Qupe Santa Barbara County Y Block Chardonnay 2016
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Panel
Tasting - Decanter
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Wong
Wilfred
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Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
The aromas are classic Santa Barbara Chardonnay with hints of pears, apples and citrus, nicely framed with beautiful French oak. In the mouth, the wine is succulent and balanced with fresh acidity. This wine has always aged well, but beginning in 2012, we started using Stelvin screw cap closures...so drink it up before the next vintage is released!
Professional Ratings
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Tasting Panel
While this wine’s primary fruit hails from the 15-acre “Y” Block planted exclusively for Qupé, grapes are also sourced from Bien Nacido Vineyards in Santa Maria Valley. Winemaker Bob Lindquist goes “barreldirty,” his reference to aging on the lees for a fair amount of time (in this case, nine months). He uses Burgundy and new Syrah barrels for fermentation purposes, allowing for more new oak while “taking the edge off the barrel when used for Syrah.” Following a nose of caramel apple and Bosc pears, the oak notes emerge alongside flavors offering that sensual and textural leesy character. Verbena and ripe pineapple stage themselves on the palate’s round and buoyant texture, and the acidity manages to be both opulent and racy
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Decanter
Stylish and refined, beautiful balance to the citrus and lightly buttery nose. Ripe Seville oranges with wood spice, palate builds nicely with a rich lengthy finish. Refreshing.
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Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
COMMENTARY: The Qupé "Y" Block Chardonnay has always been one of the tried and true wines from the Central Coast. The 2016 vintage has lots to offer. TASTING NOTES: This wine is simultaneously fresh and sophisticated. Its vivid aromas and flavors of ripe core fruit, sandalwood, and savory spices should pair it supremely with ginger and green onion Dungeness Crab over noodles. (Tasted: August 11, 2019, San Francisco, CA)
Other Vintages
2019-
Suckling
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Spirits
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Wilfred
In contrast to the Old World, Qupé focuses on cool climate expressions of Rhône varietals due to a distinctive geographical feature that sets them apart from most other regions of California, as all vineyards are all located in East-West valleys (vs North-South) which function as open windows to the cool Pacific Ocean. The benefit to the vineyards of being along the coast and running East-West is that the cold, moist air gets pulled in and creates a layer of morning cloud cover over the vines which reduces temperatures and sun exposure on the grapes. This is why cool climate varieties excel in the coastal regions of the Central Coast and allows Qupé to focus on cool climate expressions of Rhone varietals. East-West valleys on the Central Coast that Qupé sources from include Edna Valley, Arroyo Grande Valley, Santa Maria Valley, Los Alamos Valley and Santa Rita Hills/Santa Ynez Valley.
The name "qupé" was chosen to honor the Chumash, the indigenous people of the Golden State's Central Coast and Channel Islands. In Chumash, "qupé" refers to the poppy, a flowering plant traditionally used for food and medicine. In 1903 the California poppy (Eschscholzia californica) was officially designated the state flower, and every spring masses of the bright orange blossoms still blanket local hills and back country.
One of the most popular and versatile white wine grapes, Chardonnay offers a wide range of flavors and styles depending on where it is grown and how it is made. While it tends to flourish in most environments, Chardonnay from its Burgundian homeland produces some of the most remarkable and longest lived examples. California produces both oaky, buttery styles and leaner, European-inspired wines. Somm Secret—The Burgundian subregion of Chablis, while typically using older oak barrels, produces a bright style similar to the unoaked style. Anyone who doesn't like oaky Chardonnay would likely enjoy Chablis.
With a dry and mild climate cooled significantly by moist ocean fog and breezes, Santa Barbara County is a grape-grower’s dream. Part of the larger Central Coast appellation, Santa Barbara is home to Santa Maria Valley and Santa Ynez Valley. The conditions here provide an opportunity for nearly effortless production of high-quality cool-climate Central Coast wines. This is also the site of the 2004 film Sideways, which caused Pinot Noir’s popularity to skyrocket and brought new acclaim to the region.
Chardonnay and Pinot Noir are the stars of Santa Barbara, producing wines marked by racy acidity. Crisp Sauvignon Blanc and savory Syrah are also important. The region is home to many young and enthusiastic winemakers eager to experiment with less common varieties including Chenin Blanc, Grüner Veltliner, Trousseau Gris, Gamay and Cabernet Franc, making it an exciting area to watch.