart cherry, mineral, rosehips palate with good acidity; medium-plus finish 93+ points - 2010 Tyler Pinot Noir N Block Bien Nacido Vineyard – USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Maria Valley (2/4/2013)
Dark ruby color; appealing, ripe cherry, ripe raspberry, rose petals nose; lighter in structure than Tyler’s other 2010 Pinots, ripe cherry, ripe raspberry, rose petals, mineral, sous bois palate; medium-plus finish (13.7% alcohol) 92+ points
Morning fog dissipating at Bien Nacido Vineyard in Santa Maria Valley
Earlier this month, I spent five days in Santa Barbara County visiting wineries, talking with winemakers and touring vineyards, including very impressive new plantings. I hadn’t visited the region for a couple years and my interest had been piqued by great Santa Barbara wines I had tasted at the In Pursuit of Balance tastings I recently wrote about here and the Sta. Rita Hills appellation tasting I summarized here.
My trip was organized by Sao Anash, formerly executive director of the Santa Barbara County Vintners Association and currently the very well connected head of her own Santa Barbara-based PR firm, Muse Management. The wineries and winemakers I visited included a number of Sao’s clients as well as several non-clients whose current projects Sao thought I would find interesting. On the way home, I took in the Pebble Beach Food & Wine event, where I focused on tasting additional Santa Barbara wines from some of my favorite producers during the Saturday grand tasting.
This Santa Barbara immersion confirmed for me what I’ve been suspecting for a few years now: this region is making some of California’s most interesting, compelling and balanced wines. Growers and winemakers here are earnestly delving into the varied terroirs of this region, trying to understand and appreciate their impact on their wines in great depth. Their work is making it possible to begin to discern very different qualities in wines from not only the deservedly celebrated Sta. Rita Hills appellation, but also from lesser known subregions in the area that also produce great wines. These include Santa Maria Valley, with its cool temperatures, fog and constant ocean breezes that favor Chardonnay and Pinot Noir; the hillsides of Ballard Canyon, where distinctive and flavorful Syrah truly excels; and the warm and northerly Happy Canyon, where both Syrah and Bordeaux blend wines show tremendous promise.
steep Star Lane Vineyard in Happy Canyon
In upcoming pieces on my blog I will write further about several of the producers whose wines and new endeavors most impressed me on this trip. To give you a little of the flavor for what’s happening in Santa Barbara County, I want to highlight two producers in particular.
The first, Goodland Wines, is a brand new project by three winemakers and a leading viticulturalist. Their limited production and reasonably priced wines are aimed above all at highlighting Santa Barbara’s distinctive terroirs.
The second, Dierberg/Star Lane, is a project that was launched in 1997 with major investments in vineyard planting and top quality winemaking facilities that have facilitated the creation of some stunning wines from three of the County’s subregions.
Goodland’s Matt Dees and Ruben Solorzano
The principals behind Goodland are four men whose credentials and track records alone would suggest this is a project worthy a wine lover’s attention. For example, Matt Dees is the winemaker for Jonata, which produces exceptional, complex wines that sell for very high prices, while partner Ruben Solorzano is a premier viticulturalist, known to some in the region as the “grape whisperer.” The other two principals are Dave Potter, assistant winemaker at Fess Parker Winery in Santa Barbara who has run his own small label, Municipal Winemakers, for several years; and Chris Snowden of the family behind Snowden Wines, who has worked both as a cellar master for Frazier Winery and as head of sales for Snowden.
The Goodland wines are labeled with the appellation or subregion in huge letters; the wine varietal doesn’t appear on the front label and the “Goodland” name is listed in much smaller type. Their model is that of France, where, the appellation—such as Burgundy, or Châteauneuf-du-Pape—is what appears on the label, rather than the grape variety, and one simply knows that red wine in Burgundy is Pinot Noir or that Châteauneuf is normally a blend of red grapes typically dominated by Grenache. The winemaking—which includes picking for good acidities rather than maximum ripeness, long cold soaks that help draw out all the aromatics, and primarily neutral oak—is all aimed at letting the terroir of the place where the grapes were grown shine through.
Goodland labels, highlighting their appellations
The Goodland Sta. Rita Hills white, for example, is a Chardonnay—one of the grapes that does extremely well in the cool Sta. Rita Hills climate, where it slowly ripens while retaining very high acidity. This one was more reminiscent of a premier cru Chablis from a cool year than any California Chardonnay I’ve had in recent memory, due to its high acidity and sense of salinity. The Sta. Rita Hills red, on the other hand, is Pinot Noir, the other Burgundian grape for which this appellation has become renowned. It has a complex nose of ripe strawberry, cherry and tart raspberry, and a delicious, focused palate showing lots of minerality and strong acidity.
