2004 HERITAGE CUVEE NAMED TOP 100 BEST BUY OF 2007
October 9, 2007 —Wine & Spirits Magazine has named Curtis Winery's 2004 Heritage Cuvée a Top 100 Best Buy of 2007 in its annual buying guide published this month. The magazine gave the wine a rating of 90 points and praised its "firm black cherry-scented fruit" and "clean structure". The 2004 Heritage Cuvée is a classic Rhône-style blend of Grenache (50%), Syrah (19%), Mourvedre (18%) and Cinsault (13%) from the winery's estate vineyards and Vogelzang Vineyard in the Santa Ynez Valley. Curtis Winery's Heritage Cuvée has now earned ratings of 90 points from top wine critics over the past four vintages, cultivating a reputation for remarkable quality at an affordable price.
CURTIS IS GOLDEN IN SAN FRANCISCO
January 16, 2007 —Curtis Winery’s 2005 Viognier and 2004 Syrah from Crossroads Vineyard each earned gold medals at the 2007 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition. Fifty-five professional wine judges from throughout the United States evaluated more than 3,800 wines from over 1500 wineries from over 20 states. The judging of the wines took place in Sonoma County on January 9-12.
RHONE RANGERS RIDE INTO SAN FRANCISCO ON MARCH 17-18
January 31, 2007—The ultimate roundup of Rhône-style wines returns on March 17-18 as the Rhône Rangers ride into San Francisco for their annual Grand Tasting and related festivities. Curtis Winery’s Chuck Carlson is the outgoing president of the Rhône Rangers, a group of Rhône varietal producers dedicated to “advancing the knowledge of Rhone grapes grown in America and the enjoyment of the wines produced from those grapes.” More than 120 member wineries, including Curtis Winery, will be on hand to pour their wines at the Grand Tasting at the Fort Mason Festival Pavilion on Sunday, March 18 beginning at 1:30 p.m. The fun begins the night before with the Rhone Ranger Dinner and Auction at the San Francisco Film Centre at The Presdio. For information on attending the dinner, auction and grand tasting, please visit www.RhoneRangers.org or call (707) 462-5943.
JOIN CURTIS FOR A "HARVEST FOOD & RHONE PAIRING" DINNER ON OCTOBER 13
September 15, 2006—Harvest Celebration weekend in Santa Barbara County gets off to a flavorful start on Friday, October 13 as Curtis Winery and Winemaker Chuck Carlson host a “Harvest Food & Rhone Pairing” dinner beginning at 6 p.m. The evening will feature a four-course seasonal dinner prepared by Chef Jeff Olsson of New West Catering, including heirloom tomatoes with Santa Cruz blue cheese, parmesan crusted rack of lamb, and savory tart of camembert and almonds. Each course will be paired with a wine selected by Winemaker Chuck Carlson, including library wines and new releases.
The cost, inclusive of all food and wine, is $100 per person for Curtis Cellar Crew Members and $125 per person for non-members. The dinner will take place at the winery at 5249 Foxen Canyon Road in Los Olivos. For tickets and information, please call us at (805) 686-8999 or email us at Tastingroom@CurtisWinery.com. Space is limited to 50 guests.
CURTIS EARNS RAVES FROM ROBERT PARKER
September 5, 2006—Robert M. Parker Jr.’s The Wine Advocate has given rave reviews to several wines from Curtis Winery. Mr. Parker rated the 2003 Syrah Ambassador’s Vineyard at 90 points, calling it “outstanding” and praising its “full-bodied, powerful flavors.” The 2003 Syrah Vogelzang Vineyard was rated at 89 points, and was declared “a superb value.” The 2003 Heritage Cuvee was also rated at 89 points, and was praised for being “deep yet elegant, with lovely fruit purity.”
2003 HERITAGE CUVEE NAMED "BEST VALUE" BY WINE & SPIRITS
June 21, 2006—Curtis Winery's 2003 Heritage Cuvée is named a "Best Value" in the August 2006 issue of Wine & Spirits, only one of 10 wines selected for that designation. Stated the magazine: "From the 1,166 new-release wines our panels tasted for this issue, our critics singled out these 10 (all $15 or less) for their remarkable price/value ratio." The magazine gave the 2003 Heritage Cuvée a rating of 87 points, praising its "dark forest berry flavors" and its "peppery warmth." This same wine was rated 89 points by Wine Enthusiast, which called it a "real bargain." It also received five stars from Restaurant Wine and was named "Wine of the Week" by Anthony Dias Blue.
