Wine + Other Flotation Devices: Sta. Rita Hills

Showing posts with label Sta. Rita Hills. Show all posts

Wednesday, January 6, 2016

The last 2.5 years (in pictures)

Life and work catch up with you sometimes. Alas, a break from this blog for the past 2.5 years. In the interest of catching up, below is a photo log of the fascinating wine journeys I've taken in that time. I've continued writing notes on Cellartracker (MattMauldin), and post most of my wine stuff on Instagram (Matt_Mauldin). Cheers!

Bien Nacido Vineyard- August 2013

Syrah at Zaca Mesa finishing veraison- August 2013

Wine & Fire, Santa Rita Hills- August 2013

Wrapped & ready at Clos Pepe Vineyard- Sept 2013

Syrah coming in at Zaca Mesa- Sept 2013

Vineyard tour at Clos Pepe with Wes Hagen- Nov 2013

Transcendent- Dec 2013

Bud break in Santa Maria Valley- February 2014

Grenache Blanc vines in bloom in front of the winery at Zaca Mesa- April 2014

Unforgettable dinner at Ma Cuisine in Beaune- with a 2005 Louis Latour Corton-Grancey- April 2014

Tasting Clos des Lambrays in the cellar at Domaine des Lambrays- April 2014

Vosne Romanee- April 2014

DRC- April 2014

Hermitage- April 2014

Transcendent tasting at Chapoutier- April 2014

At the top of Cornas while visiting Alain Voge

Saint-Joseph (north toward Condrieu)- April 2014

Chateau Grillet- April 2014

Cote-Rotie- April 2014

Gigondas- May 2014

Chateauneuf-du-Pape- May 2014

Concrete fermenters at Domaine de Monpertuis, CDP- May 2014

Fruit set and coulure and Zaca Mesa- May 2014

Flowers Camp Meeting Ridge, Sonoma Coast- July 2014

Last harvest of Chardonnay from the Zaca Mesa vineyard- August 2014

Sangiovese vines at Stolpman Vineyard, Ballard Canyon- August 2014

Destemming at Zaca Mesa- Sept 2014

Syrah aging in clay amphora at Zaca Mesa - Oct 2014

Sanford & Benedict Vineyard, Santa Rita Hills - November 2014

Grenache Blanc, ready for bud break - early March 2015

In Pursuit of Balance in SF - March 2015

Frog's Leap, Napa Valley- March 2015

Eric Mohseni at Zaca Mesa showing off Grenache vines - June 2015

Black Bear Block Syrah, planted 1978, Zaca Mesa - June 2015

Cristom, Eola-Amity Hills, Willamette Valley- June 2015

K Vineyard, Phil Lane, Walla Walla- June 2015

Fiddlestix Vineyard, Santa Rita Hills, August 2015

Thomas Fogarty Vineyards, Santa Cruz Mountains, Sept 2015

Morning fog in the Santa Maria Valley, as seen from Foxen Canyon, Sept 2015

First Fall rains at Zaca Mesa, November 2015

Tasting 2015 Zaca Mesa from barrel, clay amphora, concrete and tank- with Dane & Kristin

Thursday, April 4, 2013

Sta. Rita Hills- here we grow again?

If you follow California Central Coast wine appellations, by now you've surely read about the proposed expansion of the Sta. Rita Hills AVA here in Santa Barbara County. Living close to the situation, it gives me a chance to put a face to a name, so to speak.

A sub-AVA of the larger Santa Ynez Valley, Sta. Rita Hills was established in 2001 to differentiate the cold, windy and fog-swept valleys between Purisima, Santa Rita, and Santa Rosa Hills running west-east between the towns of Lompoc & Buellton. Soils here contain diatomaceous earth in some locations and clay loam in others. The common markers of the wines here are earthy & well-structured Pinot Noir, bright mineral-driven citrus Chardonnay and dark savory Syrah.

The area in question for expansion is the eastern boundary along Highway 246. The hills here along the boundary take a turn southward effectively cutting off the upper valley of the AVA from areas east. From there, driving east toward Buellton the valley flattens and widens into the larger and warmer Santa Ynez Valley, where the grape varietals move away from the Burgundian and toward the Rhône.

The ownership of the Pence Ranch vineyard is petitioning the TTB for the change, contending that the site displays soils, climate, and varietals common to the AVA. That vineyard is located just over the hill along 246 east of the boundary. They grow Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, designating the AVA Santa Barbara County rather than Santa Ynez Valley. Two other vineyards- John Sebastiano just to the west and Rio Vista to the southeast straddle the boundary. None of the above vineyards were in existence at the time of the establishment of the AVA.

Wes Hagen of Clos Pepe Vineyards led the effort to establish the AVA and is the voice of the opposition to change it. The Sta. Rita Hills Winegrowers Alliance is also opposed to the change. The argument is that the southward hills dissecting Highway 246 at the east boundary is an essential line of demarcation for fog and the most extreme of the ocean influence, and that by redrawing the boundary further east into the “Buellton Flats” the natural geographic barrier is lost and the ability to further expand the AVA eastward into warmer areas is gained – potentially diluting what is one of the smallest and most unique AVA’s in California.

Similarly, an expansion of the Russian River AVA was approved in 2011. There, a huge business interest (Gallo) successfully expand an already huge AVA against vehement local opposition to include some of their vineyard holdings. The Russian River Valley is a great brand name but was already a huge area with different microclimates and a wide variety of wines produced. The difference here is that the business interests are much smaller, and the AVA is a sub-AVA of the larger Santa Ynez Valley. It would be like trying to expand the Green Valley AVA within the Russian River Valley, or the Yamhill-Carlton AVA within the Willamette Valley.

It’s an interesting dynamic. Personally, I tend to think conservatively about redrawing lines on such a finite area. Either way I look forward to get a better sense of both the pros and cons as the petition develops.

Wednesday, September 26, 2012

2012 vintage in photos

2012 was a new beginning. It was a culmination in a chain of life events that ultimately brought me to Santa Barbara County. Wine wasn’t really a part of it, although it definitely added to the excitement of the destination.

Among the myriad ways in which wine romances and symbolizes deeper things, to me the cycle of the vine is chief among them. There are new beginnings, struggles and challenges throughout a vintage. Crazy important decisions are made at crucial junctures. Mistakes are sometimes made and hard lessons are learned. Ultimately the cycle ends, people commemorate, and fruits of the labor move on to a whole new set of trials.

So with these things in mind, I’m commemorating my first year living near all things vineyard and wine. I've compiled photos taken throughout the vintage. Please enjoy!