The Happy Canyon Red, by contrast, is actually Cabernet Sauvignon—one of the Bordeaux varieties that does particularly well on the loamy, warm hillsides of Happy Canyon. This is a Cabernet that is a welcome throwback to the great, moderately priced California Cabernets of the 1960s and 1970s, with good acidity, poise and a sense of that loaminess on the nose and on the palate. It is selling for $40. My other favorite wine of the lineup is the Ballard Canyon red, from a subregion not yet officially recognized as an appellation but where Syrah does particularly well. This Syrah, which I rated 94 points, is terrifically complex and powerful, featuring roasted fig and pepper among other flavors, with good acidity. It is priced at $35.
Goodland is selling their wines through their mailing list, for which you can register on their website here. This list is sure to be closed soon as the quality and QPR of these wines is just too outstanding for them not to be snapped up quickly by savvy buyers.
My favorite Syrah of the entire trip, and one of the best I’ve tasted in California in recent years, was the 2009 Dierberg from grapes grown in the Santa Ynez Valley appellation. This one exhibits roasted plum, black fruit, black pepper and violets with good acidity and a long finish. I rated it 95 points and it sells for $34.
Dierberg is owned by Jim and Mary Dierberg, who are based in Missouri but who also spend a substantial amount of time in Santa Barbara County. They employed a good part of their fortune earned in the banking industry to buy and plant extensive vineyards—with a variety of clonal material, rootstocks, planting methods and exposures–in Santa Maria Valley, Sta. Rita Hills and Happy Canyon starting in 1997. They also built one of the largest and most well equipped wineries in the region.
Dierberg winemaker Andy Alba
The talented winemaker there is Andy Alba, who has been with the project since 2001, having been put in charge not only of winemaking but also viticultural operations in 2010. Andy, who studied biology at U.C. San Diego, initially worked as a chemist in the biotech industry. His interest in chemistry led him into wine analytics, and he remains something of a mad scientist and constant experimenter. He employs the extra capacity of the winery in terms of fermenters and barrels to run lots of tests on different techniques, including different types of barrels and methods of fermentation.
For example, he tasted me on two different barrels of Pinot Noir which had both been fermented with a very high proportion of whole cluster, or stem inclusion. High percentages of stem inclusion in Pinot Noir can, over time, give velvety texture to the wine, but also imparts strong “green” aromas and flavors—like green bean, pine tree, and menthol. In one barrel Andy had used punch downs during fermentation while in the second the fermenting must was pumped over instead of being punched down. The difference in aroma and taste couldn’t have been more striking—in wine based on grapes picked at the same time from the same vineyard. I would have expected the punched down barrel to have the stronger, more extracted green characteristics, but it was actually the pumped over barrel that exhibited these to a much higher degree—the punched down barrel was much more integrated and subtle in terms of “stemmy” aromas and flavors.
Andy likens his work to that of a sculptor, seeing the grape harvest as akin to “cleaving a monolith” that he then “chips away at, forming it into” its ultimate shape. He also sees himself as adapting his winemaking to highlight the terroir and expression of each of Dierberg’s vineyards and sites.
The results—both of the Dierbergs’ extensive and thoughtful plantings and of the work of Andy and his team—are truly impressive. Besides the great Syrah—Andy’s favorite varietal to drink, especially when blended with a little Viognier—the Sta. Rita Hills Pinot Noir is powerful and brooding while the Santa Maria Valley Pinots are aromatic and balanced. Even better, for me, are the Bordeaux varieties made under the Star Lane Vineyard label.
The Star Lane Cabernet includes small amounts of other Bordeaux varieties—Cabernet Franc and Merlot—and is wonderfully aromatic and complex, as is the Astral, a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. The Cabernet is priced at only $44, while the Astral is substantially more, at $80.
For the complete tasting notes on the wines from Goodland and Dierberg/Star Lane, see below.
