Santa Barbara County’s pioneering winemaker Richard Sanford has been known for his unexpectedly wonderful wines for many decades. He was recently honored as 2020 vintner of the year, a visionary in planting and producing wines in what is now called the Santa Rita Hills AVA [aka Sta Rita Hills]. His
Loads of strawberries, plus sage and red clay, waft up on the nose. Strawberries of every kind, from plump and ripe served with cream to tiny, wild, and tart, to dried, come through in layers on the palate. Sage gives way to clove and a touch of cinnamon from attack
The nose smells like a bag full of freshly-picked Michigan cherries and Earl Grey tea. Complexity on the palate is surprising and fun. It starts with tarter red fruits, cranberry and raspberry, and quickly moves to sweeter red fruits on the mid-palate, fresh cherries and dried strawberries. Tannins are deceptive,
This is all about the mouth-feel, silky, soft, and luxurious. Flavors start with blueberries and elderberries, soft dark fruits. Moving toward the mid-palate it evolves, turning first to cherry pie, then moving up to the edge of the pie to the sugary pastry edges. Tannins a very soft, laying gently
Hugely floral, violets fly up from the glass, followed by black fruits and graphite. Black fruits and violets lead on the palate, followed by the same pencil lead and grippy tannins. Red currants show on the mid-palate, a bright acidic lift that brings the violets back into focus. Drink with
Soon after Santa Barbara County’s winemakers had figured out how to make the best wines in their AVAs, great winemaking began inching northward and Paso Robles was its next stop. Grape growers and winemakers in Paso started trying out a-read more-