Category Archives: Santa Barbara County

November 23, 2022 · 2:44 PM

Millennials & Gen Z are Changing the Wine Industry

Courtesy of Wine Access

My wife and I enjoyed our first wine trip since COVID recently. We spent a week traveling through the Central Coast AVA in California, focusing on the newer wineries with higher professional critic scores. Having completed a large sampling, I found some interesting trends.

Demand for Boomer Wine Profiles is Diminishing

I asked a couple common questions of each tasting room manager:

  • Are you noticing changing wine preferences recently?
  • What wines are younger customers preferring and why?

Surprisingly, the answers were fairly consistent. By the end of the trip, a wine strategy seemed to be emerging. The typical Baby Boomer generation red wine style was not as popular as in the past… fruity, easy drinking (low-med acid/low tannin), lots of toasted oak and 15% alcohol. What I have come to call the “Caymus Profile”. In response to changing demand, a new profile seemed to be emerging…

Wineries are Changing Wine to Match Younger Palates

Most wineries were developing a two tier offering based on generational preferences:

  • Regular Release wines for Millennials and Gen Z at a lower price point and Reserve Release wines for Boomers at a higher price point. The younger generations were looking for Rose and Sparkling options.
  • The more raucous younger customers were visiting tasting rooms on the weekends and the older customers were staying away at those times and visiting during the week.
  • Wines for Millennials and Gen Z were focusing on a new profile: 13-14% alcohol, high acid, low tannin and no oak. I have never seen so many red wines fermented and aged in concrete as on this trip… or so much neutral oak.
  • The old Boomer wine profile (defined above), was being saved for the older guests, more able to spend on the pricier option.

The younger wine profile worked for me, but would not be appropriate for bottle aging more than five years. The tasting managers laughed at me when I asked about wines for cellaring. Hard to argue, as the numbers are clear: 92-95% of all wine purchased is consumed in less than 48 hours. Any wine where the tannin level went up and seemed more ageable… I found myself wishing for oak.

Boomer Style Wines are not Going Away… Yet

We stopped in at a few of the older profile wineries: Justin, Herman Story, Beckmen. A full line-up of the wines I am used to. The Boomer profile has not been my preference, so the last 10 years my red wine purchases from Italy and France have increased. More along the lines of: high acid, med+ tannin, 25-50% new French or Hungarian oak and 13-14% alcohol. This matches my palate better. Oak barrels are expensive and are usually rotated through a max of three vintages and then discarded, while concrete containers can be re-used virtually forever. Red wines aged in concrete will change the cost calculation for wine substantially.

The Future of U.S. Wine

As Boomer generation wine consumption continues to fall, Millennials and Gen Z palates will drive the industry. Younger generations tend to drink more wine without food, than with… so, the wine industry will come under increasing pressure to compete with hard seltzers, ciders and cocktail beverage options. You would think this trend would be driving per bottle pricing down… but the data shows that Gen Z (especially) is much more adventurous in their wine consumption and is actually spending more per bottle than the current average. These are interesting times for the wine industry and some wineries are responding to these new trends – as growth in wine consumption slows in the U.S. Let me know if any of you are noticing these same trends. Happy Holidays!

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Filed under Paso Robles, Santa Barbara County, U.S. Wines by Region, Wine Education, Wine Industry, Wine Tasting

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December 15, 2017 · 11:18 PM

2014 Kaena Hapa

2014 Kaena Hapa Red Blend

Santa Ynez Valley AVA, California

Tastiong Note:

Unusual red blend of syrah, malbec, cab sauv, grenache and petit verdot, but it works! Beautiful slightly floral nose rich in plum, blackberry, boysenberry, strawberry, vanilla, brown butter and tobacco. Smooth, delicate lighter texture, medium plus acidity and medium minus tannins. Palate is fruit forward with blackberry, plum, raspberry, strawberry and vanilla. A long fruity finish. I really enjoyed this wine! Just enough structure, but not overly complex. A broad fruit profile, good acidity and an elegant mouth-feel. This is a drink-now wine. Drinking window would be 2017-2019.

Purchased this bottle at a newer tasting room in Los Olivos, Santa Barbara County, California. Their notoriety has come from capturing an excellent expression of California grown Grenache. Their 100% Grenache wines were excellent (purchased these too). This odd blend was too tasty to pass up. Just introduced to this producer this year and really enjoying this winemaker’s style! Good value… if you run across this producer, give them a try.