Goodland Wines
- 2011 Goodland Wines – USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Ynez Valley
Slightly cloudy peach yellow color; clean, tart peach, citrus nose; tasty, light-medium bodied, tart lemon, citrus palate with salinity and medium acidity; medium finish (Petit Chablis like; 75% Sauvignon Blanc, 25% Chardonnay; 14.5% alcohol; would be fabulous with oysters, or Santa Barbara rock crab) (89 points) - 2011 Goodland Wines Sta. Rita Hills – USA, California, Central Coast, Sta. Rita Hills
Light yellow color; appealing, light pear, tart green apple nose; tasty, bright, tart lemon, very saline, mineral palate with high acidity; medium-plus finish (like Premier Cru Chablis from a cool year; 13% alcohol; about 3.24 pH; would be great with oysters, seafood, calamari) 91+ points (91 points) - 2011 Goodland Wines Happy Canyon Santa Barbara County – USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Barbara County
Light yellow color; appealing, ripe pear, tart peach, tart yellow apple nose; tasty, medium bodied, focused, tart peach, tart pear, mineral palate with medium-plus acidity; medium-plus finish (reminiscent of a Sancerre, with that level of acidity, but w/o the smoke; no malolactic fermentation; Musque clone and clone 1; all stainless steel and very neutral barrels; 3.3 pH) (91 points) - 2011 Goodland Wines Sta. Rita Hills Red – USA, California, Central Coast, Sta. Rita Hills
Dark ruby color; appealing, ripe cherry, ripe strawberry, tart raspberry nose with a sense of salinity; delicious, focused, tart cranberry, rosehips, mineral palate showing salinity and medium-plus acidity with firm, sweet tannins; should age beautifully; medium-plus finish 92+ points (5% whole cluster; Dijon 115; all neutral oak) (92 points) - 2010 Goodland Wines Santa Ynez Red – USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Ynez Valley
Very dark ruby color; very tart plum, salty plum, dried fig, black fig nose; rich, rounded, baked plum, baked fig, dried fig, fig jam palate with salinity and good acidity; for drinking over next 1-2 years; medium-plus finish 90+ points (14.5% alcohol; 72% Syrah, 25% Grenache, 3% Viognier; raised in neutral oak) (90 points) - 2011 Goodland Wines Happy Canyon of Santa Barbara Red – USA, California, Central Coast, Happy Canyon of Santa Barbara
Pre-release (Fall ’13 release): Opaque purple red violet color; wonderful, loamy, tart black currant, cedar nose; rich but very poised, elegant, ripe black currant, loam palate with a sense of salinity and good acidity; could use 1-plus year in bottle; medium-plus finish (100% Cabernet Sauvignon clone 4 grown at about 1600 feet; 14.7% alcohol; twice used barrels; like a throwback to traditional California Cabs of the 1960s and ’70s with good acidity) (94 points) - 2011 Goodland Wines Ballard Canyon – USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Ynez Valley
Pre-release (Fall 2013 release): Opaque purple red violet color; evocative, aromatic, roasted plum, tart black fruit, wild berries, tart blackberry nose; rich, complex, powerful, roasted plum, light pepper, roasted fig palate with light salinity and good acidity; needs 2-plus years of bottle age; medium-plus finish (97% Syrah, Estrella clone; 3% Viognier; 8% whole cluster; 14.7% alcoho9l) (94 points)
Star Lane wines
Dierberg/Star Lane
- 2010 Dierberg Chardonnay Estate Grown – USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Maria Valley
Very slightly cloudy lemon yellow color; appealing, tart lemon, quince, preserved lemon nose; tart quince, lime, mineral palate with medium acidity; needs 1-plus year and should age nicely; medium-plus finish 90+ points (14.5% alcohol; 25% new oak; 10 mos in barrel, 4 mos in steel, on lees) (90 points) - 2009 Dierberg Pinot Noir Santa Maria Valley – USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Maria Valley
Black tinged dark red violet color; appealing, very aromatic, violets, tart black cherry, black raspberry, tart berry nose; rich, dense, black raspberry, tart black cherry, tart blackberry palate with firm, sweet tannins; needs 2-3 years; medium-plus finish 91+ points (14.5% alcohol; nearly a dozen clones of Pinot including 2A, 828, Swan, Calera and assorted Dijons) (91 points) - 2009 Dierberg Pinot Noir Steven Santa Maria Valley – USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Maria Valley
Very dark black tinged red violet color; aromatic, ripe black cherry, black raspberry, mulberry nose; tasty, rich, ripe mulberry, ripe black cherry, black raspberry, graham cracker and caramel palate with sweet tannins and good acidity; medium-plus finish 91+ points (14.5% alcohol; ; 100% new oak; sourced from Block 4 planted to Dijon 667 & 777) (91 points) - 2010 Dierberg Pinot Noir Drum Canyon Vineyard Sta. Rita Hills – USA, California, Central Coast, Sta. Rita Hills
Black tinged dark ruby color; light peppercorn, roasted black fruit, tart black fruit, light green herb, dark roast coffee nose; brooding, tight, dense, tart blackberry, sweet green herb palate with firm sweet tannins and good acidity; needs 3 years; medium-plus finish 92+ points (13.2% alcohol) (92 points) - 2009 Dierberg Syrah Santa Ynez Valley – USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Ynez Valley
Opaque black tinged purple red violet color; very appealing, roasted plum, black fruit, black pepper, espresso nose; rich, delicious, roasted black fruit, pepper, violets palate with good acidity; needs 2-3 years; long finish (14.5% alcohol) (95 points) - 2008 Star Lane Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon – USA, California, Central Coast, Happy Canyon of Santa Barbara
Opaque black-tinged red violet color; aromatic, tart currant, mocha, pencil lead, light menthol nose; rich, creamy textured, ripe blackberry, mocha, violet palate with soft, sweet tannins; could use 2 years; medium-plus finish (78% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11% Cabernet Franc, 11% Merlot; 14.7% alcohol, 18 mos in 60% new French oak; blend of hillside and valley floor fruit) (93 points) - 2007 Star Lane Vineyard Astral – USA, California, Central Coast, Happy Canyon of Santa Barbara
Opaque purple red violet color; appealing, pencil lead, cassis, tart black currant, mocha, dark chocolate nose; rich, ripe black currant, mocha, violets palate with sweet tannins; good now and should go for years; long finish (15.2% alcohol; blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc) (93 points) - 2011 Star Lane Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc Estate Grown – USA, California, Central Coast, Happy Canyon of Santa Barbara
Light yellow color; light smoke, tart gooseberry, grassy nose; rich, gooseberry, smoke, mineral palate; medium-plus finish 91+ points (14.5% alcohol) (91 points)
Saturday Lexus Grand Tasting at Pebble Beach Food & Wine
What would you choose for a special meal if you knew it was going to be your last? This is a question often debated amongst chefs when they relax with colleagues at the end of a long night of service.
