So, as has been tradition from last year, my friend Heather and I, post-FallTacular, took an extra couple of days to swing up to Santa Barbara and visit some wineries
TERCERO
It is always a thrill and highlight for me to spend time with owner, winemaker and long-time friend Larry Schaffer here. More than ever before, Larry is very comfortable now in his winemaking skin and has full confidence in the wines he’s making.
Unfortunately, I lost my note paper containing my notes on the whites, but from memory the 2015 Tercero Verbiage Blanc (50% Grenache Blanc, 50% Roussanne) was indeed talkative with some focus to the feel. I very much enjoyed the 2016 Tercero Marsanne which, for me, had already a fine balance between creaminess and zip and had some of the dry (and just a little sweet) mustard aromatics that I like for myself in this variety. A wine to track over some years. The 2015 Tercero Roussanne, too, has something to say with good structure and finish to some pear, hay and white fruit accents and possibly some sweet almond or marzipan at the back. Larry brought both bottles to dinner later that day and both had evidenced some further development
edit–yay! I found my notes buried in a file!
2014 Tercero White Hawk Viognier
Very honey. Very. Spicy and herbaceous side, lifted. Really different
2015 Tercero Roussanne
See mostly mistaken memory notes above 
shows you how one can fool oneself (or make a fool of oneself). This is mainly Zaca Mesa fruit with some Camp 4. Sleek nose–shimmery white fruit with sweet cream…iced tea? Very almost chewy for a white. Lemoncurd backbreathe, but this is creamy and a lot of fun. Peppered outside.
2016 Tercero Marsanne
Camp 4 fruit. Sweet mustardy aromas. White apple and very light banana. Spicy, mustardy but also quite tempered and refined.
2019 Tercero Cinsault Rose Tank sample. Larry will correct me if I’m wrong on this, but foot-stomped on skins for 6 hours, left on skins for 2 days. 11.5%. Watermelon for me, Heather gets some celery. Pretty light dans la bouche, acid is there but the raspberry fruit is focused in the midpalate.
2019 Tercero Camp 4 Mourvedre Rose
Tank sample. Reminded Larry during ferment of Hawaiian Punch. For me, now almost tomato leaf scents. Zippy red pepper and raspberry with a twinge of funk…kind of thinking white mushroom. Super-neat at this young stage.
2019 Tercero Aberration
Tank Sample. Because Larry just couldn’t have a tasting with me without serving something with Grenache ![[grin.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/5/53ba06e9b6e4b370ae7e3d7b3702ad1bda0a2d8e.gif "grin"){kind=small}
. This is 60% Cinsault and 40% Grenache. 12%, Camp 4 fruit. Strawberry lemonade, almost peach. Tutti Frutti and so much fun in the aroma. Already good textural composition, moves around the mouth has stemmy and bitter raspberry to say, but makes for a good conversation with the nose.
2018 Tercero Grenache
From the Spear vineyard, 100% whole cluster, 14% alcohol, about 15 months in oak. Some nutmeats in the nose for me, some watermelon too. Touches of sandalwood. Lighter style, but does have some drive too. And Larry is right about the black tea element at the back of the mouth. I don’t hate it (grin)
2017 Tercero Cinsault
Composed and pretty nose for what it has to express—coriander, cherry and strawberry. Replays with a nice, comfortable freshness. A fine summery wine that brings a smile.
2015 Tercero Mourvedre
From Larner and Camp 4 vineyards. 40 months in neutral oak. Tight at first, but swirling picks up wonderful coffee, tobacco, plum and blackberry. This is coiled to taste. It is also marvelicious. This could be a star-making wine in 4 years if it finishes its anticipated journey. Larry gave one of these to me for WineFest V and I will be sure to decant.
2014 Tercero Larner Syrah
91% Syrah, 9% Viognier, and Larry did two ferments—one with 15% the other with 0% (equal). 12.9% alcohol, 34 months in neutral oak. Rather linear nose, slightly sour blue fruit is the impression. 100% whole cluster, this is huge, but not at all in the sweet, overripe plush way. Instead, rugged structure, acidity. Also a tiny bit of gasoline to the black fruit core. It is a vin de garde that you need to leave alone for at least 5-6 years.
2014 Tercero White Hawk Syrah
92% syrah and 8% Viognier co-ferment this time. Same oak treatment as the Larner and checks in at 13.9%. Same soil as Larner but slightly higher elevation and sees more valley heat
As always, intense thanks to Larry for his time and invaluable insights. Although I didn’t take formal notes on them, the current version of the Mourvedre Rose is again excellent and the Cinsault Rose was chirpy, fresh and fun.
