It’s one of the most wonderful times of the year… we just received our fall shipment from our favorite producer of Rhone varietals, Stolpman Vineyards. We stumbled upon Stolpman on our first trip to the Santa Ynez area; it came as a recommendation from legendary winemaker Kris Curran herself. We were instantly hooked and have been club members ever since.
For nearly 20 years Stolpman has done something quite different than most other vineyards. Every year they designate two acres of vineyards to be managed by the crew of vineyard workers, instead of the vineyard manager. This training program, having been in place many years now, has produced one of the most skilled vineyard crews in the industry. Not only does the off hands approach encourage learning, it also instills a sense of ownership; all of the profits from this 2 acre block go back to the crew as their year end bonus. This bottle is called “La Cuadrilla”, which translates to “The Crew”, and I’m looking forward to drinking mine tonight.
Cheers!
Awesome – Thanks for the write up on our La Cuadrilla – who are certainly working hard this time of year picking through the night! Enjoy!