SO MANY REASONS TO VISIT
After two years of restrictions, travel is back for the Summer of 2022! As you map out your excursions for the rest of the year, there are plenty of reasons to add Sunstone to your itinerary. From movie nights, to festivals, to the return of our annual STOMP member event, our calendar features something for everyone. We are thrilled to have a full slate of activities to add value to your membership.
If you walk through our vineyards today, you’ll see clusters of small, green grapes hanging from the vines. We are in the “fruit set” phase of our wine grapes’ annual journey of growth. Veraison, the period of pigment development right before Harvest when the red wine grapes begin turning purple, is still a few weeks out, but Harvest comes quickly right after that. In the meantime, here is what else we have in store for you!
MARK YOUR CALENDARS
If you didn’t attend our Eros celebration in February, or our first Wine & Movie Night last month, hopefully you made it to our Rapsodie Wine & Jazz Festival this past weekend. If you missed any of these great experiences, we have many more in store. We are happy to announce that after a two-year hiatus due to the pandemic, our annual STOMP member event is returning! We’ll be sending out more details soon, but in the meantime Save the Date of Saturday, September 17th. Tickets will go on sale Friday, August 5th. In addition to STOMP, here are just a few of the other dates to save (more being announced soon!):
- Sunsets at Sunstone– We are now open until 8pm every Friday this Summer with a Food Truck and Live Music (closed August 19th).
- July 23rd- Wine & Movie Night: “Encanto” (Complimentary for Member + 1 More Info and Tickets)
- July 24th- Iris Rideau Book Signing and Meet & Greet
- August 5th-7th: Fiesta Weekend & Summer Club Wine Release
- August 13th: Wine & Movie Night: “High Noon” (Complimentary for Member + 1 More Info and Tickets)
- September 17th: STOMP
- October 29th: Masquerade Ball
- November 4th-6th: Fall Club Release Weekend
- December 9th-11th: Annual Holiday Festival
- December 17th: Winter Solstice White Party
- December 31st: New Year’s Eve Gala
On to the details of your next wine shipment! In addition to the return of the unique Zephyr blend, we are bringing back the Malbec Reserve that became so popular amongst members. Read below for more details on all of the wines in your upcoming release.
Thank you for your continued support. We look forward to seeing you at the Estate soon. Cheers!
WINES INCLUDED IN THIS SHIPMENT:
2021 CHARDONNAY (MIXED CLUBS ONLY)
Retail: $35
| GRAPE BLEND & SOURCE | 100% Chardonnay Goodchild and Hill Top Ranch vineyards |
| TECHNICAL SPECS | pH: 3.51 Acidity: 5.6 g/L Alcohol: 14.5% 7 months in 20% new French oak, 5% new American oak, and 75% neutral oak |
| TASTING NOTES | Fresh nose of lemon zest, lychee, melon and honeysuckle with vanilla, white pepper, and a subtle smokiness in the background. Mouth-watering acidity on the palate with pear, cinnamon stick, and yellow raisin character and an extra-long finish. |
| WINEMAKING | The grapes for our 2021 Santa Barbara County Chardonnay were hand-harvested on October 10th, 2021, from Hill Top Ranch in Sta. Rita Hills and October 29th, 2021, from Goodchild Vineyard in Santa Maria Valley. Each lot of Chardonnay was fermented separately. They were whole cluster pressed and placed into a stainless-steel tank to settle for three days before the inoculation for fermentation of both lees and juice. Our winemaker’s yeast of choice was CY3079 which enhances sensory notes of Citrus, Pineapple, Vanilla, Cedarwood, Honey, and Floral characters. On the 8th day, bacteria culture was added for the secondary fermentation as the fermentation ended on the 12th day. The two separate lots were then blended in December 2021 while aging in 25% new French & American Oak for 8 months before being bottled to 588 cases in June 2022. |
| FOOD PAIRING | Baked Cod with Lemon |
| CELLARING | The 2021 Chardonnay, SBC can be enjoyed now and for the next 12-18 months. It is not a candidate for long term aging. |
2020 MALBEC RESERVE
Retail: $65
| GRAPE BLEND & SOURCE | 100% Malbec Valley View, Lucas & Lewellen Los Alamos, Coqulicot, and Pear Valley vineyards |
| TECHNICAL SPECS | pH: 3.87 Acidity: 5.1 g/L Alcohol: 13.4% 20 months in 10% new American, 20% new French, and 70% neutral oak |
