2014 Santa Barbara County Wine Futures Tasting: A look at what’s ahead

The annual Santa Barbara County Wine Futures Tasting was held Saturday at Les Marchands Wine Bar & Merchant -- its second year at the location -- on a balmy afternoon with more than 50 local winemakers pouring futures -- wines that haven’t been released yet.

That means some bottles are barrel samples. Others are still resting in the cellar and won’t be released for months. Those who attend the futures tasting, though, have the opportunity to buy the wines before they’re released, giving the winemakers some much needed cash flow and the buyers a 20% discount. (You can view the catalog online at Les Marchands and purchase the wines at 20% discount until May 31.)

The futures tasting is a low-key, enjoyable event, just an afternoon of tasting and talking with winemakers close up and personal. It’s not a mob scene. When you want to take a break, you can order up a pizza from Lucky Penny‘s wood-burning oven, get a bite at Les Marchands or have lunch or dinner at the Lark restaurant.

It’s an opportunity to make the rounds, taste the future releases from familiar labels, catch up on what’s new and discover some new winemakers and wineries.

One wine that caught my interest is the 2013 Grenache Blanc from Blake Sillix. He made only six barrels (his biggest production yet, he laughs) of this crisp, lovely wine. He also had the elegant perfumed 2012 Grenache Noir from Camp 4 Vineyard in Happy Canyon and the 2012 Illix Syrah Santa Ynez Valley from Zotovich Vineyard in Santa Rita Hills.

Ernst Storm was presenting his food-friendly 2013 Sauvignon Blanc -- a great buy at under $20 -- and his 2013 Steen, from a vineyard planted in 1982. In South Africa, where Storm grew up, Steen is the name for Chenin Blanc.

Over at the Tatomer booth, I tasted the fresh, mineral-driven 2013 Grüner Veltliner Meeresboden. Graham Tatomer continues to push the envelope with Austrian varietals in Santa Barbara County. And Joshua Klapper has made another pretty -- and affordable -- La Fenêtre A Côté Rosé for summer drinking.

Other standouts: the lean, nervy 2013 Wenzlau Estate Chardonnay and an expressive 2013 Wenzlau Estate Pinot Noir from Bill and Cindy Wenzlau’s Santa Rita Hills estate -- only their third vintage. The 2012 Qupé Roussanne from Bien Nacido is a knockout, as always. And I loved the 2012 Ojai Vineyard “Solomon Hills” Syrah from Santa Maria Valley in all its depth and complexity.

Ryan Roark is doing a great job with Loire varietals, making a single vineyard Chenin Blanc from Curtis Vineyard in Santa Ynez Valley and a fresh spicy Cabernet France, both easy-drinking and well-priced.

Au Bon Climat’s 2012 Chardonnay “Bien Nacido” is a classic. Jim Clendenen has been making Chardonnay from that vineyard for 25 years and he knows how to work it.

There were too many worthy wines to mention them all, one more indication that Santa Barbara County wine country is coming of age and producing some of the best bottles on the Central Coast.

It’s close by. Time for all of us to get out and explore.

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