Lumen’s inaugural release will be bottled next week! The 2012 Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, both from a single premium vineyard in Santa Maria Valley, will be released in November for members of our wine club only (California release will be in January). Sign up for The Lumen Wine Club to get details about upcoming releases, events, and to see how you can join our wine club.
I have a confession to make: my favorite wine was once White Zinfandel. As a young twenty-something, I was not what one would consider a serious wine drinker: my favorite was a sweet, pink wine that once had a whole section on grocery store shelves. My father, who was in the wine industry, must have…
Some of the greatest discoveries of mankind were made by accident. Perhaps the best known (and beneficial) was made by scientist Dr. Alexander Fleming, who went on vacation for a few weeks and returned to see that his petri dishes had overgrown with mold. His discovery: penicillin. Other examples of benign errors include potato chips,…
Are Winemakers Magicians? Years ago I wrote an article for The Surfer’s Path Magazine about my good friend, Oded Shakked, who was then winemaker at J Vineyards. During the interview he commented about how people make such a big deal about winemaking. “Winemakers don’t really deserve all that attention,” he said. “After all, we are…
The Controversy over Wine Scores For many decades now, wine critics have been reviewing wines, and wine consumers have been following their guidance. This fact is hardly surprising given the sheer number of wines on our supermarket shelves, and the high prices we encounter when walking down the aisles. None of us likes to make…
The 2013 harvest began in Sierra Madre vineyard with the picking of Pinot Noir Clone 667 on September 4. Woohoo! As usual, Lane Tanner (winemaker and co-owner) was the first to pick in the area – it’s her style, and what you get is a wine that is naturally lower in alcohol but beautiful, graceful,…
SMV is Ripe on the Vine When Lane puts on her magic yellow boot, we know it’s almost time for harvest. Lane has donned this fine piece of footwear ever since 1982, early in her wine career, and damn near the infancy of Santa Barbara County Pinot Noir. “I lost the other boot somewhere along…