Grape Doesn't Fall Far From Vine: Winemakers Follow in Dads' Footsteps

By Gabe Saglie
(published in the Santa Barbara News-Press on June 7, 2012)

I was lucky to have been very close to my dad.  Although, as a child, I always thought I’d go into the medical field, too, I didn’t follow in his footsteps, professionally.  In the things that matter most, though, I’m lucky to have had the perfect model.

Chris and Drake Whitcraft

But in the local wine scene, a handful of young men and women have, in fact, taken a cue from Dad.  They’ve at least been inspired by their old man to consider a career in crafting wine.  We reflected on this when I joined Chris Whitcraft and his son, Drake, over a few glasses of pinot noir at Whitcraft Winery’s downtown Santa Barbara facility last week.

“Sometimes when you make wine with your son, you butt heads so much, you split up,” admits the older Whitcraft, a veritable pioneer in the Santa Barbara wine scene who’s been making the stuff since the early 70s.  He pauses to sniff and sip his son’s 2009 Morning Dew Ranch pinot, an elegant, Burgundy-inspired red with an explosion of rose petals on the nose; the fruit was sourced from the Anderson Valley vineyard of pinot luminary (and longtime Whitcraft family friend) Burt Williams.

“Wow, good job,” he says, sincerely.

“I just didn’t mess it up,” responds Drake, matter of factly.

In that sense, Drake is, in fact, a lot like his father.  They both have a very natural, hands-off approach to winemaking.  They opt for no chemicals, no filtering and no pumping.  They use only natural yeasts.  They sort by hand and stomp by foot.  And their 100% gravity bottling line is a reflection of a no-electricity philosophy that aims to produce the purest renditions of any wine.  “Wine should not be (messed) with,” declares Chris (using a far more colorful expletive than ‘messed’).  “Buy great grapes and don’t (mess) with it,” echoes Drake.

And he adds: “I’m a transparent winemaker, I make wines all the same,” asserts Drake.  “It’s Mother Nature that gives them their quirks.”

He says this as he pours us his 2009 Rancho Santa Rosa pinot, sourced in the Lompoc-adjacent Santa Rita Hills.  Same pinot noir clone as the Morning Dew, same winemaking technique.  But a totally different wine, with a comparatively soft, fleshy, rich mouth feel. Drake mentions he has only 20 cases of this wine left to sell.  His dad savors this wine, too, and enjoys it immensely.  And I can tell he’s proud.

When Chris opened his winery along Calle Cesar Chavez in 2006, he had a 10-year plan to grow his label.  But when severe cancer-related health issues hit less than two years later, projections were put on hold, and Drake intervened.  The now-30-year-old, who was introduced to periodic tastes of wine as a child and who started helping his dad with the physical demands of the winery at the age of 11, always intended to get into the family business.  “But it happened a lot sooner because of his health,” he admits.  The Whitcraft wines from the 2008 vintage and beyond are all the handiwork of Drake.

Yes, there has been some butting of heads, especially when it comes to the way business is run.  Drake, who describes his dad’s former approach to commerce as “old school,” has focused sharply on customer relations and promotion, doing outreach through multiple social media platforms and, just 2-1/2 years ago, launching a wine club that now ships regularly to some 250 members. 

He’s also shrunk production – a testament to varying yearly fruit yields and shifting consumer demand. Chris’ output averaged 3000 cases in the early 2000s, half of that chardonnay.  Drake made 1100 cases in 2009, none in 2010 and 500 in 2011, and he’s aiming to focus much more on reds, and reds the Whitcraft label has not historically produced, like syrah and grenache.

But in the essentials, there’s agreement.  Drake tells me, “Our wine is a hand sell.  You can’t expect people to always like you.  You have to work.”  And Chris nods throughout.

The Whitcrafts may be a quintessential father-child relationship in the young history of Santa Barbara winemaking.  But there are others.  Jennifer Gehrs launched her Vixen Wines line, with a Rhone focus, about a decade ago; she put the project on hold in 2007 after she got married and moved to Nebraska. But, all along, her mentor was her talented dad, whose Los Olivos tasting room – Daniel Gehrs Wines – still sells some of the remaining Vixen reds.  Ethan and Luke Lindquist of No Limit Wines can draw inspiration from their father, esteemed pioneer and Qupé winemaker Bob Lindquist.  And then there are the Parkers; vintner Fess Parker’s winemaker son Eli gains continued acclaim with his Epiphany label while winemaker granddaughter (and Eli’s daughter) Tessa is making a splash with her new Tessa Marie line of wines.

The Carhartt Family

While visiting the Santa Ynez Valley this past weekend, I spent time with the Carhartts, whose Los Olivos tasting room – purportedly the smallest in the world at just 99 square feet – is always buzzing.  Brooke who makes the stellar wine, and husband Mike, who manages the vineyard and pours regularly, are now being joined by son, Chase.  The 24-year-old is graduating from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo this weekend and plans on putting his fresh enology know-how to work for the family’s label.  His dad watches on with pride as Chase speaks passionately about their wines with visitors in the charming outdoor patio.  “He never ceases to amaze me,” he tells me.

