Qupé

If you've visited the Los Olivos Wine & Spirits Emporium in person, you have no doubt noticed the old building behind the store. This grand old building built back in 1889 was the meat locker where the sides were aged. This old building, mostly constructed out of redwood, has four foot thick walls.

When Bob Lindquist started Qupé in 1982, he leased this building from the property owners and used it as a personal wine library. The Qupé wines we are offering here have been stored in this historic old building with perfect and constant temperature control since the wines were bottled and have never been moved until now--probably about 200 feet over to the old Market which is now the Los Olivos Wine & Spirits Emporium.

One of the most notable names in the Santa Barbara Viticultural area. The product of years of labor by Bob Lindquist, it is synonymous with great wine. And now has decided to release some of his library wines and they are now available from The Los Olivos Wine & Spirits Emporium. Please note that these wines have been stored well, but all purchases are "as is," and quantities are limited!

Please note:  All Sales Final.

Here are Bob Lindquist's own notes, from March, 2001:
 

1983 Chardonnay "Sierra Madre Vineyard"
$20

This was my second vintage and first chardonnay from Sierra Madre. As with all Qupé chardonnays-100 percent barrel fermented, 100 percent malolactic, and aged on lees until bottling. 1983 was a difficult, rainy vintage. These grapes were on the low end of ripeness (about 22.0 brix) when I picked during a window between rain storms. The balance and acidity have allowed this wine to age well. Certainly past its prime now, but an excellent example of mature, honeyed and nutty chardonnay. Drink now.

1985 Chardonnay "Sierra Madre Vineyard"
$25/$50 magnum

An excellent vintage and probably the best example of completely mature chardonnay in this offering. Creamy and still bright. Drink now and over the next year or two.

1987 Chardonnay "Sierra Madre Vineyard"
$25/$50 magnum

Another very good vintage. Similar to the '85 but a bit bigger and riper. Drink now or over the next year or two.

1989 Chardonnay "Sierra Madre Vineyard"
$30

One of the best chardonnays I've ever made. This was a terrible vintage up north, but a great vintage in Santa Barbara and really put Santa Barbara County on the map for great chardonnay. A couple of years ago my New Mexico distributor double blind tasted me on this with an '89 White Burgundy and an '89 Kistler "Dutton." I thought the Qupè was a fine White Burgundy! Drink now and over the next five years.

1986 Chardonnay "Sierra Madre Reserve"
$25/$50 magnum

This was my first "reserve" chardonnay, and the first one to come entirely from the hilly section at the north end of "H" Block (this block is now owned by Fess Parker and called "Marcella's"). One hundred percent new Francois Freres French oaks barrels were used for this big toasty wine. Completely mature and resolved. Drink now.

1987 Chardonnay "Sierra Madre Reserve"
$25

Similar to the '86; also fully mature. Interesting to compare with the '87 regular bottling. Drink now.

1988 Chardonnay "Sierra Madre Reserve"
$30

One of my favorite Qupé chardonnays. This wine won the prestigious San Francisco Vintners' Club tastings for chardonnays from the '88 vintage. Toasty, rich and mellow-this wine will keep for two to three years, but there's no reason to wait.

1983 Pinot Noir "Sierra Madre Vineyard"
$40.

Yes, you read right-Qupé pinot noir! I made only two vintages of pinot and this was my favorite. I actually co-fermented with 20 percent chardonnay which was added to balance the sugar and acid. This wine is fairly delicate but with penetrating perfume of mature pinot-mushrooms, forest floor and dried roses. Drink it now or over the next couple years.

1984 Pinot Noir "Sierra Madre Vineyard"
$35/$70 magnum

A much warmer vintage than '83 and that shows in the wine-headier, riper and totally mature. I stopped making pinot after this vintage because I felt that to make pinot, I had to dedicate myself to it. I wanted to dedicate myself to syrah instead.

1983 Syrah "Central Coast"
$40

All the grapes for the syrahs from 1982-1987 came exclusively from the Estrella River Vineyard in Paso Robles (now Meridian). This was the best of my early syrahs and still is. Spicy, fruity, with a racy smokey cherry note. Wonderful stuff! I have personally consumed more bottles of this '83 syrah than any other Qupé wine. Drink now or over the next 3-4 years.

1984 Syrah "Central Coast"
$25/$50 magnum

This warm vintage (grapes harvested August 15th!) gave us one of our most popular syrahs. Smokey, gamey, with a good amount of classic syrah bacon fat. Completely resolved and ready to drink, the magnums can probably hold a couple more years.

1984 Syrah "Napa Valley"
$25/$50 magnum

I wasn't able to get as much syrah as I wanted from Estrella River in '84 so I called Bruce Neyers who was a Joseph Phelps at the time and managed to talk him out of three tons. I always preferred the "Central Coast" '84, but with this much age this one is equally good-just different. Drink now.

1985 Syrah "Central Coast"
$15

In '85 I jumped the gun on picking and these grapes came in a bit under ripe. To compensate, Estrella River sold me some very ripe and beautiful cabernet sauvignon to blend in. This '85 syrah has 25 percent cabernet in the blend. It's a light, pretty wine. Fully mature but still sound-drink now.

1986 Syrah "Central Coast"
$30/$60 magnum

A very good vintage. At the time I thought this might rival the '83 and it almost does. This is classic mature syrah-smoked meat, dried berries with a bit of sandalwood in the aroma. Drink now and over the next 2-3 years.

1987 Syrah "Central Coast"
$30

Similar to the '86 but a bit lighter and fruitier and actually a little less developed (lower alcohol, better acidity). Drink now and over the next 4-5 years.

1987 Syrah "Los Olivos Vineyard"
$30

This was the first crop off grafted vines from what I now call "Ibarra-Young Vineyard." This is a bigger, more densely packed wine than the "Central Coast." There is a decidedly gamey, "Rhone-like" character to this complex wine. After this vintage, these grapes started going into Los Olivos Cuvee. Drink now.

1985 Cabernet Sauvignon "Paso Robles"
$40

Remember the cabernet that went into the '85 syrah. We had a couple of extra barrels that Bob Senn and I bottled by hand. This is a beautiful wine-classic cabernet with cedar and cassis and a long, complex finish. Drink now and over the next 5-6 years.
 

Each bottle will be inspected for condition prior to sale. All sales are final-buyer beware.

Important Note: As with all of the older reds, they were either unfiltered or only lightly filtered and have a fair amount of sediment. To fully appreciate them, stand them up for at least 48 hours until they fall clear, then decant.
 
 

Los Olivos Wine & Spirits Emporium