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| Drinking Windows and Values |
| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 90.4 pts. and median of 90 pts. in 69 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by popasq on 4/16/2022 & rated 94 points: Agreed with the last reviewer. Incredible wine. (630 views) | | | Tasted by williewonk on 4/18/2015 & rated 95 points: Incredible bottle, no sign of age, a cross between a top tier white rhone and a great Alsacian. Deep green gold color, Unctous, oily, balanced with fresh acidity, lychee nuts candied fruits, yet still a dry wine that's food friendly. A classic! (2909 views) | | | Tasted by IAmVintage on 4/20/2014 & rated 93 points: Absolutely delicious Rhone blend of 90% Roussanne & 10% Voignier. 3 couples were unanimous this was fantastic and wishing we had more. Big unctuous honeyed fruit with surprising depth for its age and a very long finish. Going to hunt for more.... (3253 views) | | | Tasted by chavito on 10/2/2013 & rated 83 points: Waited too long for this one, unless it's in a dormant stage. A little flabby and there was a waxiness on the back that wasn't too pleasant. Bummed I didn't drink it sooner. (3735 views) | | | Tasted by nicu2001 on 12/19/2012 & rated 94 points: This is rich and balanced and still going strong. (4376 views) | | | Tasted by JorgeH on 8/16/2012 & rated 93 points: Yum! This golden, rich, delicious wine bursts on the nose with nutty, honeyed, apricot aromas. On the mouth, the richness shows up again with the same nutty, honeyed character. Acidity is decent and stands up to the richness. Good medium length finish. Just a great wine. (5172 views) | | | Tasted by JorgeH on 3/21/2012: Yeah.....no chance of remembering anything from that night. (2739 views) | | | Tasted by Bowmanifesto on 2/20/2012 & rated 93 points: Final landing for L'Avignon. This was a "flyer" for me, experimenting with my first adventure in Roussane varietal, and my first bottles from Stolpman. Both are a rousing success. I won't reiterate my previous tasting notes over the past two years, except to say this last bottle is at the peak, with truly stellar flavors. I will also add that Stolpman has become one of my favored producers for Syrah, too. Outstanding! (2690 views) | | | Tasted by DLCampbell on 11/15/2011 & rated 90 points: Beautiful aromatics showing off ripe peach, honeycomb (botrytis?), wax, white flowers and minerals.
It's a little clunky on the palate with a waxy texture and quite a bit of heat. But it has great minerality on the finish showing off the limestone soils it was grown on. The fruit is very ripe, but has great purity.
Overall, the wine has med-plus complexity and length. The acidity is still holding and should hang on for another year or so. The heat is the main factor keeping it from a higher score. A very nice wine! (2760 views) | | | Tasted by Bowmanifesto on 10/11/2011 & rated 91 points: Similar to previous notes. Golden and succulent. Ready for take off. (2279 views) | | | Tasted by eastover on 7/10/2011: Sunday night at home - Herb and Elaine over for grilled flank steak and swordfish - corn shouffle and grilled fennel and bok choy. Didn't drink it - only Jill and Elaine. Jill seemed to like it. (2256 views) | | | Tasted by Bowmanifesto on 7/7/2011 & rated 92 points: Ready for take off. All my notes similar to bottle from last year, but this has mellowed over time, actually increasing in lusciousness, without losing its clarity, complexity and coloratura. Fascinating palate with uniquely sharp yet soft layers of flavor. (2506 views) | | | Tasted by rjoyer on 6/7/2011: After a little time, the nose gives up notes of banana, bee's wax and creamy oak. That new oak, along with the 14.9% alcohol dominates the palate, marring some otherwise nicely rounded fruit. I'm hoping, but not expecting, the second half of this wine sees the oak settle down so that I can enjoy more of the fruit here as I seem to be able to somewhat tame the alcohol with a good chill on the bottle. (2494 views) | | | Tasted by fingers on 5/15/2011 & rated 92 points: Even better than a year ago. Color may have darkened a tiny bit. Palate is more harmonious and luscious, but somehow seems lighter in body and producing stronger acidity than I thought before. Less burn and bite and a nice creaminess now takes over. I wish I had more and a great lesson to me about how some whites definitely improve with a little cellar age. 5+12+17+8 = 92 (2669 views) | | | Tasted by europat55 on 4/22/2011 & rated 90 points: Outstanding! Consistent with previous bottle: Great nose and upfront flavors; nice buttery finish. Consistent with notes from other posts (2654 views) | | | Tasted by eastover on 4/19/2011: Passover Seder - second night at our house. Didn't drink any, but seemed to be enjoyed by June and others. (2728 views) | | | Tasted by JavaMonkey on 4/18/2011 & rated 88 points: Might be past it's peak. Interesting pineapple and grapefruit. Full bodied, slightly off-dry. Has a stoney element that gives it some backbone, but it could use a little more acidity. Overall, very good. (2657 views) | | | Tasted by rjrausch on 3/9/2011 & rated 90 points: This was a good Wednesday white and it also made a good base