And at dinner at the Ballard Inn, I ran into Foxen co-founder and winemaker Bill Wathen, whose family feasted in celebration of daughter Riley’s return from the wine grape harvest in New Zealand, after having graduated from UCSB.  In such good spirits was dad, that samples of a couple of just-released Foxen wines --  a 2009 pinot noir and a 2009 Rhone blend, both balanced and luscious – kept making their way to our table.  Time will tell how the younger Wathen will put her newly gained skills to works on this side of the equator.

Drake Whitcraft, I find out, also spent time Down Under – in Australia in 2005 and 2006 – as part of his winemaking education.  He’s pouring a 2009 nebbiolo for me now, from a yet-to-be-labeled bottle; it’s made from Stolpman Vineyard fruit that has since been pulled.  Fruit-forward on the nose, tannic and delicious, it’ll be released to the public in about nine months.  I compliment him on it.  And his dad beams.

Gabe Saglie is proud of two accomplishments most – his sons Gabriel, age 6, and Greyson, age 4 – and counts them as blessings every day.  He’s also senior editor for www.travelzoo.com.  You can reach him via email at gabesaglie@yahoo.com.

Sippers for Grillers: Wines to Kick Off Summer

By Gabe Saglie

(published in the Santa Barbara News-Press on May 24, 2012)

The weather’s cooperated enough lately that many of us have had already had a few chances to hone our grilling skills.  I’ve been firing up our own barbecues – our charcoal-charged Weber as well as our propane-powered Kenmore – a few times a week.  And charred edges never tasted so good.

As the official launch of the summer season, though, the upcoming Memorial Day weekend will be when we really put our grilling knack to the test.  Cooking food over fire is as much a culinary exercise as it is a social one, so the stakes are high.  And what we drink will be noticed, too.

A great cold beer will always be a winner.  And as you’ve read in this publication in the last several days, several local brewers – most noticeably Firestone in Paso, Telegraph in Santa Barbara and Island Brewery in Carpinteria – are coming off major international wines.  They have a growing local following – many, many winemakers, themselves – for a reason.

But if wine is on the mind, these suggestions are real winners, too.  Locally made, and at a wide range of price points.  They lend themselves to casual sipping on any summer day, and have the added bonus of pairing perfectly with a bevy of grilled favorites. 

Fontes & Phillips Panky Rosé 2011

To be fair, any local rosé will be worth popping open this Memorial Day weekend.  After all, summer is when a lot of us get to rediscover these visually pleasing and flavor-driven wines.  Presqu'ile and Tercero – both with tasting rooms in Los Olivos -- make great rosés.  But this Panky, made by Alan Phillips, continues to impress vintage after vintage, especially if you like your rosé pretty, lively and brilliant.  The 2011 Panky, just released, is equal parts cinsault, grenache and syrah, all grown in Santa Ynez.  Bright fruit in the mouth and a sparkling clean finish.  This is what you sip while you’re grilling; fuel for the steady focus any good BBQ’er must possess.  And then use it to pair any fish you pull off the rack, and any of that fresh summer fare on your table.  $15.

Dierberg Chardonnay, Santa Maria Valley, 2009 

The Santa Maria Valley has always been a haven for some of the finest chardonnays in the state.  And this Dierberg release – its latest -- is an example of just how complex and beautiful a Central Coast chard can be.  The 12-year-old Dierberg vineyard, in the western-most corner of the valley, enjoys cool maritime climate and sandy, loamy soils.  The chardonnay that results is fresh and clean one moment – plenty of crisp acidity and minerality as it hits the palate – and then opens up to a lush, round, fruit-driven wine on the back end.  Winemaker Andy Alba aged this wine for 10 months in Hungarian oak barrels and has put out a wonderfully balanced wine.  Chicken breast and turkey burgers coming off the grill? $32.

Fess Parker Winery Frontier Red, Lot No. 122, Barbecue Edition

Few labels conjure up feelings of an Americana-inspired summer as Fess Parker.  This pioneer – including TV, real estate and hospitality – left behind a wine legacy that manifests itself in some of the best reds in the county, year after year.  This wine, produced by a team led by winemaker Blair Fox, is the perfect no-frills, uncomplicated, easy-going wine drinking experience.  Ideal for summer grubbing, right?  It’s Rhone inspired, blending syrah, grenache, petite sirah, mourvedre, cinsault and carignane; Parker once told me syrah and Rhone wines were his ideal drink, so I don’t doubt he would have loved this one.  For a value wine, it’s amazingly smooth and tasty, offering bright bounce on the palate and loads of dark berry and ripe stone fruit flavors; lots of blackberry, cherry and plum, and a subtle smokiness.  Drink this as you grill, and pair with anything you cook, especially burgers, hot dogs and steak.  And pass the bottle around; any guest who’s a fan of classic American TV will get a kick out of the image of Parker as the beloved frontiersman Davy Crockett featured on the label.  $12.

