SOLMINER

Solminer – Snail prize

LOS OLIVOS

2890 Grand Ave.

tel. (805) 691-9195

www.solminer.com

5ac-9,600bt

‘‘David and Anna deLaski’s holistic approach to farming and winemaking is evident in their wines, which are among the best in the Santa Ynez Valley”

PEOPLE

David and Anna escaped from Los Angeles to find their pastoral paradise in Los Olivos in 2009. The husband-and-wife team focuses on varietals from Anna’s native Austria (she grew up in the Wachau, outside of Vienna). A conversation with the couple moves easily from winemaking and native yeast to beekeeping and polyculture.

VINEYARDS

The family’s estate, deLanda Vineyards, is CCOF certified organic and awaiting Demeter Certification. It consists of five acres of native plants and fruit trees, full of bees, sheep, and donkeys, where David and Anna plant Blaufränkisch, Syrah, and Grüner Veltliner in a variety of different microclimates.

WINES

Solminer’s wines are light, bright, and mineral-driven. The Grüner Veltliner 2017 shines golden, with white flowers and herbs making way for green apples and refreshing minerality. The lively Blaufränkisch 2017 has notes of tart blueberry, cassis, and tomato leaf. The Rubellite 2015 (Great wine) blends 1% Riesling into the Syrah/Grenache blend, providing a floral touch, with notes of hibiscus and dried violets. We were particularly taken by the Skin Fermented Grüner Veltliner 2017, an orange wine that drinks almost like pineapple cider. Chamomile colored, with notes of under ripe apricot that develop into brown sugar.

FERTILIZERS compost

PLANT PROTECTION biodynamic preparations

WEED CONTROL mechanical

YEASTS spontaneous fermentation

GRAPES 100% estate-grown

CERTIFICATION organic