2017 Stolpman Vineyards Estate Grown Syrah Ballard Canyon 750 ml

Stolpman Knows the Score

Wine Access members have made Stolpman’s incredible Santa Barbara County bottlings some of our highest-rated and most popular wines, raving that Stolpman makes "by far some of the best Syrah,” and that the “QPR is fantastic." But today, we know a little something that even the Stolpman die-hards don’t.  

Because we got early word—from Pete Stolpman himself—that one of the major wine mags is about to bestow a 94-point score on the 2017 Stolpman Estate Grown Syrah Ballard Canyon, which will tie it with the publication’s highest-rated edition of Stolpman Estate Syrah. That means that at just $25, this wine will soon boast the kind of price-to-score ratio that sends red wine lovers—even those who are not yet Stolpman fans—stampeding to pick up a case. So consider this your inside-track offer, straight from the Stolpman cellar, before the scores come out in October and all bets are off. 

We tasted the 2017 on our last visit to Santa Barbara, when we had lunch with Pete and Jessica Stolpman at The Bear and Star in Los Olivos: Pete poured the 2017 Estate Syrah as our beef carpaccio and merguez sausage hit the table. Deep ruby and displaying aromas of blueberry, chicory, cinnamon, and leather, the energetic Syrah showed gorgeous red fruit and blackberry jam, with beautifully integrated oak on the finish. It was easy to see why Stolpman landed at  #11 on Wine & Spirits listing of Top 100 restaurant wines.

Last year, critic Jeb Dunnuck said Stolpman is producing their “best wines to date.” Then came the special 2017 vintage. “We had an amazing combination for the first time in years,” Pete told us at lunch, referring to the ‘17 season in the blustery “wind tunnel” of the Ballard Canyon AVA. “We had healthy rainfall in the winter, and wind that gave us reduced yields—even below the level we get in drought years.” From these reduced yields came Syrah of outstanding concentration. “It’s really deep and inky in the glass, with really luscious supple fruit, tension, and great ripeness and energy.” 

Pete says they make their picking decisions so that Ballard Canyon can do the work for them. A big part of that process is vineyard manager Ruben Solorzano, known as the “Grape Whisperer,” who has stuck to his strict farming principles, farming low-yield vines under little to no irrigation. This process can produce berries so small and concentrated, “you could cut them in half and watch concentrated beads of juice cling to the torn skins, rather than drip off.” 

Stolpman boasts the kind of concentration, precision, and liveliness that is winning fans the world over: Not only did they make waves in Wine & Spirits magazine’s list of top restaurant wines, but the calls from around the U.S. and overseas are getting more frequent and insistent. In fact, Pete had to duck out of our lunch for a few minutes to take a call from an importer determined to bring an allocation of Stolpman to Seoul, South Korea! In short, quality is higher than ever. So is demand. 

Fortunately, our members have earned the right to a shot at Stolpman wines. This one is another winner, and if you don’t believe us, just keep an eye on the newsstands. But by then, it might be too late, so don’t miss this inside offer for a wine that’s sure to raise the Stolpman profile even more.