Palmina Barbera 2009

When a lively group of wine lovers gathered at our house a couple of weeks ago, we tasted several Santa Barbara-made Italian wines blindly; that is, we tasted through them with labels covered and revealed the wines only at the end.  The overall favorite that night was this wine, made by Steve Clifton from barbera grapes sourced from Los Alamos, Santa Ynez and the Santa Rita Hills.  There’s a wonderfully lightness about this wine that makes it very approachable, and a perfect pair for anything tomato-based; keep this in mind when you bring out your grandmother’s lasagna recipe.  But this wine also delivers rich, developed, layered notes of cherry, dark berries and earth, making it an ideal candidate for grilled fare.  If you like herbs on your barbecue – sprigs of rosemary on your Porterhouse or liberal Italian seasonings in your turkey burger – this wine will be a crowd pleaser.  $24.

Consilience Petite Sirah

Summer or not, this has become one of those dependable pours for us over the years.  I most recently ordered a bottle while enjoying Mother’s Day dinner on the new harborside patio at Chuck’s Waterfront Grill, where our server, Ben, touted its popularity with patrons there, too.  A steady favorite with Consilience wine club members, this wine oozes power.  It’s full steam ahead here, with a muscular mouth feel and burly flavors of dark, super ripe berries and delicious overtones of toasted caramel.  But this is an elegant wine, too, with plenty of silkiness, balanced concentration and a sleek finish.  Winemaker Brett Escalera sourced the fruit from the Fess Parker estate off Foxen Canyon Road and, as with all previous renditions of this wine, has delivered a powerhouse beverage.  If you like your sirloin medium rare, your burgers juicy and your tri-tip tender, then this one’s for you.  $24

Gabe Saglie considers his grilling skills a work in progress, but he wouldn’t be surprised if anyone who’s had his grilled New York Strip begged to differ.  He’s also senior editor for www.travelzoo.com.  You can email him at gabesaglie@yahoo.com.

Alive in Print: Dog's Passing Inspires Children's Book

By Gabe Saglie

(published in the Santa Barbara News-Press on May 18, 2012)

As Jodie Boulet-Daughters and her husband, Tom, made the drive from Santa Barbara to Santa Clarita, they felt like new parents.  The year was 1997 and, with a car filled with chew toys, they were on their way to adopt a new puppy.  Back home, a kennel was set up and prepped, awaiting the new arrival.

They almost never completed that drive, though.  Half way there, they got a call from the breeder -- a freak accident had just taken the life of the yellow lab they’d chosen.  Shocked, and deeply disappointed, the Daughters turned around.  But then the breeder called back – they could have the one remaining puppy instead, he said.  A seven-week-old black lab named Mambo. 

So begins a story that, years later and even after Mambo’s heartbreaking passing, continues in print, in a new children’s book penned by Boulet-Daughters titled “Mambo’s Tail.”

Mambo would grow up to be way more than just a house pet.  The Daughters, who don’t have children of their own, kept the name the breeder’s girls had given him because “it was cute and unique,” recalls Boulet-Daughters.  “We would jokingly call him the Mambo King.”  And, to say the least, she recalls his personality fondly.  “He was a very loving dog, very sweet, and always wanted to be with people.  Not necessarily to be physically in your lap all the time, but to be near you, at the table when you ate dinner, always sitting right next to you, always a companion,” says Boulet-Daughters.  “A true family member.”

The Daughters joined winemaker Brett Escalera to found Consilience Winery in 1999.  The label, which quickly gained acclaimed for its rich, complex renditions of wines like syrah, petite sirah and cabernet sauvignon, got its own tasting room along Grand Avenue in Los Olivos in 2004.  And right away, Mambo assumed a new role: tasting room ambassador.

“I started bringing him to work with me, and he started meeting people, greeting them, hanging out with them,” recalls Boulet-Daughters.  Tasting room visitors responded positively and enthusiastically and “Brett and I agreed right away he needed to be part of the picture.” 

Indeed, Escalera recalls that Mambo was “so sweet, and one of the mellowest dogs I have ever seen.  He was very easy-going, which is why he was so popular in the tasting room.”

Mambo’s presence soon encouraged canine-loving wine buffs to visit with furry friends of their own.  “We thought, if the animal was well-behaved, by all means bring them in,” says Boulet-Daughters.  “When people bring their dogs, they seem to be in a happier place, and it’s easier to have conversation and develop a connection.”

Mambo even got his own email account at the winery, “and humans would write on behalf of their dogs with messages like, ‘It was nice seeing you again,’ or, ‘It was fun playing with you,’” remembers Boulet-Daughters with a laugh.

The affable labrador even inspired his own line of products at Consilience, including coasters and hats with the clever slogan, “Sit.  Stay.  Taste.”  Most notably, he helped give rise to two eponymous wines.  Escalera has been making a “Cuvee Mambo” white blend – viognier, grenache blanc and roussane – and a “Cuvee Mambo” red blend – syrah, grenache and a splash of zinfandel – for the last decade or so.  The wines are popular among wine club members and tasting room shoppers, and they have inherent merit.  “When I’m putting blends together, I start with [Cuvee Mambo} and use the best things I have at my disposal,” says Escalera.  “We’ve always strived to make it a high-end wine.”

The wines also help proliferate the legacy of the dog that inspired them, of course.  And now, so does Boulet-Daughters’ new book.

