in the press
video clips
Rebecca and Peter recently went to
visit Gary Vaynerchuk of Wine Library TV. Learn all about the art
of blending on these two episodes!
Episode
1
Episode
2
The Ventura County Star’s
Lisa McKinnon recently took a tour of Lompoc’s urban wineries,
including “Pinot Prison”, our little cluster of garagista
wineries out here on the western edge of town. Check
out the video!
Peter and
Rebecca, Don and Lindsay discuss changes in winemaking for the 2007
rosé and Peter explains "veraison" and "green
drops"
Peter
explains our farming philosophy
press clippings
James
Laube from Wine Spectator tasted our 2006 Pinot Noir from
Fiddlestix and reported in the February 2009 issue: “Spicy
cherry and candied apple flavors are intense, full-bodied, and complex,
holding onto the ripe fruit theme while remaining elegant and structured.
Ends with a blueberry and wild berry mix. Drink now through 2013.
189 cases made. 92 points”
92 points. Wine Spectator’s
James Laube granted a pair of 92 points to our 2006 “Lambda”
Pinot Noir and 2005 “Gamma” Syrah in the April 9th “Insiders
Edition”. He noted the Lambda Pinot Noir has “Aromas
and flavors of loamy earth, blueberry and wild berry are tight,
focused and concentrated, gaining depth and richness. Ends tightly
wound in a good way. Best from 2010 through 2015.—J.L.”
For the Gamma Syrah, James had this to say: "Firm and structured,
with tight wild berry, spice, mineral and subtle cedary oak touches
that are intense, vibrant, focused and persistent, ending with chewy
tannins. Drink now through 2013.”
The
Sixth Annual Pinot Noir Shootout results are in! Our 2005
“Rho” Pinot received a “Love at First Sip”
designation and 92 points! Results in this unique competition are
categorized by gender, and here’s what the men and women had
to say about our wine:
Male: Rose petals, orange peel, spiced Bing cherry and raspberry
aromas. Round and fruity on the palate. Smooth mouthfeel with cherry
and cranberry flavors accented by orange peel, chocolate, spice,
and cherries with good acid tang. Mild drying tannins. Likeable
for its acid.
Female: Rich, ripe dark fruit on the nose accented by earth
and spice. Lovely! Smooth and velvety throughout. Seamless.
For full judging details and results on this interesting wine challenge,
visit the Affairs
of the Vine website.
The
Prince of Pinot recently participated in the Preliminary
Pinot Shoot Out sponsored by Affairs of the Vine. He tasted
64 Pinot Noirs and categorized our 2005 Rho as "Heaven Sent",
noting:
"This wine is composed of the best 16
barrels from the 2005 vintage. Primarily Pommard clone with 2 barrels
of Dijon clone 115. Aged in 56% new French oak barrels. Released
one year after bottling. Very fruity aromas of rich black cherries,
raspberry jam and a lovely oak accent. A notable entry of plush
dark berry fruits coat the tongue, offering some cherry and pie
crust flavors, and ending in a stylish and refreshing finish of
admirable persistence. The ripe tannins are nicely held in check
and the whole package is thoroughly satisfying. This wine was also
tasted at home with the same impression.
Our 2005 Lambda release was "Knocking on Heaven's Door":
"Also tasted at home before the Shootout tasting. Lovely
nose of fresh picked wild strawberries and raspberries. Well endowed
varietal flavors of cherries and berries with a sidecar of gentle
oak. Fresh and juicy, smooth in the mouth with caressing tannins
and a pleasant acid lift on the tangy finish.
To read The Prince's entire review, click here.

Appellation America has awarded us three
medals in their “Best of Appellation” program. Our Gamma
Syrah received a gold medal, and silver
medals now proudly adorn both our Lambda and Rho Pinots.
The Best-of-Appellation Evaluation Program is an on-going process
of identifying the wines in each appellation which best express
the character of the appellation and the quality of wine craftsmanship
in the region.
Wine
Enthusiast, December
We were thrilled to be informed that the Dec 1st edition
of Wine Enthusiast magazine lists three of our wines in
their Buying Guide. The editors awarded our 2005 Lambda Pinot 91
points, our 2005 Rho Pinot 90 points and
our 2005 Delta Grenache from the Byron vineyard 87 points.
ampelos was recently selected to be one the vineyards
in the Certified Sustainable Winegrowing pilot program,
which will grant certification to those meeting the robust guidelines
of the program. To learn about this new program, click here.
Swirlz
recently interviewed Rebecca about the vineyard, winemaking, and
her most memorable wine experiences.
