2018 Stolpman Vineyards Para Maria de las Tecolotes Syrah Santa Barbara County 750 ml

Like Maria, this wine that bears her name is both brilliant and self-effacing. An energetic and focused Syrah blend from the pioneering Santa Barbara team that delivers Stolpman classics one vintage after the next. And a side project that aims to bring that thunder down from the mountain, placing otherworldly goodness in the hands of us mere mortals for a casual $19 per bottle. 

The wine unfolds like origami. Precise, fun, endlessly revealing. Explosive brambly fruit jumps right out of the glass, followed by deep whiffs of coarse-cracked pepper. The fine-grained tannins take over through the finish and make you want to lick your teeth.

If you get down on spicy Rhône blends or muscular Super Tuscans will dig this as a weekday spectacular. Jeb Dunnuck called it "a sensational bistro wine." We think anyone who loves to find a bottle that was made lovingly, by hand, by folks who care not only about the juice in the bottle and land that produced it, but about each other will find much to love in Para Maria de las Tecolotes. 

Pete and Jessica Stolpmans' kids call vineyard manager Ruben Solorzano "Padrino," in reference to his role as their godfather. The wine gets its name from a trip the two families took together a few years back. Late one night by the fire in Maria's hometown, Santa Cruz de las Flores in Jalisco, Mexico, the Stolpmans and the Solorzanos were partying with the locals, who uphold a strict tradition: drink tequila and sing deep into the night. In Jalisco and beyond, that crew has earned a nickname, las tecolotes, the night owls. 

It dawned on Padrino then. This one's para María. "It's hard to find a better wine for the price," said, Wine Enthusiast naming the wine a 92-point Editors’ Choice. The Santa Barbara local also dubbed Ruben the “Grape Whisperer.” Ruben and Maria have been cultivating the vines at Stolpman Vineyards since 1994 and are responsible for some of the basic innovations that put Santa Barbara's top sites on the map. 

The process from vine to glass is unique in this bottling, not only considering the Solorzanos' unique planting style (inspired by Côte-Rôtie) and daring cellar techniques, but also in the business arrangement. Technically, Para Maria is a Stolpman Vineyards wine. But this is one of a few bottles that represents a 50-50 partnership between the Stolpmans and the Solorzanos. Here, we get a little peek behind the curtain into the creativity of the Central Coast's most respected vineyard managers. And we get to throw a little extra something into supporting their efforts while we're at it.

In the 2018 Para Maria de las Tecolotes, the team blends 80% Syrah with 20% Petit Verdot, lending the wine some pretty serious heft without sacrificing verve or length. The balance comes largely from their use of a method called carbonic maceration, where whole grape clusters are layered in a tank and pressured only by the force of their own weight. Much of the fermentation starts with the skins intact, producing a wine that is less extracted and therefore bouncier and fruitier in the glass. 

The finished wine is a deep purple with a nearly black center and violet highlights along the rim. There's an exotic, lively feel to the palate. Gamey and floral but pulsing. Very aromatic. Fresh and brooding, vibrant and rich. 

Para Maria is a project that industry insiders and longtime members already know and love. Even by those standards, the 2018 is stellar. When we tasted this vintage, we decided to buy as much as we could, just so you'd be able to enjoy this wine exactly the way we have—with abandon.