My apologies in advance regarding the detail and the accuracy of this post. Kunin was the last of an entire day’s tasting starting at noon in Santa Barbara. It also happened to be within the 4 days after the 2016 election which had significantly traumatized both myself and my best friend and travel companion, Shannon. Shannon at this point had retreated into the Facebook world of how to resist our new regime while I proceeded to drink more and pretend that things would be OK if I just made some new friends in the tasting room. So, wines were drunk, and friends were made with an adorable same sex couple from Ohio with a penchant for last minute travel. Also, I broke a wine glass.
Kunin’s tasting room was very modern as I recall in limited fashion. Concrete floors, clean lines, and gray and natural tones greet the visitor to their tasting room. I did their white tasting consisting of five wines beginning with the McGinley Vineyards 2015 Sauvignon Blanc. The grapes were sourced from the Happy Canyon of Ballard Canyon AVA. This was a fairly typical Sauvignon Blanc with passion fruit and jalapeno on the nose and similar flavors. I did not record much else regarding this wine, so my assumption is that it was not a standout for me. The second wine, however, made it to my yummy list, marked with 4 stars and also made it into my suitcase for a trip back to Texas. This was the 2014 Pape Star Blonde, a blend of 75% Grenache Blanc and 25% Roussane. My little notes state, “I love this wine. It is pretty, has an appealing mouthfeel, a subtle, floral nose with peaches and over-ripe apricots on the palate.” It currently lives in my wine fridge awaiting the perfect food pairing.
The next two wines did not impress me strongly, but represented their varietals well. The 2014 Natural Chenin Blanc from the Santa Ynez Valley AVA featured soaring acidity as Chenin Blancs do, and tasted of golden apples. The tasting notes indicated that the wine was made with wild yeasts and no manipulation. Just prior to the finale, we tasted a 2014 Camp 4 Vineyard Viognier with a floral nose reminiscent of jasmine and honeysuckle. The finale was a 2013 Late Harvest Paradise Road Viognier. Late harvest wines feature extra sweetness due to higher residual sugar. I have not come across many late harvest Viogniers. On this one, the last of a long tasting day, I simply noted “YUM.”