On a cold rainy day, over cast with droplets misting the windshield so slowly that the interval setting was used for the wipers, we sought a famous winery down a side street in Beullton. We pulled up in front of it 5 minutes after it was due to open only to find its doors locked. We knocked, looked in the windows….no-one was there. Disappointed, we wondered around the other store fronts - antiques and such - a simple warehouse strip mall type area. Few were open.
A Bon Vivant said, “Lets call it and go get lunch!”
Then, with a glance across the way, a door was open. “I got something!” and ran over….
A Bon Vivant said, “Lets call it and go get lunch!”
Then, with a glance across the way, a door was open. “I got something!” and ran over….
Walking in, the room presented itself with confidence! Barrels reached half way to the ceiling, a warm wooded bar greeted at the entrance. A humming noise emanated from the barrel room and with a brief walk into the large expanse, a press was gently extracting juice from grapes…a glass of milky red hue sat on the machine while a tube transferred raw juice.
In a small nook near a tower of barrels was an elevated stage with drums and speakers.
“Hello!”
Silence.
“Is there anyone here!?”
The echo said no…with more silence.
It was like being a fly on the wall: watching a room during harvest season. Where was everyone? Wondering around, the room was raw and natural; the real deal - not just a tasting room: a working room making wine.
A door from behind a wall made a noise.
The sound of footsteps followed.
From around a corner a middle aged gentleman appeared and walked behind the bar.
“Hi, can I help you?”
Introductions were made, a tasting proffered, and the story of Standing Sun unfolded.
In a small nook near a tower of barrels was an elevated stage with drums and speakers.
“Hello!”
Silence.
“Is there anyone here!?”
The echo said no…with more silence.
It was like being a fly on the wall: watching a room during harvest season. Where was everyone? Wondering around, the room was raw and natural; the real deal - not just a tasting room: a working room making wine.
A door from behind a wall made a noise.
The sound of footsteps followed.
From around a corner a middle aged gentleman appeared and walked behind the bar.
“Hi, can I help you?”
Introductions were made, a tasting proffered, and the story of Standing Sun unfolded.
As he poured a rosé I asked, “How did you come by the name?”
Mr. Write is a free, loves rock and roll, open person with a rare wisdom. With a sincere honesty he replied, “I can’t name my wine after me because my wine is more than me…it is a sum of too many other variables, from sun, to rain, to soil, to weather patterns, to the grapes that grow on the vine, to so much that happens before I even touch a grape – it’s more than me. And naming a wine ‘Write’ just doesn’t sound right.”
I sipped the saignée method rosé – beautiful! I generally don’t like rosés because of the tartness ever so common in them but that did not exist in his wine. A single vineyard Syrah from the famed Camp 4 vineyard (previously of Fess Parker before being returned to the Chumash Indians in his will) it is very light, fruity and very accommodating! Very well balanced acidity carries darker blackberry fruits and hints of spices. Light and fresh, this is a very unique wine.
He continued, “At that moment when you decide to go into business and are thinking of a wine, you want it to mean something personal to you. My son and I often talk of things and I was standing in front of the vineyard with him as the sun was setting. Talking privately about things with him as the sun set over the vineyard, I thought, 'what a perfect moment'….so I named the winery Standing Sun, because the sun was still standing at that moment and I was standing there, with my son – it was just perfect.”
Mr. Write is a free, loves rock and roll, open person with a rare wisdom. With a sincere honesty he replied, “I can’t name my wine after me because my wine is more than me…it is a sum of too many other variables, from sun, to rain, to soil, to weather patterns, to the grapes that grow on the vine, to so much that happens before I even touch a grape – it’s more than me. And naming a wine ‘Write’ just doesn’t sound right.”
I sipped the saignée method rosé – beautiful! I generally don’t like rosés because of the tartness ever so common in them but that did not exist in his wine. A single vineyard Syrah from the famed Camp 4 vineyard (previously of Fess Parker before being returned to the Chumash Indians in his will) it is very light, fruity and very accommodating! Very well balanced acidity carries darker blackberry fruits and hints of spices. Light and fresh, this is a very unique wine.
