January 2007 Wine Tasting Notes.
2004 Stolpman Poetry in White, Santa Ynez Valley.
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This is a vibrant yellow-colored wine with a light green tinge. The nose offers medium honey accompanied by notes of white flowers and hits of grapefruit. The palate is straightforward with medium intensity honey and hints of citrus and gooseberry. There is a strong mineral and spice note on the back end. Big alcohol gives this wine volume and some heat. Proportioned acidity and minerality make for a somewhat unctuous and fuller, heavier mouthfeel. The finish shows citrus and white gooseberry notes. |
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RWB Score: 86 breakdown 14.8% Alcohol $20.00 Retail (from winery); 98 cases produced |
A little bit of Roussanne goes a long way. The slightly warmer climate of Ballard Canyon and oak aging give this white blend distinct softness. Roussanne characteristics accent a distinctly creamy and soft characteristic of the Sauvignon Blanc imparting a slightly nutty quality. This should pair well with baked oysters or heartier baked ocean fish over the next 3 to 4 years. |
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More Stolpman reviews. More on the Santa Ynez Valley AVA |
Roughly 90% Sauvignon Blanc and about 10% Viognier - both estate - the wine is aged in neutral oak barrels for 11 months and bottled unfined and unfiltered.
Thought to originate from France’s Loire alley, Sauvignon Blanc was first brought to California from Suaternes in the 1880s. It quickly gained popularity and thrived in the Livermore Valley. In 1968 Robert Mondavi changed the style of his Sauvignon Blanc from a sweet to a dry style. To mark the difference, he coined the name “Fumé Blanc”, which is a combination of the names “Pouilly-Fumé”, (a dry Sauvignon Blanc from the Loire Valley) and “Sauvignon Blanc”. Following suit with Mondavi (and on his encouragement), many American producers still use this name with considerable variation. Some examples we have encountered include a blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon (a rather common practice in California and in Bordeaux). Even individual producers in the Central Coast produce several distinct styles each year including a late harvest, botrytised dessert style. Today, over 15,000 acres are planted to this variety in California. A robust producer, Sauvignon Blanc tends to become rather neutral if allowed to overproduce. Nonetheless, it is quite distinct even in its most base form. Although some may expect a "cat box" or “cat piss” characteristic to be part of Sauvignon Blanc’s typical flavor profile, it occurs when the grapes are insufficiently ripe. On the other end of the spectrum, melon aromas and flavors come out with increased sun exposure and ripeness. Sauvignon Blanc is also marked by mineral and high acidity, even in late harvest offerings. Uniformly, tart white gooseberry characteristics are present in better examples. Other fruit include grapefruit and lime. Lemon grass is another defining characteristic. Vegetal aromas and flavors described as asparagus, bell pepper and grass.
Following in the footsteps of Viognier whose popularity has risen recently, this rust-colored Rhône grape is coming to some considerable attention in California’s Central Coast despite being planted to only some 200 acres. The grape all but became extinct as it fell by the wayside because it is so difficult to grow. It is prone to many diseases and vagaries of the climate and gives irregular yields. Dedicated vintners selected more sturdy and consistent clones to breed the weak traits out of the variety. It maintains its place in the Rhône region a part of many white blends with (depending on area) Grenache Blanc, Marsanne and Viognier. It is the heaviest of the white Rhône varieties, giving high alcohol wines like the other white Rhône varieties but with typically lower acids. Roussanne usually expresses floral aromas and apricot, honey, pear as well as mineral qualities.
The hot 2004 growing season was one of the shortest in the history of the state. Harvest came two to three weeks earlier than usual, at the start of August. Statewide reports of light to normal yields of excellent quality fruit with superb extraction raised anticipation of the wines to come. However, red wines from this vintage are proving variable by our experience. While this "crop of crops" was lauded as producing highly extracted fruit, some wines have been rather unbalanced while others were stunning an memorable. This seems to depend more on the combination of AVA and vineyard management, rather than winemaking techniques. Each offering from this vintage should be judged individually and not by virtue of vintage alone since the shortened growing season affected different varietals in different AVAs and even vineyards.
Some 20 miles from the Pacific Ocean, the 151 acre Stolpman Vineyard (on the 220 acre estate) is located in the Ballard Canyon area of the Santa Ynez Valley, just southwest of the town of Los Olivos. The large size and geography makes for a diverse terroir. The climate of the south-facing vineyard is subject to the marine influence of the ocean the west resulting in warm days and cool nights. The thin soils contain large amounts of clay and limestone. The oldest vines date back t 1992. The vineyard is planted to 80.5 acres of Syrah, just over 17 acres of Sangiovese, 10.5 acres of Viognier, just under 10 acres of Roussanne, almost 9 acres of Grenache, 9.5 acres of Nebbiolo, 4.25 acres of Merlot, just under 4 acres of Petite Syrah, 2.3 acres of Sauvignon Blanc and just under an acre each of Cinsault and Counoise. (Click here for vineyard map).
Initially, the vineyard was planted as a commercial source of fruit for other producers. With reputation and the development of an estate wine label, the fruit is sold selectively o producers who typically vinify and bottle it as vineyard-designated wines. Winemaker Sashi Moorman came to Stolpman in 2001 after working for five years as assistant wine makers at the Ojai Vineyard. He takes great care with producing the wines in Stolpman's climate-controlled Lompoc winery facility.
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5 points |
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Nose |
3 points |
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Palate |
3 points |
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Finish |
2 points |
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Astringency/Minerality |
5 points |
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Acidity |
5 points |
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Alcohol |
4 points |
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Aging potential |
2 points |
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Overall quality |
7 points |
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