Star Lane Wines are occasionally in the news.
Star Lane and Dierberg Vineyards Announce Changes to Winemaking Team
Star Lane and Dierberg Vineyards Announce Changes to Winemaking Team
Star Lane and Dierberg Vineyards Announce Changes to Winemaking Team
Santa Barbara, CA - Dierberg and Star Lane Vineyards have announced that Andy Alba, who has held the position of Winemaker since 2009, has assumed additional responsibilities giving him overall leadership and direction of winemaking and vineyard management. With his additional responsibilities, Alba will oversee all aspects of wine production at the company’s three estate vineyards.
Alba has been a part of the Dierberg /Star Lane since their inaugural vintage in 2001. Alba will oversee Assistant Winemaker, Chris Carter, vineyard managers, and the balance of the wine production staff. Alba will also be supported by Coastal Vineyard Care Associates, a third-party vineyard consultant that has assisted Dierberg / Star Lane since the start of the year.
Jim Dierberg, president and founder of Dierberg / Star Lane said about Alba, “We are very excited that Andy will be assuming full responsibility for our vineyards and all aspects of winemaking. Andy has invaluable knowledge about our vineyards and our wines from having been a part of the winemaking team since inception. I am confident that Andy’s leadership will take Dierberg and Star Lane wines to new heights.”
A San Diego native, Alba studied biology at UCSD, and remains intrigued by the natural chemical process. Alba began his career developing diabetes drugs at a Southern California biotech company. His interest in chemistry, coupled with a sense of wanderlust, brought him to the Central Coast in 1998 to perform wine analytics. The Dierbergs made their wine at the co-op facility where Alba was employed during the construction of their Star Lane winery facility. In 2001 Alba became intimately involved in producing their wines and understood the style they hoped to achieve. When asked to describe his winemaking style, Alba responds, “I try to produce wines that are natural, not overly manipulated, that reveal the essence of their birthplace. That’s how I know I’ve done my job.” In 2005, when the Dierbergs were ready to move their wines into the Star Lane winery facility, Alba moved with them. “I was a stowaway in the barrels,” he says with a smile.
To learn more about Star Lane and Dierberg Vineyards, please visit www.dierbergwines.com. To request a JPEG of Andy Alba, please contact Sao Anash at sao.muse@gmail.com.
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The company produces ultra premium Pinot Noir and Chardonnay under the Dierberg brand from the Dierberg estate vineyard in Santa Maria and from Drum Canyon Vineyard, the company’s estate vineyard in Sta. Santa Rita Hills. The company also produces ultra premium Bordeaux varietal wines under the Star Lane brand from its estate vineyard in the Happy Canyon of Santa Barbara AVA.
2006 Star Lane Cabernet 92 points
2006 Star Lane Cabernet 92 points
Quite a sophisticated Cab, and one that shows the promise of Happy Canyon, which became an appellation this year. the wine is much drier and leaner than anything in Napa, but quite elegant and intense in blackberries, black currants ans dried herbs. It's a worthy successor to the very fine 2005.
The Wine Enthusiast October 2010 issue.
April Newsletter
April Newsletter
Spring Flowers and New vintages......A great time to Visit the Valley
April marks the two year Anniversary of our Tasting Room being open here in Santa Rita Hills. During the last two years we have made so many great friends and had too much fun. We are excited for what our third year will bring, but we know it's bringing NEW WINES!
New this month:
The abundant rains have left us with beautiful wildflowers and green hillsides. The spring rains have flushed out the salts that accumulate in the soils from irrigation during our 3 previous drought years, helping to open the root pathways and restore nutrient health to the soils. The rains have also led to a high cover crop, which promotes early vine competition and builds microbial health. The cover crop in our vineyards typically consists of oats, bell beans, vetch, and peas.
The soils at our three properties are incredibly diverse despite all being in Santa Barbara County. Star Lane, in Happy Canyon, is composed of shallow, silt-and-gravel clay loams with small amounts of chert and serpentine. The Dierberg vineyard in Santa Maria is very deep and sandy, with some clay in the soil horizon. Our newest Drum Canyon site in Sta. Rita Hills is defined by sandy-clay-loams laced with high amounts of shale. The key factor they all share is their ideal balance between drainage and water holding capacity. This results in small clusters with a very high skin-to-juice ratio, creating very fine tannic structure, pure fruit flavors, and excellent balance. If we do our job in the vineyard and the cellar, these soils are able to speak through the finished wine, providing a sense of place and a connection with the earth.
This is a great time to visit our tasting room and the Santa Ynez Valley; the hills are green and filled with beautiful wild flowers. Take a break and head out to wine country and taste all of our new releases!
