March 16, 2005
Pinot Noir-A Love for ManyThe “World of Pinot Noir” just took place, and I spoke to dear friend and “La Grande Dame,” Lane Tanner. The main words on her calling card should be pinot noir, as she told me, “Pinot noir is what I do is central to what I am.”
Lane told me, “My views on pinot noir--There’s a quality in pinot noir that goes beyond wine. When I sit down in the evening, I don’t want a glass of wine, but a glass of pinot noir.”
Why pinot noir? It’s different than all of the other wines I drink. It’s got physical calming property to it I don’t find in other varietal. It’s like having that first cup of coffee at the other end of the day. “It changes my attitude.” “Tea doesn’t do it for many people like coffee does, and, for me, I’m one of these people.”
“Making pinot noir is as romantic as drinking it because it’s so human in so many qualities. It talks to you. There are both good days and bad days. There’s certain things it wants and it doesn’t tell you. It has a feeling to it that other wines do not.
Remember that song, “Just Like A Woman?”
It’s a wine you can’t make from a recipe. You have to let it tell you what to do, as the winemaker.
“Reading about pinot noirs only goes so far. You have to start drinking them for the information to click-preferably with somebody you really like a lot and with good food-almost secondarily.”
“Pinot’s getting a lot of press right now because of the movie ‘Sideways’, and hopefully when the hype dies down, people will continue to recognize the beauty of this classic wine.
Hancock College Study Reveals Some Surprises--An Update
Allan Hancock College viticulture and enology students are putting the finishing touches on the soon to be published "2004-2005 Santa Barbara County Grape Acreage Survey." According to program coordinator Merilark Padgett-Johnson, Ph.D., the new data reveals some surprises.
Total reported vineyard acreage for 2004 is 18,780 acres, a decrease from the 2001 survey figure of 19,299 acres. That’s a net loss of 519 acres of wine grapes in the county. Survey results also reveal that there were 977 acres of vines pulled since 2001 and not replanted.
Another 367 acres were changed to a different cultivar since 2001, either by grafting over, or pulling out the old vines and replanting new vines. The following table shows the changed acreage of several popular cultivars grown in Santa Barbara County.
Cultivar Acreage in 2001 Acreage in 2004 Change % Change Chardonnay 10,095 8,455 -1,640 acres -16% Pinot Noir 2,893 2,974 +81 acres +3% Syrah 1,243 1,576 +333 acres +27% Merlot 1,112 1,075 -37 acres -3% Pinot gris/grigio 402 902 +500 acress +124% Sangiovese 69 87 +18 acres +26% In addition to detailed analyses of all the cultivars grown, the new grape acreage survey includes maps, created using GPS/GIS technologies, of vineyard locations within the American Viticultural Areas in Santa Barbara County.
The college program is currently soliciting monetary donations from growers, wineries and other interested parties to fund the printing costs for the approximately 275-page, bound survey. Those interested in supporting the effort should contact Natalie Lawrence, Executive Director of the Central Coast Wine Growers' Association, at (805) 928-4950 or email her at ccwga@verizon.net For questions regarding the " 2004-2005 Santa Barbara County Grape Acreage Survey," contact Padgett-Johnson at mpadgett@hancockcollege.edu
Pinot Noir lover and Times wine columnist, Bob Senn, owns the Los Olivos Wine & Spirits Emporium and lives in the Los Alamos Valley.