| TASTING NOTES | Luscious aromas of raspberry preserves, blackberry jam, Earl Grey tea, figs, and vanilla extract on the nose. Round on the palate well-integrated tannins and character of blackberry, raspberry, pepper and currants with sea salt minerality on the finish. |
| WINEMAKING | The grapes for our 2020 Malbec Reserve were hand-harvested from four different vineyards, three in Santa Barbara County and one in Paso Robles between the end of September 2020 and the end of October 2020. When the fruit from each vineyard arrived, it was crushed into bins and fermented separately, then pressed 12-14 days later to tank for settling before being racked to 30% new and 70% neutral oak barrels. The wine was blended and then aged for 20 months before being bottled to 582 cases in June 2022. |
| FOOD PAIRING | Moroccan Lamb Meatballs |
| CELLARING | The 2020 Malbec Reserve can be enjoyed now and for an additional 5-8 years if stored in proper conditions. |
2020 ZEPHYR
Retail: $45
| GRAPE BLEND & SOURCE | 59% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Cabernet Franc, 14% Grenache, 4% Syrah Six different vineyards throughout Santa Barbara County |
| TECHNICAL SPECS | pH: 3.60 Acidity: 6.3g/L Alcohol: 14.6% 20 months in 28% new/72% neutral French and American oak |
| TASTING NOTES | Distinct aromas of dark chocolate and black pepper frame the plum, lily flower, cherry cola, and earthy notes. Dusty tannins on the palate with pomegranate, crushed pepper, and smoky character with a sweet cherry finish. |
| WINEMAKING | The grapes for our 2020 Zephyr blend were hand-harvested from six vineyards in Santa Barbara County. We crushed and fermented the four varietals (Rhone and Bordeaux) from each vineyard separately during the month of October 2020 as they arrived. The grapes from each vineyard were processed separately, then cold soaked for 2-3 days while macerating the fruit, skins, and seeds for flavor through to pressing the fruit. Each lot was inoculated individually with a combination of BM45, RC212, and D80 yeasts to soften tannin structure and enhance sensory notes of Blackberry, Boysenberry, Cloves, Cherry, and Bourbon. The fermentations lasted approximately 12-18 days before pressing and racking to French & American oak barrels for aging and to complete secondary fermentation “malolactic fermentation”. Our wine 2020 Zephyr was blended in February 2021 and bottled to 537 cases in June 2022. |
| FOOD PAIRING | Grilled Wagyu Ribeye with Roasted Fig Miso |
| CELLARING | The 2020 Zephyr can be enjoyed now and for an additional 4-8 years if stored in proper conditions. |
2020 Five ERas
Retail: $45
| GRAPE BLEND & SOURCE | 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, 26% Merlot, 24% Malbec, 10% Petit Verdot Valley View, Lucas & Lewellen Los Alamos, , Coqulicot, Area 51, and Pear Valley vineyards |
| TECHNICAL SPECS | pH: 3.66 Acidity: 6.2 g/L Alcohol: 14.2% 20 months in 20% new French, 6% new American, and 74% neutral oak |
| TASTING NOTES | Aromas of blackberries, blueberries, and elderberries dominate the nose, accented by spicy notes of crushed peppercorn, anise, and ginger. Tart character on the palate with cranberries, sour cherries, blackberries and coffee beans and an extended finish. |
| WINEMAKING | The grapes for our 2020 Five Eras Bordeaux-style blend were hand-harvested from five vineyards, four in Santa Barbara County and one in Paso Robles. Between the last week of September 2020 and mid-October 2020, our team crushed, cold soaked, fermented, and pressed each of the four varietals separately as they were harvested individually. Each lot of wine was aged for four months before our trial blending to finalize the complexity of these characters, textures, and aromas prior to the actual blending. Our winemaker’s yeasts of choice were RC212, BM45, and D80, which enhance sensory and tannin notes of bright rich berry, spice, cedar, licorice, earth, and mineral. The wine was sent through malolactic fermentation to reduce the malic acid sharp acidity. After aging for 20 months in 26% new and 74% neutral oak, the 2020 Five Eras was bottled to 584 cases in June 2022. |
| FOOD PAIRING | Steak Burgers with au Poivre Sauce |
| CELLARING | The 2020 Five Eras can be enjoyed now and for an additional 4-6 years if stored in proper conditions. |
