Club Sunstone. SPRING March 2017

Transcription

1 Club Sunstone SPRING March 2017

2 MARCH 2017 CLUB SUNSTONE RELEASE SUNSTONE LEGACY ALL REDS: (2) 2015 Eros (1) 2014 Soleil Rouge MIXED: (1) 2016 Viognier (1) 2015 Eros (1) 2014 Soleil Rouge SUNSTONE HERITAGE ALL REDS: (3) 2015 Eros (3) 2014 Soleil Rouge MIXED: (2) 2016 Viognier (2) 2015 Eros (2) 2014 Soleil Rouge SUNSTONE FOUNDERS ALL REDS: (6) 2015 Eros (6) 2014 Soleil Rouge MIXED: (6) 2016 Viognier (3) 2015 Eros (3) 2014 Soleil Rouge

3 Dear Members, A look back into 2015: The 2015 harvest started a couple of weeks earlier than ever before in Sunstone s history. We picked our Viognier grapes in early August and then our reds in mid-september. By the first week of October, we were completely finished harvesting - a month earlier then we had anticipated! Our yields were unbelievably low, averaging 1.1 tons per acre. We believe it was because we had three large crops in a row ( ), an early fall frost, a warm winter, bad weather during flowering, irregular berry set, a lack of winter rains and no deep soil moisture. Both bunch size and berry size were very small. And, as a result, the 2015 vintage wines turned out to be one of our best vintages in the past decade! Since the yield was so low for this vintage, we have allocated ALL 2015 estate wines as MEMBER ONLY wines. That means that 2015 Eros, 2015 Merlot Reserve, 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon and 2015 Cabernet Franc will be allocated to members as they are released throughout the year. Our 2015 Eros is the first of our estate wines to be released this year with only 400 cases being produced. All Club Sunstone members will receive 2015 Eros in their March club release but after that members will be allocated 2 bottles per membership maximum on a first come first serve basis. We are so sorry for the limit but we are trying to spread the love! And with that, I wish you all a very happy 2017 and we hope to see you in La Cav soon! Owner & Winemaker

4 2016 Viognier COMPOSITION 89% 2016 Viognier, La Presa Vineyard, Santa Barbara County 11% 2016 Viognier, Brick Barn Vineyard, Santa Barbara County NOTES This wine opens with classical floral notes along with apple, pear and white peaches. The palate is generous with crisp acidity, making the wine drinker yearn for another sip. This wine is a perfect accompaniment to a warm summer day by the pool with friends and family. CRAFTED This wine is a co-fermented blend of Viognier from two separate vineyards. La Presa Vineyard, located less than a mile from the Sunstone estate, experiences most of the same weather patterns as Sunstone but it s soils lend more to Rhone varietals like Viognier. Brick Barn Vineyard, located just outside of the City of Buellton, is a premium vineyard that is in it s infancy but is already producing noteworthy grapes was the first time Sunstone worked with this fruit but surely won t be the last. Both lots were picked at 24 brix and after being gently pressed off the skins, the wine was fermented using Rhone 4600 yeast. The wine was left in a chilled tank to ferment slowly for 18 days before being transferred to 16 neutral french oak barrels and the remainder left in a portable stainless steel tank. The wines were blended back together and bottled to 670 cases in February $35.00 Retail $28.00 Legacy & Heritage Member $26.25 Founders Member

5 2015 Eros *Please note - After the March club shipment, members will be allocated 2 bottles of 2015 Eros on a first come first serve basis due the limited quantity of this vintage. COMPOSITION 58% 2015 Merlot, Sunstone Estate, Santa Ynez Valley 21% 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon, Sunstone Estate, Santa Ynez Valley 21% 2015 Cabernet Franc, Sunstone Estate, Santa Ynez Valley NOTES Aromas packed with currant, blackberry and leather leads the palate into mouthwatering black tea, black cherry, blackberry and spice. A dense mouthfeel, prominent tannin structure and longlasting finish make this wine a perfect pair with ribeye or lamb chops. Properly cellared, this wine will age beautifully until CRAFTED The 2015 vintage was a product of dry, warmer than average temperatures throughout the growing season along with high winds and little rainfall, which produced small berry sizes and less fruit on the vine. This caused 2015 to be a low-yielding vintage, having only harvested 19 tons from the estate. Thankfully, grape quality was exceptional and the lower yields allowed us to focus on maintaining the great fruit that mother nature blessed us with. During harvest the grapes were sorted, lightly crushed, de-stemmed and pumped into open top, chilled fermentation tanks. After cold soaking for 2 days, the grapes were allowed to ferment and macerate for nearly two weeks on the skins to extract maximum color and flavor. Following fermentation, pressing and settling, the wines were racked to 100% neutral French oak barrels. After barrel aging for 14-months, the $70.00 Retail $56.00 Legacy & Heritage Member $52.50 Founders Member

6 2014 Soleil Rouge COMPOSITION 69% Sangiovese, Santa Barbara County 28% Cabernet Sauvignon, Santa Barbara County 3% Viognier, Santa Barbara County NOTES This Super-Tuscan style blend has aromas of currants, cherries, raspberries, black olive, leather, anise, green tea, smoky oak, wet earth. Bright cranberries on the palate, give way to refreshing tart raspberries, followed by dried herbs and a medium/heavy French oak finish with medium tannins, and medium-bodied mouthfeel CRAFTED Functioning as a mix between a Super Tuscan and a Chianti, The 2014 Soleil Rouge is a Sangiovese-based blend with Cabernet Sauvignon from Happy Canyon AVA. With a subtle hint of 2016 Viognier unleashed bright citrus aromatics otherwise not found in any one of the individual components. This wine was aged in a combination of standard french oak barrels and french oak puncheons which allowed us to select just the right level of oak tannin for the wine. The separate lots were blended to taste and bottled to 410 cases in February $45.00 Retail $36.00 Legacy & Heritage Member $33.75 Founders Member

7 Current Wines Members: To place an order, call your Membership Manager, Channing Jones, at (800) , ext. 223 or visit and login with your member credentials to get your discount. Blanc & Rosé Retail Member Founder 2015 Viognier, SBC $ Chardonnay, SBC $ Chardonnay Reserve $ Rouge Retail Member Founder 2014 Eros, Estate $ Mason Cuveé, Estate $ Merlot Reserve, Estate $ Milestone, Estate $ Rapsodie II, SBC $ Pinot Noir, Sta Rita Hills $ Syrah, SBC $ Villa Sole $ Grand Reserve $ Founders Reserve (Members Exclusive) Large Formats 2013 Grand Reserve 1.5L $ Merlot Reserve 1.5L $ Mason Cuveé 1.5L $ Milestone 1.5L $ Rapsodie 1.5L $ Founders Reserve 1.5L (Members Exclusive) Library Wines 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon $ Merlot, SYV $ Lumiere Noir $ Caberent Franc, Estate $ Merlot Reserve, Estate $ Eros, Estate $ Grand Reserve $

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10 Sunstone is the ideal location for a truly original celebration with Family, Friends or Colleagues. Elegant Dinners, Wine Pairings, Corporate Entertaining... A private event at Sunstone will be long remembered. To reserve your private event at the Winery or the Villa, please call Annamarie Kostura at (805) ext. 244.