We have watched as Stolpman experimented with viticulture and winemaking ideas until they got it figured out. The Stolpmans had the passion and they also had Sashi Moorman on the payroll and, through him, a connection to a larger group of vintners with a ‘higher calling’ wine-wise. The common mindset here as they worked towards their goals was not visions of other domestic producers, but of some of France’s greatest Rhone producers (the Stolpmans named their child Augie, in deference to August Clape of Cornas, for example).
There’s a saying in sports about how one must ‘play the right way’. Well these folks did that with wine. They experimented, they learned, and they got better and better. Yet they never lost sight of the fact that people will be drinking their wine and clearly, given their pricing, the Stolpmans left their egos at the door. Now, with Syrah as their major focus, they make some of the most compelling and unique blends in California. The care that goes into these wines in both the vineyards and the cellar is far above the prices charged. To further enhance the individual wines’ identity, they give them individual labels and stories.
On top of it all, the Stolpmans produce these wines in partnership with the Solarzano family, who manage the viticultural duties for the entire estate, and permanent staff. It’s kind of a ‘family’ affair where everyone cares a great deal about what’s in the bottle. We can vividly recall a number of new labels from corporate type wineries where we asked about the source of the wine and were told, essentially, that the ‘story’ came first and they found some juice to fill the bottle. These are well conceived, purely made wines where the story on the label is from the ‘heart’ and the juice is first rate and unfettered.
As we mentioned, great Syrah is the recurring theme through this lineup. We’ll start with the newest edition, the Stolpman La Cuadrilla 2016. When Tom Stolpman originally bought the property, he wanted his workers on site year-round, so the team members could have a steady job, a career, and raise their families with security. To further that goal, Ruben Solarzano divvied up parcels among the workers for them to maintain and thus learn the growing cycle ‘hands on’. This wine includes the crew’s plots (called Cuadras) in a unique and tasty blend of 72% Syrah, 16% Sangiovese and 12% Grenache. Not to get too technical, but 80% of the grapes are destemmed and 20% are done whole cluster to give the fruit some ‘pop’. Afterwards it sees time in neutral oak just to round out the edges.
This is a juicy and accessible wine with an uncanny purity to the fruit that reminds us of times long past, with lively dark cherry, blueberry and plum. There’s a little spice and a pleasing savory streak to add interest to the blend, and all is integrated for current ‘applications’ and well-priced for what it delivers. You rarely get this caliber of juice for this kind of price here in California. Notes from Wine Advocate coincide with ours and demonstrate how far this sophisticated project has come, “…the unabashedly delicious 2016 La Cuadrilla is a beautiful wine, jumping from the glass with notes of roses, violets, wild berry fruits and pomegranate. On the palate, it’s medium to full-bodied with an ample core of juicy fruit, satiny tannins and a pure finish. This is an amazing value….92 Points”.
The name, the blend, and the winemaking are pretty daring on the Stolpman Para Maria de los Tecolotes 2017, but they are a key part of the reason why this wine is so unique. The blend of 80% Syrah and 20% Petit Verdot is quirky enough. But the ‘process’ takes it up a notch. By their own description this wine is done with 40% of the Syrah done via whole cluster (carbonic maceration) in a sealed tank, 40% Syrah destemmed and done by a traditional open top fermentation. The Petit Verdot also is destemmed and done open top. It’s a bit of work for a wine in this price range, but the results are beyond impressive.
We liked it a lot for its texture, density of flavor, and the cool underpinning to the dark Syrah fruit provided by the Petit Verdot, which plays not unlike Mourvedre in this mix. Again we are talking a unique, seriously complex wine from California for under $20, which we must again mention doesn’t happen every day. But Antonio Galloni of Vinous took it up a couple of notches from there. His words, “…another attractive wine from Stolpman. Here, too, the fruit is bright, precise and articulate, which is to say quite a departure from the style of the 2016. Generous and pliant on the palate, with no hard edges and striking aromatics…it is shaping up to be a real beauty…Don’t miss it….92-95 points”
As long as we’re at it, we feel compelled to mention their Stolpman Vineyards Estate Syrah Ballard Canyon 2016, definitely a bottling they are well known for and one of California’s best bargains on serious Syrah year in and year out. This wine gets plenty of love consistently and it did here again. It’s a Wine Advocate 92 and, in their words “keenly priced.” Vinous offers up a 93 with comments, “The 2016 Syrah Estate is dense and powerful in the glass, with plenty of fruit intensity. Even so, the shift towards a more polished, subtle style that is so evident in the 2017s is already quite evident here. Today, the Estate is a bit shy, but all the elements are very nicely balanced. I especially admire the wine’s persistence.”
Their program with their employees is enlightened and productive, and each wine is special in its own way. But they all share the aspect of being intriguing juice that performs well above their modest prices. Their hard work has paid off as has their thinking outside the cuadra. Now you get to take advantage.