“Mambo’s Tail” started as a series of journal entries inspired by Boulet-Daughters’ casual observations of her favorite dog.  “I was journaling a lot on my days off, but then would throw them away, or set them aside,” the author recalls.  “And then Tom asked me what I was doing, and why I kept tossing it aside, and he’s the one who said I should do something with it instead, like tell a story.  I certainly didn’t know I’d be writing a children’s book.”

But, starting about two years ago, and while Mambo was still alive, that’s exactly what Boulet-Daughters did.

The book tells a sweet, light-hearted tale about a puppy who, one day, and suddenly, discovers the wonders of his own tail.  Mambo, the protagonist, tells us, “I was playing in the yard with my brothers and sisters when all of a sudden I felt a ‘swoosh’ behind me!”  The journey of innocent, heartwarming discovery that follows is easily appealing to young children.  But even adults can appreciate Mambo’s playful observations, and the personification of this precocious pup allows any dog owner to find at least a bit more appreciation in their companion’s characteristic wag.  We learn that a dog’s tail is its voice.

“My tail sometimes gets in the way and even knocks things over…. I learned my tail sometimes gets me in trouble,” Mambo recounts.  When it tickles little boys and girls who come to greet him, Mambo’s tail “makes them laugh and laugh and ask for more… My tail brings joy and laughter.”  And at night, “I love to curl up with my favorite toy, close my eyes, and wrap my tail around me… My tail brings me warmth and comfort,” recounts Mambo. 

Part of the book is the author’s own creative whimsy, but much was inspired by true events.  “He did get his tail slammed in a car door,” Boulet-Daughters recalls, “and he did eat through an entire bag of food once!”  Both are among myriad experiences retold in the book.

The book’s production was a family affair.  It was illustrated by the author’s mother, Jo Boulet, who lives in Sun City West, Arizona; her drawings are richly colorful, remarkably textured and fun.  The author’s brother, Jayson Boulet, a Texas resident, took charge of the book’s graphic design.  And the book was printed by Brio Books, a publishing house in Boulet-Daughters’ home state of Minnesota. 

The real-life Mambo passed away last year.  “He lost function of his hind area and became paralyzed, and he couldn’t move or walk,” recalls his owner, noticeably emotional still.  “We were able to have the vet come over, and he euthanized him at home, in his own bed, with his favorite toy and his music.”  When Tom Daughters sent out an email to wine club members announcing Mambo’s passing, hundreds of personalized condolences came back.

Finishing and publishing “Mambo’s Tail” was a cathartic exercise for the author, a way to work through profound emotion.  And it immortalizes a dog she came to love deeply.  In many ways, Mambo’s memory also lives on in Ryder, the Daughters’ new black Labrador puppy, whom they recently found through a breeder in San Dimas.  Ryder is eight months old.  And yes, he’s become the new official greeter for thirsty visitors to the Consilience tasting room.


"Mambo's Tail retails for $15.99 through the web site, www.mambostail.com. It's also for sale at the tasting room, at 2323 Grand Avenue in Los Olivos. For more information, call 805-691-1020.

Cool and Collected: It's Not Where You Store Your Wine, But How

By Gabe Saglie
(published in the Santa Barbara News-Press on May 10, 2012)

Kids’ birthday parties are par for the course for us these days.  And we got invited to a fun one this past weekend, with a luau theme.  We went for the kids, sure, though I’ll jump on any chance to show off any of my flower-patterned apparel.

As kids ran for cover from water balloons that had quickly become weapons of choice on a toasty afternoon, I followed our host to their guest house in the back.   Chardonnay had been sipped and we were now on the hunt for red.  But he was very apologetic as we approached.  “It’s a mess in there,” he warned me, “and it’s nothing fancy.”  Messy, it wasn’t.  But simple it was.  A few cases on the ground, in the corner, placed side by side.  We pulled a few bottles out to see what we had to choose from – recent club membership offering from Gainey and Foxen, mainly – and finally settled on a 2009 Gainey merlot.  The wine, by the way, was delicious; a pleasant earthiness for such a young cab, and plenty of rich fruit..

Of course, as simple as our friend’s wine storage was, the fact is it was practical.  And it was well positioned.  The basics of wine storage – which we’ll cover in a moment – were met.  The wine we shared was good.  Nothing fancy required.  But the fact our friend felt like he needed to downplay his storage sounded familiar.  And that’s because I do it, too, all the time. 

Fact is, space has always limited how much wine storage we’ve had at home.  We rented apartments in Santa Barbara for years and the small home we purchased in Carpinteria, what with kids and pets and years of memories that must be stored forever, is bursting at the seams as it is.  No extra elbow room for  fancy wine storage.  So our “cellar” generally consists of a small closet by the front door, where we might keep a case or two, and a pair of racks near the dining room.  Yes, they get replenished often; we do go through wine regularly, both because of my work and (mainly) because sharing wine is routine for us.  But our personal space for storing wine is generally limited to that: two racks with a combined capacity of about 65 bottles.

Do I wish I had more space, glitzier space, to store our bottles?  Of course.  I love beautiful cellars: the way they’re designed, the way space is stretched, the way décor alone inspires thirst.  Our community is home to some gorgeous private cellars, and they add wonderful flair – not to mention property value.  They are also practical, of course, because they allow their owners to get serious about expanding their collections.