Read the interview here.
Gary
Vaynerchuk recently tasted & reviewed our Rho Pinot Noir on
his WineLibrary TV show. The episode featured one Pinot
Noir fro Sta. Rita Hills (ours), Oregon and Burgundy to “see
who had the chops”.
View the episode here
and see if you agree!
Sustainable Wine Tours recently came for a visit. Check
out the video
and see/hear what Peter has to say about growing wine.
Wine
Advocate Issue 177
"...the 2005 Syrah Alisos Vineyard... offers beautiful sweet,
chocolaty, creme de cassis fruit intermixed with meat juice, underbrush,
and forest floor notes. With lovely ripeness as well as opulence,
it is best consumed over the next 5-7 years." 90 points
Wine
Spectator have been kind to us. Earlier this spring James Laube
gave us 91 points for our 2005 Grenache, Byron Vineyard and
last week we received another 91 from Laube for our 2005 Pinot
Noir "Rho" from estate grapes. Exciting for us to
see what we got out of the second year the vineyard was harvested!
"Smooth and polished upfront, showcasing ripe cherry,
raspberry and blueberry fruit, yet gaining traction, with a nice
presentation of firm, loamy tannins that gain complexity and depth.
Drink now through 2011." 91 points
We just received the word that our 2005 Syrache won a
Gold medal at the prestigious Los Angeles International Wine &
Spirits Competition, and our 2005 Syrah brought home a silver!
91
points Ampelos Grenache, Byron Vineyard, Santa Maria Valley
Smooth, silky and seductive in its caressing mix of black cherry
and wild berry fruit. Manages to be ripe and fleshy without being
heavy or tannic. Ends with a dusty berry aftertaste. Drink now through
2011. 94 cases made. JL,
March 31
Frequent
e-Bob posters Ken Zinns and Steven Rigisich both had nice things
to say about the Pinot we poured at this year’s World of Pinot
Noir.
Read the posts here.
The
Ultimate Buy Guide – California
California is flying its flag of diversity like never before.
Spurred by a proliferation of new wineries and an expanding range
of bottlings that highlights both tradition and innovation, Golden
State wine is in boom mode.
Ampelos
Peter and Rebecca Work own the Ampelos vineyard and brand in Santa
Barbara County's Sta. Rita Hills AVA. They offer a half-dozen wines,
emphasizing Sta. Rita Hills Pinot Noir, along with a Syrah and Grenache
blend called Syrache.
Click here to
read the article.
Wine
Advocate Issue 172
The 2004 Gamma is a Syrah cuvée reminiscent of a Cote
Rotie from the northern Rhône. Notes of tapenade, green olives,
cassis and black cherries are presented in a medium-bodied, fresh,
lively format. Sadly, production is very small.
Ken
Zinns from Grape Nutz recently visited ampelos during a
tour of the Central Coast:
The new Viognier, done in stainless steel,
had apricot / peach aromas with a hint of flowers, and crisp acidity
– a delightful wine. The "Epsilon" bottling will
be a special small-production wine and will vary from year to year.
This year's Epsilon Grenache featured bright strawberry fruit with
enough stuffing to age nicely.
Read the full description of the tour here.
Each
year, Santa Barbara retailer Wine Cask screens hundreds of local
wines and narrows them down to offer as futures. The annual sale
of this Central Coast region's wines, starting this week, is an
excellent buying opportunity, especially for securing some of the
best and hardest-to-find bottlings.
AMPELOS Pinot Noir Sta. Rita Hills 2005 89-91 $35 /
$28
Fresh and vibrant, with a distinct wild berry-boysenberry-raspberry
mix of fruit. Offers a hint of mineral, sage and lead pencil and
ends with firm tannins, but has most of its parts in the right place.
1,400 cases made. —J.L.
AMPELOS Syrache Santa Ynez Valley 2005 85-88 $28 /
$23
Ripe, grapey wild berry, raspberry and black cherry fruit is high-toned
and zesty, picking up a touch of anise and spice. Syrah and Grenache.
500 cases made. —J.L.
Steve
Pitcher recently published his annual “Best of..” article
in Wine News. Noting “luscious and velvety smooth
with firm, supple tannins and nicely concentrated, extracted blackberry
fruit; fine length and balance with a minerally undertone emerging
in the finish”, our Gamma Syrah was
one of his top picks for Best Rhone Blends of 2006! And Craig Jaffurs
Syrah from our ampelos vineyard “could
have been Syrah of the Year if only there were more of it.”
Read
the full review here.