 

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November 13, 2014 · 4:18 PM

Vintage 2014 Event – A Wine and Film Pairing

VINTAGE 2014

Link:  http://vintage2014.com/

Location: The Mod – Phoenix, AZ

Event Date: Sunday, November 9, 2014

This event was underwritten by the Santa Barbara County, California producers Buttonwood Farms, Clos Pepe, Byron, Carr, Bien Nacido Vineyards and Riverbench Wineries with the film portion produced by Wil Fernandez. The cinematography was beautiful and the pieces were well edited and offered the background for these wineries from bud-break leading up to the 2014 Harvest. The story was told through the eyes of the Winemakers, Vineyard Managers, Winery Managers and Owners. Wines from several of the wineries covered in the film were tasted at the showing.

Wil captured visually the story I have been trying to tell for some time now… (see recent post: https://coolclimatewine.wordpress.com/2014/11/07/terroir-controversy/).

Estate wineries are very aware of Terroir influences and the winemakers tend to be connected closely to each individual growing season and vintage. This connection is most often just the simple enjoyment of working in and among the vineyards. These people are down-to-earth and talk of their passion for the horticulture and viticulture associated with nurturing the vines. It is the marketing hype and food service functions that add the high-brow approach to the wine experience. If you enjoy the culture of wine, I would highly recommend attending one of these events to visually capture the winegrowing experience! If you contact Wil, I am sure he can provide information regarding future showings.

You can reach the film maker Wil at: me@wilfernandez.com.

FLIGHT 1 – WHITE WINES (2 NOTES)

 Nice SB and Chard. This area makes some of the best quality value whites in CA.

  • 2012 Buttonwood Sauvignon Blanc

    USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Ynez Valley

    93% Sauv Blanc and 7% Semillon. The Semillon is fermented in S.S. and then barrel-aged. The Sauv Blanc is fermented and aged in S.S. Aged on the lees according to winery manager in attendance.

    Typical better quality California SB. Grass and citrus on the nose. Solid acidity would contribute to a great pairing with seafood, or salad. The palate is full of lemon and grapefruit, with a touch of butter on the finish. Crisp texture, but with a slightly bigger mouth-feel from the lees.

  • 2013 Riverbench Vineyard & Winery Chardonnay Bedrock Riverbench Vineyard

    USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Maria Valley

    100% S.S. and aged on the lees according to winery manager in attendance.

    Strong lemon on the nose. Palate of lemon curd with a noticeable finish of banana. Interesting salinity from beginning to end. Strong acidity. The lees soften the crisp mouth-feel somewhat. Good complexity here, if that is your style. I enjoyed this wine.

FLIGHT 2 – PINOT NOIR (2 NOTES)

Disappointed with the Pinot showing here. These producers either were not tasting their better products, or have not jumped onboard with the idea of Terroir influenced wines.

  • 2012 Byron Pinot Noir

    USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Barbara County

    Brown butter and butterscotch on the nose. Light, watery soft texture. Very simple on the attack. Palate is mostly black, with some red cherry, and butterscotch, but is very subtle and barely fruit forward. Mid-palate has some dark chocolate with virtually no finish. Overly manipulated Pinot Noir, that fortunately has been made not to overwhelm. Difficult to get past the heavy toasted oak.

  • 2010 Bien Nacido Vineyards Pinot Noir Santa Maria Valley

    USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Maria Valley

    Bright red cherry on the nose. Initially peppery on the palate, with a sweet red cherry mid-palate and virtually no finish. With all the sweet red cherry, this wine could have been better focusing on a crisp, fresh quality. Drinkable, but doesn’t quite come together.

FLIGHT 3 – RED WINE (2 NOTES)

Carr makes a few of the better vineyard designate Syrahs in Santa Barbara County, but this one didn’t have the mojo. The Cab Franc… now, that was some great stuff and a good value too!

  • 2012 Carr Vineyards & Winery Syrah

    USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Barbara County

    Weak nose. The palate is fruit-forward with boysenberry, red cherry and sweet raspberry with a buttery finish. Medium-high acidity. Watery mouth-feel. Medium tannins. Very simple profile. Carr produces some wonderful single vineyard Syrahs, but this missed the mark.

  • 2011 Carr Vineyards & Winery Cabernet Franc Camp Four Vineyard

    USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Ynez Valley

    Nothing like a wine with a floral nose… Nose full of violets, red plum and black pepper. Silky soft mouth-feel. Medium tannins and medium-high acidity. Palate of plum, blackberry and spice with a medium-long dark chocolate finish. Carr makes very enjoyable, reasonably priced, drink-now Cabernet Franc. Enjoy!

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July 12, 2014 · 6:37 PM

Ballard Canyon AVA – New World Syrah Country!

More Great Central Coast Rhone Wines: Ballard Canyon Region (AVA)

Panel Tasting at the 2014 U.S. Wine Bloggers Conference

Flowers in Your Syrah?

