JJ Buckley Fine Wines Blog

Pinot Noir in Santa Barbara County experiences a lengthy and cool growing season that is similar to the climate of the Burgundy region of east-central France. Unlike Burgundy, though, many parts of Santa Barbara County experience dense fog that rolls in off the Pacific Ocean; this fog contributes to the ideal climate for Pinot Noir, offering just enough moisture to be beneficial without lingering too long.

Any fine wine is complex, so it’s no surprise that the winemaking industry uses a diverse range of descriptors for the various reactions and techniques that affect wines as they make their way from the vineyard to the bottle. Oxidation is one of those descriptors, and it refers to the way in which oxygen interacts with the grapes, juice, and bottled wine.

Last week I attended the Appellation St. Helena (ASH) tasting. It was a preview event for the Premiere Napa Valley Auction. Twenty-one St. Helena AVA member wineries poured current releases, auction lots, and the occasional library wine. I tasted all 61 wines. It doesn’t make sense to provide notes for all of those here, so I’ll hit the highlights and address the 2017 vintage which was that of the auction lots.

Until fairly recently, Malbec had had a tough career. For most of its life, it was primarily known as a “Bordeaux variety,” and not one of the prominent ones. It got a new lease on life in Argentina and, now, is seeing a renaissance in Cahors.

Syrah and Petite Sirah are so similar in spelling and pronunciation that you might expect them to be similar wines. This confusion might grow when you see wines labeled Shiraz, which has a similar sound as well. What is the difference between Shiraz, Syrah and Petite Sirah? Are they the same wine and grape variety, just with different names? Not exactly.