Stumbling across some gems from Ampelos

My Sunday afternoon gig in the Lompoc Wine Ghetto at Arcadian begets fantastic opportunities to taste the latest and greatest of Sta. Rita Hills wines.

Yesterday was a fantastic end-of-the-week barbecue put on by Jalama Wines featuring a broad assortment of BYO leftover wines from the various tasting rooms. And although I only was able to be there for a brief moment in time before personal duties called, I tasted these two gems from Ampelos-

Ampelos 2007 Pinot Noir Rho, Sta. Rita Hills Ampelos Vineyard- Aged for 24 months in 50% new French oak. Biodyamically farmed. The wine was impactful and bold yet subtle and alluring. Bold fruit, earth, floral and spice were all there but you couldn't really tell where one started and another one ended. Polished and fine in structure but still gritty and alive. This is Sta. Rita Hills Pinot Noir to love. (rating- I like++! - I love!) $42

Ampelos 2007 Grenache Delta, Sta. Rita Hills, Ampelos Vineyard- 31 months in barrel. Biodymanically farmed. Another wine with personality. This had a pleasing pungent "grapiness" and blackberry fruit throughout. Peppered with lively spice and earth flavors and firm juicy tannin along with a just a hint of Grenache heat on the finish, this left a mark. (rating- I like+!) $35

Lompoc Wine Ghetto- Day 1

Nothings evokes wine country images quite like an industrial park behind a Home Depot store. Just beyond the tranquil vineyards and rolling hillsides of Sta. Rita Hills is the Lompoc Wine Ghetto. It sits at the edge of Lompoc, CA and houses a plethora of great Santa Barbara County producers -- both well known and emerging.  It's primarily tasting rooms, although there are a few winery operations there too. You could literally spend days tasting through all the wines.

I'm spending my Sundays there now working in the Arcadian tasting room. It's just a little part-time job as a hobby... Having worked hectic full time schedules in the wine business in my past life, it's a real pleasure to swoop in one day a week to talk about and taste wine with people who are there for that reason. I look forward to meeting people in the area and getting to know more about the wines.

An awesome lineup at Arcadian- as good as the Pinot Noirs were, the 05 Stolpman Syrah was stupid good. All the Syrah concentration and savory fruit with a Pinot Noir-like supple elegance.

A great lineup of 2009 Pinot Noir from Evening Land. One from Edna Valley and two from Sta. Rita Hills.