January 2007 Wine Tasting Notes:
2005 Koehler Pinot Noir, Santa Barbara County.
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This Pinot Noir is upper medium depth garnet in color with a purple rim. The nose presents medium intensity aromas of cherry and strawberry intermingled with rose petals and earthy notes. An element reminiscent of beet root begins the bottle, giving way to caraway and evolves to cola over the course of the bottle. The palate offers flavors of rosehips and cherry over raspberry and light vanilla notes. Appropriate acidity and alcohol levels allow this this wine to maintain a lighter body and mouthfeel. The medium length finish is straightforward and dominated by cherry. |
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RWB Score: 89 breakdown 15.0% Alcohol $30.00 Retail (from winery); 1,567 cases produced |
This 2005 Santa Barbara County Pinot Noir is expressive without being gregarious. It has a very fragrant nose with good complexity and a composed palate. Earthy and food friendly, this wine strikes a good balance of Central Coast extraction and Burgundian styling and an alcohol level below 15%! |
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More Koehler reviews More on the Santa Barbara County AVA |
Composition: 72% Premiere Coastal Vineyard and 28% Lucas & Lewellyn Goodchild Vineyard. Cold soaked for three days and fermented in open-top tanks with twice-daily punchdowns, this wine was aged 10 months in a cooperage regimen of 20% new and 80% 1-3 year-old French Oak barrels.
The 2005 growing season ended with a crop larger than previous years. Reading the yearly state vintage reports, it would seem every year is a vintage year. Even in a relatively constant and minimally varying climate like the Central Coast, that is not necessarily guaranteed. Best wines, in terms of balance and integration, still come from long and even growing seasons. redwinebuzz.com has been speaking to many winemakers and wine growers in the Central Coast and at this time, the hype really does reflect reality. The year was generally cool and is being compared to the acclaimed 1997 vintage, but only time will prove this true. The 2005 growing season started with spring rains which led to robust vine growth. With a higher risk of mildew, growers had their hands full managing irrigation, fertilization and very intensive canopy management starting early in the season. As a result of the robust growth, growers had to be more aggressive about dropping fruit to control yields later in the season. There were no serious heat spikes which allowed even and steady development of grapes. The long and cool growing season without heat spikes resulted in fruit with good extraction but lower sugar levels and subsequent excitement over the quality of wines to be produced. The slow ripening of the fruit is expected to make for elegance and balance in the wines of this vintage.
The 458-acre Premiere Coastal Vineyard sits outside the obliquely running southwestern border of the Santa Maria Valley AVA along Highway 101 at Palmer Road, north of the town of Los Alamos. Planted on south-facing slopes in 1998, the vineyard produces Chardonnay (200 acres), Pinot Noir (100 acres, 10 year-old vines), Merlot (80 acres) and Syrah (78 acres). The Los Alamos Valley, the proposed new AVA where the vineyard is located, sits between the Santa Maria and Santa Ynez Valley AVAs. Its intermediate geography translates into intermediate climate. The temperatures here are on average 10 degrees Fahrenheit warmer than in the Santa Maria Valley and 10 degrees cooler than in the Santa Ynez Valley. Growing on the southwestern-facing slopes of the Solomon Hills (which form the northern border of the proposed Los Alamos AVA), the 26 blocks of the vineyard are farmed for and sold to small and large producers including: Au Bon Climat, Bridlewood, Wild Horse Winery, William James Cellars, Fetzer and Beringer Blass Wine Estates (formerly Beringer).
One of Lucas & Lewellen's four vineyards, the 67-acre Goodchild Vineyard lies along both sides of the acclaimed Foxen Canyon Wine Trail. The vineyard soils vary from clay and gravel river deposits to hillside and hilltop sites. These vineyards have been producing high quality and prize-winning Pinot Noir and Chardonnay grapes from vines planted 25 years ago. The cool climate of he Santa Maria Valley allows those two varieties to excel.
Koehler Winery, in the Santa Ynez Valley appellation, evolved from a 1997 purchase of a property with vines up to 30 years old. At that time, all fruit grown was being sold to other producers. The vision of Kory and Peter Koehler, owners, was to make premium wines at affordable prices. 67 acres (of the 100 acre estate) are planted to Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Grenache, Riesling, Sangiovese, Sauvignon Blanc, Syrah, and Viognier. Most of the vines on the property are approaching 30 year in age.
The Koehler line up of wines produced prior to 2005 is solid with a number of stars. Beginning with the 2005 vintage, Koehler is releasing wines made by their new winemaker, Chris Stanton. Under Stanton's oversight, the winery will be making all estate wines, focusing on Rhône varietals with a total annual production approaching 10,000 cases.
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4 points |
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Nose |
4 points |
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Palate |
3 points |
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Finish |
2 points |
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Tannins |
5 points |
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Acidity |
5 points |
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Alcohol |
5 points |
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Aging potential |
2 points |
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Overall quality |
8 points |
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