for a pork chop marinade. The pork chops were awesome and the wine was pleasant. Worth trying. (2795 views) | | | Tasted by MuseMaven on 1/2/2011 & rated 89 points: Much improved in just these few months. Creaminess, tropical fruits and citrus. Good body, similar to viognier. Nerdy and interesting. (2887 views) | | | Tasted by stevenjstein on 12/25/2010 & rated 89 points: Still nice, but has probably lost some fruit. Dry, with good body and some pear and tropical fruit flavors. A bit of a floral component, but more so on the nose than the palate. (3040 views) | | | Tasted by eastover on 12/20/2010: A delayed Hanukah party at Lisa's - served this as the white wine. Enjoyed by all. (3166 views) | | | Tasted by Sterling Minor on 10/25/2010 & rated 96 points: I had 4 bottles. (I previously had tasted some bottles of the 2005.) While the first and third I see as 91s, and the second a 92, my comment in Spring 2009 that more time was needed turned out to be correct. This fourth bottle was a solid 96. The aromas had no element of sweetness, but rather a myriad of strongly present and lengthy citrus and stone fruit. Again no sweetness element on the patate, with completely pleasant and extended flavor of quince, nectarine, nutmeg, and green grape. Zero bitterness, but frank in its presence. All the flavors were part of a clean, deep, viscous liquid. 90% Roussane (a native grape of the Rhone) and 10% Viognier (a grape of the Northern Rhone) from California. (3684 views) | | | Tasted by MuseMaven on 8/15/2010 & rated 88 points: Popped & poured. Yikes - oak! Seems a little over the top for my palate. Color is a nice, decidedly lacking in fruit on the palate. Good medium finish. 2 days later, a bit better. Still pretty oak-y, but now there's a little more creaminess on the palate, a little more fruit (still not much), less harsh, can taste the alcohol less. 86 initially, 88 after 2 days. Certainly, it was a challenging and interesting bottle, if not totally fun and enjoyable. I'm going to wait awhile before opening the 2nd bottle, maybe the oak will integrate better. (3432 views) | | | Tasted by Tim Heaton on 8/12/2010: Consistent notes. Nutty, with aromas and flavors of tangerine dominating. I believe this has 3% Sauv Blanc in it; not sure how it manages to show through, but it does. A big Rousanne. (3618 views) | | | Tasted by Tim Heaton on 7/11/2010: JOJ nailed it, I think, especially regarding the custard component. 3rd time I've had this wine since release and it's still a handful, needing some airtime before the 14,9% abv and very rich and ripe concentration begins to soften. Drink thru 2012. A bit over the top for me. Err on the side of overly complex when considering a food pairing. (3796 views) | | | Only displaying the 25 most recent notes - click to see all notes for this wine... |
| Stolpman Producer website
Phone number: (805) 688-04002006 Stolpman Roussanne L'AvionWINEMAKER NOTES (July 2009)
Stolpman Vineyard's 12 acres of Rousanne, the primary varietal of this wine, represents a significant portion of the 165 total planted acres in all of California. The proprietary name L'Avion (the Airplane in French) refers to the long narrow stretch of land where the Roussanne is grown, once used as an airstrip by local ranchers. The 2006 L'Avion is blend of 90% Roussanne and 10% Viognier. The wine shows a rich soft mouth feel with flavors of tropical fruit and a bouquet of honeysuckle. Robert Parker of The Wine Advocate rated this wine 94 points. 765 cases produced.
Vintage:
2006 was a long vintage due to unusually moderate, cool temperatures. Some vintners in Santa Barbara County picked through the Thanksgiving Holiday into December to achieve desired ripeness. Roussanne is already very late-ripening, and the cool weather in 2006 guaranteed a harvest in mid-November. The Viognier reached adequate ripeness in late September and early October, but Sashi Moorman left a small amount on the vine in order to pick and co-ferment together with the Roussanne. Not only does this increase the overall sugar percentage, but it gives the Roussanne a long continuum of fruit flavor from the Roussanne to the raisined Viognier.
Stolpman Vineyards: Santa Ynez Valley AVA (Ballard Canyon Sub-Zone)
Soil type: Thin Layer of Clay and Shale topsoil over Limestone
Trellis type: VSP
Green harvesting: Never
Bud Break. April 1st-15th.
Machine vs. Handpicking: 100% Handpicked into small, stacking bins to avoid any crushing of the fruit until sorted.
Yield Per Acre: 1.2 Tons per acre
Clones: Tablas Clone 469 and Davis Clone 1
Irrigation: 66% of the vineyard is dry-farmed, young vines are drip irrigated 1-2 times during May.
Organic: 100% organic farming practices. Hawk perches and Owl boxes used to control rodent population. No fungicides, Herbacides, or Pesticides used in vineyard. No added fertilizer. Rotating cover crops.
Varietal breakdown: 97% Roussanne, 3% Viognier
Harvest Dates: Viognier: November 9th 2006, Roussanne: November 13th and 17th 2006
Brix at Harvest: Viognier: 26, Roussanne: 22
Total Acidity: Viognier: 4 grams per liter, Roussanne: 4 grams per liter
pH at Bottling: 3.81
Alcohol % by volume: 14.4%
Vinification:
Maturation: 12-14 Months in new French Taransaud 500 liter Puncheon.