To order any of these wines you can visit our website or please call Amanda at (805)736-1906 or e-mail at amilholland@dierbergvineyard.com.
Remember all Wine Club members receive a 25% case discount and all shipping within California is just a flat fee of $10.00!
Holiday Newsletter
Holiday Newsletter
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Why not give the gift of cherished memories? Bring your family or whisk your partner away for a holiday weekend in the wine country. During the weekend of December 4th through the 6th, there are numerous events to choose from. There are Christmas Tree Lightings, Parades, Wine Tasting Passport, Winery Open Houses, Concerts, Pomegranate Festival, Wine Maker Dinners, and much more. While you are here, take advantage of the discounts many tasting rooms and stores are offering, and get a head of your holiday shopping. To plan your holiday weekend, please visit the website, Holiday Weekend in Wine Country for a complete list of participants and details.
Dierberg & Star Lane Vineyards will be offering 2 for 1 tastings, $0.01 shipping on all purchases of 6 bottles or more, and pouring two top secret wines that have not yet been released!
Have you noticed there are only three weekends to finish all of your holiday shopping this year? That doesn't leave much time to shop for family, friends, and business associates. Why not let us do some of the work for you?
Decompress with Dierberg and Star Lane Vineyards this Holiday Season. Wine is a great corporate gift, that you know won't go to waste during this special season. We can customize one to several bottle options and include a personalized note. We will also be extending the $0.01 shipping on orders of 6 bottles or more from now until the end of December. The offer will also apply to orders of 6 bottles or more going to multiple address which is a real savings! For more information, or to arrange an order please contact Amanda our Tasting Room Manager directly at (805) 736-1906 or by email amilholland@dierbergvineyard.com.
This is in addition to our normal Case discount of 10% and our Wine club discounts of 15% by the bottle and 25% discount by the case.
From our family to yours, we hope you have a joyous holiday season and prosperous new year!
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Dierberg Estate Vineyard and Star Lane Vineyard
P.O. Box 217, Santa Ynez, CA 93460
toll free 866.652.8430 local 805.736.0757 f. 805.736.3075
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Happy Canyon becomes an AVA
TTB ANNOUNCES ESTABLISHMENT OF HAPPY CANYON OF SANTA BARBARA VITICULTURAL AREA
Happy Canyon becomes an AVA
TTB ANNOUNCES ESTABLISHMENT OF HAPPY CANYON OF SANTA BARBARA VITICULTURAL AREA
Washington, D.C. – The Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) published a
final rule in the Federal Register establishing the 23,941-acre ``Happy Canyon of Santa
Barbara'' American viticultural area in Santa Barbara County, California. This viticultural
area lies within the larger Santa Ynez Valley viticultural area and the multicounty
Central Coast viticultural area. TTB designates viticultural areas to allow vintners to
better describe the origin of their wines and to allow consumers to better identify wines
they may purchase.
This final rule becomes effective November 9, 2009.
The Wine Enthusiast December 2008
91 Points for 2006 Star Lane Merlot
The Wine Enthusiast December 2008
Merlot and Santa Ynez Valley are a great match, and Star Lane’s ’06 shows how well the variety thrives in that Santa Barbara County region. The wine is dry, rich and full-bodied, with beautifully ripe tannins framing black and red currant, tobacco, mocha and herb flavors. -
S.H. (12/31/2008) - 91
Connoisseur's Guide 2006 Star Lane Merlot Santa Ynez Valley
Connoisseurs' Guide to California Wine
Volume 33 Issue 11: September 2009
91 Points
Keenly defined black cherry fruit with interesting suggestions of creme brulee and root beer start this inviting wine out well in its aromas, and, from the start, it is balanced, rich and deep on the palate. Its fleshy entry impressions are very much in keeping with its slightly elevated alcohol levels, and it gains balance from its wealth of fruit and from supportive latter palate acidity. Pair the wine with long-cooked meats like short ribs or Osso Bucco for a very pleasant treat.
Connoisseur's Guide 2006 Star Lane Merlot Santa Ynez Valley
91 Points for 2006 Star Lane Merlot Santa Ynez Valley
"Keenly defined black cherry fruit with interesting suggestions of creme brulee and rootbeer...
Gambling on the Quality Factor Again
They have three labels, Star Lane for cabernet and Bordeaux varietals, Dierberg for Burgundian varietals (chardonnay and pinot noir), and Three Saints for value-oriented bottlings. By all accounts, the risk has paid off.