But I’ve come to realize that it’s not where you store your wine that matters, but how.  Be proud of your own, personal “cellar” – even if it’s a 3-bottle wrought-iron rack sitting on a countertop.  Just be sure to follow the basic tenets of storage to ensure your wine is as good as it can be when you pop its cork.

 For one, keep your space cool.  I remember being advised years ago to shoot for 55 as an ideal wine storage temp.  But you could swing five, even 10 degrees in either direction and still manage to keep wine just fine, especially the stuff you’re planning on drinking soon.  Too much colder, though, and you risk drying out corks; and having your spot too much hotter will just spoil your wine.  One tip I’ve learned over time: any room that sees spikes in ambient temperature, like your kitchen or your laundry room, are not ideal spots to put away wine.

And keep humidity in mind, since dampness can cause mold and excessive dryness can dry out your corks; I don’t own a hygrometer, but the rule of thumb for wine storage is about 50-75% humidity, which is standard for the gorgeous little part of the world we call home.

You also want to keep sunlight in check.  Direct sunlight will heat your wine, of course, but prolonged exposure to UV rays alone is enough to corrupt wine in a bottle.  That’s why a dark closet works well, as do any racks tucked away in shaded, stable corners of any room.

And if you’re thinking about holding on to a bottle for a little while – several months, say – place your bottles on their side.  Constant moisture against the inside of the cork will help ensure it doesn’t dry out.  Fans of screwcaps, this does not apply to you, of course.

A lot of us will get to the point, one day, when even the decorative racks won’t suffice.  Or when the floor space in the dark closet by the front door becomes inundated with pantry items.  We’ll need to look at bigger options, and better ones.  Nice wine is an investment, after all, and one that bears protecting.  At that point, converting a nook in the house might make sense.  Or you’ll need to look at professional storage options; there are several in our community – from wine shops to stand-alone storage stores – that don’t charge that much for varying degrees of space that are always temperature-, humidity- and UV-controlled, and which are often under 24-hour surveillance.

Or you can call up one of your fine friends with a few empty slots in their modest rack at home; we’ll happily oblige.

Gabe Saglie once won a high-stakes match of hide-and-seek by resorting to an especially cool cranny in a friend’s cellar.  He’s also senior editor for www.travelzoo.com.  You can email him at gabesaglie@yahoo.com.

A New Harvest: Winemaker John Falcone Moves to Gainey

By Gabe Saglie
(published in the Santa Barbara News-Press on May 3, 2012)

John and Helen Falcone

John Falcone, a high-profile Santa Barbara County winemaker who’s been garnering accolades for more than a decade as head winemaker for Rusack Vineyards, is now calling Gainey home.

“This move for me is good timing in that Santa Barbara County is more recognized nationally now,” says Falcone, 55, whose first day at Gainey was May 1^st.  “And I’m moving to a bigger brand and a bigger picture position, since I’ll be overseeing everything.”

Falcone’s new title – General Manager and Director of Winemaking for Gainey Vineyard – will have him overseeing all aspects of wine production, which currently clocks in at a yearly 25,000 cases.  It will encompass two brands: Gainey, with an estate vineyard along Highway 246 in Santa Ynez and a portfolio that includes award-winning sauvignon blanc and merlot, and Evan’s Ranch, which sources chardonnay and pinot noir from its estate in the Santa Rita Hills winegrowing region near Lompoc.  “The Gaineys also recently leased land at Esperanza Vineyard off Highway 246, across from Melville and Babcock, which has spectacular hillside pinot noir,” says Falcone.

John Lebard will continue as Gainey’s winemaker and Napa stalwart John Enkelskirger will remain as consultant on the brand’s Bordeaux program.

Falcone describes his move from Rusack to Gainey as a “natural next step” in his professional development.  “The Rusacks always treated us like gold,” he says.  “It just felt like it was time to move on.”  He adds, “Before Rusack, the longest I stayed at any one winery was seven years.”

Falcone’s 11-year tenure at Rusack Vineyards in Ballard Canyon, which followed stints over more than 20 years as winemaker in Monterey County and the Napa Valley, was marked by significant milestones.  “We did really well with chardonnay,” recalls Falcone, “and we did get a lot of attention for our syrah.”  Rusack’s 2008 syrah, in fact, made the latest Wine Spectator Top 100 Wines list, a coveted yearly publication, at #27.  Falcone also made the wines that, late last year, launched Rusack’s uber-exclusive Santa Catalina Island Vineyards line; the label features limited amounts of chardonnay, pinot noir and zinfandel made from grapes grown on Alison and Geoff Rusack’s historic family estate on the popular isle.  At Rusack, Falcone oversaw a yearly production of about 7000 cases.

A focus on syrah, chardonnay and pinot noir will continue for Falcone at Gainey.  He’s also excited, though, about ramping up his work with Bordeaux red grapes, like merlot and cabernet franc, and about working with all-estate fruit.  “That gives you so much more control over things,” he says.