Celebrity portrait photographer Melanie Dunea had the idea of collecting last meal wishes from the world’s top chefs and taking photos of them inspired by their final culinary plans. Her 2007 book, My Last Supper: 50 Great Chefs and Their Final Meals, served as the inspiration for just one of the delicious food and wine events at the Sixth Annual Pebble Beach Food & Wine event (PBFW) this past weekend.
My Last Supper by Melanie Dunea
Over 50 events during this four-day food and wine extravaganza included cooking demonstrations by such celebrity chefs as Daniel Boulud, Masaharu Morimoto and Guy Fiori; wine seminars with the makers of legendary wines like Ridge’s Paul Draper and Ornellaia’s Axel Heinz; three different grand tastings featuring hundreds of wineries and culinary creations by over 20 chefs; and a multitude of incredible lunches and dinners. Three or more events were usually happening at the same time, but the organizers managed, astonishingly, to keep everything flowing smoothly and on time. In the case of the wine events, they were assisted by a legion of sommeliers from around the country.
Being primarily a wine guy, I focused on some of the great wine tastings, including a dinner prepared by award winning Florida restaurateur Michelle Bernstein paired with several vintages of Ruinart vintage Blanc de Blancs and Rosé Champagnes; a vertical of wines from top Bordeaux producer Cos d’Estournel back to the 1966 vintage; a Sunday morning vertical of Taittinger’s Comtes de Champagne with Vitalie Taittinger and Antonio Galloni; and Saturday’s Lexus Grand Tasting, where I sampled wines from Santa Barbara producers like Brewer Clifton, Dragonette and Paul Lato, having just spent the preceding five days touring Santa Barbara County vineyards and meeting with other winemakers there.
Vitalie Taittinger and Antonio Galloni
Other popular events throughout the weekend included a a seminar on the art of beer pairing, a dinner honoring U.S.-based Chinese cuisine pioneer Cecilia Chang, a vodka and caviar presentation, and a dinner prepared by three chefs whose restaurants have all earned three Michelin stars: Christopher Kostow, Pierre Gagnaire and Angela Pinkerton.
At the dinner entitled “My Last Supper,” two of the chefs in Ms. Dunea’s book–Michelle Bernstein and Jonathan Waxman–along with Masaharu Morimoto, Paul Bartolotta and George Mendes, prepared a total of five dishes and several appetizers for us. Each dish was paired with a wine (e.g., Bartolotta’s Roast Rack of Lamb with anchovy sauce was paired with a baby Napa Cab, 2010 The Black Bottle). Each of the chefs spoke, as did representatives from all the wineries, while Ms. Dunea emceed and shared stories about her experiences with the chefs in putting together the book.
Melanie Dunea at PBFW’s My Last Supper
Gary Danko is one of the few who went in quite another direction, specifying an orgy of spectacular foods and dishes, along with a huge assortment of amazing wines, to be shared with 100 or so friends Roman style. Gary was also among the few chefs who named particular great bottles of wine he would like to enjoy on his final day—in his case, over 40 legendary wines.
The other chefs after my own heart who think as much about the wine as the food for their ultimate meal include Daniel Boulud (his last supper would feature 1962 Vogüé Musigny, 1955 La Mission Haut-Brion and a 1921 Château d’Yquem); Thomas Keller (1983 Salon Champagne and a Ridge Lytton Springs Zin); Jonathan Waxman (1950 Château Margaux); Michel Richard (1982 Krug Clos du Mesnil); and Charlie Trotter (1900 Château Margaux)
So what would I have for my final meal? Assuming I can’t schedule my final days to coincide with another PBFW, I would start by selecting several great wines to accompany my remaining hours, and then pick some simple dishes to pair with those wines.