He continued, “At that moment when you decide to go into business and are thinking of a wine, you want it to mean something personal to you. My son and I often talk of things and I was standing in front of the vineyard with him as the sun was setting. Talking privately about things with him as the sun set over the vineyard, I thought, 'what a perfect moment'….so I named the winery Standing Sun, because the sun was still standing at that moment and I was standing there, with my son – it was just perfect.”
I glanced around the room and asked about the music stage.
“Every Friday and/or Saturday night my band performs or we host a band and in warm weather we’ll sometimes have a BBQ out front or invite a food truck – it’s just a great way to live life!” He says with a natural, matter of fact smile while pouring Le Blanc.
The Le Blanc is a southern rhone blend and is a rich, shining, standing ovation to the way the varietals come together. Consisting of 40% Grenache Blanc, 30% Viognier, and 30% Roussanne, it shows great clarity, richness, and depth in the glass with a youthful pear hue. On the nose, exotic flowers and fruits commingle together evoking vanilla bean, lemons, and apricots. On the palate, a surprising complexity of flavors abound. For a wine consisting of 40% Grenache Blanc, it is surprising rich with fresh balanced acidity and a silky smooth texture. Clean, crisp, and lively lemons a right up front followed by steely minerals in the mid-palate and finishing with peach and orange peel.
“Every Friday and/or Saturday night my band performs or we host a band and in warm weather we’ll sometimes have a BBQ out front or invite a food truck – it’s just a great way to live life!” He says with a natural, matter of fact smile while pouring Le Blanc.
The Le Blanc is a southern rhone blend and is a rich, shining, standing ovation to the way the varietals come together. Consisting of 40% Grenache Blanc, 30% Viognier, and 30% Roussanne, it shows great clarity, richness, and depth in the glass with a youthful pear hue. On the nose, exotic flowers and fruits commingle together evoking vanilla bean, lemons, and apricots. On the palate, a surprising complexity of flavors abound. For a wine consisting of 40% Grenache Blanc, it is surprising rich with fresh balanced acidity and a silky smooth texture. Clean, crisp, and lively lemons a right up front followed by steely minerals in the mid-palate and finishing with peach and orange peel.
I also asked about the art on the walls.
“Art, wine, and music…it’s all part of the lifestyle, the culture of wine making. Wine is art and science put together, much like music…so we like to present local artists and give them a venue to have their art noticed and hopefully sold.”
He pours a taste of his Riesling.
“This wine is made in an Austrian tradition and we wanted it to be as clean and crisp as possible.”
I try it. I am immediately impressed with the quality of the wine, its structure, and craftsmanship. It almost reminds me of a Gruner-Veltniner due to its crisp cleanliness but this is clearly a Riesling! Unctuous, clean yet round with exotic fruits of mango and pineapple…but not their astringent acidity - the acidity is there but very balanced in the natural sweetness of the fruit and yet this is not a sweet Riesling, it is dry and balanced.
“Art, wine, and music…it’s all part of the lifestyle, the culture of wine making. Wine is art and science put together, much like music…so we like to present local artists and give them a venue to have their art noticed and hopefully sold.”
He pours a taste of his Riesling.
“This wine is made in an Austrian tradition and we wanted it to be as clean and crisp as possible.”
I try it. I am immediately impressed with the quality of the wine, its structure, and craftsmanship. It almost reminds me of a Gruner-Veltniner due to its crisp cleanliness but this is clearly a Riesling! Unctuous, clean yet round with exotic fruits of mango and pineapple…but not their astringent acidity - the acidity is there but very balanced in the natural sweetness of the fruit and yet this is not a sweet Riesling, it is dry and balanced.
With the nature of the setting in a warehouse and the lifestyle he lives, I asked him how he came to this life.