DRAGONETTE
I hadn’t been in some years and Heather’s first time. Unfortunately, they were out of the Radian Chard (and Pinot?) (as was LF—popular stuff!)
2018 Dragonette Happy Canyon SB
Vogelszang, Grassini and Grimm’s Bluff vineyards. Quite grassy and hay nose. Fairly obvious oak treatment here, buffers the sweetness some but tilts the wine.
2017 Dragonette Duvarita Chard
light toast and butter scents, this is quite rich–a lot of oak on here too, but plenty of pineapple and coconut fruit poking through
2016 Dragonette Rita’s Crown Chard
14.4%, 18 months in 20% new, they use Damy and some Moreau barrels. Quite pretty, perfumed with bits of guava and orange. Smooth and drinkable, this has sneaky power and some minerality. nice wine.
2016 Dragonette Santa Rita Hills PN
Mostly Bentrock fruit. 10% new oak for 16 months, 5% whole cluster. 114, 113, 115, 667 and 777 clones. Cherries, strawberry and a bit of boysenberry sniffs. Full, it is very SBC/WRH, has a bit of cocoa and spice and even pencil shavings at the back to rich dark red fruit
2017 Dragonette Fiddlestix PN
checks in at 14.2%. There’s some focus on nose and mouth, dusting of spices around sweet berry and currant moves to spiced cherry and raspberry, edgeing of nutmeg Some promise and future development here.
2017 Dragonette Black Label PN
14.1% here, Bentrock, Radian, Duvarita and Fiddlestix vineyards, best barrel selection which is made 3/4 of the way through, the blend may get an extra month. They use Francois Freres for this. With swirling, a tiny bit of licorice adds to baking spices and red fruit. Chewy red cherry sort of sneaks up on you. Another one that time should help a bit.
2016 Dragonette MJM Syrah
14.8%, John Sebastiano fruit with a bit of Stolpman and Kinsey. 95% syrah co-ferment and a bit of Grenache, this is 14.8% listed. Alluring bouquet—Heather gets violets which I see, also hint of lavender and very pretty plum. In the mouth, very well put together, restrained with meats and lines to frame the core black plum. Probably my fave of the lineup.
LIQUID FARM
We had hoped to see Jeff, but he got stuck at the winery. No matter, as Evan (I think/hope have 1st name correct) was able to take us through the wines.
2019 Liquid Farm Rose of Mourvedre
Provencale style from Vogelszang. Neutral French oak. Grapefruit and salty nose, switches to tangy sour raspberry with some drive. Fair, I will admit I’ve liked previous iterations better.
2017 Liquid Farm White Hill Chard
10% stainless. Small ginger notes, a bit of pear for me in aromatics. Le gout is sour candy and lemon, but odd overtones of acid, almost a bit of frizzante. Aims for citrus, I think, yet riper fruit than usual? Not sure what to make of this version.
2017 Liquid Farm La Hermana Chard
Bien Nacido and Solomon Hills, from Wente clone. Vanilla bean but in harmony with apple, pear and sweeter lime. Really like this on the tongue, some zap and fully complete, excellent marriage of carry and pure apple fruit with orange and even a lacing of pink grapefruit. A winner wine for me.
2016 Liquid Farm Golden Slope Chard
12 months in 15% new French. 6 vineyards go into the blend. Perfumed nougat? Butterscotch, but not wood-overt. Traces of pineapple. Palate is quite a bit softer with salted caramel, some oak presence but not distracting and lemoncurd adds some interest. Needs more time, I think
2016 Liquid Farm Four Chard
Clos Pepe, Bentrock, La Rincanada and Kessler-Haak vineyards. Somewhat more baking spice and hay field here, binned apple. To taste, this is still skittish, but it has a lot of building blocks. Even more than the Golden Slope, give this 2 years in the cellar at least
2016 Liquid Farm Bien Bien Chard
All Bien Nacido fruit of course. Spiced (sultan’s tent?) perfume. A dash of mineral. And…Sort of sweetened flint. Fennel takes a part too. A kind of round swirliness in feel, different from the others for sure, pear and just a li’l apricot. Good!
2017 Liquid Farm Spear PN
13%, 15% whole cluster, 15% new oak and 15 months in barrel. 5-6 year vines. Some rootiness, some pomegranate and raspberry poking up, later strawberry jam. Burst of sweetness in the middle, but splendidly shaped and spiced. It’s not the Radian, but I have no complaints here. 777 clone.
2018 Liquid Farm SBC PN
As mentioned above, they are out of the Radian SVD so didn’t get to taste that. 13% alcohol, all the “15s” above are replaced by “10s” here. Slightly woodsy/foresty scents. Hints of dark strawberry and maybe mulberry. In the mouth, straightforward but kinda stemmy—rather awkward right now.