Floral Syrah usually means added Viognier. This is a traditional practice in Northern Rhone wines. Too much… and the winemaker can create a style that will overpower much of the Syrah character. Several of the wines reviewed here have a very noticeable inclusion of the Viognier flavor profile, for those of you that prefer this style, take note of those mentioned below.

2012 Vintage Wines

2012 Kimsey Syrah

Nose full of floral Viognier. Palate is of bitter chocolate, light black pepper, medium-high tannins with high acidity. Very simple wine profile. The wine is not fruit forward and has a long bitter finish.

2012 Beckmen La Purisima Moutnain Syrah

Nose of butter, black fruits and nail polish. The palate has sweet black plum and blackberry with a mid-palate of dark chocolate. High tannins and medium-high acidity. Good structure. If the idea is to lay this down, there may not be enough fruit to wait out the resolution of the tannins.

2012 Stolpman Vineyards Originals Syrah

Nose is cloyingly sweet, sugary and very floral.  The palate is of violets, black fruit and a sweet syrup. A better balance could have been struck here. I prefer a different style of Syrah and Stolpman usually produces wines with a more balanced style. If you are a fan of the big, extracted Australian Shiraz style, this will be a favorite.

2012 Rusack Reserve Syrah

Nose of strong black fruits. The palate followed the nose with the characteristic plum, blackberry and white pepper. A VERY pure, fresh profile. Quite elegant and balanced. Medium finish of slightly bitter dark chocolate. Medium-high tannins with medium-high acidity. Good balance and structure. Well composed for aging.

2010 Vintage Wines

2010 Harrison Clarke Cuvee Charlotte Syrah

Nose is very chocolate with plum, blackberry and leather. The fruit aromas are strong with some interesting added  forest floor. The palate reflects the fruit on the nose with some added butter and oak. The wine was very thick and extracted, coating your mouth. Specifically, grainy tannins that will need time to soften, but I have seen this kind of character develop into a very velvety mouth-feel over time. I would love to try this wine in another three years! It may be spectacular! The most interesting of the batch with the most promise.

2010 Larner Estate Syrah

Nose is hot with sweet blackberry and plum fruit flavors. The palate was clean and fresh. I enjoyed the purity of the fruit. High tannins and high acidity. The fruit flavors followed the nose. Nice soft texture. The lack of new oak really allowed the wine to express the character of the fruit.

2010 Jonata Sangre de Jonata Syrah

Nose was floral with a bit of grape candy. The wine had a sweet fruit character that was not too overwhelming. The palate was very soft, with a light texture. The blackberry and plum fruit was in front, along with dark chocolate flavors that showed only a little bitterness.  High tannins with high acidity… this will be a beautiful silky wine on maturity. This is refined and elegant today. The most ready to drink now of all the wines tasted.

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February 4, 2014 · 6:37 PM

2007 Carr Paredon Syrah

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Carr Paredon Syrah

California, Central Coast, Santa Barbara County, Santa Barbara

Wine Tasting Note:

The fruit originated from an estate vineyard south of Santa Barbara (city). One of the few ocean-facing vineyards in the area. Copious amount of fruit on the nose and palate for such a cool, foggy location. I will track future vintages… as the vines age this will become one of the better syrah producing sites on the Central Coast. – Fruit forward nose of thick plum, blackberry and eucalyptus. Fruit forward palate of plum, blackberry and milk chocolate. The mid-palate transitions to loads of sweet vanilla, with a medium-long finish of bitter chocolate. Medium-high acidity and high tannins. The tannins have the good grace to wait and present on the finish. Wonderful thick texture and mouth-feel. Missing some savory aspects of Northern Rhones, but all in all… a nice new world cool-climate syrah. Almost like a black-fruit zin… but more texture. This will improve with some time in the cellar. I enjoyed the wine today, but give it 3-4 more years for the fruit to subside and the tannins to soften and this should become a superior, balanced wine.

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December 19, 2013 · 4:20 PM

2010 Andrew Murray Syrah McGinley Vineyard

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Andrew Murray Vineyards

California, Santa Ynez Valley

Wine Tasting Note:

This is drinking beautifully right now. Just a great nose of blackberry, plum, chocolate and earth. The nose follows though to the palate, with the the fruit forward, the earth and some white pepper on the mid-palate and a medium length finish of rich dark chocolate. Medium acidity and medium-low tannins. The alcohol is nicely integrated. The texture is lighter and very, very soft, but not quite silky. This has just enough backbone to support the fruit forward approach, but is definitely not a wine to lay down. The drinking window would be now through maybe… another year, or two. The price-value ratio is good for a high quality, drink-now Syrah with some complexity. This is not for aging, or to accompany all but the richest foods. Which easily could have brought this down, but I am really enjoying its softness and fruit-forward character before I grab some supper.

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