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Don't miss our older newsletters which contain tasting tips and other valuable information! February 2004 Newsletter
Stephen Ross named Artisan Winery of the Year by Wine & Spirits Magazine It was truly an honor when senior editor Patrick Comiskey of Wine & Spirits magazine contacted me last fall and told me that Stephen Ross was chosen Artisan Winery of the Year for Wine & Spirits 2004 Buying Guide. In his article he wrote: "In a roomful of Central Coast winemakers, Stephen Ross Dooley would be the wallflower quiet, unprepossessing, soft-spoken. You'd probably tend to gravitate to one of the more voluble guys in the room like Au Bon Climat's Jim Clendenen. Both of these guys, however, made a Bien Nacido Vineyard Pinot Noir in 2001, and of the two, it was Dooley's wine that took top score this year. It's the sort of wine that lulls you with its beauty, a seamless, gentle evocation of sea air and crushed red berries, all with a concentration that has it opening for hours." We continue to receive excellent
reviews from the critics. Of note lately, Wine Spectator gave our
newly released 2001 Chardonnay - Bien Nacido Vineyard a score of 90 points
and our 2001 Chardonnay - Edna Ranch the same score of 90 points. Wine
Enthusiast gave our current release 2001 Zinfandel Dante Dusi Vineyard
a score of 90 points and designated Editor's Choice. And finally Wine
& Spirits gave our 2001 Chardonnay - Edna Ranch a score of 92 points
and our 2001 Pinot Noir - Bien Nacido Vineyard a score of 90 points.
A Farmer's Tale told at Stephen Ross Wine Cellars One might think that we are in a period of the year when there isn't much activity at the winery or vineyard. To a certain extent this is true. The winery and barrel cellar are quiet and fairly cold at about 50 - 55 oF. The 2003 wines are in barrels undergoing malolactic fermentation, and most cellar operations consist of topping every-other-week and cleaning. There are a number of year-end tasks associated with bookkeeping, inventory reconciliation and state and federal reports that keep me occupied. And, there are always sales trips to be made. The annual cycle in the field starts right after the grapes are picked in October. Initially, the vines get a good dose of water and compost tea through the drip irrigation system. Before the winter rains start in November, compost is broadcast-spread throughout the vineyard and tilled into the soil. The compost enriches the soil with broken down organic plant material and a huge population of beneficial microorganisms. Afterward, a cover crop is planted by drilling seed into the ground. The cover crop that we plant at Stone Corral Vineyard is a mixture of oats, peas, beans and barley. These plants grow during the rainy season and are important in that they prevent soil erosion, fix or convert nitrogen from the air into the soil, and become "green mulch" when they are cut and tilled into the soil in early spring. Pruning takes place in January and February. Between rain showers teams of workers go through the vineyard pruning canes that grew during the previous season and removing the cut wood from the trellis wires. This is actually a critical operation as each vine is evaluated in order to leave only the best canes; ones that are the thickness of a little finger and in a good position to be tied to trellis wire. The canes that are cut off are left in the vineyard and will eventually be chopped and tilled into the soil. Our goal in the vineyard
is to enrich the soil with compost and cover crops so that the vines will
be strong and healthy. We are creating an environment where beneficial
microorganisms, insects and birds will thrive. Consequently the vines will
grow in a balanced environment where the beneficial organisms out-number
the organisms that can harm the vines. In other words, the vines grow in
a healthy, alive environment where they will flourish in the absence of
chemical fertilizer and pesticides. That is the essence of organic farming.
Upcoming Events - 2004 February 23
February 24
March 5 - 6
Friday events include Tasting Seminars at local wineries, a Pinot Noir and Cheese seminar, an afternoon Focus Tasting, and an elegant Pinot Noir Dinner and Reception, hosted by participating wineries and sommeliers with a menu created by guest chef Michel Richard at the Cliffs Resort. Saturday's schedule will include morning seminars and lunch, followed by the popular Pinot Noir-by-the-Sea Tasting in the afternoon. That evening, World of Pinot Noir 2004 will officially conclude with a newly added off-site celebration, a Santa Barbara-style Paulée at Au Bon Climat Winery in Santa Maria, and will include dinner and lively music. As in previous years, a Special Tasting of Domaine George Roumier with Christophe Roumier and lunch will be featured on Saturday morning. For more information contact World of Pinot Noir, P.O. Box 1346, Arroyo Grande, California 93421. Phone (805) 489-1758, FAX (805) 473-9337
We will be open for tasting and sales at the winery on Sunday, March 7 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Join winemaker Stephen Dooley in the barrel cellar to taste current releases and library wines. We will be offering for sale multiple bottle discounts, current and library wines, and a few three liter bottles. Stephen Ross Wine Cellars is located within Courtside Cellars, 4910 Edna Road, San Luis Obispo - a custom crush state-of-the-art winemaking facility. April 8
Featuring Stephen Ross at their weekly wine tasting with Stephen R. Dooley behind the tasting bar. 6 9 p.m. Call 784-9463 for additional information. April 24
April 29
This is a three-day event featuring a Progressive Food & Wine Pairing at San Luis Obispo restaurants & Farmers Market Tour in downtown San Luis Obispo (Thursday night), a Winemakers' Dinner featuring San Luis Obispo area winemakers and their wines (Friday night), and Passport Ticket Winery Tour at local wineries featuring barrel tasting, current and library wine tasting and food to accompany the wines (Saturday and Sunday). Contact the San Luis Obispo Vintners and Growers Association at (805) 541-5868 or www.sanluisobispowines.com for tickets and information. July 15 18
The events include a Barrel
Tasting, Pinot Noir Terroir Symposium, Rare and Fine Wine Auction, Cooking
Demonstration and Luncheon, and Reserve Wine Tasting. For more information,
call (805) 544-1285.
