About two weeks ago, I had the chance to taste through some of Ampelos Cellars wines with owner Peter Work and Andres Loaiza of Aria Restaurant.
Based in the Sta. Rita Hills, in northern Santa Barbara county. Ampelos is smack dab in the midst of the Pinot Noir country made famous by, yes, do I need to mention it, "Sideways"... But, hey, you now know where I'm talking about.
Note: Ampelos farms organically and is now awaiting certification.
We tasted through a couple of bottles- Viognier, Rose, their estate Pinot Noir, and a "Syrache"-- Syrah, Grenache blend. To me, the Viognier was a standout.
2008 Ampelos Cellars Viognier
(US, CA, Central Coast, Santa Barbara County) Approx $25, 175 Cases made
No oak, no malolactic fermentation- Full bodied, lots of stone fruit, good acidity, and solid, solid, juice. I usually don't get that jazzed up about US Viognier, but I really liked this one. Bold, upfront, but not over the top or cloying.
2006 Ampelos Cellars Pinot Noir Lambda
(US, CA, Central Coast, Sta. Rita Hills) Approx $35.
Though an 06, smelling this, I was hit by an incredible richness- Like most people's 07 level of concentration. I had to double check the vintage... The second whiff was an incredible familiarity- Sea Smoke. It had been awhile since I've had any Sea Smoke wines, but it triggered the Return to Forever / "Where Have I Known You Before?" thoughts. Ampelos has a lot in common with Sea Smoke-- clones, barrels, yeast, and Peter's son Don, is now Sea Smoke's winemaker, and Kris Curran, Sea Smoke's past winemaker, is now helping with winemaking at Ampelos... (previously Don was head winemaker at Ampelos, and assistant winemaker at Sea Smoke)-- Got all that?
Tasty, big, complex, rich, Pinot Noir- extremely well made, crazy depth, and texture. Bigger than my personal preference, but I shared the leftovers with Jimmy from Eat It, Atlanta and he really really liked it. Wine Spectator dug it as well-- giving it a solid 92.
My thoughts- The Viognier is great, and if you are a fan of Sea Smoke's style of Pinot, you will totally dig the Ampelos Lambda Pinot Noir (at a fraction of the price of Sea Smoke).
