2007 RIESLING KICK ON
RANCH
Santa Barbara County
Northern Santa Barbara County, with mountain ranges that run east-west,
is blessed with cooling summertime ocean breezes. We in Ojai are
not, because there is a mountain blocking the way. When Ojai is
hot, from July through early September, my taste in wine wanders
to light, acidic red wines and particularly to crisp white wines.
Zippy Chardonnays, taut Sauvignon Blancs, and dry Rieslings are
what I enjoy when the thermometer goes above 90 degrees.
So when I heard about a very cool-climate vineyard west of Los
Alamos that had Riesling for sale, my imagination ran wild with
thoughts of producing a wine like the fascinating dry German and
Austrian Rieslings that I enjoy so much. One peek at the vineyard
and I was convinced it was an ideal site. Located parallel to
the western edge of the Santa Rita Hills appellation, Kick On
Ranch is planted in poor sandy soil, so the vines struggle to
grow and produce only a small crop.
From this fruit we have been able to produce a wine of incredible
distinction that tastes nothing like any California Riesling I
have ever had. It expresses its varietal character with aromas
of lemon peel and minerals. The wine has a mouth-coating richness,
yet it is crisp, fresh and very dry. My family has a long tradition
of dismissing white wines as unimportant, but when I poured this
Riesling during the winter holiday, everyone took notice and enjoyed
it.