2021 Estate 50th Anniversary - Los Olivos Cuvée

Here is a little history to catch you up on the who's who at the vineyard. Charlotte Young planted the first two blocks at Ibarra-Young in 1971, making the vines 50 years old in the 2021 harvest. Although we originally thought Miguel Ibarra was Charlotte's right-hand man working in the vineyards from the beginning, we recently discovered that he started working with Charlotte a few years after the first planting. But Miguel Ibarra and Charlotte Young quickly became the dynamic duo of what was then called Valley Oak Vineyard.

Charlotte was much more passionate about growing grapes than making wine. She sold the grapes for many years, and until Bob Lindquist came along, no wine brand was affiliated with the vineyard.

Bob Lindquist is a winemaking pioneer in Santa Barbara County. If you haven’t heard his name, you’ve probably heard of his wines. He was accredited for starting the Qupé label and had the lease on Ibarra-Young Vineyard from 1986 to 2018. That’s a long time! At that time, he planted what I now call the “young vine” blocks, which consisted of Marsanne, Tempranillo, and Graciano. He began the vineyard's transition to organic practices in the early 90s. As an ode to the people behind the place, he renamed the vineyard from Valley Oak Vineyard to Ibarra Young Vineyard to recognize Charlotte and Miguel.

Bob is a pioneer, a mentor, an advocate for organic and biodynamic viticulture, a great winemaker, a joy to be around, and an absolutely wonderful guy.

So, to show my appreciation for Bob and honor Charlotte Young, I proposed the idea of a 50th-anniversary wine. And her release is finally here.

This wine is a combination of both of our styles, and the blend is based on Bob’s old Los Olivos Cuvée wines. Los Olivos Cuvée was a wine under the Qupé brand that was first made in 1988. Our 50th-anniversary wine followed the same base blend but was made by both of us. Bob contributed a barrel of Syrah, and I contributed a half barrel of Syrah + a half barrel of Mourvedre. The wine has always been a blend of about 75% Syrah and 25% Mourvedre, depending on yields and depth. The Syrah is the meat and backbone of the wine, while the Mourvedre gives a bit of lift.

• 12.6% ABV
• 44 cases
• Regenerative organic grapes managed holistically, minimal effective sulfites