Tatomer Vandenberg Riesling 2020
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This wine is a blend of multiple pickings from multiple sites in Santa Barbara County. A majority of the fruit comes from "Kick-on Ranch," while the rest comes from other older vineyards in the area. Typically, the selection for Vandenberg are grapes with a higher percentage of Botrytis, or "Noble Rot." The result is a richer more fruit driven wine. It has more of the stone fruit flavors often associated with Riesling, nice minerality, and some slight botrytis notes often expressed as honey, or pollen. The reason the wine is called Vandenberg is because the Kick-on Ranch is located about a mile from the Air Force Base with the same name.
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Wine Spectator
The 2020 Riesling Vandenberg is another intriguing wine in this range from Graham Tatomer. A touch of bortrytis adds textural richness. Baked apple tart, dried flowers, sage and mint give this exotic Riesling quite a bit of complexity. The finish is a bit strict, but another 6-12 months in bottle should take care of that.
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Wine Enthusiast
This should be the mandatory benchmark tasting for relatively affordable yet hand-crafted California Riesling. Aromas of wet gravel and dried lemon peel lead into a texturally deft palate that elevates both the mineral and citrus qualities, popping with flavors of tangerine, lemon and crushed stone.
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2019-
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Riesling possesses a remarkable ability to reflect the character of wherever it is grown while still maintaining its identity. A regal variety of incredible purity and precision, this versatile grape can be just as enjoyable dry or sweet, young or old, still or sparkling and can age longer than nearly any other white variety. Somm Secret—Given how difficult it is to discern the level of sweetness in a Riesling from the label, here are some clues to find the dry ones. First, look for the world “trocken.” (“Halbtrocken” or “feinherb” mean off-dry.) Also a higher abv usually indicates a drier Riesling.
With a dry and mild climate cooled significantly by moist ocean fog and breezes, Santa Barbara County is a grape-grower’s dream. Part of the larger Central Coast appellation, Santa Barbara is home to Santa Maria Valley and Santa Ynez Valley. The conditions here provide an opportunity for nearly effortless production of high-quality cool-climate Central Coast wines. This is also the site of the 2004 film Sideways, which caused Pinot Noir’s popularity to skyrocket and brought new acclaim to the region.
Chardonnay and Pinot Noir are the stars of Santa Barbara, producing wines marked by racy acidity. Crisp Sauvignon Blanc and savory Syrah are also important. The region is home to many young and enthusiastic winemakers eager to experiment with less common varieties including Chenin Blanc, Grüner Veltliner, Trousseau Gris, Gamay and Cabernet Franc, making it an exciting area to watch.