HARVEST WRAPS UP SEPTEMBER 21—EARLIEST EVER
Plus 3 New Releases for Fall
For the second year in a row, harvest at Ken Brown has finished before October 1, while most previous vintages stretched into late October or even November. The past three years have seen earlier and earlier starts to harvest with very mild winters and average night time lows about 3 degrees higher than long term averages. This phenomenon seems to directly correlate with the temperature increase in the Pacific Ocean just off our coast brought to us by El Niño. Where this is all heading no one really knows, but we do know the outlook for 2015 wines in the Ken Brown cellars is very bright! Read more about it in the harvest recap below.
Deb and I are pleased to introduce three new releases to enjoy this fall. I joked to our staff that their socks should be removed when tasting the new 2013 Rita’s Crown Pinot Noir as they may be knocked off by this superb wine! Two other stars from the 2013 vintage are being released as well: 2013 Sta. Rita Hills Pinot Noir, a blend from four of our appellation’s finest vineyards, and 2013 A Cuvée Syrah, a harmonious fusion of warm and cool climate Syrah from Santa Barbara County.
We hope to see you at the Santa Barbara Vintners Celebration of Harvest festivities taking place next weekend! We’ll have these new releases ready for you in our tasting room and the Pairing Knife food truck will be on hand Sunday with their fabulous creations.
Cheers!
NEW RELEASES
This highly regarded vineyard is located at an elevation of up to 950 feet on a dramatic southwest-facing slope at the “crown” of the Santa Rita Hills. The site is particularly exposed to coastal fog and cool Pacific breezes. The wine is dense and rich with vibrant wild cherry and plum aromas mingled with hints of fresh earth, pink peppercorn and a subtle mineral component. Ripe cherry flavors are enhanced by a touch of pomegranate, dark chocolate and rose petals. The rich Pinot Noir flavors, balanced acid profile and soft tannins give the wine an exceptionally luxurious texture from start to finish, assuring graceful development and excellent cellar potential. Only 323 cases made. Click here for more information or to order.
This wine is a beautiful overview of the Sta. Rita Hills, combining Pinot Noir from four outstanding vineyards across the temperature zones of the appellation: Radian, Rio Vista, Buona Terra and Rita’s Crown. Aromas of dark cherry and black raspberry are highlighted by hints of cinnamon, nutmeg, toasty oak and seashell. On the palate, complex dark cherry and spice components give way to a bright lift of acidity and a touch of cocoa on the finish. The wine’s plush tannins, balanced acid profile and long, lingering finish suggest this Pinot Noir is poised to age gracefully for years to come. Only 416 cases made. Click here for more information or to order.
This is a signature Syrah from Ken in which he has expertly blended warmer climate Syrah (McGinley Vineyard in Happy Canyon) with cooler climate Syrah (Thompson and Watch Hill vineyards in Los Alamos Valley) for a beautifully integrated and balanced wine. Rich, perfumy aromatics of ripe plum, ollalieberry and red currant mingle with hints of vanilla bean, pink peppercorn and honeysuckle from a splash of  Viognier added to the blend. Vibrant flavors of juicy plum are accented by subtle notes of smoked meat and anise. The plush texture and layers of complexity will only be enhanced with additional time in the cellar. Only 217 cases made. Click here for more information or to purchase.
Inspiration for "A" Cuvée Syrah? Daughter Alicia, of course!
2015 HARVEST ONE FOR THE RECORD BOOKS
Spanning just shy of six weeks, the 2015 harvest earned its reputation as “early, fast and low.” Harvest kicked off on the earliest date ever on August 12 with Sauvignon Blanc from Vogelzang Vineyard and unleashed a flurry of picking that brought in the majority of our Pinot Noir grapes by the end of August. For the first time in a decade, we harvested Pinot Noir from the historic Sanford & Benedict Vineyard. Clusters were small, which should translate to very complex, concentrated wines.
 Our first Syrah grapes were picked on September 1 from the McGinley Vineyard in Santa Ynez Valley, an astonishingly early date for Syrah. Syrah from the acclaimed Thompson Vineyard in Los Alamos Valley was the last to come in on September 21. Brix, acidity and flavors were at optimal levels. The same cannot be said for the yields, which ended up at only 1.0 tons per acre, well below the 2.5 tons per acre we anticipated. Sadly, our Syrah program is down by 50%, which will leave these wines in short supply, but high in quality, a theme that will likely be prevalent for the 2015 vintage as a whole.
We will continue to be busy in the cellar for the next 10 days pressing off the last of the red wines and barreling them down. We will be monitoring the wines as they begin their journey through malo-lactic fermentation and extended aging. Expectations are high for excellent wines from this unique vintage.
UPCOMING EVENTS
October 9-12, 2015 – Santa Barbara Vintners Celebration of Harvest Weekend
Santa Barbara Vintners annual celebration of the year's bounty. The highlight of the weekend is the Harvest Festival Grand Tasting on Saturday, October 10 from 1 to 4 pm at Old Mission Santa Ines in Solvang. More than 120 member wineries gather to pour their wine and share harvest stories. Includes food sampling from local restaurants and food purveyors, pop-up seminars, live music and a silent auction.
October 11, 2015 - Harvest Celebration at Ken Brown Wines Tasting Room, 11:00 to 4:30
Celebrate the harvest season with new Ken Brown releases and food truck offerings by the Pairing Knife available for purchase from 11:30 to 3:00.
 November 7, 2015 – Winemaker Dinner with Chef Rick at the Ken Brown Tasting Room
Join us for the first winemaker dinner in our Buellton tasting room reuniting Ken Brown and Chef Rick Manson! It promises to be a memorable evening featuring the incredible cuisine of Chef Rick paired with Ken’s finest wines. Reservations limited to 50 people. More details coming soon.
November 7, 2015 - 8th Annual Vino de Sueños at the Santa Ynez Valley Marriott, 3 to 6 pm
A release celebration of the latest Vino de Sueños wines! Vino de Sueños, “Wine of Dreams,” is a wine brand conceived by the non-profit organization, Santa Ynez Valley People Helping People (PHP), and all proceeds go directly to vineyard and farm workers and their families. The event will feature tasting, sales, silent auction of original art, appetizers and live music.
November 21, 2015 – Pinot Days Southern California, Skirball Cultural Center, Los Angeles, 2:00-5:00 pm (please note change of date)
“Pinot noir is way more than a grape variety - it's an art form.” Explore the stylistically diverse Pinot Noir grape at a gathering of 50 Pinot Noir producers from California, Oregon and New Zealand.
is open Thursday through Monday from 11:00 am to 4:30 pm
157 W. Hwy 246, Buellton, CA 93427
Tasting Room Phone 805.688.9400
www.kenbrownwines.com |
