Wine Tasting Notes
Stolpman 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, southwest of the town of Los Olivos. This area, known as Ballard Canyon or Ballard Corridor, is the source of the most sought after Syrah, grown by the likes of Larner Vineyard, Purisima Mountain Vineyard (Beckmen family), Rusack estate vineyard and Tierra Alta Vineyard. 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). The large size and geography makes for a diverse terroir.
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.
The Stolpman philosophy includes that members of their wine growing and wine making crew not only know their role in the process but also that they have a good understanding of the whole process. The way the vineyard crew is motivated and given a sense of ownership indicates a management style that would make Jack Welch proud. From the Stolpman Vineyard web site:
"Each year, the full-time vineyard crew (in Spanish, “La Cuadrilla”) is given a small section in the vineyard to manage as they please. ... During harvest, La Cuadrilla decides when to pick the fruit, and our winemaking team helps them vinify the grapes. At the end, La Cuadrilla divides the wine among its members—each with a better understanding of how their work in the vineyard has a direct influence on what ends up in the bottle."
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.
2004 Stolpman Poetry in White 86 points
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