CURTIS WINERY STARS IN WINE DOCUMENTARY
March 14, 2006—Winemaker Chuck Carlson plays a starring role in a new documentary film entitled From Ground to Glass, which premiered to broad acclaim at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival on February 10.
The story begins in 2002, when local filmmaker Rob DaFoe decided to make his own wine—and to film the process. He came knocking and Curtis Winery, and Chuck opened the door, agreeing to consult on winemaking matters and giving DaFoe access to key equipment.
"I'd known Rob for some time and was happy to help out," Chuck says. "His concept was interesting, and I saw it as a great way to invite viewers into the world of winemaking."
While the wine—two barrels of Syrah—was aging, the scope of DaFoe's project grew, and he ultimately interviewed more than two dozen winemakers from across California, including Paul Draper of Ridge, Warren Winiarski of Stag's Leap and Joel Peterson of Ravenswood.
The finished film cleverly weaves DaFoe's own winemaking adventure at Curtis Winery with insights and stories from the winemakers, as well as breathtaking scenes from various wine countries. The result is a unique documentary that guides viewers into the heart and soul of wine.
For information and updates on future showings, please visit www.FromGroundToGlass.com.
CURTIS SYRAHS NAMED "BEST OF THE BEST" BY QRW
March 9, 2006—Two new releases of Syrah from Curtis Winery were named to Quarterly Review of Wine's annual "Best of the Best" list for the Syrah category. Curtis Winery's 2003 Syrah from Ambassador's Vineyard and 2003 Syrah from Crossroads Vineyard both received four stars, a designation that signifies "wines of exemplary character and quality—benchmarks of their type." Only 18 Syrahs (registering five and four stars) were named to the list.
2003 HERITAGE CUVEE IS "WINE OF THE WEEK" -- TWICE!
February 6, 2006—Curtis Winery's new release Heritage Cuvée was named "Wine of the Week" twice this week. Renowned wine authority Anthony Dias Blue selected the wine as his Wine of The Week on his web site at www.bluelifestyle.com, praising it for having "lush blackberry fruit and racy acidity" and being "long, dense and balanced." On February 3, Michael O'Shea of the Santa Barbara News-Press selected the 2003 Heritage Cuvée as his Wine of The Week, praising it as "a fantastic value that's as good as many, many wines at twice the price." The 2003 vintage follows in the steps of the 2002 Heritage Cuvée, which was named a "Top 100 Best Value of 2005" by Wine & Spirits Magazine.
CURTIS HERITAGE ROSE SELECTED AS TOP 100 WINE OF 2005
December 5, 2005—Curtis Winery's 2004 Heritage Rosé was named to the San Francisco Chronicle's prestigious list of "Top 100 Wines of 2005." The Chronicle tasting panel described the wine as follows: "Aromas of ripe strawberry, cherry and raspberry lead to a zingy palate of watermelon, cassis, peach pit, onion peel and river stone." Inspired by the pleasurable table wines of the southern Rhône Valley, Winemaker Chuck Carlson established the Heritage Series to offer unique, flavorful cuvées for everyday enjoyment. These wines hail from small vineyards along California's Central Coast, where Rhône varietals excel amid the coastal Mediterranean climate. After aging, the individual lots are blended with an emphasis on approachability and complexity. Curtis Heritage Series wines are widely acclaimed for offering exceptional value and quality.
2002 SYRAH AMBASSADOR'S NAMED TO QRW'S "BEST OF THE BEST"
June 2, 2005—Curtis Winery's new release 2002 Syrah from Ambassador's Vineyard was named among Quarterly Review of Wine's "Best of the Best" for Syrah in the summer issue. The wine was given five stars, a rating reserved for "wines of remarkable character and quality as to be in a class themselves." It was among the top 12 Syrahs of 67 tasted. The magazine praised the wine for its "rich, velvety and well-concentrated blackberry and chocolate flavors."
THE KNOT TIES UP SYRAH BLEND'S LOOSE ENDS
By Gabe Saglie / South Coast Beacon / March 31, 2005—This is a story about three guys with a passion for syrah. They love to drink it and make it, and when the urge for charity struck, they tied the knot on the ultimate syrah blend.
Chuck Carlson runs the wine program at Curtis Winery, one of the few local wineries exclusively dedicated to Rhône grapes. On the white end of the spectrum, Carlson crafts viognier and roussane. For reds, he makes grenache and mourvedre as single varietals.