Gambling on the Quality Factor Again
DIERBERG VINEYARD: GAMBLING ON THE QUALITY FACTOR AGAIN
Santa Barbara News Press Thursday August 13, 2009
By: Dennis Schaefer
In 1996, when Jim and Mary Dierberg bought the Star Lane Ranch property, located in Happy Canyon at the far east end of Santa Ynez Valley, it was a gamble. One of the warmest spots in the area, Happy Canyon was home to a few vineyards but none were of the size and scope they envisioned. Then they determined that cabernet and Bordeaux varietals were the way to go and jumped right in, planting a hundred acres. That was another gamble: at the time, Santa Barbara County cabernet had a bad reputation.
That same year, the Dierbergs bought a vineyard in cooler Santa Maria Valley. Most recently, they added another property in Santa Rita Hills, where their new tasting room is located.
They have three labels, Star Lane for cabernet and Bordeaux varietals, Dierberg for Burgundian varietals (chardonnay and pinot noir), and Three Saints for value-oriented bottlings. By all accounts, the risk has paid off.
Now the Dierbergs are gambling again, with the construction of a new winery that will be ready for the coming harvest. But not just any winery. This is a state-of-the-art underground winery, carved into a 1,500-foot-high ridge at Star Lane Vineyard. A three-story, gravity-flow winery, it allows the grapes to be received on the top floor and dropped into fermentation tanks on the next floor. The juice is then transferred directly to the ground floor for cellaring in a temperature- and humidity-controlled environment. Undoubtedly, the Dierbergs are gambling that this functional facility will allow them even greater control over the quality of the wines.
The wines I recently tasted from the Dierbergs' labels were all delicious, but more than that, their hallmarks were richness, balance and polished elegance. Winemaker Nick de Luca really knows his stuff, from grape growing to production to wine chemistry, and the proof is in these bottles:
• Star Lane Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc, Santa Maria Valley 2007 ($20): A jumpy and totally vibrant nose of grapefruit, green melon, passion fruit, gooseberry and pear just leap out of the glass. The flavors have many amazing facets, including grapefruit, melon, passion fruit, guava and peach pit, that continue to reveal themselves, spread out and resound on the lengthy finish. In the same league as Brander, Buttonwood or Margerum sauvignon blancs.
• Star Lane Cabernet Sauvignon, Santa Ynez Valley 2005 ($42): Blackberry and freshly toasted bread on the nose. Blackberry echoes on palate, as well as black currant and lead pencil and what can be described as sage brush, as if the earthy dust of the vineyard had made its way into the bottle. It adds complexity to the wine, as does the tinge of savory herbs. Approachable now, it has considerable structure to age and show a multitude of flavors over time.
• Three Saints Cabernet Sauvignon, Santa Ynez Valley 2005 ($22): Three Saints is the label for value-oriented wines but the bottlings are still genuine to the varietal and Santa Barbara County. Blackberry and dark cherry on the nose give way to a hard core of blackberry and plum flavors, aided by roasted herbs. Delicious and supple in the mouth, it's drinking well right now. A crowd pleaser and a best buy.
• Dierberg Chardonnay, Santa Maria Valley 2006 ($32): The rich and buttery tropical fruit and citrus on the nose, with toasted coconut, is a giveaway that this wine is special. The typical Santa Maria Valley pineapple flavors show up, but this is really about the lemony qualities: lemon blossom, lemon curd and lemon zest are all on the tip of your tongue. Great concentration here but also a wonderful sense of balance.
• Dierberg Syrah, Santa Ynez Valley 2006 ($34): From the highest and windiest micro-climate of Star Lane Vineyard, this is the "dark star" of the bunch with an exceedingly deep color that borders on black. The aromatics are big and bold as well, with dark plum, cassis, graphite, mineral, wood smoke and a certain gamey/aged beef quality. Big-boned and mouth-filling, this is a full throttle syrah with brooding plum, blueberry and blackberry flavors that stage a full frontal assault on the palate. Despite that, the flavors are still tightly wound, though silky long chain tannins make it easy to swallow. One for the aging cellar.
• Dierberg Pinot Noir, Santa Maria Valley 2006 ($42): The grapes for this pinot come from the cool-climate Dierberg Vineyard, not far from the renowned Bien Nacido Vineyard; not surprisingly, the Dierberg and Bien Nacido pinots share a lot in common. Smoky plum, beet root, sassafras, black cherry and root beer are the intoxicating aromatics of this wine. Full-bodied flavors of plum, black cherry, raspberry, root beer, wood smoke and forest floor all mingle together in a delightfully pleasant and savory way. It's classic textbook Santa Maria Valley pinot, but polished like a jewel with a patina of elegance.