Falcone’s move also involves his wife, Helen, who held assistant winemaker and enologist duties at Rusack.  She’ll now be spearheading the Falcones’ own label, Falcone Family Vineyards, which has been producing remarkable syrah and cabernet sauvignon from their proprietary Paso Robles vineyard since 2002; the portfolio just expanded to include a Santa Barbara County chardonnay.  The Falcones also have a daughter, Mia, age 13.

The Brothers Are Back: Jeff and Matt Nichols Launch New Restaurant

By Gabe Saglie
(published in the Santa Barbara News-Press on April 26, 2012)

Jeff and Matt Nichols aren’t totally surprised that a hardware supplier recently called seeking their business.  Consider, after all, their new restaurant’s name: Sides Hardware and Shoes.  “Definitely a little quirky,” admits the younger brother, Matt, with a big smile.  “But when you look at that old picture, it just makes sense.”

Jeff and Matt Nichols

He’s referring to an oversize photograph that hangs on the dining room wall, a black-and-white image that depicts their eatery’s building at the turn of the 20^th century.   A simple structure along a dirt road in downtown Los Olivos, with the words “M Sides Hardware and Shoes” painted on the façade in large black letters.  “We were struggling from the beginning with the name,” adds Matt, “and when we saw the photo, we said, ‘That’s the name!’”

Quirky or not, the appellation is a tip of the hat to Santa Barbara County history, and to the community their business calls home.  And it’s something the Nichols brothers find familiar.  For 10 years, after all, and just through last month, they hosted diners right around the corner, at the celebrated Brothers Restaurants inside the landmark Mattei’s Tavern.  That property, now reportedly earmarked for a new hotel project, served as a rest stop for weary stagecoach travelers as far back as 1886.  For years, the Nichols knew their lease there would end in March of 2012.  But it wasn’t until just last October that they secured their new locale along Alamo Pintado Avenue.  “There was plenty of competition,” says brother Jeff of the spot that most recently was home to Patrick’s Side Street Café.  “We’re just grateful our landlord went with us.”

The Nichols completely revamped their new space, and much of it under the radar of curious residents.  “Everywhere you went in town, if they found out you worked for the Brothers, people would want to know where they were moving,” admits general manager Brianna Crommer.  But mum was the word, at least until just about two weeks ago, when Sides Hardware and Shoes opened for business.

The restaurant has a relaxed bistro feel by design.  Wood tabletops – mainly two- and four-seaters – are comfortably distributed throughout the dining room; the setup allows for privacy, though the proximity of many tables is aimed at sparking conversation.  Handmade wood paneling on the wall – painted in a blend of maroon and dark yellow colors – lead to cork-colored concrete flooring.  The lighting is soft, though enhanced by the generous natural sunshine that pours in through the large windows.  The hammered tin that lines the ceiling is beautifully embellished, “and it does wonders for the acoustics in here,” asserts Crommer. 

A gorgeous wooden bar separates the dining room from a buzzing, part-exhibition kitchen; the restaurant is serving wine and beer now and expects full transfer of the liquor license from the former eatery to become final in about two months.  A lovely outdoor patio seats 12 along bustling Alamo Pintado.

And more of those blown-up, black-and-white photographs deck the walls.  One of them is an homage to their former home, depicting the original Mattei’s Tavern flanked by several of the town’s founders and ranchers, including hotelier Felix Mattei; images of Jeff and Matt Nichols have been creatively edited in.  “It’s a way to pay respect and appreciate our 10 years there,” says Jeff.  Another prominent image depicts an old surveyor’s map that illustrates roads and buildings in a much older (yet refreshingly similar) downtown Los Olivos.

In some ways, a new restaurant is allowing the Nichols brothers to reinvent what they do.  They now serve three meals a day – breakfast, lunch and dinner – after a lengthy past in a dinner-only venue.  They’re working inside a much smaller setting – seating for about half of Mattei’s 150-person capacity and a kitchen that requires a much more meticulous use of space.  And the Nichols have recreated their menu entirely; not a single item from their former (and very popular) menu made the cut.

But in many other ways, the new restaurant is allowing for business as usual.  Most importantly, the simple Nichols philosophy – “You get the best ingredients and share them with your guests,” as Jeff puts it – prevails.  The brothers’ success has hinged on the farm-to-table concept long before it became a catchy phrase.  “It’s just the way you do things,” says Matt, an overt reference to the way he and his brother grew up in his family’s Iowa farm, where seasonality alone dictated what was for dinner.  Each chef has developed and championed this culinary attitude through their respective careers – Matt in upscale kitchens like Wolfgang Puck’s Spago and Jeff in restaurants from Paris to L.A., before the two went into business together in 1996. 

Their modern-staff embraces it, too.  Sourcing local ingredients almost exclusively “is built-in here,” says chef de cuisine Seth Nelson, who worked in the kitchen of a 4-Star L.A. hotel before joining the Nichols a year ago.   “We don’t say that all over the menu because it should be that way anyway.”  In other larger markets, he suggests, it’s often “a marketing term, something you advertise.”

The proprietary Brothers’ Bacon is made onsite during a labor-intensive four-day process that involves curing, cooking and smoking; it’s hand sliced, “and it’s a thick cut,” says Jeff, holding up his hand and separating his thumb and forefinger about a ¼-inch.  It makes an appearance on several breakfast and lunch items, including the roasted turkey breast sandwich, served on herb-crusted garlic focaccia with guacamole and butter lettuce. 

