in the press
video clips
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
 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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