• Star Lane Merlot, Santa Ynez Valley 2006: ($36): Lovely soft but ebullient nose of red cherry and plum with a dusting of mocha and roasted ground coffee beans. The wine is rich and full-bodied but, at the same time, sleek and elegant in the mouth; the power and intensity is kept in check by the balance of all the elements that belie its 15-plus percent alcohol. Supple flavors of dark plum and cherry lengthen on mid palate buttressed by vanilla creme. Is this the best merlot in Santa Barbara County?
• Star Lane Cabernet Sauvignon, Astral, Santa Ynez Valley 2005 ($80): The grapes for this top-of-the-line cabernet come from very specific blocks of Star Lane Vineyard. Cassis, smoke, vanilla and wood spice are prominent in the dark-fruited nose. Tightly layered flavors o f blackberry, plum, cassis, licorice mix with chocolate, espresso and sweet wood smoke. Densely concentrated, it needs to be decanted for full enjoyment. Still in its youth now, it's a real keeper that will mature over the next 10 years.
Wine expert Dennis Schaefer's column appears every week in the Food section. E-mail him at life@newspress.com.
Dierberg Winery Takes on the World, Holds its Own
Dierberg and Star Lane wines shocked sommelier panel in a blind tasting against top Chardonnays and Cabernets.
Dierberg Winery Takes on the World, Holds its Own
Dierberg Winery takes on the world, holds its own
P-D Restaurant Critic and Food Writer
A dozen wine experts from local retail outlets, restaurants and country clubs convened today in a private room behind the Zodiac Room at Neiman Marcus for a blind tasting staged by Jim, Mary and Ellen Dierberg and their staff from Dierberg Estate Winery and Star Lane Vineyard in California. (The Dierbergs obviously also have local ties; they own Hermannhof Winery in Hermann and Jim is from the First Banks side of the local supermarket family.)
The Dierbergs pitted their Santa Maria Valley Chardonnay against Kistler Les Noisettes, HdV Hyde Vineyard and Walter Hansel, all California wines. Their Star Lane Santa Ynez Valley Cabernet went up against Jordan Alexander Valley, Sassicaia from Tuscany and Shafer Hillside Select, the latter two selling for close to $200 a bottle.
The rankings:
Chardonnay
1. Walter Hansel
2. Dierberg
3. HdV
4. Kistler
Cabernet
1. Shafer
2. Star Lane
3. Jordan
4. Sassicaia
There’s a whole lot more to this story, and we were there with notebook and still and video cameras. Check next week’s Let’s Eat in print or online for what we saw, heard and tasted.
Merlot-bashing movie actually helped varietal
2006 Star Lane Merlot A great wine for anyone who's unsure what tannins are, and how they can enhance wine when perfectly integrated. Bright fruit and herb/spice flavors are leavened beautifully by the underlying tannins, producing a just-dry-enough, near-endless finish. It's intense but not overly powerful.
Merlot-bashing movie actually helped varietal
Here's the most amazing wine fact I know: In 1960, there were two acres of Merlot vines planted in California. Even in 1979, the state had twice as many acres of Gamay as Merlot.
In the ensuing years, Merlot came a long way, baby. Too far, as it turned out. The varietal became mega-popular in the mid-'90s and acreage zoomed up, surpassing 50,000 earlier this decade.
And then came the movie "Sideways." Now, I've never felt that Miles' hilarious bashing in that movie ruined Merlot's image; after all, how many people are going to follow the lead of a schlub who steals money from his mom, guzzles out of a spit bucket and barely recognizes a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity with a too-good-to-be true woman? But I firmly believe that the film's rapturous treatment of Pinot Noir prodded a lot of in-a-rut Merlot drinkers to open their minds to other varietals. And perhaps to recognize that what they had been drinking was, to put it kindly, not very good.
In many ways, California Merlot ceased being a wine and became a commodity. Because of those new plantings, often in Merlot-unfriendly locales, there was plenty of plonk with "Merlot" on the label -- vanilla-laden (from cheap oak or oak chips), smooth-to-a-fault, boring wine.
"'Sideways' forced consumers to become smarter and forced wineries to rethink Merlot," said Cycles Gladiator winemaker Adam LaZarre. "We had gotten complacent. Ninety percent of the places that grow Merlot in California shouldn't be growing Merlot. It's not supposed to taste like Jolly Rancher candy, or like green pepper."
LaZarre not only makes my favorite $10 Merlot for Cycles Gladiator but also works with two other producers of swell $14-$16 Merlots, Hahn and Bin 36. These wines meld California ripeness with Bordeaux's more refined, velvety characteristics; so do the J. Lohr Los Osos Paso Robles Merlot in that price range and the Gainey Santa Ynez and Jacuzzi Family Sonoma Coast for about $20.