Pancakes are made from scratch daily.  “We experimented with several pancake recipes until we went with Mom’s” admits Jeff.  He says they use a secret pastry chef’s trick to keep them light, and Matt reveals they add a touch of cornmeal, “so they’re texturally different.”

Doing lunch for the first time has opened up new culinary avenues, naturally.  Lunch items are among the brothers’ own favorite dishes, Jeff pointing to the grilled cheese – goat, cheddar and parmesan cheeses  melted between brioche bread – and Matt giving a nod to his own creation, The Hammered Pig.  “A version of a childhood memory,” he calls it, recounting fishing trips as a boy that always included a stop at a roadside stand selling a particular overstuffed sandwich.  At Sides, it feature pork tenderloin that is pounded out, breaded and fried, then served with red cabbage, apple and a homemade mustard seed slaw. 

The concise dinner menu features fresh starters, like beef carpaccio, marinated olives and fried brussel sprouts.  Mains feature a bevy of protein options, like chicken, steak, pork and fish.  The lamb sirloin entrée includes herbed gnocchi, fava beans and peas.

And then there’s dessert.  Pastry star Stephanie Jackson, an eight-year Brothers’ Restaurant mainstay, pays homage to a Mattei’s favorite, the mud pie, with Sides’ Mud Sundae, a coffee-caramel ice cream treat, with cookie crumbs folded in and hot fudge, caramel and pecans tumbled on top.  She likens her dairy- and gluten-free Macaroon Sandwiches – a trio of macaroon cookies stuffed with dark chocolate-coconut swirl sorbet and almonds – to an Almond Joy (or a Mounds if you request no-nuts).  And her day starts early; Jackson also makes the golden raisin beignets from scratch – pillowy pastries rolled in cinnamon sugar that, alongside a mug of just-brewed coffee, make a delightful breakfast treat.

Sides features an approachable, varied and all-local selection of wines.  Eight wines are featured on tap and will be rotated periodically.  The tap’s keg system effectively preserves the wine, extending its shelf life, and allows for temperature control.  Crommer likes its environmental friendliness, since “it eliminates the need for bottles, corks and labels,” she says.   The wines on tap are available by the glass, as well as in ¼-, ½- and one-liter carafes.  A couple dozen wines are featured by the bottle, including chardonnays by Arcadian and Alma Rosa, pinot noirs by Clos Pepe and Longoria and unique reds by Kaena, Tercero and Cimarone.

Indeed, the wine list, just like the bevy of gourmet ingredients in the kitchen, is a snapshot of the sense of place the Nichols are aiming to create with Sides Hardware and Shoes.  In fact, what seems to be most exciting to the Brothers and their staff – 40 in all, and almost all Mattei’s alumni – is the fact they’re staying put in Los Olivos, where 38 wine tasting rooms are currently balanced by fewer than a half-dozen restaurants.  They admit that a repeat local clientele has always been key to business.  “I know people by name, by drink and by what they order,” announces Crommer.  And they recognize that maintaining relationships will be key to success.  “This is not just a restaurant in a community,” says Nelson, “it’s part of the community.”

Sides Hardware and Shoes – a Brothers Restaurant

2375 Alamo Pintado Avenue, Los Olivos

805-688-4820

Open Tuesday-Sunday

Breakfast 7-11am

Lunch 11:30am-2:30pm

Dinner 5-9pm

www.brothersrestaurant.com

Southern Comfort: Mississippi Natives to Open Latest Los Olivos Tasting Room

By Gabe Saglie
(published in the Santa Barbara News-Press on April 12, 2012)

That the Murphy family’s new Santa Maria property is shaped a lot like an isthmus smacks of serendipity.

“We were looking for a great piece of pinot noir-growing land with a little bit of soul,” says vintner Matt Murphy with a distinct Southern inflection.  His family’s find off E. Clark Avenue in 2007, which came after a year’s worth of hunting through pinot hot spots like Carneros and Lompoc’s Santa Rita Hills, fit the bill for clear viticultural reasons.  The plot’s pervasive sand-like soil drains extremely well and its proximity to the Pacific Ocean (the Murphy’s property is the second western-most vineyard in the Santa Maria Valley) creates ideal maritime growing conditions.  But sentiment was a factor here, too.

When Hurricane Katrina slammed into the Gulf Coast on August 29, 2005, it wrought widespread devastation.  Most of us know the story of New Orleans’ tragedy well; images of leveled levees and the decimation that followed dominated the national media for weeks, and rightfully so.  But the waste on neighboring states, Mississippi especially, was no less distressing.  The Murphys know that well, since their family compound -- a 14-acre property on Henderson Point in Pass Christian which stretched, in the shape of an isthmus, straight out to the Gulf’s shores – was demolished.

“It was home to us,” says Matt of the land that had been in his family for generations, and which hosted dozens of his relatives during summer months, mainly, for years.  “And it’ll never be the same.”

That family plot had been dubbed Presqu’ile by Matt’s grandfather, “who loved to throw French words at everybody,” Matt quips.  The word (pronounced “press-keel”) translates to “almost an island.”

