December, 1995
The Grapevine!

by Bob Senn
IN MEMORIAM:

Sadly, this month, a grand old man of our vineyards, Boyd Bettencourt, died of an aneurysm after lapsing into unconsciousness at Santa Ynez Valley Cottage Hospital. Boyd planted the first vineyard in the Santa Ynez Valley in 1969 with his neighbor Giff Davidge.

Boyd served on the Santa Barbara County Planning Commission and gained notoriety back in the 1970s as the general chairman of Citizens for Los Padres County, a group seeking to split Santa Barbara County.

I first met Boyd in 1978. He had the most wonderfully infectious, boisterous laugh I had ever heard, and talking with him was a real inspiration, a ray of hope for anyone who ever had to deal with the byzantine bureaucracy of Santa Barbara County, especially on planning matters. Several years ago, when I was having my own confrontations with that group, Boyd told me, "Just remember this, Bob, it's easier for them [planning bureaucrats] to say 'no' than it is for them to say 'yes'." That note of wisdom should be Boyd's epitaph. Good luck in future endeavors, Boyd.

SOMETHING'S NEW:

There's always news fermenting in our wine scene, which is what makes wine writing so interesting. This month, it is a spectacular new sparkling wine label from Kendall-Jackson, a new winery operation in Santa Barbara, a new owner for Meridian, and a new beer!

Lake County-based Kendall-Jackson is among the fastest-growing wine operations in the United States. One of its premier labels is Cambria Winery, located east of Santa Maria. Tucked away in a small corner of the facility is Kristone, which K-J is billing as America's first and only winery dedicated solely to the production of ultra-premium Méthode Champenoise California Champagne (or, more correctly, sparkling wine).

Méthode Champenoise is the traditional process of Champagne production, which originated in the Champagne region of France. In this labor-intensive method, the wine is fermented twice. First, a still wine is made, which is then bottled and dosed with yeast and sugar. The second fermentation occurs in the bottle. The bottles are tightly stopped with crown caps so the carbon dioxide, a natural by-product of fermentation, cannot escape from the bottle. If you didn't know, that's how the bubbles get into both Champagne and Méthode Champenoise sparkling wine.

Kristone is releasing its first sparkling wines: a 1991 blanc de blanc, a 1991 rosé, and my favorite, a 1991 blanc de noir-a yeasty, toasty, and very elegant sparkler, reminiscent of fine French Champagne. The winemaker is Harold Osborne, who was the original winemaker at Maison Deutz in San Luis Obispo County. At around $50 a bottle, Kristone is pricey, but it's very good!

Also this month, Francisco Porras, a native of Venezuela and home winemaker, "made his dreams come true," opening Porras Winery at 590 East Gutierrez, Suite D, near downtown Santa Barbara. No vineyards yet, but he has three releases: a chardonnay, a cabernet sauvignon, and a sauvignon blanc (this last was produced from Santa Barbara County grapes grown at Carrari Vineyards near Los Alamos).

Nestlé S.A. of Switzerland just sold Meridian, Beringer, Chateau Souverain, and Napa Ridge wineries, which were all under the Wineworld Estates umbrella, to Texas Pacific, an investment partnership based in San Francisco and Fort Worth, Texas. Included in the deal was Wineworld's vineyard holdings in Santa Barbara County, which amount to about 3,000 acres-close to a third of the total acreage in the county! The sale reportedly is a record $350-million deal.

A new beer is brewing in the near future! (It was supposed to be a super hush-hush deal, but I have my ways and sources.) Adam Firestone confirmed to me that Firestone will launch a new super-premium beer in 1996. He told me the beer will be handmade of only the highest quality hops and barley. Stay tuned for details.

HOLIDAY CHEER: UPCOMING EVENTS

Bob Senn writes The Independent's monthly wine column, "Grapevine," and owns the Los Olivos Wine & Spirits Emporium.

Back to News Leads . . . .