Rusack 2005 Santa Barbara County Syrah

The Rusack Winery 2003 Santa Barbara County Syrah is made with grapes from the estate vineyard and two neighboring vineyards in Ballard Canyon. The grapes were cold soaked and then fermented in small open-top bins, with punch downs, by hand, twice a day. Aged in 47% new French oak for 16 months. At blending 7% Petite Sirah and 5% Grenache was added for complexity. Bottled unfiltered.

In the glass the wine has a dark, dense, ruby color with hints of purple.
The nose reveals dark cherry, blackberry, ripe black currant, and sweet oak with vanilla.
The palate is equally lush with big fruit, red cherry, blackberry, spice, earth, and a note of pencil lead at the medium length finish. It also has elements of a slightly more elegant style with the red cherry, slight dusty quality, sleek acidity, and moderate tannins.

This wine is big and fruit-forward upfront, but as you dig into it and discover the elegant sides to it, it leaves an impression of a balanced and enjoyable wine. Don't get me wrong though. It is still quite a dark, dense Syrah.

At $25 from the winery I would say it is a good value. Finding it at Wine-Searcher.com from $20 it is even more worth seeking out and enjoying.

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Melville 2006 Estate Verna's Vineyard Pinot Noir

Melville 2006 Estate Verna's Vineyard Pinot Noir is made from 100% Melville fruit from their Los Alamos Estate. Aged in 20% new French oak.

The wine has a ruby red color in the glass with slight cloudiness.
The nose shows ripe lush raspberry, strawberry, sweet red cherry, sweet floral, and a hint of baked rhubarb.
The palate displays raspberry, cherry, and red fruit with spice. Soft and round on the palate with young tannins matching the fruit, good acidity and a long savory finish.
The wine is medium bodied, fruity, and was really nice with salmon, or great just to sip on it's own.

Find this wine at Wine-Searcher.com from $19.99, a great price for this very enjoyable wine.


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Alma Rosa Winery and Vineyards wine tasting

Spending the weekend in Santa Barbara I decided to go to the Alma Rosa wine tasting at East Beach Wine Company last night. Stepping into the shop the place was packed and it took a minute before we reached the counter and could pay for two tastings and get our glasses. To our delight the owners, Thekla and Richard Sanford was there themselves, with their daughter Blakeney, to pour and talk to the customers. Nothing beats the opportunity to talk to either the owners or wine maker as you taste a winery's wine. Both Thekla and Richard where very nice and pleasant, and spent quite a bit of time with us. It was a true pleasure to talk to them, and you could tell how passionate and excited they are about their wines.

A short bio: Richard Sanford was the first to plant Pinot Noir in Santa Rita Hills in 1970. 1981 him and Thekla started Sanford Winery, and after parting with it in 2005, they founded Alma Rosa Winery and Vineyards at the location of their old winery. All grapes are grown organically with sustainable agricultural methods.

The tasting started of with the Alma Rosa 2006 Santa Barbara County Pinot Gris. A light crisp white with pear, citrus and notes of honeysuckle. Nice acidity and minerals on the finish.
Next up was the Alma Rosa 2006 Santa Rita Hills Pinot Blanc. This wine showing creamy citrus in a dry, still very crisp wine.
The Alma Rosa 2006 Santa Barbara County Chardonnay was fermented in partially new French Oak and then aged in stainless steel tanks, not undergoing malolactic fermentation. I really enjoyed this clean, crisp chardonnay, with notes of tropical fruit. Perfect poured chilled a warm spring or summer day.
The Alama Rosa 2005 El Jabali Santa Rita Hills Chardonnay went through a different process. It was fermented in stainless steel tanks and then aged in 20% new French Oak. The grapes comes from a older vineyard then the 2006 Santa Barbara County Chardonnay and you can tell the difference. This wine is heavier/denser in the fruit on the palate, with ripe tropical fruit, white fragrant floral, and round oaky vanilla notes. Still on the lighter side and with good fresh acidity, but the first Chard was my favorite.
On to Pinot Noir, which is what I really came for.
The Alma Rosa 2005 Santa Rita Hills Pinot Noir has light bright fruit with raspberry, red cherry, and notes of oak/vanilla. All wrapped in good acidity and integrated, but slightly woody, tannins.
The Alma Rosa 2005 La Encantada Santa Rita Hills Pinot Noir shows darker, deeper fruit with black raspberry, cherry, blueberry, herbs, and spice. While the 2005 Santa Rita Hills Pinot Noir is made from all six clones in La Encantada vineyard this is only made from two of them. In this case resulting in a more concentrated Pinot.

