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miss our older newsletters
which contain tasting
tips and other valuable information! August,
2008
Winery moved to SLO – Tasting Room added
Fourteen
years after the first vintage of Stephen Ross, we found a long term
home in a new building at 178 Suburban Road in San Luis Obispo. After
almost three years of successful wine production at Central Coast Wine
Services in Santa Maria, the commute was weighing heavily on me.
Although the commute was relatively easy, it consumed 40 minutes of my
time in each direction. Additionally, the consumption of about two to
three gallons of gasoline daily and the affect it was having on our
environment was another motivating factor to relocate our business
closer to our home and our vineyard. The recent dramatic increase in
fuel costs as well as the desire to have 100% control over the cellar
environment was incentive to move.
Our first vintage, 1994, was
produced at Central Coast Wine Services in Santa Maria at the old
location near Stowell Road behind Costco. At that time I was also
producing wine for the Miller family who owns Bien Nacido Vineyard,
French Camp Vineyard and Central Coast Wine Services. The next vintage
yielded a very small crop and most wineries would not be filling their
cellars. Preceding the harvest, over dinner with Brian Talley, I was
invited to make our wine at Talley Vineyards. Relocating to a small,
quality-oriented winery was a nice change and we produced the 1995
through 1997 vintages there. Then, following the large fast paced 1997
vintage I was commissioned to work on the design and layout of
Courtside Cellars/Tolosa Winery, was ready for the 1998 vintage and
made it my new home. Courtside is a large facility geared toward
processing large truck loads of grapes, but it has the ability to
successfully produce small lots as well. Here I was within bicycling
distance of my house and all the systems were in place to produce high
quality wine. However, in 2004, the year I turned 50 years old, I
wanted more control over the winemaking process and that was the
motivation to move back to Central Coast Wine Services at their new
location in Santa Maria. The scene was different this time in that I
leased part of a large building shared by other wineries and we
purchased all of our own new equipment and tanks for the 2005 harvest.
That was a big, expensive move for us, but the improvement of wine
quality was evident and worth the investment. Shortly after the
2007 harvest and feeling the effects of the low yields in Pinot Noir
and Chardonnay and fewer potential cases produced, there was a large
motivation to sell more wine at near retail pricing by way of a tasting
room. It soon became clear that a cellar, case storage, office and
tasting room facility was in our future and we found a great, newly
built, well insulated building with concrete floors within the city
limits of San Luis Obispo at 178 Suburban Road. The building was
in the final stages of construction and we were able to modify a few
elements of the design as well as make the needed tenant improvements
prior to occupancy. The cellar required an upgrade to a larger
refrigeration system as well as the addition of a wastewater processing
system. For the tasting room we designed and built a U-shaped tasting
bar with sink, glass washer, refrigerator and POS register. Also, we
added lighting, and an open stainless and wood stairway leading to
mezzanine level offices. The move from Santa Maria to San Luis
Obispo, which started around May 20, required about 12 trucks to haul
barrels, tanks, processing equipments, forklifts, etc. Most of the
summer was spent installing equipment and managing plumbers,
electricians, cabinet makers, and the refrigeration and wastewater
system manufacturers. A drain system was cut into the floors and a wash
down area was added to direct the flow of wastewater. As of
mid-August we plan to open the tasting room, August 29 for the Labor
Day weekend and be open regularly on Saturday and Sunday 11 a.m. – 5
p.m. The cellar will be ready for the 2008 harvest.
Barrel Adopter Program 2007 Now Available
We
are pleased to offer futures of the Stephen Ross wines from the 2007
vintage. These wines will be bottled over the fall and winter of 2008
and will be available at our annual Barrel Adopters’ dinner on April
18, 2009. The benefits of the program are two cases of wine and two
invitations to the Barrel Adopters’ Dinner. Additionally, you are
extended our biggest discount, one-third off retail on Stephen Ross
wines which starts upon enrolling in the program and receipt of
payment. If you would like to come by the winery to taste the 2007
wines out of barrels, feel free to call Stephen at 805.594.1318 to make
an appointment. The Barrel Adopters’ dinner is truly a gourmet feast
and takes place in our cellar. The cost of the program is $700 if
payment is made before August 31, 2008. The cost of the program
increases after that date as illustrated in the schedule on the
agreement. The value of the program is approximately $1,000 and by
paying early, you receive a very attractive price. We use the money to
purchase our new barrels. We hope you are interested in our fun
program. Enclosed is a Barrel Adopter Agreement. If you would like to
participate, please complete the form, and return it to the winery with
a check or credit card information. If you have any questions or if you
received this mailing after the August 31 best price cut off date
please call the winery at 805.594.1318.
Wine Notes
2006 Chardonnay, Bien Nacido Vineyard
This
is a very expressive and aromatic wine – the nose is very open with
notes of citrus rind, farm ripened apples, and hazelnuts. It is
brilliant in appearance, pale straw in color, and has refreshing levels
of acidity and moderate levels of French oak. While leaning toward
Californian in its ripe flavors and forward aromas, it has the
structure and elegance of a European Chardonnay. This is a great wine
to accompany a variety of foods. The June issue of Wine Enthusiast
states “brilliantly balanced with crisp acidity” - 92 points. $28
per bottle
2005 Pinot Noir, Stone Corral Vineyard
We
consider this our flagship wine. The vineyard is farmed organically
where compost is added to the vineyard in the fall and a winter cover
crop is grown to add nitrogen to the soil as well as green mulch.
During the summer months the vines are trained and positioned so the
fruit is partially exposed to sunlight to allow maturation of skin and
seed tannin as well as flavor development. The 2005 growing season was
generally cool and moderate. Vineyard yields were very low at 1.3
tons/acre. The wine has aromas of boysenberry and black truffles and is
quite remarkable for its weight, concentration and voluptuous tannins
on the palate. Comments from PinotReport May 15, 2008 - Deep, rich
Pinot with many layers of flavor 91 points. $50 per bottle.
2007 Pinot Noir, Central Coast This
is the first of our 2007 wines going to market. The vintage was pretty
spectacular in its even, cool summer days. It was also marked by a
dramatically low rainfall year and that resulted in wines with
concentrated flavors. The only downside to the vintage for us was low
yields. Our 2007 Central Coast Pinot Noir is deeply colored, abundant
in blueberry and violet aromas with a lush and rich mouthfeel
$24 per bottle.
Events
California Wine Experience
New York, October 16 & 17, 2008 This
is the Wine Spectator’s annual event and this year it takes place in
New York City. Although we are happy to be invited to this prestigious
event, it takes place toward the end of harvest and therefore it’s a
quite cross country trip for me. It really is a phenomenal event and
the evening tastings feature the top producers from California.
World of Pinot Noir – Shell Beach, CA,
March 6 & 7, 2009 Mark
your calendar for the weekend of March 6 & 7. Tickets go on sale
October 1, 2008. For more information contact Felicia Montmayor at
805.489.1758.
Barrel Adopter Dinner – April 18, 2009 For
those of you who signed up for the 2007 Barrel Adopter program, the
date of the dinner is noted above. As a Barrel Adopter, you and a guest
are invited to attend this wonderful dinner in the tank/barrel cellar.
The Tasting Room
As
mentioned earlier, we plan to be open weekends from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
There will be a $6.00 fee for tasting, waived for Barrel Adopters and
Wine Subscribers.
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