There would be Champagne, of course–older bottles of Pol Roger Sir Winston Churchill and Philipponat Clos des Goisses. I’d pair those with caviar. Then some great aged Raveneau Chablis to accompany a couple dozen oysters. I’d need a mature Montrachet for the fish course, a 1990 Jaboulet Hermitage La Chapelle with a rack of lamb, and then a 1964 Giacomo Conterno Barolo for a wild boar and truffle pasta. We’d then proceed with a cheese course accompanied by a 1994 Quinta do Noval Naçional. The final wine, all by itself, would be the 1875 D’Oliveiras Malvazia Madeira. It would fill me with sunshine and contentment, like great vintage Madeira always does, as I reflect on all the delicious riches life has brought me, like time spent at PBFW.
Ever need a wine that will pair especially well with healthy food choices—grilled vegetables, salads, light chicken and fish dishes? Could you use a fully versatile wine that goes not only with lighter appetizers and your vegetarian spouse’s dishes but even, for a white wine, surprisingly well with red meat? Do you sometimes enjoy vegetables, like asparagus or artichoke, that don’t seem to pair with wine at all?
The wine that can manage all that is made from Austria’s most widely planted grape—Grüner Veltliner, or “GruVee,” as some in the U.S. and Britain have begun calling it.
Several years back, sommeliers who are always looking for better food pairing wines and preferably something exotic started putting Grüners on their lists and recommending them to patrons. While many of those early proponents have since moved on to other white wine discoveries, Grüner remains one of the most versatile and food friendly wines around. And excellent examples can be found for $20 and under.
Snooth, the U.S.’s most heavily trafficked wine website, organized a series of seminars for wine writers and bloggers in New York City that I attended this past weekend. They invited Aldo Sohm, “Chef Sommelier” at Le Bernardin and 2008’s “Best Sommelier in the World,” to talk to us about Austrian Grüner, and to walk us through a tasting of a dozen Grüners from different parts of Austria, made in different styles, at all price points.
Aldo Sohm at Snooth Grüner seminar
Besides being extremely knowledgeable about Austrian wines and winemakers, Aldo is also making dry Grüner in partnership with Austrian sweet wine specialist Gerhard Kracher. One of their wines was among the dozen we sampled.
Aldo explained that Austrian Grüner is made in a range of styles, from light and fairly low alcohol, mainly from high yielding vineyards planted on low lying flatland; to very dry, showing white pepper and minerality; to ripe and rich; and even to sweet versions. He also drew parallels between Austrian Grüner and Chardonnay grown in France’s Burgundy region.
For one thing, Austrian Grüner is grown at the same latitude, between 47 and 48 degrees north, as Burgundy. A well publicized series of blindtastings of top white Burgundies and Austrian Grüners in the last several years surprised the assembled critics when several Grüners placing higher than grand cru white Burgundies.
Like the best Chardonnay from cooler climates, Grüner too is capable of long aging, putting on “tertiary” flavors after 15 years or so of age, and ultimately capable of going 20 to 30 years. Unlike much Chardonnay, Austrian Grüner is usually produced with little or no new oak, although some have experimented with aging at least part of the wines in new French barriques.
Thanks to DNA typing we now know that Grüner is the offspring of Traminer and a grape of which only one vine is known, discovered in 2000 in an overgrown pasture land where no grapes had been cultivated for more than a century. Because this vine was found in the village of St. Georgen, it has benn dubbed St. Georgener-Rebe (“St. Georgen vine”).
Grüner Veltliner (image courtesy Wikimedia Commons)
According to Aldo, Grüner is different from Riesling, the other great white grape of Austria, in that it likes deep soils, prefers plenty of moisture and excels on midslopes as opposed to the less rich soils of hilltops. In other words, Grüner is a grape that likes to “luxuriate,” as opposed to Riesling, which does best when it is “made to suffer.”
Aldo also prefers Grüner from the 1980s to the early 1990s, and from the last several years, since 2004. He explained there was a trend of including botrytised grapes—grapes shriveled by “noble rot,” and therefore with more concentrated sugar—from 1997 to 2004 in Austria that made those wines take on more tropical fruit flavors and honeyed richness than is typical of most dry versions of the grape.
Snooth Grüner seminar
Listed below are 55 Grüners from recent vintages I’ve sampled, with prices and tasting notes, including the dozen we tried with Aldo last weekend. Most of the others I’ve sampled at trade tastings organized by Terry Theise with WineWise and The Vienna Wine Company. Terry is the leading importer of Austrian wines to the U.S.
One of the wines on my list is actually a Grüner from Italy’s northern Alto Adige district, which was part of Austria until 1918, and where a substantial amount of Grüner is still grown. Grüner has also long been grown in Austria’s neighbors Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Hungary, and there are increasing plantings in New Zealand, South Australia and the U.S.
The two most recent vintages are a real contrast, in that 2010 was a very cool growing season in Austria, resulting in some relatively austere wines with very high acidities, while 2011 had quite warm temperatures from July on, leading to very ripe, full bodied wines.
