November 26, 1997

The Grapevine!

by Bob Senn

Home for the holidays!

'Tis the season to indulge in food and drink. Red wines are always most appropriate with turkey, ham and the like. Game and full-flavored meats such as turkey or Cornish game hens can often be overwhelmed with chardonnays, even big, high alcohol, over-oaked chardonnays. A perennial fave with turkey and leftover turkey sandwiches is Santa Barbara Winery's Beaujour, a nouveau Beaujolais-style quaff, and the first release of the new vintage.

Winemaker Bruce McGuire's latest effort, the '97 vintage (suggested retail at $9) is a bit of a departure from previous vintages which were always one hundred percent zinfandel from the winery's vineyard off of Santa Rosa Road between Buellton and Lompoc. This new vintage, while still mostly zinfandel, contains 10 percent syrah and 5 percent grenache, which I think gives the wine more complexity and greater depth, with the usual exotic aromas of fresh berry fruit and hints of black pepper.

This wine would merry beautifully with turkey and stuffing, and cranberry sauce.

Another new release, and somewhat hard to find which also matches beautifully with your traditional holiday fare is the 1995 Rosso Di Paso, a sangiovese produced and bottled by Steve Rasmussen, winemaker at Talley Vineyards near Arroyo Grande. We recently had this wine with barbecued turkey breast and an Asian risotto, catered by Bernard Roth.

This is the second vintage of this venerable Italian red varietal made by Steve Rasmussen, from grapes grown in a vineyard near Paso Robles. Classic descriptors for this varietal include cherries and cinnamon in the nose. A well made sangiovese like Steve's new release has very inviting aromas, and  great structure, which when involved with turkey white meat, and a chestnut dressing with soy for example, can have an enrapturing effect on the mouth!

Incidentally, another local sangiovese worth searching out comes from Mosby Winery in Buellton (with a suggested retail of $16).

Sangiovese, by the way, is one of the two or three great red varietals from Italy. Sangiovese is the major grape in the classic Chianti wines of Italy; it is also blended with cabernet sauvignon and merlot, creating the new breed of Italian reds known as Super Tuscans.

Great pairing matches, too, would be with the shining stars of Santa Barbara County red wine varietals, syrah and pinot noir!

Along with classic syrahs such as Mr. Rhone Ranger, Bob Lindquist's 1996 Qupe Central Coast syrah (suggested retail $13), and definitive pinot noirs from such consummate producers as Lane Tanner (three vineyard designated pinots for the 1996 vintage ranging from $20-$25) and Chris Whitcraft (two pinots so far released for the 1996 vintage at about $40).

The opulent pinot noirs from Lane and Chris are peerless wines which would make epicurean delights out of the most mundane leftovers.

Briefs

The next Vintners' Festival has been set for Saturday and Sunday, April 18 & 19, 1998, 1-4 p.m. Tickets will go on sale in January. For more information or to get on the mailing list, call the Santa Barbara County Vintners' Association at (805) 688-0881.

Another new winery in the county! Barnwood Vineyards on Highway 33, near Cuyama and Ventucopa has reopened. The winery is not open to the public, but it is possible to schedule a visit by appointment. There has been some major planting going on, and the cabernet sauvignon out there in the beautiful high desert of Santa Barbara County's most remote area, looks really promising. For information, call (805) 766-9199.

Holiday cheer!

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

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