Earth Day Open House (This Saturday) and Online $5 Shipping Sale at Qupe and Verdad All Month

The winery is here!

ONLINE SALE - APRIL ONLY

Qupe and Verdad are having an online shipping sale right now on all orders of 6 bottles or more - shipping is only $5!

Everything from Verdad is organic and/or biodynamically grown. Some of the Qupe wines (usually the costlier ones) are.

The Sawyer Lindquist vineyard wines are all certified biodynamic.
The Ibarra Young vineyard wines are certified organically grown.

For Verdad, I am a huge fan of their Albarino and their Rose. For Qupe, it's all about the Grenaches and Syrahs, for me. They also do great white Rhones (Viognier, Marsanne, Roussanne).

CELLAR OPEN HOUSE, RELEASE PARTY AND SALE

Normally Qupe and Verdad (husband and wife wineries - he's a Syrah and Rhone master and she's queen of the Spanish varietals) allow visitors only to their tasting room in Los Olivos, a charming little town that's filled with wine tourists and tasteful tasting rooms.

But twice a year they have open house at their actual winery located near the legendary Bien Nacido vineyard in Santa Maria. (Near, not in.)

The site is about as amazing as it gets - this canyon reminds one of the great European valleys with its steep hillsides. It's famous for growing some of the best grapes in Santa Barbara County and California.

The open house sale is from 11-3 (wine club members admitted at 10:30 am). The event is $20 for the public, free to wine club members.

The new (organically grown) 2012 spring wines that will be released at the event include:

• 2012 Viognier - Ibarra Young Vineyard (organic)
• 2012 Viognier - Sawyer Lindquist Vineyard (biodynamic) - wine club members only

The telephone is 805-686 4200.

Sept. 21 Grenache Day!

In honor of Grenache Day, a number of U.S. wineries have organized festivities from Santa Rosa to Paso Robles.

For those of you unfamiliar with grenache, the occasion is a great time to get acquainted with the wonderful wine. A lighter red, less full bodied than a Cabernet or Pinot Noir, it's often an everyday wine in Spain and France.

In honor of this great grape, find all the best organic and biodynamic selections from California in this post from 2011 right here (under $20) and over $20.

Featured are selections from Beckmen, Qupe, Tablas Creek, Horse and Plow (old vines, dry farmed - from Testa - one of my faves). A case of the latter runs $270 (at the case price) or $25 a bottle.

[Bonny Doon, despite much ballyhoo and its position as leading the charge for Grenache Day, does not have an organically farmed Grenache, alas. (It used to, but switched sources).]

Here's more about the festivities. Of the wineries listed on the release there, only Qupe and Tablas Creek are among those offering organically grown grenache. Qupe will be having special tastings in its tasting room in Santa Barbara County and Tablas will be celebrating in Paso Robles.

Grenache is associated with the former Aragon
whose former territory is shown above

You can read more about the grape on the Tablas Creek website here.

Although the Tablas Creek history, like many, claims French or Spanish origins, many now consider that Sardinia may be the source of this varietal where it is today known as Cannonau.

It has high yields and ripens late. A surprise to me - I learned on Wikipedia - it's widely grown in the San Joaquin Valley. It's usually blended in France with Syrah and Mourvedre and it constitutes the bulk (80%) of the famed Chateauneuf de Pape.

So find a bottle - go for the Horse and Plow before it runs out (this would be the most historic old vine choice) - or the Qupe - and raise a glass to this lovely light red!

Qupe/Verdad Spring Whites Wine Tasting and SALE!

"Verdad" and "Qupe"...with son- one of tbe great His and Her winery couples of California!

Saturday May 19, from 5:30 to 7:30 pm - join the Qupe/Verdad team for a white wine tasting! Limited to 30 people - and priced quite reasonably at $15 a head - join one of Santa Barbara County's most illustrious wine couples for a special tasting of their Chenin Blanc, Roussanne, and a new Albarino from Paragon Vineyard.

They're even throwing in light appetizers.

The event takes place at their Los Olivos tasting room.

If you're into whites, you should know they make both superstar Spanish whites - Verdad's Albarino is renowned (whether from the organic Ibarra Young vineyard or Verdad's own biodynamic Sawyer Lindquist estate vineyard) and Qupe is a Rhone master par excellence (so the Ibarra Young Viognier is outstanding).

And did I mention there will be special discounts on wine for attendees only?

That ought to clinch the deal.

Their organically grown wines come from Ibarra Young vineyard (organic) or their own Sawyer Lindquist estate (biodynamic).

Send me your photos if you're lucky enough to attend!

Info here www.qupe.com/purchase/products-page/merchandise/maywhites 

The Summer of Grenache, Continued: $20 and Up

There seems to be some kind of a summer of riesling thing happening. But as for me, different drummer and all that, grenache has caught my fancy and I've been exploring the organically grown American options.

Earlier this week, I blogged about the impressive Under $20 category. Today, I'm forging onward in the Summer of Grenache to the Over $20 category.