Find all these wines at Alma Rosa's website.

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Taz 2005 Santa Barbara County Pinot Noir

Today I am starting of with a fun little trivia: The name of the winery, Taz, is short for Tasmanian devil, which is winegrower Robert "Taz" Steinhaur's nickname.

The grapes for the Taz 2005 Santa Barbara County Pinot Noir comes from Northern Canyon Vineyard in Santa Maria Valley, and Fiddlestix Vineyard in Santa Rita Hills. 1/4 of the wine was aged in new oak and the rest in neutral barrels.

This wine shows a clear, bright, ruby red color in the glass.
On the nose red berries, red currant, a hint of blueberries, vanilla and some floral notes come through.
When tasting the wine darker berries emerges with dark cherry, ripe raspberry and spice. The acidity is good and tannins, although slightly light and tart, are also there in sufficient amount.

This wine is relatively light and lacking a little in complexity, but despite that I really enjoyed it. Bright, fruity and with the slight spice it is a great wine considering I only payed $14.99 at Costco. Normally price at $25 at the winery, this was a real find and a great value.

You can also find it at Wine-Searcher.com and WineZap.com from $17.95.


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MWC 2006 Santa Barbara County Pinot Noir

MWC stands for Margerum Wine Company and is a small winery run and owned by Dough Margerum. Margerum wines are produced in a 240 sq ft space behind Brander Vineyards facility in Los Olivos. All wines are hand crafted by Dough and he strives for individuality and to make wine he himself wants to drink.

The 2006 Santa Barbara County Pinot Noir shows a vivid, clear, ruby red color in the glass. On the nose slightly perfumey with raspberry, red cherry, earth, vanilla and a hint of herbs. In the mouth this wine shows bright, soft, red fruit/berries with earthy notes. This is not a power house pinot but more elegant and velvety with good acidity, and moderately firm, young tannins. For $24.95 at our local wine shop, Capitol Cellars, I honestly can say that this is a really good wine for the price.

Looking online I can only find this wine on one site, Los Olivos Wine Merchant (a great wine shop in the center of Santa Ynez wine country with the perfect lunch cafe), for $28.

Find it and try it...

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Rusack 2005 Santa Barbara County Chardonnay

We had the Rusack Pinot Noir not to long ago and really enjoyed it , so when I saw the Chardonnay the other day in the store, I just had to grab it to give it a try.

The grapes for the 2005 Santa Barbara County Chardonnay comes from Bien Nacido and Goodchild Vineyard in Santa Maria Valley, and Huber Vineyard and Rancho Santa Rosa in Santa Rita Hills. Both are cool climate appellations with maritime influence. It went through partial malolactic fermentation (70%) and was aged 9 months prior to bottling, in 32% new and 68% older French oak.

This wine has a golden straw color in the glass. On the nose ripe apple, citrus and pronounced oak. Tasting it, the apple and citrus steps out again with some light tropical fruit and the buttery creaminess from the malolactic fermentation and oak. It has a round soft mouth feel, and moderate acidity. I wish it had some more to stand up to the buttery creaminess. Our neighbor on the other hand who prefers her Chardonnay in this style thought it was very nice and well balanced. As always, it is all about preference...

Conclusion: Although nice fruit and good acidity I thought it was a little bit to oaky and creamy for my taste, but just slightly. So, if you like the round, buttery, creamy chardonnays (just for your comparison it is not as oaky/creamy as a Rombauer Chardonnay) I think this would be a great wine for you. It has a good price as well, only $18.88 at Wine-Searcher.com. For that price it is certainly a good deal for a good quality Chardonnay.


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The Ojai Vineyard 2001 White Hawk Vineyard Santa Barbara County Syrah

The Ojai Vineyard 2001 White Hawk Vineyard Santa Barbara County Syrah has an incredibly dense, dark red/purple color in the glass, promising me serious fruit.

On the nose it displays blackberry and hint of oak and a floral note I would describe as violet. I expected more heavy fruit on the nose but at this stage I get the feeling that we are dealing with a Syrah made in a slightly more elegant style.

Blackberry, dark cherry, and spice shows beautifully on the palate with some smokey wood at the very finish. Great acidity and perfectly firm, well integrated, tannins gives this medium to full-bodied wine a great balanced feel in the mouth and a long lingering finish. At this point I can confirm that even though is shows plenty of fruit on the palate they are of the slightly more soft and restrained type as this wine turns out to be made in a more elegant style.

This wine was perfect to sip with a few pieces of dark chocolate in front of the movie we watched Sunday night. I wish I had another bottle or two. Looking for it online I actually found a really good deal at Wine-Searcher.com for $33.99 (as I remembered paying $45 for it back in 2004). Try it and let me know if you love it as much as I do.