WINE OF THE WEEK
STAR LANE SANTA YNEZ VALLEY MERLOT 2006
The experience: A great wine for anyone who's unsure what tannins are, and how they can enhance wine when perfectly integrated. Bright fruit and herb/spice flavors are leavened beautifully by the underlying tannins, producing a just-dry-enough, near-endless finish. It's intense but not overly powerful.
The setting: This Merlot's balance, structure and acidity make it much more versatile than most of its peers. Certainly it will rock with spring lamb, but roast chicken, hearty vegetarian dishes and wood- or coal-fired pizzas would marry well, too.
The back story: The winery also makes a wonderful Merlot in the $20 range, called Three Saints, from the same region. (Many of us think that Santa Ynez now rivals Spring Mountain as California's foremost Merlot appellation.)
The tab: $36, available at Surdyk's, Hennepin-Lake, the Wine Shop and its adjacent restaurant, Spasso.
BILL WARD
Connoisseurs' Guide 2005 Star Lane Cabernet "ASTRAL"
Big, optimally ripened and positively plush on the palate, it delivers a wealth of luscious, curranty fruit with the sweet, vanilla-bean trappings of first-rate oak making it all the more enticing.
Connoisseurs' Guide 2005 Star Lane Cabernet "ASTRAL"
CABERNET SAUVIGNON
August 08
93 Points STAR LANE VINEYARD Cabernet Sauvignon Astral Santa Ynez Valley 2005
A few issues back, Star Lane's basic Cabernet earned glowing praise, and this, its fancier sibling, does the same. Big, optimally ripened and positively plush on the palate, it delivers a wealth of luscious, curranty fruit with the sweet, vanilla-bean trappings of first-rate oak making it all the more enticing. It is so fruity that its late-arriving tannins come as a surprise reminder that it is still very young, and a better wine will yet await the collector who can exercise five years of patience.
The New Reds- By Brian Freedman
One of the shining stars of this brave new world of Santa Barbara cabernet production is Nick de Luca, winemaker for Star Lane and Dierberg Vineyards. -March 2008
The New Reds- By Brian Freedman
It’s tempting to think of the wine world as a firmly codified place. No other agricultural industry is as rigidly regulated in terms of geographical boundaries, planting, and processing, as wine. French AOC law (Appellation d’Origine Côntrolée), for example, not only determines which grapes can be grown in specifically demarcated areas, but also how much juice can legally be produced in a vineyard of a certain size and what the minimum alcohol content of a specific type of wine must be.
Italian DOC law (Denominazione di Origine Controllata) takes this a step further, as it regulates the wine-making process itself, specifically setting rules for the aging in barrel or bottle, of specific wines.
But on this side of the pond, for better or worst, there are no such nationwide regulations governing the growth of grapes or the production of wine aside from a few cursory rules. And while this occasionally acts as a detriment to the American wine industry—the term “reserve,” for example, may be used to mean whatever the producer wishes, even for nothing more than demanding a higher price tag—it is also beneficial in terms of discovering new or unexpected areas for the production of certain types of wine.
Nowhere is this ancillary benefit of our dearth of national wine laws more apparent than in California’s Santa Barbara, from which I have recently tasted a number of remarkable, and remarkably unexpected, bottles.
For most California wine lovers, Santa Barbara, Santa Maria, Santa Rita, and Santa Ynez are havens of chardonnay and pinot noir production. Producers like Au Bon Climat and Bonaccorsi have made their mark on the wine world with stunning bottlings that express these Burgundian grape varietals with exuberance. The film “Sideways,” in fact, was essentially a two-hour love letter to Santa Barbara pinot noir—and, I’d argue, justifiably so.
But to only focus on these grapes, or on the Rhone Valley varietals that also do so well in Santa Barbara, would be to miss out on one of the most exciting revolutions underway in the world of American wine. These days, Santa Barbara is finding its inner Bordelais. That’s right: Some of the most exciting cabernet-based wines coming out of California are being produced right here. And while Napa Valley is still the beating heart of American cab production, the quality and relative value of Santa Barbara’s red Bordeaux-varietal wines is nothing short of astounding.
One of the shining stars of this brave new world of Santa Barbara cabernet production is Nick de Luca, winemaker for Star Lane and Dierberg Vineyards. He is the man who’s responsible for one of the most exciting California reds I’ve tasted this past year and the one that opened my eyes to the potential of that part of the state: The Star Lane Vineyard “Astral” Cabernet Sauvignon 2005.
