Stolpman Vineyard 'Crunchy Roastie' Syrah Santa Barbara 2020

Stolpman Vineyards has wowed fans of site-specific, organic, low-intervention wines for two decades with their signature roussanne and syrah releases. Their location in Santa Barbara County’s Ballard Canyon, with its dry climate, exposure to the ocean, and limestone soils, has proven uniquely well situated for grape varieties associated with southeast France. With their “So Fresh” line, the Stolpman team have been experimenting with earlier harvests and whole-grape, un-crushed carbonic fermentation, with no sulfur added. This ‘Crunchy Roastie’ combines syrah, harvested early enough to still be “crunchy” (retaining acidity, and with lower sugar levels in the grapes), with a small amount of viognier to lend an aromatic lift: a nod to the traditional blend of the Northern Rhône’s Côte Rôtie (“roasted slope”). Despite a late-season heat wave, this second vintage of the ‘Crunchy Roastie’ maintains the freshness of the 2019 debut release. As warm and inviting on the palate as a plum galette, it develops bright mulberry and cranberry flavors on the palate, with an herbal finish reminiscent of earl gray tea. Organically grown, low-intervention/natural wine, vegan.