I've got one more to add to the $20 and Under List:

• 2007/8 Estate Grenache, Beckmen Vineyards (originally $25/on sale for $19.99)

Beckmen's estate vineyards are organic, while the Purisima Mountain vineyard is biodynamic. The Purisima Mountain grenache is almost twice the price of the estate grenache and is no longer available from the winery. However, you can find a few last cases online.

Parker's understandably a big fan of Beckmen, which includes both this grenache and its biodynamic cousin. Parker calls the 2008 vintage (no longer available) a "very attractive bargain." I agree. I just ordered a case, since this appears to be the end of the line for the bargain priced estate grenache which I guess will have to be "Mature" and ready to consume. No waiting!

Parker's 2008 notes:

The least expensive Grenache and a very attractive bargain is the 2008 Estate Grenache. This displays more strawberry, red currant, and cherry notes, with some earth, lavender, and subtle herbaceousness. Dark ruby, medium-bodied, with nice texture, this is a wine to drink over the next 2-3 years. 

$20-$30 Price Range

• 2009 Cote de Tablas Paso Robles, Tablas Creek, $30 (elsewhere down to $25 online for 2009/$22 for other vintages)

Paso Robles-based Tablas Creek should, given its Rhone family ownership make a fantastic Grenache. After all, the winery was created and is co-owned by a famous Rhone producer, the Perrin family. So it's no surprise that it makes a lovely grenache-syrah-counoise-mourvedre blend that is a Cote du Rhone taste-alike.

Parker rated the current vintage a whopping 93 points. The winemaker says it's the winery's most intense Cote de Tablas Rouge ever, given the low yields in the harvest during 2009, the third consecutive drought year.

In past years Parker, who has been a fan of the Perrin's French wines for decades and Tablas Creek's as well, has consistently given various Tablas Creek vintages scores between 88 and 93; Vinography likes it, too, rating it 9 (out of 10) points. Parker's notes (reprinted from the Tablas Creek web site): 

Charmingly fruity, supple and fun to drink, exhibiting ripe plum, black cherry and wild berry fruit that’s smooth and layered, with a long, fruity finish. Grenache, Syrah, Counoise and Mourvèdre. Drink now through 2017

In previous months, the Tablas Creek web site featured this from Parker:

This California Côte du Rhône look-alike, made from 42% Grenache, 21% Syrah, 20% Counoise (which must be an all-time high for that varietal in a Rhône Ranger blend), and 17% Mourvèdre, displays the earthier side of Rhône Rangers. Spicy, dark berries intermixed with underbrush, forest floor, pepper, and soy are followed by a medium-bodied, earthy wine in contrast to the more fruit-driven 2007. Drink it over the next 3-4 years. 

I laid in a good supply of this lovely wine on a recent visit to the winery. I'm waiting awhile to drink it.


$30-$40

• 2009 Grenache 80, Cowhorn ($30)

Why do they call it 80? Because that's the number of days of frost this poor Rhone grape had to endure in southern Oregon, but endure it did. 

Cowhorn's got a great reputation for biodyamic wines. I'm looking forward to tasting it in person at the winery when I get up to the Oregon Shakespeare Festival later this summer. I'll let you know then how it's tasting.

• 2007 Grenache, Ampelos Cellars ($35)

I couldn't find any tasting notes on their web site or online but it's recorded here for posterity and for the sake of comprehensiveness.

Ampelos' estate wines are biodynamic.

• 2008 Grenache, Tablas Creek, $32 (sold out)

While we await the new release, here are Parker's notes from the last (sold out) vintage:

The same earthiness, underbrush and Provençal herbs/garrigue notes [as the Cote de Tablas] are found in the 2008 Grenache. It is medium-bodied, not as lush and textured as the 2007, but very well made.

• 2007 Grenache Purissima Mountain Vineyard, Qupe ($35) 

Before Qupe bought its own biodynamic vineyard (Sawyer Lindquist) in Edna Valley, it sourced its grenache from the Beckmen family's biodynamic Purisima Mountain vineyard. 

Qupe's now shifting over to its own Edna Valley vineyard so this may be the last vintage produced by Qupe from Purisima Mountain. 

$40-50

I find it rather amazing that this price category exists for grenache, but...it does.

• 2008 Adamo, AmByth Estate ($45)


In Paso Robles, one of the few other organic (actually it's biodynamic) wineries is Ambyth Estate, which also makes a very lovely GSM blend with a touch of counoise. The winery's tasting notes:


"...fruity, cherry-packed wine has strawberries and warm summer fruits with a dash of black pepper on the nose."

• 2008 Purissima Mountain Vineyard Grenache, Beckmen ($48/2007 is $39)

Robert Parker is a huge fan of this grenache as well, rating it 91 points:

More impressive, but nearly twice the price, is the 2008 Grenache Purisma Mountain Vineyard. This is an outstanding example of Grenache from the Santa Ynez Valley. Beautiful kirsch liqueur, lavender, spice box, and sweet black currants jump from the glass of this deep ruby/plum-colored wine. In the mouth, raspberries make an appearance in a rich, full-bodied, silky textured wine that is both hedonistic and intellectually pleasing. This is a super example of Grenache that should drink nicely for another 4-6 years. 

...This corroborates past performances over the last decade that Beckman is one of the best producers from Santa Ynez."