But it is syrah that has a special lure. He was part of the local wine scene back in the early 1980s when no one was growing it. As soon as guys like John Kerr and Bob Lindquist started fiddling with it, Carlson joined what he remembers as "an infectious trend."
"I love the fact syrah can grow pretty much anywhere in Santa Barbara County," Carlson said, "and the fact it's easy to build a meal around and easy to drink."
On nearby stretches of the Curtis property, two other winemakers are satisfying their own quests for syrah. Andrew Murray has been making award-winning syrahs and syrah blends for years while Doug Margerum, who's been pouring world-class syrahs at his Wine Cask restaurant for decades, has quickly gained acclaim for his recent foray into syrah-making.
Shortly after the 2003 vintage, Carlson, Margerum and Murray combined the juices of their creative endeavors. The final blend would be comprised of equal one-third inputs from each winemaker. Murray's syrah came from the famed Roasted Slope Vineyard, Margerum's from Alondra de los Prados Vineyard and Carlson's from a vineyard he's worked with for years, the Crossroads Vineyard that surrounds Brook's Firestone's Los Olivos home. "My contribution offered the blend some nice opulence," Carlson said, "plus some dark cherry fruit, a spicy elegance and a long finish."
They called their wine The Knot, to symbolize the interwoven efforts of three men who share a passion, and they made just one barrel, resulting in about 130 magnums. The bottles that remain will be sold on a first-come, first-served basis for $100 at the Wine Cask's Futures Tasting on April 23. All proceeds will go to Direct Relief International. Carlson sees this marriage of winemaking efforts as a yearly enterprise with rotating beneficiaries.
"Maybe next year we'll split proceeds three ways," Carlson said, "so we can donate the money to our kids' schools."
SANTA YNEZ VALLEY WINEMAKERS CRAFT SYRAH FOR A CAUSE
March 14, 2005—Three Santa Barbara County winemaking veterans, including Winemaker Chuck Carlson of Curtis Winery, have joined
forces to craft a Syrah for a cause, creating a one-barrel lot that
will be available for purchase at the Wine Cask’s 2005 Santa Barbara
Wine Futures tastings on March 19, 2005 and April 23, 2005 in Santa
Barbara. All proceeds from the wine will benefit Santa Barbara-based
Direct Relief International, which works to improve the quality of
life for people in need, providing essential material resources to
locally run health programs in poor areas around the world and during
times of disaster. Hailing from the Santa Ynez Valley appellation,
the wine is a blend of personal selections from Andrew Murray of
Andrew Murray Vineyards, Chuck Carlson of Curtis Winery and Doug
Margerum of Margerum Wine Company. The Syrah, which is called “The
Knot,” is composed of equal one-third contributions from Roasted
Slope Vineyard (Murray), Crossroads Vineyard (Carlson) and Alondra de
los Prados Vineyard (Margerum). The barrel will yield 132 magnums of
The Knot Syrah, which will be sold for $100 each. Visit www.WineCask.com for more information the Santa Barbara Wine Futures
tastings.
CURTIS WINERY TO ATTEND 13TH ANNUAL HOSIPICE DU RHONE ON MAY 12-14
March 7, 2005—Curtis Winery will once again join dozens of its
Rhône-minded kin at the 13th Annual Hospice du Rhône on May 12-14 in
Paso Robles. Billed as the “largest international celebration of
Rhône wines in the world,” the Hospice du Rhône kicks off with a
winemaker’s bowling tournament on May 12, followed by seminars and a
barrel tasting on May 13. The next day includes a luncheon and barrel
auction, then the Grand Tasting—featuring an incredible array of
Rhône-style wines from California, France, Australia and beyond. The
party continues into the evening at the “Farewell Gala - BBQ and
Bash.” For information and tickets, visit www.hospicedurhone.com or
call (805) 784-9543.
GATHER 'ROUND THE CURTIS "BARBIE" AFTER VINTNER'S FESTIVAL ON APRIL 10
March 5, 2005—The upcoming Santa Barbara County Vintner's Festival weedkend goes out with a bang as Tasting Room Manager Matt Wedderburn and Winemaker Chuck Carlson host an Australian-style cookout from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday, April 10. We will provide and prepare an array of meat, poultry, accoutrements and wine -- all you have to do is grill your food to perfection. Singer-songwriter Duke Graham will perform and Chuck will break out some "sneak peaks" at upcoming releases. Cost to Crew members and their guests is $40 per person. To reserve your spot, please call Matt or Katy in the tasting room at (805) 686-8999.
