Wine Tasting Notes
Curtis Winery.
Curtis Winery was created in 1995 by the Firestone family (who had founded their eponymous winery in Santa Ynez in 1972) to focus on wines produced from Rhône varieties grown locally. When William Foley II purchased the Firestone winery in August of 2007, the Curtis winery, vineyards and brand remained in the Firestones’ hands.
Much of the label’s character has been developed by winemaker, Chuck Carlson who came on board at the time of the label’s launch. Although Ambassador’s Vineyard had been planted five years earlier, Chuck oversaw the planting and development of the Crossroads Vineyard.
Given the nickname “Calypso” by his friends – after the brightly colored shirts which seem to make up a large portion of his wardrobe – Chuck Carlson had been making Rhône-style wines in the area for over to decades. Since 2004, he has been serving as the president of the Rhône Rangers association.
Carlson studied Agricultural Science at California State University, Fresno, specializing in Enology and Viticulture. He came to Santa Barbara County in 1981 and started working as a lab technician at Zaca Mesa Winery. He quickly rose to the rank of Assistant Winemaker. After joining Curtis in 1995 he oversaw the development of the winery facility and planting of estate vineyards.
The Curtis label sources fruit from its two estate vineyards, Ambassador's and Crossroad, as well as Voglezang Vineyards in the eastern end (Happy Canyon area) of the Santa Ynez Valley. The estate vineyards are closely managed by Chuck Carlson.
Planted in 1990 to 20 acres of the Chapoutier (Estrella River) clone of Syrah, Ambassador’s Vineyard is the larger of the tow Curtis estate vineyards and produces the majority of the Syrah for the Curtis wines. It is located on a flat mesa above Foxen Canyon Road. This site gets a combination of even sun exposure, cooling breezes and well draining marine sedimentary soils of gravel, limestone and loam. Chuck Carlson attributes the fruit's blueberry and white pepper aromas to these characteristics of the vineyard.
Crossroads Vineyard is a 6-acre property planted in 1997 at the intersection of Foxen Canyon and Zaca Station Roads. This site grows primarily Syrah (Syrah Noir clone on vigor-limiting rootstock) but there are also small blocks of Grenache (Grenache Noir clone) and Roussanne here as well. The site sits on alluvial soils of limestone, loam and sand. This Vineyard sits at a lower elevation than Ambassador's and is tucked against one of the mesas which flank Foxen Canyon Road. This location reduces wind cooling and retains the afternoon warmth for longer periods - stabilizing temperatures over the course of the day.
In general, Curtis wines are approachable - first and foremost - while maintaining good varietal typicity. Their character is generally rich and full-flavored while remaining a good value across the board as well.
2005 Curtis Heritage Cuvée, Santa Barbara County
2005 Curtis The Crossroad, Santa Ynez Valley
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