2021 Whitcraft Winery, Grenache, Stolpman Vineyard, Ballard Canyon AVA, Santa Ynez Valley.
The limpid light ruby hued Stolpman Grenache by Drake Whitcraft is again a beautifully desirable example of elegant, lighter framed and sexy Grenache in California with a palate that echos past version that shows off Italian cherry, plum, red currant, pomegranate and wild raspberry fruits that are silky and feel very Pinot like. Whitcraft, while maybe best known for stylish and individual Pinot Noirs and classy Chardonnays, also does Grenache, as seen here, as well as some other rare varietals, including Trousseau and Gamay Noir, which he does in a lighter and transparent fashion, like this Grenache and as this vintage shows. In the background, as it opens up this Grenache firms up with some velvety tannin, but allows a loads full of florals and spices to emerge with geranium, cinnamon, pepper, anise and a subtle sultry earthiness to balance the fruit, making for a lovely wine that embraces its style and sense of place. Drake Whitcraft, as I’ve mentioned before, who is one of California’s bright stars, has honed his methods and this wine is now crafted with the whole bunches that are typically gently foot-trodden and then see a semi-carbonic maceration that is kicked off by a pied de cuvée (vineyard yeasts) and mainly all free run juice to avoid bitter phenolics and tannins. This is very quaffable stuff and highlights the quality fruit coming off the Stolpman vines, which have a top notch pedigree. The Stolpman vineyard in the Ballard Canyon AVA, set on sandy limestone hillsides, is farmed with organic techniques and regenerative viticulture, which Drake says, involves building the soil by adding organic matter to promote a healthy ecosystem. I was grateful to taste this Grenache recently along with Whitcraft’s excellent 2022 Sta. Rita Hills Pinot Noir, which has some incredible fruit sources listed here and should be on Pinot lovers watch lists, and the brilliant and very serious Zotovich Chardonnay, it is an enthusiast effort with classic white Burgundy reduction and mineral charms.
Whitcraft Winery, as noted here in past reviews, has been handcrafting and, as the winery notes, unadulterated wines in Santa Barbara, California since 1985, originally with Chris Whitcraft as the winemaker and now with his son Drake making the wines, after his dad passed unexpectedly in June of 2014, just before the harvest of this wine. Chris himself was influenced by some legends, with the winery explaining that he learned his craft from some of the best winemakers in California, including Joe Heitz (Heitz Cellars), Dick Graff (Founded Chalone Winery and its AVA), and Burt Williams (Williams Selyem & Morning Dew Ranch) to name a few. Since Drake took over he has made a name for himself, being part of awesome generation of winemakers in the state that are doing honest and authentic wines, in much the same mold of Jason Drew, who also cut his teeth in the Santa Barbara area before moving his Drew Family Cellars to the Anderson Valley. Drake who got a great education from his father, as well as some of the big stars of the Santa Barbara, Santa Maria, Santa Ynez and Sta. Rita Hills regions, like the late Jim Clendenen of ABC, but has adopted his own winemaking style and stamped his name as one of the biggest talents in the area. His winemaking regime, as mentioned, sees a lot of whole cluster fermentations with stem inclusion, sustainable and organic grapes and mostly neutral wood aging, which is old world influenced, looking to retain energy and allow for purity in the wines. Whitcraft says that his signature varietals are Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Syrah, but I gotta say his Gamay and Grenache are always charming, low alcohol, treats (under 13%) when I can my hands on these very limited bottlings! The Grenache, which was hand bottled, was matured in well seasoned barrels for around 11 months, with just a tiny amount of SO2 and was unfined and unfiltered, its clarification was through gentle racking. Again, I highly recommend these Whitcraft wines, they really deliver in the bottle and age well, especially their single vineyard Chardonnay and Pinot Noir offerings.
($48 Est.) 94 Points, grapelive