Consistently, vintage after vintage, the greatest producers of Grüner in Austria based on my tastings over the years are Hiedler, Hirsch, Nigl, Nikolaihof, Schloss Gobelsburg and Willi Bründlmayer. I’ve also been impressed with Grüners from Bernhard Ott, Ebner-Ebnauer, Graf Hardegg, Sohm & Kracher and Veyder-Malberg.
Nikolaus Saahs of Nikolaihof
The greatest values among my recommendations below, with delicious examples available for $20 or less, are the 2011 Nigl Privat Seftenberger Pellingen Erste Lage (93+ points; averaging $18), 2011 Ebner-Ebenauer Weinviertel DAC Birthal (91+ points; $18), 2011 Graf Hardegg Vom Schloss (91+ points; $18), and 2011 Hiedler Löss (91+ points; $18). There are also a lot of great Grüners, including some from famous old vineyards, priced much higher than this, from $25 to $80, the great majority of which are purchased and consumed domestically in Austria.
Highly Recommended
Schloss Gobelsburgs
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2011 Nigl Grüner Veltliner Alte Reben
Pale green-tinged yellow color; aromatic, white pepper nose; tasty, white pepper, mineral palate; medium-plus finish 93+ points (selling for average of $40) -
2011 Nigl Grüner Veltliner Privat Seftenberger Pellingen Erste Lage
Very light green-tinged yellow color; aromatic, white pepper, tart lime nose savory, charcoal, pepper palate; medium-plus finish 93+ points ($18) -
2010 Hiedler Grüner Veltliner Thal
Light green-tinged yellow color; lovely, savory, tart pear, mineral nose; tasty, complex as usual, mineral, tart green fruit, tart pear palate; medium-plus finish 93 points ($27, widely available) -
2010 Schloss Gobelsburg Grüner Veltliner Lamm # 1
Light green-tinged yellow color; complex, pepper, tart green fruit, tarragon nose; delicious, complex, pepper, tart green fruit, tarragon palate; medium-plus finish 93 points (2011 available for $62) -
2011 Bernhard Ott Grüner Veltliner Fass 4
Very light yellow color; ripe lemon, white jasmine nose; delicate, ripe lemon, tart pear, mineral palate with good texture and balancing acidity; medium-plus finish 92 points ($26) -
2011 Weingut Hirsch Grüner Veltliner Lamm
Light green-tinged yellow color; savory, celery seed, tart citrus nose; savory, celery seed, tart citrus, mineral palate with medium acidity; medium-plus finish 92 points ($58) -
2009 Nikolaihof Grüner Veltliner Smaragd Im Weingebirge
Light yellow color; focused, tart citrus, light pepper nose; tasty, tart pepper, mineral palate; medium-plus finish (1.5 yrs in cask) 92 points ($70) -
2010 Schloss Gobelsburg Grüner Veltliner Renner
Light yellow color with spritz; tart citrus, light pepper nose; tight, light pepper, tart citrus, lime palate; medium-plus finish 92 points ($36) -
2011 Veyder-Malberg Grüner Veltliner Kreutles
Very light yellow color; appealing, refined, mineral, lime, white grapefruit nose; tasty, regined, medium bodied, delicate, mineral, white grapefruit palate with good texture and definition; medium-plus finish 92 points (2010 available for $29) -
2011 Weingut Willi Bründlmayer Grüner Veltliner Spiegel
Light yellow color; mineral, celery broth, savory nose; tasty, light celery, mineral, light pepper palate with good acidity; medium-plus finish 92 points ($67) -
2011 Ebner-Ebenauer Grüner Veltliner Weinviertel DAC Birthal
Very light yellow color; appealing, lifted, ripe grapefruit, white pepper, orange blossom nose; tasty, bright, mineral, ripe grapefruit palate with medium acidity; medium-plus finish 91+ points ($18) -
2011 Graf Hardegg Grüner Veltliner Vom Schloss
Light yellow color; savory, white pepper, ripe grapefruit, lime and rock salt nose; very tasty, lime, mineral, rock salt, light white pepper palate with near medium acidity (reminiscent of a good Margarita); medium-plus finish 91+ points ($18) -
2011 Hiedler Grüner Veltliner Löss
Very light green-tinged yellow color; lovely, focused, mineral, ethereal, tart citrus nose; tasty, focused, mineral, tart citrus palate; medium-plus finish 91+ points ($18) -
2011 Hiedler Grüner Veltliner November Kittmannsberg
Light green-tinged yellow color; tart lime, chalk nose; tasty, tart lime, chalk, mineral palate; medium-plus finish 91+ points ($30) -
2011 Hiedler Grüner Veltliner Thal
Light green-tinged yellow color; tart green pear nose; tart green pear, lime palate; medium-plus finish 91+ points ($24) -