Residual sugar: None
100% Maloactic fermentation
After seeing Red Rhone Varietals excel on the steep limestone hillsides of Stolpman Vineyards, Tom Stolpman decided to experiment with Roussanne in a narrow, straight valley used in the 1930s and 1940s to land the previous’ owners small plane. Hence the Avant-Garde label and name L’Avion “The Airplane”. Because the rows are planted perpendicular to the hillside rows, the “Landing Strip” is easily identified from the hills above. While the topsoil is a bit deeper here than on the hills, the drainage is still excellent, and the moderate winter rainfall in Ballard Canyon never dilutes the crop.
Roussanne ripens very late, and at the Stolpman Estate we typically pick the fruit in mid November with tremendous phenolic ripeness and low sugars. The resulting wine shows a long continuum of fruit flavors, from hints of citrus and pineapple to pear and honeysuckle. It’s golden hue with tinges of green forshadows the lush, rich flavor inside the glass. Depending on the vintage, we will occasionally co-ferment the Roussanne with small amounts of Viognier to expand the aromatic profile of the wine.
After pressing, the wine is fermented in 100% new 500 liter French oak puncheons. After the completion of fermentation, malolatic fermentation is allowed to occur naturally, usually commencing in the late Spring and finishing by the beginning of Summer. Our Roussanne is seldom racked to preserve the anti-oxidates in the lees. This keeps the Roussanne, which has a tendency to oxidize, fresh through its elevage. Battonage (lees stirring) is kept to a minimum. The Sur Lee aging adds to the viscous mouth-feel and lingering texture.
Roussanne is grown in California solely on a boutique level as mass producers have focused on more popular white varietals. The team at Stolpman sees great potential for Roussanne because of its beautiful aromatics, complex fruit flavors, and full bodied weight. L’Avion is concentrated enough to be complimented by new French Oak, not overpowered by it. We feel that Roussanne is the most delicious and interesting of the Rhone white varietals and is best suited for our Ballard Canyon vineyard. Viognier grows on the vineyard solely to serve as a blending agent for our Syrah and sometimes for our Roussanne.
Many red wine drinkers tell us that L’Avion is their favorite white, and the golden-hued wine often surprises people who normally stay away from whites. This is most likely because L’Avion behaves like a red wine. It needs over a year in oak to integrate; and then several months in bottle to settle; and after opening, L’Avion evolves and develops in the glass. L’Avion also proves to convert ardent chardonnay lovers with its beautiful fruit, rich viscous texture, and oak backbone.Roussanne Wikipedia | Varietal character (Appellation America)L'AvionStolpman's Roussane vines are planted in a long, narrow piece of land running through the middle of the estate. At one time this area was the old landing strip for the Santa Ynez Valley, which probably conjured up the L'Avion (The Airplane) designation.USAAmerican wine has been produced since the 1500s, with the first widespread production beginning in New Mexico in 1628. Today, wine production is undertaken in all fifty states, with California producing 84% of all U.S. wine. The continent of North America is home to several native species of grape, including Vitis labrusca, Vitis riparia, Vitis rotundifolia, and Vitis vulpina, but the wine-making industry is based almost entirely on the cultivation of the European Vitis vinifera, which was introduced by European settlers. With more than 1,100,000 acres (4,500 km2) under vine, the United States is the fourth-largest wine producing country in the world, after Italy, Spain, and France.California2021 vintage: "Unlike almost all other areas of the state, the Russian River Valley had higher than normal crops in 2021, which has made for a wine of greater generosity and fruit forwardness than some of its stablemates." - Morgan Twain-Peterson Central Coasthttp://www.ccwinegrowers.org/links.html
http://www.discovercaliforniawines.com/regional-wine-organizations/
http://beveragetradenetwork.com/en/btn-academy/list-of-winegrowers-association-in-central-coast-california-274.htm
Central Coast AVA WikipediaSanta Ynez ValleyThe Santa Ynez Valley AVA is the largest wine sub-region of Santa Barbara County and has the highest concentration of vineyards. The valley runs from east to west, between the Purisima Hills and the San Rafael Mountains in the north, and the Santa Ynez Mountains in the south. Although the valley is open to the Pacific Ocean in the west, the fact that it is relatively narrow means that limited cool air and fog is funnelled in. Low average rainfall and a very long growing season make the region ideal for quality wine production.
The diverse climates of Santa Ynez Valley mean that a wide array of wines is produced. The cool, western part of the AVA is predominantly planted with Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, accompanied by other aromatic white varieties. Botrytis cinerea (noble rot) is able to flourish here, allowing some outstanding dessert wines to be produced in suitable vintages. Further east, the cooling effect of the ocean is lessened as both vineyard elevation and average temperatures increase. This warmer part of Santa Ynez Valley is more suited to fuller-bodied grape varieties, such as Syrah and Merlot.
more ...s expected, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir thrive, while the more inland zones lay claim to Bordeaux varietals and some Rhone blends. |
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