About Stolpman Vineyards
Tom and Marilyn Stolpman founded this Central Coast winery in 1990. The dry-farmed vineyard plantings here are one of the great viticultural stories of California...
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92 Points | International Wine Cellar , November/December 2009
($48) Inky ruby. An intense floral aroma complements ripe cherry and black raspberry on the nose. Deeply concentrated and powerful but vibrant, offering sweet red and dark berry flavors and a supple, silky texture. A suave note of candied violet lingers on the impressively long, sweet finish. This wine was aged for a brief spell on roussanne lees.
94 Points | Robert Parker's The Wine Advocate
Member Notes
Full-bodied, dense and layered
04/16/2012
by Wine12034100
Full-bodied, dense, layered; strong blackberry, plum, vanilla, then blackberry again; hint of licorice w/blackberry @ end; mild lingering blackberry w/ long finish;
What a mouthful!
06/29/2011
by Beach13807740
Rich, smooth, unctuous, dark, dense, flavorful - so glad I bought this!
Big and Powerful!
04/25/2011
by Vujica13619411
This Syrah packs a powerful punch! Stands up to the heartiest of meals. Rich earthiness and powerful fruit tones describe its essence across the entire palate. Finely structure tannins and light acidity will allow it to age gracefully.
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A wine with texture!
02/08/2011
by DC11785722
We've never tasted a wine that had so much texture---it was almost thick! It was so rich, and full-bodied. You could drink this wine all night (and we did!). It was so inky dark no light shone through -- it stained our wine glasses. It was more like a petite syrah in its depth, but even more dense than that...it was almost chewy. Delicious doesn't begin to describe it. We're so glad we bought four bottles -- wish we had a case!
A California Syrah at last!
01/18/2011
by Cunningham13809760
Big mouth feel and full-bright-fruit. Looong finish. Reminded me of the Saxum Syrah I had in October. Buying future releases.
danm
12/16/2010
by danm
everything you would want in a syrah. open it up and let it breath for awhile, but this has wonderful lingering flavor with a depth and richness that surprises you for a syrah
stolpman syrah 2007
10/19/2010
by hird13774211
lovely aroma, clean taste, lucious mouth feel
07/20/2010
by RLopeze4nf3
I agree with WineAccess. With prices on Syrahs like this one dropping fast, the best Syrah in California -- and the Stolpman Hilltops is one of the very best -- may be the greatest bargains. We drank this over two days. Not just rich, but really long -- more like Hermitage on the finish than like California. Is there any more?
07/16/2010
by Monosson12223717
Rich , full bodied, very pleasing on the palate, long finish. One of the best.
07/07/2010
by Marnot
We visited Stolpman in Ballard Canyon a couple of years ago. The wines were great, but I don't think they were as good as this 2007 which is said to be the best vintage in Santa Barbara County in some time. We didn't buy much on that trip. But we would have filled up the trunk if the Hilltops had been offered at the winery at this WineAccess price. Great work, WineAccess!
10/13/2010
by ROCKETMAN
Excellent wine, long finish...gave us a pleasant buzz
Bob's Review
07/07/2010
by Lane12609929
Full bodied, yet elegant syrah with long lasting finish. This one's a crowd pleaser.
06/16/2010
by higgins13561553
Decanted the bottle, it opened up nicely by the second glass.
Drinkable - not a fav though
01/24/2011
by Kidd10451459
Not as special as I thought it would be. Fruity and dense. I'll give as gifts!
About California
It is remarkable that an industry essentially less than a half-century old could capture the attention of the American wine-buying public to the degree that California has. Powerful consumer interest in California wine is driven by two major factors. The more obvious reason is that California's best wines, which come from grapes grown in...
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Syrah
While the grape is currently grown throughout the world, the most elegant Syrahs still come from the Northern Rhone valley, particularly the appellations of Côte Rôtie, Cornas, and Hermitage. Here, steep, terraced vineyards help produce full-bodied, intense, tannic wines loaded with white pepper and red fruit. In the vineyard, Syrah is largely cooperative- vines are productive, but not overly vigorous. Skins are thick, helping the grape...
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