The first vintage of this standout wine, the 2005 was released this past August for $51.89, and embodies what de Luca told me was “almost a religious faith type of thing” in the potential of Santa Ynez cab. A barrel sample I tasted was an ink-colored blockbuster with a rich, perfumed nose of wild flowers, sweet berries, and chocolate. It tasted of superripe red and black berry fruit, coffee, and cocoa. You could certainly enjoy it now—though I'd decant it for an hour or so—but it also has the stuffing to last for years in the cellar. What was most interesting to me, though, was that combination of richness and perfume, which I think will really surprise and charm people who have not had a cabernet-based wine from Santa Ynez before.
Star Lane also crafted a winner with the 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon, another $50 bottle whose deep, dark well of ripe fruit seems to embody everything wine lovers associate with modern California cab.
The other marquis player in Santa Barbara is Screaming Eagle, whose Santa Ynez project, called Jonata, is making waves across the world of wine. There are nine different wines being produced, and they include grape varietals as varied as sangiovese, pinot noir, sauvignon blanc, syrah, and cabernet sauvignon, among others.
According to critic Robert Parker, one of the standouts in this first vintage to be released is the “Alma de Jonata,” a Cabernet Franc-based wine that, though certainly not inexpensive at $125, is still significantly less than Screaming Eagle’s flagship Napa bottling. (The most recent vintage of Screamer, as its fans refer to it, the 2004, cost $500 on release and is already commanding nearly $1500 at auction.)
The point is this: As the wine world expands and shifts to unexpected or unfamiliar places, smart collectors will remain open-minded when it comes to deciding where their wines come from. These days, the old assumptions—for example, that Napa is cab country and Santa Barbara is better suited to Burgundy varietals—are not only being challenged, but turned on their heads in deliciously unexpected ways.
Connoisseurs' Guide 2005 Star Lane Cabernet Sauvignon
91 TWO STARS:(91-94 points) A highly distinctive wine. Likely to be memorable.
Connoisseurs' Guide 2005 Star Lane Cabernet Sauvignon
2005 STAR LANE VINEYARD (2 Puffs) Cabernet Sauvignon Santa Ynez Valley Connoisseurs' Guide to California Wine Volume 32 Issue 6: April 2008 91 TWO STARS:(91-94 points) A highly distinctive wine. Likely to be memorable. 80% Cabernet Sauvignon; 15% Cabernet Franc; 5% Petit Verdot. The Santa Ynez Valley is not the first district that comes to mind when thinking of top-shelf Cabernet, but this deep and densely fruited bottling is just that. From its concentrated nose of cassis, cream and loam to its extracted and incisively varietal flavors, the wine hits all the right marks and ends with a lengthy albeit moderately hot, tannic finish. A half decade of bottle age would be of benefit here. Limited production and/or limited geographic distribution.Medium Red. Balanced, good depth, medium tannin. Beef and lamb.Cellar for future drinking. Wine will improve with bottle aging. $50.00
The Wine Enthusiast April 2008
2005 Star Lane Cabernet Sauvignon.....92 Points
The Wine Enthusiast April 2008
you’ve seen the movie; you’ve read the editorials; you’ve even tasted the wines. So let’s say it together: Santa Barbara County is Pinot Noir country. Except that potentially—and shockingly—it’s also Cabernet Sauvignon country as evidenced by a pair of new Cabs from Star Lane Vineyard. For years I’ve heard about, even visited Santa Barbara’s eastern outlands. Happy Canyon it’s called, and it is the warmest sector of the Santa Ynez Valley. Alas, the Cabernets, Merlots and Bordeaux-style blends from Happy Canyon have always fallen short. Often funky and sometimes vegetal, these wines seemed to confirm that Santa Barbara could never truly compete with Napa Valley when it comes to Cabernet. Enter Jim and Mary Dierberg, the owners of Star Lane Vineyard who, back in 1996 when they bought 4,000 acres of raw land in a corner of Happy Canyon, believed that proper clones of Cabernet Sauvignon and other Bordeaux varieties, if planted in the highest and toastiest part of Santa Ynez Valley, could not only ripen but thrive. First planted in 1997, Star Lane Vineyard is now 237 acres of grapevines, including a plot of Sauvignon Blanc. Vines span from the valley floor up to the foothills of the San Rafael Mountains. All plants are on their own rootstocks, and a gravity flow winery is under construction. The 2005 Star Lane Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon (92 points, $50), made by winemaker Nick de Luca and renowned consultant David Ramey, offers ripeness and multilayered fruit flavors; the 2005 Astral (not yet rated, $100), which contains 15 percent Cabernet Franc and 5 percent Petit Verdot is even deeper and more concentrated than the varietal wine. Tasted blind alongside powerhouse Napa Cabs like Hourglass and Hundred Acre, as well as fellow Santa Ynez upstart Jonata (a sibling property of Screaming Eagle), the Star Lane wines held their own. Taking risks and pursuing the unusual is what made Jim Dierberg a successful banker in Missouri. More so than the Pinot Noir and Chardonnay vineyards the Dierbergs also own in neighboring Santa Maria Valley and Santa Rita Hills, Star Lane represents a significant gamble. But the cards have now been played, and you can take these wines to the bank. —MICHAEL SCHACHNER
Wine & Spirits Magazine
As the development of Star Lane Vineyard is now in progress, word of the quality of the wines and the creation of the winery and caves is getting out....94 Points
Wine & Spirits Magazine
As the development of Star Lane Vineyard is now in progress, word of the quality of the wines and the creation of the winery and caves is getting out.