2003 Stephen Ross Barrel Adopter/Futures Offering his is the initial offering
of the 2003 vintage Adopt-A-Barrel program and the opportunity to
purchase futures in our wine at the lowest price. The investment period
is approximately 12 months, and all of the wines will be available at the
annual The benefits of the program are: your choice of two cases of wine and two invitations to the Barrel Adopters Dinner on April 23, 2005. Additionally, you will have the opportunity to purchase (at one-third off retail) Stephen Ross wines as they are released and before they are available through the mailing list or at wine shops. We will have a barrel and bottle tasting on July 24, 2004, for all the Barrel Adopters at the winery. Also, if you would like to come by the winery to taste the new wines, feel free to call to make an appointment. The Barrel Adopters Dinner is truly a gourmet feast prepared by José Dahan arguably the best chef on the Central Coast. The cost of the program is $585.00 if payment is made before June 1, 2004. Letters and sign up forms will be sent to current and past Barrel Adopters. If you would like to participate, please call me at 805.594.1318 or go on line at www.stephenrosswine.com to register. Pictured: Barrel Adopters who stake their claim in writing. New Wines 2002 Pinot Noir - Central Coast Here is the first of the 2002 red wines to be offered by Stephen Ross and is a preamble to great things to come. The Central Coast Pinot Noir is a blend of Edna Ranch (Edna Valley) and Bien Nacido Vineyard (Santa Maria Valley) Pinot Noirs. The Santa Maria Valley is located 30 miles south of the Edna Valley and is very similar to the Edna Valley in terms of climate and geography, but with a different terroir. The 2002 vintage yielded stunning Pinot Noirs noteworthy for intense red-berry aromas and refined, polished textures. Aromatically, the wine has fresh forward fruit, raspberry and cherry, with hints of cola, rose petal, coriander, and white pepper. To the eye it has a clear, dark ruby hue. On the palate the wine is soft with smooth silky tannins, and a lingering fruity finish. 292 cases produced. 2002 Chardonnay - Edna Valley This wine is made from a blend of grapes from Edna Ranch and Talley Vineyards' Oliver's Vineyard, both located at the southern end of the Edna Valley. The Edna Valley is located on the south Central Coast of California, a few miles southeast of the town of San Luis Obispo. The Valley spans in an east-west orientation and is open to the Pacific Ocean to the west. The climate is strongly influenced by regular summertime afternoon cool breezes from the ocean. Also of significance, the Valley lies at 34 degrees latitude and therefore receives lots of intense sunlight from a directly overhead sun. The 2002 vintage could be described as a "cooler than normal growing season". Heat summation units, (the sum of the mean monthly temperature above 50 oF), registered 1,945 degree-days. That's well below the average of around 2,300 degree-days. Seasonal rainfall preceding the growing season was 13.2 inches, which is significantly below average. The Chardonnay yield in the Edna Valley was average for example, 3.9 tons/acre at Edna Ranch. Edna Ranch and Oliver's Vineyard are generally hilly and the soil has a significant amount of small white calcareous stones mixed with clay loam. The wine was fermented and aged in French oak barrels and rested sur lies for 11 months. This is a well-crafted wine exhibiting forward aromas reminiscent of apple, custard, and brioche, with a faint, roasted hazelnut note from the barrels. The texture of the wine is silky and balanced with refreshing acidity on the finish. 1196 cases produced.
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dinner
a year from now. The 2003 wines will be bottled over the fall and winter
of 2004-2005 and will be available in time for the annual dinner in Spring,
2005.