In
his Tasting Highlights column in Wine Spectator Online,
James Laube has this to say: “The ascent of California
Syrah is in many ways similar to the rise of Pinot Noir in the Golden
State. It's a rather recent phenomenon that is rapidly gaining momentum.
… I strongly recommend you take a look at what's happening
with Syrah these days.” One of the wines he really liked
was Jaffurs Syrah from ampelos vineyard.
Click
here to read the column.
Calilfornia
Rhone Rangers
Robert Parker reviewed two wines made from ampelos vineyard
fruit in the August edition of Wine Advocate:
Jaffurs WIne Cellars: "A big wine, the
inky/blue/purple-tinged 2004 Syrah Ampelos Vineyard
reveals plenty of blackcurrant and black cherry fruit along with
smoky, graphite notes, nicely integrated oak, terrific full-bodied
intensity, and a long, heady finish. Consume over the next 7-8 years.
91 points"
Samsara: For an American Syrah, the dark ruby/purple-tinged
2004 Syrah Ampelos Vineyard possesses abundant
finesse and elegance. Attractive blackberry, blueberry, earth and
pepper characteristics emerge from this dense, stylish delineated
effort. Drink it over the next 5-7 years. 90 points"
Click
here to read the full reviews.
September
11 propelled couple into winemaking
Laurie Daniel of The Mercury News talked to Peter and Rebecca about
their decision to start ampelos cellars:
"Two years earlier, the Works had bought
82 acres in the Santa Rita hills, the appellation at the cool western
end of the
Santa Ynez Valley. It's an area that has rocketed to prominence
on the strength of its dark, concentrated pinot noirs. The
Works loved wine and visiting wineries, and they thought it would
be fun to plant a few grapes and make a little wine as
a weekend project." "the 9/11 attacks stunned the country,
and the Works. In January 2002, they sold their house on the
water in Long Beach and moved to Santa Barbara County. And they
jumped into the wine business with both feet."
Click
here to read the full article.
Remembering
9/11
Andrew Masuda from KSBY wrote about the events that let to Becky
and Peter's decision to start ampelos cellars:
"The Works have certainly become one
with nature ever since. They sold their house in Orange County and
moved to a ranch near Buellton to become winemakers. They now have
40,000 vines, mostly of Pinot grapes, and their own wine label called
Ampelos Cellars."
Click
here to read the full article.
Santa
Rita Hills Blossoms Growing Chardonnay & Syrah in the Pinot
Zone
Noted wine write Steve Pitcher summarized: “So
while Pinot Noir unquestionably remains the star of the AVA, with
new bottlings emerging annually that polish the image, the curtain
is rising on the region's unique Chardonnays and Syrahs, the character
and style of which are markedly influenced by cool-climate growing
conditions.”
In the tasting conducted that day, Mr. Pitcher
bestowed 92 points and noted the following about our Syrah:
"Ampelos, 2004 Syrah, G ("Gamma"), Sta. Rita
Hills - $34: Forward, fragrant, appealing scents of freshly crushed
wild blackberries, shy mocha and a framboise high note. Luscious
and velvety smooth with firm, supple tannins and nicely extracted
blackberry fruit; fine balance and length with a mineral undertone
emerging in the finish. An elegant, yet generous Syrah. October
release. Score: 92"
Mr. Pitcher also tasted the Jaffurs Syrah from our vineyard:
"Jaffurs, 2004 Syrah, Ampelos Vineyard, Santa Barbara
County - $42: Wildly fragrant nose of white pepper, violet, smoked
meat and just-picked, freshly-crushed blackberries and black raspberries
accented by anise seed and glove leather. Smooth, round and fleshy
with deep, generous flavors, bursting with dark berry fruit laced
with white pepper spice. This exciting Syrah is wonderfully comple
and long. Score: 95"
Click
here to read the full article.
Syrah,
at home on the coast
An article covering cool-climate Syrah's from the Sta. Rita Hills
appellation, features both ampelos vineyards and ampelos cellars:
Cool-climate Syrahs, they say, are among California's most exciting
emerging wines. These sophisticated wines offer connoisseurs complex
aromas and flavors. Yet the wines have
California's signature sun-powered bravura, setting them apart from
the Syrahs produced in France's Rhône
Valley.
Ampelos Cellars, owned by Peter Work and his wife Rebecca, has a
new 25-acre vineyard at the eastern edge of
Santa Rita Hills, that is a third planted to Syrah and has enthusiasts
hopeful that more newcomers to the region
will give Syrah a chance. "Peter likes Pinot and I like Syrah,"
says Rebecca Work. "We found a site that can
grow both."
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