Tolosa Winery

Aging Chardonnay

It's always nice to get unsolicited compliments on the wine. It's a bit like someone walking up to you on the street and telling you what a cute kid you've got. I never get tired of hearing this. A few days ago we got this e-mail about the 2004 1772 Chardonnay from a long term customer;

"Larry,
We just opened a bottle.  My wife had to pry it out of my hands lest I spend the evening finishing it off rather than having dinner.  Marvelous.  My best to you and your staff.  We've been Wine Club members but dropped out because of our fears about the economy.  The economy be damned.  Let's have some more!  We're coming back!"

What's interesting to me besides the obvious delight that he took in the wine is that he aged this bottle before drinking it. It's not uncommon to age red wine before enjoying it, but many people don't realize the pleasures to be had from holding Chardonnays before consuming. Reserve Chardonnay such as the 1772 can last in the bottle for a long time. I recently had a bottle of the 2003 1772 Chardonnay and it was drinking beautifully. This wine has been in the bottle for almost 5 years now. The color was still pale and the flavors while no longer youthful were complex and delicious. As with any wine, Chardonnay has too be aged in a consistently cool and dark environment to age gracefully.
-LB

2006 Syrah Write-up

There was a nice article highlighting our 2006 Syrah in the Oakland Tribune on April 15th. Writer Jolene Thym quoted" it is such a beautiful wine that you have to promise to enjoy some of it before you even finish cooking this dish." She paired this wine with Soy-Madeira Mushrooms, a recipe suggested from chef Aaron Wright at Calistoga Ranch, and we have to agree that it sounds delicious! Thanks for the suggestions and we hope you continue to enjoy the 2006 cool climate Syrah!

Read the full article

View tasting notes and purchase our 2006 Tolosa Syrah.

Wind in the Vines

It's that time of the year when my focus starts to shift from cellar to vineyard. My mind is always on the weather and the growing season, but it's now the time of year when I need to put my hands on the vines as well as my mental attention. This week I'm looking at some of the earliest Pinot blocks to see if they need shoot thinning, and if they do need it, how many shoots need to be removed. Not all shoots are strong enough to ripen a cluster, and it's best to get these very weak shoots out of the way now. Also there are certain buds that will throw a double or even triple shoots so the extras need to be removed. The goal is 24-26 strong shoots per vine, and some vines can have double this number naturally. This time of year when the shoots are 4-12 inches long is the easiest and the best time to balance the vines as far as shoot count. Though the way the wind is howling right at the moment I wouldn't be surprised if we get some random shoot thinning courtesy of mother nature this afternoon.
-LB

The New Vintage of Wine Drinking: Announcing The Wine Clique

 
The Millennial generation is the second largest generation with over 70 million, trailing the Baby boomers, which gives them a powerful statement as a consumer. Every year an average of 4 million Millennials turn 21. They are now the largest consumers of wine and are the first generation to incorporate wine drinking into their lifestyle at a younger age. Wine is a social drink; they talk about it like they do music.
With three colleges surrounding the San Luis Obispo area, millennials are what make this town so unique.  Tolosa Winery is one of the closest wineries to downtown SLO, where it is buzzing with energy from this powerful generation. “We see more and more students and young professionals appreciating wine on a daily basis, but we felt we needed to do more to reach out to them,” states Brittney Blete, Tasting Room Manager. A year ago Tolosa began joining social networking sites such as MySpace, Facebook and Wine 2.0, which has made an enormous impact on the brand and given insight into where the wine market future is heading.
In keeping up with the nation-wide trend to reach the next generation, Tolosa has announced a social group called the Wine Clique.  It is directed towards the younger generation and is designed to make wine fun and less intimidating. It is not a wine club. There are no commitments, no automatic billing and no credit card required to join.  All one does is purchase one bottle of Tolosa wine of their choice each month to receive their benefits.  “We wanted to create an inviting way for young wine drinkers to be a part of the winery and create memorable experiences, but without the commitment of a wine club,” states Katie Noonan, Marketing and Events Administrator.
Benefits of Clique include free tasting during the week, invitations to two exclusive social events, educational wine seminars and discounted prices on wine, merchandise and events.
For more information or to sign-up, "Clique" here!

Here are the free T-shirts you get when signing up!
 

Barrel Tasting at Tolosa

As some of you know, Tolosa starting doing barrel tastings of our future releases starting in 2009. We offer the barrel tastings down in our cellar along with a tour of the winemaking facility. It's a great experience to see what wine tastes like through it's process of developing into the finish product, and it can be very educational.
On April 4th we had a great group come by to do barrel tastings and the tour. Brittney Blete, Tolosa's Tasting Room Manager, guided Adam Harding and his friends on the tour and in return he has sent us a few pictures of him and friends having a great time!  We thought we would share a few with you and say thanks to Adam and his friends for stopping by Tolosa. 
       

For those interested in barrel tastings and tours contact the tasting room at (805)782-0500.
   

Spring has awakened the Vines

Well,
It is officially Spring out there. The vines budded out on the late side of normal, but it is always wonderful to see them start growing again. There is something simultaneously comforting and exciting to see another vintage begin with the light green tender shoots coming out from the canes. This is such a beautiful time of year in SLO - there's no fog - the days are cool and breezy - the hills are green for at least another couple weeks and all the wildflowers are out especially on the hilltops. Just south of us on Lake Lopez Rd there are orange groves and these are flowering right now! If you have never smelled a citrus grove in bloom, you have missed one of the aroma sensations of the world, and should correct that deficiency as soon as possible. If you miss it this year you'll have to wait another 12 months. It is truly celestial - like being inside the world’s most wonderful natural perfume.
Best,
LB
 

Emilio's in Santa Barbara

Tolosa Winery and Emilio's Restaurant in Santa Barbara are very excited to present an amazing five-course dinner on April 8th, 2009. Emilio's is located across from the harbor on Cabrillo Street along the beautiful coast of Santa Barbara. When dining at Emilio's you can expect to be pleased by their Mediterranean influenced cuisine including seafood, meat and pasta dishes along with fresh salads, flat breads, appetizers and amazing desserts.

Check out the Menu for April 8th!

To make reservations call Andrea Sienens at (805)680-0075 or email andrea@emiliosrestaurant.com

Restaurant Focus: Ciopinot

Restaurant Focus! 

This is the first of many videos interviewing owners, chefs or wine buyers from local restaurants that incorporate the local wine industry into their success as a restaurant. These interviews are meant to be used as a reference to those looking for great restaurants and to meet the faces behind the menu. We hope you enjoy the monthly videos! 

For your April Restaurant Feature: Ciopinot, Seafood Grill

Please let us know any comments or questions! For more information on Ciopinot visit their website: http://www.ciopinotrestaurant.com/ 

or contact them at (805)547-1111

Cheers!