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Au Bon Climat 2005 Santa Barbara County Chardonnay

I have enjoyed this wine many times (of different vintages) and it hit me tonight that I have never shared it with you. So here it is...

I can't share my thought on this wine with you without starting with some history, because the wine maker, Jim Clendenen, really deserves it. He started as the assistant wine maker at Zaca Mesa Winery in 1978. In 1982 he went on to found, with ex-partner Adam Tolmach, Au Bon Climat. Jim Clendenen has been a ground breaking wine maker and force in Santa Ynez Valley ever since. He has won several accolades and awards during the years and was named "Wine maker of the Year" in 2001 by Food and Wine Magazine.

So, on to the wine. The Au Bon Climate 2005 Santa Barbara County Chardonnay consists of grapes from two vineyards, 65% Bien Nacido Vineyard and 35% Rancho Vinedo Vineyard. It is barrel fermented and aged in French oak. It has a pale, golden, straw color in the glass. Sticking you nose in the glass, pear, buttery toast, citrus and a hint of tropical fruit and white floral, shows. On to the palate: ripe pear and citrus are the main components, with a nice, mouth full, rich, round creaminess. At the same time though, right there with it, pretty good acidity, to still keep it relatively refreshing and light.

This is a wine I've been drinking through the years as a budget/good value chardonnay. For $13.99 at Wine-Searcher.com I would say that it meets the expectations when it comes to the dollar value, and even surpasses it. Give it a try and let me know what you think. At least in California it is widely available in grocery stores. If it's not where ever you may live it is easy to find online...

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Fess Parker 2005 Santa Barbara County Pinot Noir

Not my first Fess Parker Pinot Noir and certainly not the last. We got this bottle in our wine club shipment from Fess Parker a while back and tonight it was time to try it with a Chicken Pasta Primavera.

With a clear, deep, garnet color this wine shows black cherry, plum, raspberry, floral notes, and oak, on the nose. In the mouth flavors of black cherry, plum and a nice spiciness emerges. This is supported by good amount of acidity and silky tannins with a firm edge.

For the price range we are talking about, $20-25, this is a pretty decent pinot noir. I would not hesitate to get this bottle again and if you have a chance pick it up and give it a try as well.

I do not have my records left on this bottle but I believe we got charged $22 for it through the wine club. You can find it at WineZap.com from $21.99, and that is a pretty good deal for this quality level of wine.

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Fess Parker 2003 American Tradition Reserve Santa Barbara County Syrah

We had this wine last night when having a BBQ in the backyard. The dinner contained of a Spanish spice rubbed chicken with spicy parsley and mint sauce, grilled vegetables and a tomato/corn salad.
This syrah has a dark, dense, purple/red color in the glass. On the nose it shows black cherry, dark fruit and black currant. On the palate, intense dark, ripe, cherries again with black berries and some oak. This wine was very concentrated in the dark, ripe, fruit and berries but manages to balance that pretty well with decent acidity and round tannins. Over all not an amazing syrah but certainly good. Worked well with our meal, and it won't break your bank. Find it at Wine-Searcher.com from $26.45.

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Fess Parker 2005 American Tradition Reserve Santa Barbara County Chardonnay

This is another bottle we got in our latest shipment from Fess Parker wine club.
The 2005 American Tradition Reserve Santa Barbara County Chardonnay has a clean, medium dark, straw color in the glass. On the nose this wine shows citrus, apple, white floral, caramel and oak. The apple shows up on the palate again, this time more green and tart. Citrus and good acidity balances the round, creamy palate. Much to often chardonnays leave you with a too creamy, cloying finish but thanks to the really nice acidity, this one exits with a pleasant round, but fresh feeling.

This chardonnay is not yet available to the public. I payed $30 through the wine club and it will be around $35 as it reaches retail. A really nice Chardonnay but it seems to belong more in the $25 range... Give it a try. You be the judge...

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Fess Parker 2005 Melange Blanc Santa Barbara County

We got this wine in our latest wine shipment from the Fess Parker Wine Club.
It is a white Rhone blend, the primary grapes being Rousanne, Marsanne and Grenache Blanc. It has a clear, medium straw color in the glass. On the nose floral notes, ripe apple, peach and a touch of tropical fruit. On the palate this white offers sweet floral and fruit with some sweet vanilla. It is round and soft in the mouth with a creamy finish.

The floral and fruit is to sweet for my taste and it doesn't have enough acidity to give it the lightness and freshness it needs to balance those characters. This is not a bad wine, but neither is it one that I particularly enjoyed, so I can't recommend it.