A year later, during the wine grape harvest of 2006, Matt found himself working at Bien Nacido Vineyard in Santa Barbara wine country.  He’d already spent previous vintages in Napa, learning the business of growing grapes and selling wine.  This was the year he’d get to know an increasingly renowned region called Santa Maria.

The 2006 harvest had also brought Dieter Cronje to Bien Nacido.  He’d already been trying his hand at winemaking for four years in his native South Africa and had developed a zeal for pinot noir.  “I love to make it because it’s tough to make,” he says with a southern accent of a totally different kind.  To stretch his wings, “it was either Burgundy or the United States for me, and since I knew my lack of French would make Burgundy tough, I came to the States,” he says with a laugh.  The weather helped set his sights on Central California instead of Oregon.

When Matt and Dieter met at the height of the grape-picking season 5-1/2 years ago, the unlikely duo quickly realized they shared a passion.  And not just for pinot noir.  The two will tell you they are fiercely focused on making wines that are balanced, not just big.  “We’re different from our peer set in that we don’t really care about higher or lower alcohol,” says Matt.  “We’re after wines with finesse, so it’s more about acidity.”  And they are committed to making wines naturally, from sustainably farmed fruit and with minimal human intervention.  “We take a minimalist approach to get wines that are pure,” insists Dieter, who uses predominantly neutral French oak barrels to age his wines.  To attain a genuine expression of fruit, “the site where your grapes grow is all that counts,” he says.

Driven in large part by Matt’s enthusiasm, the Murphy family purchased 185 acres of Santa Maria land in 2007.  It was a flower field then – gladiolas as far as the eye could see.  But the promise for growing great grapes was palpable.  And the fact it looked a heck of a lot like an isthmus was good fortune, at least.  They named their new property, for purely sentimental reasons, Presqu’ile.

Today, after a subsequent purchase of abutting acreage, Presqu’ile stretches across 196 acres and, thanks to cultivation that started in 2008, is planted to pinot noir, mostly – 31 acres.  There are also 15 acres each of chardonnay and sauvignon blanc, seven acres of syrah and just over an acre of nebbiolo.  There’s a brand new, sleek dwelling onsite, too, which Matt and his wife, Amanda, call home.  (Matt’s brother, Jonathan, and sister, Anna, live in the Santa Maria Valley now, too, and parents Madison and Suzanne split their time between their new Central Coast home and their long-time residence in southern Arkansas). 

And there’s a budding development project on the property, too: wine caves that the Murphys are building into the side of a hill, complete with an elevator that will take visitors to a winery and tasting room above.  “When the doors open at the top, you get views of the Guadalupe Dunes and Avila Beach on a clear day,” boasts Matt.  Doors to this on-premises visitor experience will open in spring of 2013.

But the public won’t have to wait that long for a first-hand Presqu’ile experience.  Its other, offsite tasting room will be opening up later this month, on February 29^th, at 2369 Alamo Pintado Avenue, right down from the landmark flagpole, in downtown Los Olivos.  If this writer’s research is correct, it’ll be the tiny town’s 38^th wine tasting room.  But it’ll be a destination in its own right, as it’ll offer the wine buff direct access to what’s quickly become one of the most buzzed-about labels in Santa Barbara County.  Dieter’s natural knack has a lot to do with that.

Presqu’ile’s current yearly production is about 2200 cases.  And as far as I’m concerned, the label’s 2010 sauvignon blanc may be one of the label’s greatest achievements.  Typically relegated to hot weather zones like Los Olivos and Santa Ynez, this cooler-weather version sauv blanc is remarkably crisp, with a delectable mineral streak and an oh-so-subtle creaminess.  “Southern hemisphere aromatics of gooseberry and fig,” adds Dieter.  This wine was fermented not in a stainless steel tank but in a 6-foot, 2-inch, 160-gallon egg-shaped structure made of concrete.  Amusingly adorned with a sombrero on top, the crew affectionately calls it, “el huevo.”  Bottom line, this is one of the best Santa Barbara County sauvignon blancs I’ve had in years.

“El huevo” was also used to age Presqu’ile’s 2010 Chardonnay, made from Solomon Hills Vineyard fruit.  It’s refreshingly clean, and refined, with hints of green apple.  (The 2011 chard is the first to use proprietary grapes and is due out in 2013.)  The label’s 2010 Rosé is all-pinot and made from the some of the very first Presqu’ile fruit to come online.  It’s approachable, floral, fresh and lovely.

Presqu’ile produced three pinot noirs in 2009, including the very first using estate fruit.  That one may be the most complex of all; it’s richly supple and generous in dark stone fruit, spice and earth.  The “Rim Rock” pinot was sourced exclusively from a small vineyard in San Luis Obispo and was fermented inside concrete, which, like oak, allows for breathability but which, unlike oak, imparts no flavors; this wine is deliciously approachable, stylish, earthy and smoky.  The pinot noir labeled “Santa Maria Valley” features equal parts estate grapes and fruit from Solomon Hills Vineyard; it’s elegantly extracted, with generous pepper and cherry, and a wonderfully lithe mouth feel.

For more information, check out www.presquilewine.com.