In Wine & Spirit Magazine's "Year's Best Syrah" issue, the 2004 Star Lane Syrah garned 94 points and an Exceptional rating. Of 652 wines tasted, only 2 wines scored higher.
"The wild blueberry flavor and mineral-edged tannin give this syrah the intensity of a great petite sirah, attained here with freshness and length that buzzes for minutes after each sip. The tannins explode with the dust of crushed granite while the fruit coasts along, delicious and lithe."
Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar
2005 Star Lane Cabernet Sauvignon, Excellent & Recommended
Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar
2005 Star Lane Cabernet Sauvignon, Santa Ynez Valley. Ruby-red. Inky cherry and dark berry preserve aromas are complemented by sexy vanillin oak and baking spices. Plush dark fruit flavors verge on liqueur-like, with soft tannins adding gentle grip. Finishes with a good wallop of vanillin oak. As rich and sweet as this is, there's good structure and focus.
Deleware Online
Cheek by jowl, both pinot noir and cabernet thrive
Jim Dierberg wants to make world-class cabernet in the "Sideways" territory of northern Santa Barbara County.
Deleware Online
It is difficult to imagine a spot in Bordeaux that would produce a great pinot noir. Nor a place in Burgundy that would fully ripen Bordeaux's cabernet sauvignon. Both regions grow what they grow not so much as a matter of tradition or even soil but because of climate. And they will continue to do so, unless global warming accelerates.
That's what makes the California coast so interesting. The balance of a marine climate with its cold ocean breezes and pervasive fog lures the pinot noir grower, while, just a few miles inland, relentless sunshine makes ripening cabernet a cinch. Some of the world's best cabs come from the heart of Napa Valley, while, 15 minutes away, delicious pinot noir is being grown in the Carneros region. Same with Sonoma. Now Jim Dierberg wants to make world-class cabernet in the "Sideways" territory of northern Santa Barbara County. Dierberg is a banker from St. Louis who took the family enterprise and extended it into the First Bank franchise. Along the way, he bought Missouri's Hermanoff winery in 1974, and then he and his wife, Mary, decided to go west with their winegrowing in the late 1990s.
Two properties they purchased are in prime pinot noir and chardonnay territory -- the Santa Maria Valley and the Santa Rita Hills -- and produce very good wines under the Dierberg label. But it was a 4,000-acre tract in the eastern end of Santa Ynez Valley that attracted their attention because it is both the highest and hottest vineyard land in the appellation.
Here, Dierberg planted Bordeaux varietals and some syrah. The wines are called Star Lane, and the early cabs are very promising. A third line, Three Saints, produces wine from all three of the "Saint" properties.
"What we're looking for is consistency year after year," Dierberg said in a telephone interview from Star Lane. "Anyone can be successful for one vintage."
Dierberg, who describes himself as a hands-on winemaker, is working with a veteran team in winemaker Nick de Luca and consultants Paul Hobbs and Dave Ramey.
The reason that Bordeaux varietals grow so well at Star Lane is that the 237 planted acres go from hot valley floor, which is still affected by cool nighttime ocean breezes coming up the valley, to hillsides and mountaintops, where the heat is less severe but more constant. The soil varies, but sand, gravel, and cobbles over clay and loam are the primary elements.
Star Lane cabs go for about $50, syrah $35, and an excellent sauvignon blanc for around $20. Dierberg pinot is about $42, and the chardonnay $36.
Another attraction for Dierberg is the economy of having only one winery. "The cabernet and pinot noir are only 15 miles apart," he says, "and the roads are good."
And that's a saving Dierberg can take to the bank.
California Grapevine
2005 Star Lane Sauvignon Blanc, Santa Ynez Valley......Highly Recommended!
California Grapevine
Medium-light golden yellow; attractive, forward, toasty, slightly grassy, citrussy, gooseberry and green apple aroma with a hint of sweet pea; medium-full body; clean, herbal, slightly grassy, citrus and honeydew melon flavors; crisp, lemony finish; lingering aftertaste. Highly recommended.
