As single-vineyard bottlings become more prevalent outside Europe, many “Grand Cru” sites in California have become staples for certain grape varieties. To-Kalon, Martha’s, and Pritchard Hill for Cabernet Sauvignon; Hyde, Bien Nacido, Savoy for Pinot Noir/Chardonnay; and Kick-On Ranch for California Riesling. Yes, Riesling.
Located just west of Los Alamos in Santa Barbara County, Kick-On may not offer the same dramatic and centuries-long history as some of the iconic sites of the Mosel—or Danube—but it has proved more than capable of producing world-class dry Riesling. Today’s wine from Stirm is the latest evidence. Established in 2013, Stirm is the brainchild of Ryan Stirm, a wine fanatic who loves three things: Riesling, terroir, and natural farming. With premier vineyard holdings, an organic mindset, and a minimalist approach in the winery (natural fermentations, no fining/filtering), Ryan’s mantra isn’t at all far-fetched: “It's our mission to pioneer the new age of California Riesling.” A bold statement, sure, but one he and his small team can back up—taste the wine and you’ll agree. This is ultra-pure Riesling that easily vaults to the top of what California has to offer: incredibly fresh, squeaky clean, and aromatically precise. It simultaneously satisfies while leaving you wanting more; a paradox I’m happy to accept. We’re offering by-the-case purchases today so you can get in on the ground floor before they rocket to stardom. Only 225 cases were produced in 2016!
Before crafting his own wine, Ryan gained experience by working with Austria’s Tegernseerhof and California’s Tyler—two producers that have been featured multiple times on SommSelect. It should be noted that while Ryan does produce other wines, he is a die-hard Riesling fan dead set on bringing pure California expressions into the international spotlight. He was bred for this, too: Ryan’s studies at at Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo concluded with degrees in both viticulture and enology while minoring in soil science and sustainable agriculture. After years of training and traveling around the globe, he set up shop in a repurposed warehouse on the outskirts of Santa Cruz. Today, he has a few parcels of land throughout the county and is eyeing various other terroirs (high-altitude Riesling up in the mountains, for one) in his ongoing journey to craft world-class Riesling. Stay tuned with Stirm: It’s going to be an exciting ride.
Situated just 10 miles from the Pacific Ocean, Kick-On Ranch is an ideal microclimate (Tatomer and Ojai also have holdings here) for Riesling, even if its soils—sandy loam and river cobble—are a little richer than the schists and slates of the top sites in Europe. The intense luminosity of Santa Barbara is mitigated by cooling breezes off the Pacific, limiting vine vigor and lengthening the growing season to create greater aromatic complexity. Though the vineyard as a whole is not organic, Ryan is in the process of converting his holdings and has farmed that way since day one. Grapes were hand picked and sent to his winery in Santa Cruz where they sat on their skins (for additional flavor and aromatic extraction) one day before being pressed. Fermentation was spontaneous and—unlike most of the world’s Rieslings—malolactic fermentation was allowed. The wine briefly aged on its lees in stainless steel tanks before being bottled unfined and unfiltered. A quick note: because of malolactic fermentation, Ryan can confidently bottle his wines without filtering—this is a rare practice in the world of Riesling and that extra layer of creaminess really adds to the final product. The wine was bottled June 27th, 2017.
In the glass, Stirm’s 2016 Riesling from Kick-On Ranch shows a brilliant straw core with green hues and accented silver reflections moving out to the rim. It has a wonderfully fresh nose, full of green apple, citrus blossoms, and stony minerality as the wine opens up. Expect further notes of meyer lemon, white peach skin, candied lime, crushed rock, sea spray, fresh white flowers, grapefruit zest, honeydew blossoms, and a subtle presence of white pepper. The palate reveals a medium-bodied wine that is bone dry through and through; there is no presence of residual sugar here (.2 grams per liter for you wine techies). It’s a well-rounded wine that has a strong acidic foundation which directly correlates with its superb freshness. This is a “drink now” wine, not because it won’t hold up for several years—it will—but because it is so enjoyable right out of the bottle. Pour into all-purpose white or Riesling stems and serve around 50-55 degrees. Stirm’s Riesling is not afraid of air, so take your time enjoying this one. Pair it with the attached grapefruit and avocado fish taco recipe incorporating the freshest and flakiest fish you can find. Cheers!