2011 Weingut Hirsch Grüner Veltliner Heiligenstein
Light green-tinged yellow color; aromatic, celery seed, light pepper, mineral nose; tasty, celery seed, light pepper, tart grapefruit, mineral palate with medium acidity; medium-plus finish 91+ points ($24) -
2010 Nigl Grüner Veltliner Herzstück vom Kirchenberg
Light green-tinged yellow color; savory, light pepper, mineral nose; tasty, savory, light pepper, mineral palate; medium-plus finish 91+ points ($47) -
2010 Nikolaihof Grüner Veltliner “Hefeabzug”
Light yellow color; focused, tart citrus, mineral nose; focused, mineral, lightly savory palate; medium-plus finish 91+ points (widely available, $26) -
2010 Nikolaihof Grüner Veltliner Federspiel Im Weingebirge
Light yellow color; tart citrus, mineral nose; tasty, tart citrus, mineral palate; medium-plus finish 91+ points ($33) -
2011 Schloss Gobelsburg Grüner Veltliner Kammerner Lamm
Light yellow color; appealing, lifted, ripe pear, white jasmine, light vanilla nose; tasty, focused, rich but poised, ripe pear, white jasmine, mineral palate; medium-plus finish 91+ points ($62) -
2011 Schloss Gobelsburg Grüner Veltliner Renner
Light green-tinged yellow color; aromatic, tart lime, mineral nose; tasty, poised, creamy textured, tart lime, mineral, light pepper palate; medium-plus finish 91+ points ($33) -
2010 Schloss Gobelsburg Grüner Veltliner Steinsetz
Light yellow color; refined, mineral, tart citrus, light pepper nose; delicious, mineral, tart citrus, light pepper palate; medium-plus finish 91+ points (widely available, $30) -
2011 Sohm & Kracher Grüner Veltliner
Very light yellow color; floral, ripe lime, orange sherbet, lime sherbet, tart pear nose; rich, lime sherbet, fresh lime palate with a little bitterness and fresh lime on finish; long finish (14 mos on lees) 91+ points ($38)
Recommended
Grüners
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2010 Weingut Hirsch Grüner Veltliner Lamm
Light green-tinged yellow color; light pepper, tart citrus nose; tasty, tart citrus, light pepper palate; medium-plus finish 91 points ($53) -
2011 Weingut Markus Huber Grüner Veltliner Obere Steigen
Light yellow color; ripe pear, light peach, apple, floral nose; tasty, medium bodied, tart pear, tart peach, mineral, Chablis-like palate with medium acidity and showing some reduction; medium-plus finish 91 points ($20 for 2010) -
2010 Nikolaihof Grüner Veltliner Smaragd Im Weingebirge
Light yellow color; aromatic, lime, celery seed nose; tasty, focused, tart lime, celery seed palate; medium-plus finish 91 points ($79) -
2010 Schloss Gobelsburg Grüner Veltliner Tradition
Light yellow color; intriguing, celery salt, dill, lime nose; firm, dill, celery seed, mineral, tart yellow fruit, light pepper palate; medium-plus finish 91 points ($46) -
2011 Weingut Willi Bründlmayer Grüner Veltliner Ried Lamm
Light green-tinged yellow color; celery, lightly smoky, ripe lime nose; tasty, tart lime, mineral, ripe green fruit palate; medium-plus finish 91 points (not available yet) -
2010 Weingut Willi Bründlmayer Grüner Veltliner Kamptaler Terrassen
Very light yellow color; tart grapefruit, tart apple nose; tasty, tart green fruit, mineral, tart citrus palate; medium-plus finish 91 points ($23) -
2011 Weingut Hirsch Grüner Veltliner #1
Very light green-tinged yellow color; savory, celery seed nose; savory, celery seed, mineral palate with medium acidity; medium-plus finish 90+ points (widely available, $17) -
2009 Moric Grüner Veltliner Sankt Georgen
Light yellow color; appealing, savory, bitter lemon, light white jasmine nose; medium bodied, tangy, tart lemon, mineral palate with a little bitterness; could use 2 years to fully integrate the oak and resolve; medium-plus finish (more reminiscent of a white Burgundy than most Gruners I’ve tasted) 90+ points ($49) -
2011 Nigl Grüner Veltliner Senftenberger Piri
Light green-tinged yellow color; tart lime, mineral nose; tart lime, mineral, light white pepper palate; medium-plus finish 90+ points ($26) -
2011 Nikolaihof Grüner Veltliner Federspiel Im Weingebirge
Light yellow color; mineral, celery seed nose; mineral, celery seed, tart citrus palate; medium-plus finish 90+ points ($33) -
2011 Prager Grüner Veltliner Stockkultur Achleiten