Connoisseurs' Guide to California Wine
Here is the rare California Sauvignon Blanc that makes a great success out of high ripeness and higher acidity.
Connoisseurs' Guide to California Wine
Here is the rare California Sauvignon Blanc that makes a great success out of high ripeness and higher acidity. One might ask for a bit more juice if one likes the typical local model, but this bristling effort is not of that stripe. Rather, it shows just enough melon and pear-like fruitiness to provide a solid platform for the pineappley, citrusy flavors and finish of this young, ageworthy bottling. It would be a big success with fresh-shucked oysters or a bucket of steamed clams, but its greatest rewards might well come with a year or two of bottle age.
Wine Enthusiast Magazine
92 points Here's a delicious, rewarding Syrah. It brims with wonderfully ripe fruit, yet maintains balance and dryness. Blackberry pie, cherry preserves, cocoa, sweet tobacco, white pepp- S.H.
Vinfolio
Wine writer Doug Wilder recently reviewed our Star Lane Sauvingon Blanc and Syrah in his weekly wineletter, Wilder Side of California. Doug awarded our Sauvignon Blanc 95 points, and 93 points to our Syrah.
The Santa Barbara Independant
"Spearheading the efforts to place Happy Canyon on the figurative Bordeaux- and cabernet-lover's map is Jim Dierberg of Star Lane Vineyard.
The Santa Barbara Independant
"spearheading the efforts to place Happy Canyon on the figurative Bordeaux- and cabernet-lover's map is Jim Dierberg of Star Lane Vineyard. Dierberg, a Missouri native, has planted expansive vineyards at his Star Lane property, located in the heart of Happy Canyon, and is currently building a world-class winery at the same location, based on old French winemaking techniques that include a gravity-flow winemaking facility and mountain-dug caves for barrel aging. When it opens, his Star Lane production facility will be the first in Happy Canyon.
The gateway to Happy Canyon is at the base of Hwy. 154, at Armour Ranch Road, as one heads inland into the Baseline Road area. It is located within the Santa Ynez Valley appellation, but is distinct for its warmer days and cooler nights. The vineyards located in the canyon benefit from warm days, which allow varietals such as cabernet sauvignon to ripen to full maturity. The cool nights, created by a maritime influence and bank of coastal fog that flows inland up the Santa Ynez River, allow the grapes to rest and to reach higher levels of acidity and complexity, two components vital to the creation of worthy Bordeaux-varietal-based wines. Add to that the careful selection of clonal materials by winegrowers in this area, and the recipe for world-class wines is set into motion. Dierberg, a champion of research and development in Happy Canyon, weighed in,"We have [the] George de Latour clone. ... Star Lane is unique [for] having many vineyards within a vineyard because of the many aspects and microclimates. We want Star Lane to represent Star Lane, and not be a copy of some other vineyard. We continue to tweak Star Lane, ever so slightly, in an effort to bring out its best. Last year, it was tweaking the irrigation; next year, we will graft some two acres of cabernet franc, merlot, and syrah to clones new to this area. We are very excited to add to our clonal selection."
The buzz surrounding Star Lane has reached both coasts of this country, including the insular wine buyers at Napa Valley's premier restaurants and retail wine shops. Like Opus One and other world-renowned Bordeaux-blend producers, Star Lane will boast a gravity-fed winemaking facility. This will be the first entirely gravity-fed winery in Santa Barbara County. Also like Opus One, the third level of the winery will be for grape receiving, sorting, and destemming. The second level will be for fermentation. The first level will be for barrel storage and bottling. The first level will also lead directly into their expansive hillside caves.
Because gravity is employed to move the wine from one level to the other, no pumps are used in the production of Star Lane wines. Therefore the wines are able to maintain much of their varietal purity, which can otherwise be compromised by the use of mechanical pumps. Of this Dierberg said, "The easier it is to make the wine, the better the wine will be." Dierberg has included the implementation of a traveling hopper for the transfer of fruit from one tank to another. This practice, new to the United States, helps ensure that grapes are handled as delicately and naturally as possible, resulting in wines of great character and depth.
Dierberg is such a passionate perfectionist when it comes to his Happy Canyon-based fruit that each faucet in his soon-to-be-operating winery will release Dierberg's own mountain spring water, from several natural springs located at Star Lane. By using spring water, he can guarantee that Star Lane lines are chemical free. Again, another artistic gesture toward creating true Bordeaux-inspired wines. Additionally, the spring water will fall a distance of three miles before reaching the winery and will power their co-generation plant, providing enough power to run the winery. Dierberg added that Star Lane wines should stand among the finest wines produced and should stand out for the unique place that is Star Lane Vineyard."