This wine is not yet available on Fess Parker Winery and Vineyards' website, but will be. It was $18 in our shipment and should be around $21 for non club members. There are definitely better wines to be found at that price...

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Rusack 2005 Santa Barbara County Pinot Noir

Rusack was founded in 1995 by Geoff Rusack and Alison Wrigley Rusack. With their dedication to quality they made some drastic changes, most notably the replanting of several vineyards after the 2001 harvest. They currently produce Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Syrah, Sangiovese and a Bordeaux blend.
The 2005 Santa Barbara County Pinot Noir consists of grapes from both Santa Maria Valley and Santa Rita Hills. Both influenced by the maritime climate, and very suitable for Pinot Noir.
In the glass, a bright dark red color with a hint of violet. Ripe red cherry with a hint of herbs, particularly mint, on the nose. Red cherries and ripe raspberry with soft oaky vanilla on the palate, with good acidity as backbone. For $24 both me and my husband thought this was a really good wine.
Find this wine for only $18.95 at Wine-Searcher.com or WineZap.com, or $26 at Rusack's website.

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Summerland Winery 2005 Santa Barbara County Pinot Noir

No history on the winery to be found on the Summerland Winery web site. However it tells me that the majority of the grapes for this wine comes from Bien Nacido Vineyard, and the rest from nearby vineyards in Santa Maria Valley.
The 2005 Santa Barbara County Pinot Noir has good clarity with a ruby red color in the glass. On the nose, oaky black cherry with almond and vanilla notes. It also suggests a high level of alcohol. You know the feeling in your nostrils that kind of detects the alcohol. The funny thing is that when I look at the bottle its "only" 14.1%, while many Pinots can be up towards 15% or more. But the impression is never the less there... The palate has not quite ripe dark cherries, plum, and the oak. Good levels of acidity and pungent, but still round, tannins.
Hmmm... This is a tricky one. It's good, by slightly over oaked? In any case a pretty descent Pinot for the price. You'll be the judge.
I found this wine at BevMo for $ 17.99. The winery sells this wine at it's website for $ 20, or you can find it at Wine-Searcher.com from $14.99.

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Sage and Onion

Our first night in Santa Barbara we had dinner at Sage and Onion. Chef and Proprietor, Steven Giles, calls his style of cooking "European-American Cuisine with an English Twist".
We have had dinner here once before, had a glass of wine in the bar a couple of times, and have always had a really good experience, with great food and excellent service.
I know a member of the staff and he always treats us to something extra. This time it was a glass of Champagne to start of our evening. Thanks Sean!
After ordering, an Amuse Bouche was served in a miniature cup, a Creamy Wild Mushroom Soup with Truffle Oil. Excellent start to the meal, I did add a touch of salt though, to bring out the flavor. After that I had the White Cheddar Cheese Souffle with Pickled Red Onion and Micro Greens. Wonderfully light and tasty souffle in a Phyllo shell. Parmesan Crusted Halibut with Wild Mushroom Risotto Cake followed. The halibut was flaky and moist, the risotto cake a tad dry but otherwise very good. We finished the meal with the Liquid Center Chocolate Cake served with Coffee Ice Cream. Over all a very good meal, but not quite as good as the prior dining experience here. Service however was as great as ever. Only mistake was my husband being served the duck instead of the chicken he ordered, and that was corrected as fast as one can expect.
The wine list is surprisingly short and although there are some good wines it really lacks in the selection. Needs to be improved.
We had the Roar Rosella's Santa Lucia Highland 2004 Pinot Noir to start with. This was a fantastic Pinot with dark cherries, raspberries and smooth tannins. A very complex wine with medium-full body. We ordered a second bottle of the Roar but the waiter returned letting us know that was his last bottle. We moved on to the 2005 Babcock Grand Cuvee, Santa Barbara Pinot Noir. A really nice Pinot as well but I must admit it was hard to enjoy this younger Pinot after having the excellent 2004 stand out from Roar. Not quite fair to Babcock, which always makes great Pinot Noir. We should have enjoyed the Babcock before the Roar and it would have come more to it's right. Well, next time...
We had a great night and will return, but hope for an expanded wine list in the future.

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Rideau Vineyard

Rideau Vineyard Tasting Room

During our weekend in Santa Barbara we took a little trip up to Santa Ynez Valley to do some wine tasting. Our favorite during this tour was Rideau Vineyard which was founded in 1997 by New Orleans native, Iris Rideau (at photo to the left). The tasting room is a historical 2 story Adobe built in 1884. Through the years it has served as stagecoach stop, a famous inn, a guest ranch, and a working ranch. Iris Rideau bought it in 1995, after the property had sat abandoned for 10 years, and restored it to it's current condition.
The estate grows exclusively Rhone varietals and we decided to do the Reserve tasting at a $15 cost per person.

