Santa Ynez around the beginning of harvest is an amazing place. On a recent trip, and with harvest approaching, the weather was stunning (the picture above was taken Sept. 9, 2011) and the place had a buzz about it. Although the region was hit with an early spring frost around bud-break that left many of the vineyards a bit depleted, the weather coming into harvest was well, again, amazing. The trip began at Buttonwood Winery with a tasting and lunch with Santa Barbara BBQ. The highlights were the Grenache Blanc, (the new) Zingy Sauvignon Blanc and the Cabernet Franc, which is nothing short of delicious.
The following day began with a tour and tasting at Gainey Vineyard, which is always a nice stop. We tasted through many of the Limited Selection wines that are only available at the winery or through the winery’s club; all were rather nice and certainly make good reason for a visit.
After Gainey, and on the way to Los Olivos tasting rooms, we stopped by Los Olivos grocery for a sandwich (which, as advised, was a shell of its old self — what a bummer). First stop in Los Olivos was Saarloos & Sons, which offers a cupcake tasting along with their wines — a big mistake. After a bite of cupcake, the wines all tasted awkward. The big highlight came next: across the street, The Garlic Guy farm stand was a must-stop. A piece of heirloom garlic was offered with a warning from the farmer. Indeed, the advice was well placed, as the nibble numbed the side of my face and made me feel a bit high. Awesome! After was a stop at the Qupe/Verdad tasting room. The Qupe wines are made by one of the better winemakers in the area, Bob Lindquist, and as always they were very good. The surprise highlights, however, were the Spanish-inspired Verdad wines made by Bob’s wife, Louisa Sawyer Lindquist. Both the Grenache Rose and the Tempranillo were excellent and worth seeking out.
Lovely sir just lovely. Enjoyed your post very much, made me feel as if I was along for the ride!! Cheers !!
Glad you like.