Light yellow color; mango, tropical fruit, papaya nose; ripe mango, ripe lime, tart green apple, mineral palate with good acidity; medium-plus finish (4 grams RS) 90+ points ($74) -
2011 Schloss Gobelsburg Grüner Veltliner Steinsetz
Light yellow color; aromatic, tart lime nose; tasty, tart lime, palate with medium acidity; medium-plus finish 90+ points ($26) -
2011 Stadlmann Grüner Veltliner
Light yellow color; appealing, ripe peach, apricot, ripe pear nose; tasty, clean, tart pear, mineral, pepper, light graphite, smoke palate; medium-plus finish 90+ points ($14) -
2010 Weingut Hirsch Grüner Veltliner Heiligenstein
Light green-tinged yellow color; tart citrus, lime nose; tasty, tart lime, mineral palate; medium-plus finish 90 points ($30) -
2011 Bio-Weingut H. u. M. Hofer Grüner Veltliner Freiberg
Light green-tinged yellow color; aromatic, tart lime, mineral nose; tart lime, mineral palate; medium-plus finish 90 points ($20) -
2010 Martin Arndorfer Grüner Veltliner Strasser Weinberge
Light green-tinged yellow color; tart lime, mineral nose; tasty, tart lime, mineral, stony palate; medium-plus finish 90 points ($21) -
2011 Nigl Grüner Veltliner Freiheit
Light yellow color with spritz; intriguing, tart green fruit, wintergreen nose; tasty, tart green fruit, light pepper, mineral palate; medium-plus finish 90 points (widely available, $20) -
2011 Nikolaihof Grüner Veltliner “Hefeabzug”
Light green-tinged yellow color; aromatic, celery seed green fruit nose; celery seed, green fruit, mineral palate with medium acidity; medium-plus finish 90 points (widely available, $26) -
2011 Bio-Weingut H. u. M. Hofer Grüner Veltliner Von Den Rieden
Light green-tinged yellow color; aromatic, tart citrus, light pepper nose; tart citrus, light pepper palate with medium-plus acidity; medium-plus finish 89 points ($18) -
2011 Martin Arndorfer Grüner Veltliner Reserve Strasser Weinberge
Light green-tinged yellow color; aromatic, lime essence, mineral, celery nose; tart green pear, mineral, ripe lime palate; medium finish 89 points ($21) -
2008 Weingut Willi Bründlmayer Grüner Veltliner Ried Lamm
Light yellow color; aromatic, caraway seed, petrol nose; mature, ripe citrus, mineral, petrol, celery extract palate; medium-plus finish 89 points ($81)
Others
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2011 Ecker Grüner Veltliner
Light green-tinged yellow color; focused, tart lime nose; very dry, tart lime, mineral, tart green fruit palate; medium finish 88+ points ($14) -
2011 F.X. Pichler Grüner Veltliner Smaragd Dürnsteiner Liebenberg
Light yellow color; focused, tart peach, sweet green herb nose; lean, tart peach, mineral, yellow fruit palate; medium-plus finish 88+ points ($69) -
2011 Weingut Glatzer Grüner Veltliner Dornenvogel
Light green-tinged yellow color; aromatic, wet meadow, lime nose; tasty, crisp, tart lime, mineral palate; medium-plus finish 88+ points ($17) -
2010 Weingut Klaus Lentsch Valle Isarco – Italy, Trentino-Alto Adige, Alto Adige
Light medium yellow color; aromatic, tart green fruit, mineral nose; tart green fruit, mineral palate; medium finish 88+ points ($28) -
2011 Roman Pfaffl Grüner Veltliner Austrian Pepper
Light lemon yellow color; white pepper, lemon rind, tart peach nose; tart peach, lemon rind, mineral, white pepper palate with medium acidity; medium-plus finish 88+ points ($15) -
2010 Bio-Weingut H. u. M. Hofer Grüner Veltliner Freiberg
Light green-tinged yellow color; tart green apple, citrus nose; tart green apple, citrus palate; medium finish 88 points ($20) -
2011 Schloss Gobelsburg Grüner Veltliner Gobelsburger
Light yellow color; tart grapefruit, mineral nose; tart grapefruit, mineral palate; medium-plus finish 88 points (widely available, $15) -
2010 Weingut Hirsch Grüner Veltliner #1
Light yellow color; tart green fruit, light pepper nose; tart green fruit, lime palate; medium-plus finish 87 points ($18) -
2010 Schwarzböck Grüner Veltliner
Light green-tinged yellow color; smoky, tart citrus nose; tart citrus, mineral palate; medium finish 87 points ($15) -
2010 Schwarzböck Grüner Veltliner Kirchberg
Light green-tinged yellow color; tart green apple, citrus nose; tart green apple, citrus palate; medium finish 86 points ($16) -
2011 Weingut Glatzer Grüner Veltliner
Light yellow color; tart citrus nose; tart citrus, light pepper palate; medium finish 85 points ($14)
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