The birth of our son, August James, brought home the fact that Stolpman Vineyards needs to produce more large-format bottles. Rather than wait for Auggie’s 2017 birth-year vintage, we will return to bottling magnums of the stunning 2016 vintage. The age-worthy wines that already last decades in 750mL, stay fresher longer in bigger bottles. I look forward to Auggie trying his birth-year wines when he … Read More →
The story of our new Carbonic Sangiovese label goes back to August of 2016, when our friends Emily and Patton Penhallegon served the 2015 vintage at their beautiful wedding in Flathead Lake, Montana. Our mutual friend, Italian Wine Importer extraordinaire, Joanie Karapetian posted a photo of the Carbonic Sangiovese bottle. Under the bottle shot, framed by the Montana backdrop, she wrote “nothing says ‘I … Read More →
The stars aligned in 2012. After two cold vintages filled with extremes, Mother Nature mellowed and gave us a brilliantly even growing season. Artisans worked all summer fabricating our new concrete fermenters. The thick, naturally-insulating tanks enabled us to gently extract every delicate nuance from the happy grapes. In short, 2012 eschewed in a whole new chapter for Stolpman Vineyards. Today, as we taste the … Read More →
All harvest we obsess over the flavor and texture of the fruit on the vine. In the winery, we become all-consumed with fermentation temperatures and extraction management. For the next one, two, and even three years we systematically check in on each barrel, examining how the flavors integrate and settle. Once bottled, we live with the wines through release, writing tasting notes and popping corks … Read More →
In 2016, Roussanne clusters hung on the vine through October. La Cuadrilla waited for the Roussanne to ripen for almost a month after finishing the red harvest. The crew passed the time picking olives and taking down bird nets. This delay explains a lot about the behavior of our Roussanne wines. With the longest hang-time in Ballard Canyon, the extra month of maturation allows for … Read More →
Robust flavors and smooth, coating richness define the 2014 vintage. Warmer night time temperatures added richness and depth to bright, fresh fruit profiles. The pleasant, happy year in Ballard Canyon shows through to the wines. Representatives 2014 Estate Syrah and 2014 Estate Roussanne represent almost every exposure within in the hills of Stolpman Vineyards. Our 18 acres of Roussanne stretch over three different blocks and … Read More →
2008 Vintage The extremes of 2008 are written across the wines. Spring frost burnt our newly budded crop for the first time in the vineyards’ history. The April cold snap reduced the crop load dramatically, meaning each vine would concentrate its energy on only a few clusters. Then in mid-June, unprecedented weather stuck again in the form of an early heat wave. Temperatures soared to … Read More →
In order to further understand the consequence of each plow, snip, and touch he takes among the vines, Ruben decided to make wine. Over the past 15 years, Ruben’s intensive interaction with Sashi has enlightened him to barely distinguishable consequences of timing and care in each of the Stolpman Vineyards micro blocks. In order to branch out and learn anew, Ruben purchased fruit from some … Read More →
John Faulkner might have the best job a 31 year old winemaker could dream of. He works under Sashi Moorman and Rajat Parr to craft not only Stolpman wines, but also burgundy projects Sandhi, Domaine de la Cote, and Pence Ranch even fitting in time to play with the small experimental lots of the PiedraSassi project. Just as Tom Stolpman encouraged Sashi to branch out … Read More →
Para Maria Those who visit the vineyard catch only fleeting glimpses of Maria Solorzano. She zooms through the vineyard on her ATV inspecting blocks, occasionally jumping off to check in with La Cuadrilla members spread out on foot across the hillsides. As forewoman of Stolpman Vineyards, Maria executes all of Ruben’s viticultural ideas. While Ruben consults on other properties, Maria takes care of the home … Read More →