A Weekend Trip To Solvang: Stolpman Winery

My first experience with Stolpman was over at the Main Street Wine Cellar in Seal Beach for a Meetup.com Wine get together.  The father-son duo presented their wines in a most charismatic way that made me ache for a trip up to checkout the Central Coast again.  That was a year ago and aside from what I remember about the Family that owns this winery, I remember this mind blowing Sangiovese that showed me of what Italian wines should taste like.  Yes, I am talking to you Chianti.

We drank both bottles that we purchased at that Seal Beach tasting and foolishly missed each subsequent opportunity to buy more as they became available at MAWL and Winestyles. But no more, we made sure that we stopped into the Stolpman Tasting Room during this trip to pick up a bottle.

Our tasting was run by this local photographer whose work focuses on the Central Coast.  He also teaches photography and really opened my eyes to some of the new techniques available to DSLR photographers.

But again, I'm here to talk about the wine.

2008 Sauvignon Blanc.  This was really crisp and clean and smelled of citrus peel.  It was light on the palate with hints of cherry.  Nice for a white but not really my thing.  Retails for $22.

La Coppa Blanc.  Forgive me for not getting the year.  It was honeyed and apricot on the nose.  Creamy and delicate with a subtle finish.  A surprising and much welcome sharp, brief acidic peak. I also didn't get the retail price.  It was not listed on the tasting menu either :(

2009 Sangiovese.  This is what I'm takling about!  Can I just call this the fan favorite?  It's plum on the nose, tannic balanced with a citrusy pomegranate flavor with a clean finish. So easy to drink I can't imagine anyone turning their nose up to this.  Retails for $36.

You're going to sense a theme here.  Stolpman focuses on the 2 California varietals that I like the most, Sangiovese and Syrah.  The interesting thing about this tasting was that we were given 2 tastes of each bottle.  One opened that day, the other left over from the night before.  It gave us a sense of how the wine will age but also how dramatically different the Syrahs develop from one day to the next.



2007 Estate Syrah - 91 Point - Robert Parker. This was surprisingly fruit forward folowed with a smokey spicy middle and a long mild finish.  Stolpman does a great job of creating the complex flavors that makes every sip feel like a journey.  Retails for $34. This could be my new favorite.

2006 Hilltops Syrah - 92 Point - Robert Parker for the Wine Advocate.  Ok, so this is a bit of an exclusive Syrah.  The grapes are harvested only from the top 2 blocks of vines on the vineyard.  This results in grapes that get the best of the sun and the coldest of the nights which any farmer knows makes for sweet delicious grapes that ferment well into complexity that Stolpman is so good at creating.  It's hot and smokey with dark berries, honey and flowers on the nose.  Then it's tart and citrusy on the back end and finishes with a long lingering feel. Retails for $45.

2005 La Coppa Syrah.  Lots of wineries make something like a value brand.  It's usually highly drinkable for the range of palates from the least experienced to the most discerning.  I think this is Stolpman's version.  It's got all the great aspects of an easy drinking Syrah.  The chocolate, cherry and vanilla nose.  Light peppery flavor slightly overshadowed by being extremely brightly fruit forward ending with a clean finish.  Solid, predictable and a good example of the varietal.  Retails for $19.

2007 La Croce.  This is a Sangiovese Syrah hybrid.  Say what?!  I know right, it's like they called me and asked me "Hey Leah, I heard you're coming to town and we wanted to make something you have to blog about!"  And blog I am. Hot and spicy nose, chocolately and smokey mouth feel and unmistakably musty like the outdoors.  Full bodied with a long delicious finish. Retails for $66.

Alright oenophiles, that's all for this trip.  I don't know how some of you champs get all wined up going from tasting room to tasting room in Los Olivos but you're my hero!  I was tired after the 2 tastings, headed to the Ostrich Farm then Anderson's for Split Pea Soup and headed back to Home Sweet Home.

A Weekend Trip To Solvang: Fess Parker Winery

I'm no stranger to the Central Coast.  In fact, in my past life working finance in school construction at least a couple time a month I would hop on a Cessna to Santa Maria to meet with clients. I got to try the wonders of Santa Maria Tri-Tip and the fantastic Mexican food that rivals the best places in Los Angeles County.  Stops into San Luis Obispo were my great, as were the blips of time in Santa Barbara wineries.  My favorite was always the little Dutch town of Solvang.

Lucky for me my husband's family feels the same love for this out-of-the-way, blast-from-the-past city and they bought a gorgeous vacation home right on the historic block down by Hans Christian Andersen Park.  We took out first trip to the new digs this past weekend and came back happier and more relaxed than we've been in months.

Pictures of the jaunt can be found here.  What I really want to talk about is the wine.

We drove out to Los Olivos to pick up some sandwiches and head over to Fess Parker Winery for a picnic. 

The roads in this town are amazing.  You drive along and all of a sudden you're hit with a view of the entire valley of green surrounded with the bluest of clear skies.

Then you get to where you're going and find that along with the rockin' scenery the wine is top notch.

In the course of my Fess Parker experience I learned that savvy businessman Fess had it written in the contract that he got a portion of the sales from coonskin caps, rifles and other paraphernalia related to the Davy Crockett  franchise.  Walt Disney and Co. assuming the show wouldn't run for too long agreed.  Now the Parker empire includes a Doubletree formerly known as the Red Lion and this amazing winery (pictured with what I think is a grape mill) .

Over at Fess Parker's I had the pleasure of tasting the following:


2007 Chardonnay "Ashley" - 93 Point - Wine Enthusiast.  I found this to have a peachy peary creamy buttery nose but tasting of mildly tart green apple citrus hybrids. It's not too oakey and has a nice clean finish.  Probably great with seafood but fantastic with sharp cheeses. Retails for $30.

2008 Viognier "Santa Barbara County."  This was a really honeyed and vanilla nose with a sweet acidic front, full bodied mouth feel with a touch of stone fruit. This was favorite for one of us in the group who also loves brut champagne.  Retails for $24.

2007 Pinot Noir Pommard Clone - 92 Point - Wine Enthusiast.   Reds are my favorite but I find Pinot Noirs so finicky of a grape that it's hard to find a good one. This was a chocolately, cherry nose with a tart front but clean and balanced tannins.  Minerals and mildly herbaceous flavors in the backdrop.  Too young right now but will probably benefit from aging. Retails for $58.

2006 Pinot Noir "Bien Nacido Vineyard." Again, you'll have to excuse my lack of enthusiasm.  This had a mocha and woody nose with a berry front and a long finish. Retails for $55. 

2006 Syrah "American Tradition Reserve" - 90 Point - Robert Parker.  Did you know that Syrahs are my favorite?  It's such an easy grape to work with that it's rare to fine one that is just out and out bad.  Plus, it's an easy grape to grow resulting in some of the best red wine values on the market.  This bottle was my favorite with a cherry, vanilla berry nose followed with a deep fruit and tannin balance finishing long and dry.  Yum.  Retails for $35.

2006 Syrah "Rodney's Vineyard" - 93 Point - The Wine Advocate.  I was a little over-tasted by this time.  It's my fault, I don't spit.  I know you're supposed to but geez, why?!  This had a mildly musty nose with a savory almost meaty plum and apricot front.  Very full bodied and complex with a pleasant mid length finish.  Retails for $45.

Next stop on this Central Coast booze trip, one of my favorites, Stolpman Wineries.