He smiled, almost feeling a little shy and said, “That’s an interesting question. I used to work in finance but was not happy…I wasn’t doing what I wanted to do and wasn’t living the lifestyle I so much craved. I learned a great deal about wine from business dinners and colleagues and fell madly in love with the entire lifestyle. I looked deeper into it and knew that’s what I wanted. I also knew the challenges and did not enter this blindly – at first, I just bought a vineyard for myself and friends and started artisanally making wine. Very soon, we had more than we could drink and more than we could give away for Christmas and knew it was really great juice…so I looked into getting the sales license and that’s how this started. We’re still very small and artisanal but now we’re able to fully share more of the lifestyle with everyone…and you meet some fascinating, like-minded people!”
He poured the Pinot Noir.
“This is our 100% Bent Rock single vineyard Pinot.”
The aroma wafted all around the counter! Deep, dark cherries and black berries filled the air. I took a deep sniff and was inundated with bright fruits balanced with a solid earthy minerality. With the first sip, the depth and complexity was solidly noticed. Hints of oak create a very structured yet supple foundation with layers of dark berries and earth. Strong and drinking very nicely immediately, it has the depth and structure to age a few years as well.
I looked over at the press. “I noticed that was working when I came in, mind if we go take a look…I never get to see this part of production when visiting a winery.”
“No problem, take your glass.”
He smiled, almost feeling a little shy and said, “That’s an interesting question. I used to work in finance but was not happy…I wasn’t doing what I wanted to do and wasn’t living the lifestyle I so much craved. I learned a great deal about wine from business dinners and colleagues and fell madly in love with the entire lifestyle. I looked deeper into it and knew that’s what I wanted. I also knew the challenges and did not enter this blindly – at first, I just bought a vineyard for myself and friends and started artisanally making wine. Very soon, we had more than we could drink and more than we could give away for Christmas and knew it was really great juice…so I looked into getting the sales license and that’s how this started. We’re still very small and artisanal but now we’re able to fully share more of the lifestyle with everyone…and you meet some fascinating, like-minded people!”
He poured the Pinot Noir.
“This is our 100% Bent Rock single vineyard Pinot.”
The aroma wafted all around the counter! Deep, dark cherries and black berries filled the air. I took a deep sniff and was inundated with bright fruits balanced with a solid earthy minerality. With the first sip, the depth and complexity was solidly noticed. Hints of oak create a very structured yet supple foundation with layers of dark berries and earth. Strong and drinking very nicely immediately, it has the depth and structure to age a few years as well.
I looked over at the press. “I noticed that was working when I came in, mind if we go take a look…I never get to see this part of production when visiting a winery.”
“No problem, take your glass.”
We walk over to the press and a stream of juice flows into a barrel. A glass of raw juice sits on the press. He picks it up and hands it to me, “Try this, this is the raw pinot, completely unfiltered, just the pure juice.”
I take a deep whiff and am impressed with the natural sweetness. “Very sweet!”
He said, “Yes, those are all the natural sugars from the grapes…we’ll add yeasts and the yeasts will eat the sugars and then become alcohol and carbon dioxide.”
I take a sip and it tastes like almost an overly sweet fruit juice.
We discuss other technical areas of wine production and I felt a deep appreciation for the work and wine he was doing. This is the best part of wine tasting at wineries: developing that new emotional connection with the wine and those who make it. We bought several bottles and knew we’d reminisce about this visit at Christmas or whatever special occasion when we would open them.
I take a deep whiff and am impressed with the natural sweetness. “Very sweet!”
He said, “Yes, those are all the natural sugars from the grapes…we’ll add yeasts and the yeasts will eat the sugars and then become alcohol and carbon dioxide.”
I take a sip and it tastes like almost an overly sweet fruit juice.
We discuss other technical areas of wine production and I felt a deep appreciation for the work and wine he was doing. This is the best part of wine tasting at wineries: developing that new emotional connection with the wine and those who make it. We bought several bottles and knew we’d reminisce about this visit at Christmas or whatever special occasion when we would open them.
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