To be honest, I wasn't prepared for the
2007 Three Saints Sixty-Seven, Happy Canyon of Santa Barbara to be quite this full-bodied. When I think of Santa Barbara, I think of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, not Bordeaux-style blends. I was thinking this wine would be rather frail and weak, but boy was I wrong. Deep, murky maroon color. Huge nose of baker's chocolate, anise and red fruit with hints of eucalyptus and bay leaf (probably from the Cabernet Franc). Quite full-bodied with monstrous, drying tannins; tannins that nearly bury the red and black fruits and anise on the palate. Long dusty, tannic finish that would make vintners in Rutherford jealous. Although aged in Taransaud oak (60% new), perplexing American oak-like notes of Bourbon and dill come to the forefront after an hour or so. A very interesting, surprisingly full-bodied blend of 67% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Cabernet Franc, 8% Merlot, 5% Syrah, 4% Petit Verdot and 1% Malbec from a region not known for this style blend. About $20.
Owned by the Dierburg family who also oversees the Hermannhof Winery in Hermann, Missouri. More than held its own with my wife's requested Mother's Day meal of grilled flank steak, sauteed spinach and roasted sweet potatoes.
Glad you liked Three Saints 67. You are right, Santa Barbara was known for Pinot, Chard and Rhone varietals. There are two mountain range runs East-West so the cool Pacific Ocean air funnel through into the valley, Pinot and Chard are planted closer to Pacific Ocean in area like Santa Maria and Sta. Rita Hills. Happy Canyon of Santa Barbara is on the Eastern end so it is much warmer than rest of the valley. Happy Canyon was approved to be an AVA designated for Bordeaux varietals in 2009. Three Saints is our 2nd label, we also make a Three Saints Pinot Noir from our Santa Maria vineyard. Our flagship brands are Star Lane for Bordeaux varietals and Dierberg for Pinot, Chard and Syrah. Thank you for spreading the good words. JiaMin Dierberg
ReplyDeleteThank you for the information, JiaMin. Makes sense that Happy Canyon would be further inland from Santa Maria and Sta. Rita Hills. The store where I work (Off the Vine in Overland Park, KS) is featuring this as one of our Wine of the Month selections and we secured every case in Kansas for our members.
DeleteI believe we are also trying to put together a tasting with the rest of the Three Saints and Star Lane wines. We tried many of these with our distributor and your winery rep a few weeks ago and really enjoyed the entire line-up. I hope the tasting materializes and I can report on each of your offerings.
Bill