The first pour was the 2006 Estate Viognier. It has not been bottled yet so this was a futures sample. Cloudy due to coming straight from the barrel this was a nice Viognier but a little bit to fruity and sweet for my taste. After this we got to taste the 2005 Estate Viognier. A year in the bottle makes a huge difference and this was much more balanced, not to sweet, and had a slight crispness to it. A really good Viognier but at a pretty steep cost of $52.
Next we moved on to another barrel sample, the 2005 Santa Barbara County Syrah. Lush with ripe, dark berries and young tannins. Followed by the 2004 Santa Barbara County Syrah. Again you could taste the difference a year in the bottle makes. The 2004 was more balanced with less jammy fruit, and the characteristic hint of peppar. Both very good Syrahs.

The 2004 Chateau Duplantier, a blend of Syrah, Grenache and Mourvedre, was my favorite red. Beautiful fruit, not to jammy or ripe, with nice balance, a hint of spice, and adequate tannins. What a great Rhone blend!

Last but not least the 2004 Petit Sirah, dark and fruit forward but a little bit more elegant than many other Petite Syrahs. A nice finish to our tasting.

Me and friends in tasting room

Did I mention the very friendly and extremely knowlegable tasting room staff?
This all adds up to a great winery to include in your next tour of the Santa Ynez Valley, and I highly recommend it.

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Lincourt Santa Barbara County 2005 Pinot Noir

Lincourt Vineyards Tasting Room

Reading the latest issue of Food and Wine on our way down to Santa Barbara on Thursday I spotted the Lincourt Santa Barbara County 2005 Pinot Noir as one of top four star selections out of 27 bottles in the article, Best American Pinot Noir. We have enjoyed Lincourt Pinot Noir many times before and since passing the winery on the way through Santa Ynez Valley we decided to drop by, do a tasting and pick up some bottles. Said and done, we walked out of there with a full case of the 2005 Pinot Noir. A great wine for $25 perfect for week night dinners, or bringing over to a friends house.
The 2005 is made from grapes from Santa Rita Hills Vineyards. This is a medium bodied Pinot with bright red cherries on the nose, and some blueberries and hints of oak. It has flavors of red berries with some spice and earth notes. The wine is rich and fruity but not a power house. It is more toward the elegant style. Find it at http://www.wine-searcher.com/ for as low as $18.45. A great price!
I will be here in Santa Barbara until Monday and I will have a ton of good food and wine to tell you about when I get back home. Stay tuned...

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Foxen Canyon Trail Syrah

Tonight we are having a Koehler Winery 2004 Santa Barbara County Syrah (after not liking the first bottle we opened),(see above). Thought it would pair nicely with the hearty beef, barley and vegetable soup we had for dinner. The pairing was not perfect but good enough. The reason beeing that this is a very, almost to, fruity Syrah. The nose carries dark plum and berries, and once in your mouth you can taste rolling, round, plump, dark berries and fruit. The finish is long and all fruit. I am missing some additional tannins for a more balanced structure, but all in all it is a nice syrah. Best enjoyed on it's own because of the heavy, ripe fruitiness. Do not waste your time on this Syrah if this is not your style...

Ken Brown

Starting as Zaca Mesa Winery's first winemaker in 1977, Ken Brown went on in 1984 and spent his following 20 years as founder and winemaker of Byron Vineyard and Winery. After this great achievement he launched the Ken Brown label in 2003. I am enjoying his 2004 Santa Barbara County Pinot Noir tonight. This is not my first bottle of this wine and certainly not the last. I think it is a good value at only $22.98 at http://www.wine-searcher.com/.
It has plum and cherry on the nose with dark raspberry and cherry on the palate. The nice rounded tannins ends in a lingering finish. Although a little "plain" this is a good, approachable and enjoyable Pinot that will not break your bank.

Stuck on Pinot

I guess I should start to review other wines than Pinot Noirs. I think you know by now that it is my favorite grape. I promise I'll do something else next...
Let me present to you an excellent every day drinking Pinot. Fess Parker 2005 Santa Barbara County Pinot Noir. Yes, this is one of the other bottles we picked up during our recent trip to Santa Ynez Valley. It is very fruity, which I love. It offers cherry, cranberry, red berries, tobaco and a nice set of tannins. $25 @ www.fessparker.com or as a wineclub member only $20.