The Wine Contessa: September 2015

THE LOVELY GROUNDS AT HILLIARD BRUCE

"TERROIR" THE FRENCH TERM FOR THE EARTH OR SOIL

Cheers and Salute, I feel like I've abandoned you in my whirlwind of life… This is an incredibly busy time of year for me plus we are starting up our new DestinationVine business!! Very exciting and challenging, my partner and I have been combing the Central Coast to bring you the "best of the best" in Wine Country! Today I want to focus on a premier part of Santa Barbara Wine Country, the Santa Rita Hills AVA.. (American Viticulture Area)

AN EARLY HARVEST THIS YEAR!

The first vineyard to call this area home was Sanford and Benedict, planted in 1971….fast forward to 1997 when the very young and knowledgeable Wes Hagen of Clos Pepe and his fellow winemakers started taking soil samples and studying the different elements of growing potential for the Santa Rita Hills! Just like the Knights of the round table this band of pioneers, headed up by Richard Sanford, Bryan Babcock, Rick Longoria, Ken Brown and others, wanted to have their own distinctive appellation for their premium wines!! They received their AVA status in 2001 becoming SRH(Santa Rita Hills) Appellation.

I CAN'T RESIST A GREAT SYRAH!

It was discovered that this region contained the perfect storm for growing Pinot Noir and Chardonnay….the microclimate of warm days and the Pacific's cooling fog and wind as well as the elevated calcium in the soil all come together to create these luscious wines..although Pinot is clearly the STAR in this AVA, it is also home to fabulous Syrahs, Sauvignon Blancs, Viogners as well as many other cool climate wines! Although this area & Pinot Noir were put on the map by the movie
"SIDEWAYS''in 2004, the locals and people in the know already knew it was destined for greatness!! I don't think the average wine drinker even knew what Pinot was, remember this was the heyday of Merlot which died a noble death soon after, C'est dommage!

ONE OF THE GREAT ORIGINALS…RICHARD SANFORD

THE WONDERFUL CLOS PEPE PINOT NOIR

As this area grew and became part of the Wine World, so did the winemakers…If you build it they will come, bringing more vineyards to the area and producing Top rated wines…there are so many fantastic places to drink and taste here, it's Disneyland for adults! Some of my favorites include Hilliard Bruce, Babcock, Melville & Clos Pepe…It does help to know the winemakers and to have that insider experience…I often say my job is so hard but someone has to do it!!!!
I prefer a Pinot with body, I've nick named the lighter variety "Ghost Pinot's"…not my favorite…Oh, but those full bodied ones that are spicy with notes of dark cherry, amazing, from start to finish. Is it too early to drink yet I know it's 5 o'clock in London? Salute to everyone and have a great weekend!!