The Cellar

Palisadian Winemakers Seek Balance

Q: Is there a Palisadian style of winemaking?

Yes! That’s how it is shaping up, according to my diligent research into the question.

The trend began about six years ago, when adventurous winemakers began picking grapes earlier, draining the juice off of the skins sooner, manipulating less during fermentation and aging in more used (rather than new) barrels. Some three dozen of these producers, who specialized in Pinot Noir, even founded a militant group called In Pursuit of Balance that staged tastings and wrote angry press releases in opposition to the dominant taste, then represented by the major wine magazines, which often panned them.

This trend got the name New California, and it caught on well enough that IPOB declared victory and went out of business last December. A sound strategy that other militants should follow!

Here are two more Palisades-based winemakers who apply innovative practices and work in a new style of California wine.

A-Frame Wines

Palisadians Alex Stuempfig and Steve Solaka started A-Frame Wines just as that wave was cresting. Fortunately, their winery has not followed IPOB into oblivion but rather has flourished, in part because they started small in 2014 with 200 cases. Today they are up to about 650, which means that procuring their product takes some searching (or web browsing for online ordering).

But the quest is worthwhile, because their small-lot wines show brisk texture and lots of nuance. Alex is the principal decision maker in the cellar, though he would prefer to say that the wine is made in the vineyard. He learned the trade by working on the importing side, which exposed him to the better producers in France’s Rhône Valley, a primary inspiration for the A-Frame style.

And what is that style?

Alex said, “At the end of the day, minimal intervention, simple and classic forms of winemaking, and organic and sustainable farming are very important to us.” Look for their wines the next time you are at the Hollywood Bowl, AOC or Lucques.

Pence Wines

Because he specializes in Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, Palisadian and Pence Ranch owner Blair Pence could have actually joined IPOB. He’s not a joiner, but he did hire one of the major winemakers associated with that movement, Sashi Moorman.

Pence Wines, all estate grown on his property in the Sta. Rita Hills, show the care and attention that owner and winemaker lavish on the place. The ranch has its own soil scientist to check nutrients every year, a resident full-time vineyard staff to tend the vines, a barrel maker in France whom they know personally and a 350-foot well that saw them through the drought.

The result is an excellent expression of what’s possible in Santa Barbara County. The inspiration is Burgundian but the wines have a restrained, balanced, richness that Pence attributes to the clay soils and longer growing season. He aims to make his Pinots long-lived like Burgundies: “If they don’t last 20 years, I’ll be disappointed,” he said. From the first vintage in 2010, the winery has grown to about 4,000 cases per year.

Pence’s 650 club members consume more than 70 percent of the product, leaving very little for retail. The best way to taste for yourself is to make an appointment and visit the ranch, where the welcome mat is out.

This Month’s Recommended Wines:

2015 A-Frame Wines “Sans Souci” White Blend, Santa Ynez Valley – A blend of two Rhône Valley white grapes, this wine shows stone, apricot and floral notes in a round texture from barrel fermentation. $29, on the website

2015 A-Frame Wines  “La Serine” Syrah, Ballard Canyon – From a good region for Syrah, it shows medium garnet color with herbs, black cherry and a touch of bacon in a firm yet elegant texture. $35, on the website

2014 Pence Estate Chardonnay – Barrel-fermented and aged with 25 percent new oak, it’s both bright and restrained, with white peach, grapefruit and a hint of earth. $40, at the winery

2014 Pence “Unum” Estate Pinot Noir – The more concentrated of the winery’s two Pinots, it brings herbs, red cherry and cranberry in a rich texture. $56, at the winery