Placerville is a fitting place to start. Once known as 'Hangtown' for the town's fierce justice and frequent hangings, this place served as a major hub during California's gold rush. There is even a (creepy) commemorative hanging man that marks the spot of the historic Hangman's Tree (not pictured here for your sake). 

<--That's where James Skinner came in. He moved from Scotland to Massachusetts in 1842, then headed west to California, seeking his fortune. He made it to Coloma (the site of the original big gold strike), but went instead to the Sierra foothills, ending up in a town called Rescue. Skinner set up a ranch along the Pony Express trail, planted grapes, and started making wine and brandy. 

Skinner's contribution to early California wine may have been lost had it not been for his ancestors discovering their connection to him by chance. They set up a new Skinner winery-- Skinner Vineyards--a short drive from the 1800s location, and planted many of the grapes James Skinner worked with, including grenache, carignane, and petit bouschet (fittingly-- the 'Skinner clone' of petit bouschet). 

The original Skinner vineyards are no longer in existence, but the new plantings by a later generation pay homage to James' Skinner's vision. 

A 5 minute drive from Whitton Ranch will bring you to Lytton Springs. Here, century+ vines planted just a short while after Whitton Ranch's 'Old Patch' went in the ground, continue to produce delectable fruit. . 

​<-- Just outside of the Ridge facility in Lytton Springs, a mixed vineyard is giving up some old secrets. A few mystery vines have recently been DNA tested, and some of the oldest pinot noir in the region (dating to 1901) grows in this vineyard. 

Though Paso Robles' wine history dates back to the late 18th Century, Prohibition cut short over a century of wine momentum. A new generation of wineries emerged with renewed strength in the 1990s, and today several producers are looking to the past to build a future.

At Tablas Creek, a deep focus on Rhone varieties has been the winery's mission. A recently-released 100% terret noir wine caught my attention. Tablas Creek orchestrated bringing the grape to the US, and it's a unique offering for both its rarity and its flavor profile. 

The Tablas Creek terret noir wine parallels the wine heritage of Paso Robles-- both experienced a surge of popularity in the late 19th century (terret noir was heavily planted in southern France in the 1850s). The ancient terret grape and the once-stalled wine region of Paso Robles both have a "new" story to tell, despite their deep ties to the past.

The first bottling of Tablas Creek terret noir was released in 2013. This 2014 Tablas Creek terret noir is their second bottling. 

The wine is delightful-- it's light and refreshing, with complex overtones of floral aromas and hints of earthiness. To contextualize it, it reminds me so much of Jura poulsard. If there were more of it, this would be a fantastic wine for restaurants, because it has that unique ability to pair with meats, vegetables, and fish-- it can unite a table of different a la carte choices. 

As you travel farther south, the oldest vineyards get younger and younger. 

The oldest living syrah in Santa Barbara County can be found at Zaca Mesa. The Black Bear Block, planted in 1978, is a testament to the local wildlife you might find wandering through the block (in addition to bobcats, cougars, and wild pigs, oh my!).  

Today, Santa Barbara Country is well known for great syrah. This vineyard helped set all that into motion with the Zaca Mesa bottlings in the early 1980s. 

​A second generation of Santa Barbara winemakers has taken root among the founders. 

One of the movers and shakers over the last few years has been Stolpman Vineyards in the Ballard Canyon AVA, an AVA established in 2013, with a deep commitment to syrah from the outset. 

The Stolpman family, along with winemaker Sashi Moorman and vineyard manager Ruben Solorzano have a unique perspective on wine. They aren't afraid to take risks or experiment, and because they push limits with vine density, yields, farming methods, and dry farming, the wines are exciting to taste. 

At Stolpman, you'll find some unique viticulture. 

This syrah vineyard is planted using the layering technique -->

It's an age-old method (possibly the oldest technique?) of propagating a vineyard. Plant material is stretched out, laid on the ground, and when new roots sprout, a new plant is established. At first, the new plant benefits from its connection to the root system of the mother plant, but over time it builds up its own strength.

Layering growth is exponential-- the first few years are slow going, but things pick up once you gain a critical mass of vines. 

As with any own-rooted vines, you risk phylloxera exposure, but ultimately, having a vineyard like this for comparison with other vineyards might answer the question: is there a quality difference in the wine between young vineyards planted by cuttings, and young vineyards planted by layering?

During the summer of 2016 I drove from LA to San Francisco to learn about Rhone varieties in California. A visit to Qupé was, of course, an important stop on the journey. 

The drive north to Qupé from Solvang was hot and dry, but after turning off the main road, signs of life sprang up. Two expanses of lettuce fields wallpapered each side of the pavement. In this area, grapes, lettuces, and berries are the bedrock of the economy.  

To get to the winery, you must drive over a cement bridge to get across the "river," which at this time was really a dry bed-- a testament to the 3 drought years prior. (But recently there has been a trickle!)

A building in the distance bustled with industry as barrels moved on the crush pad, receiving their cleaning in anticipation of the fast-approaching harvest. 

​It was almost time for lunch at the winery, a Qupé ritual. 

In 1989, Bob Lindquist (Qupé founder) and Jim Clendenen (Au Bon Climat founder) teamed up and built a joint winery. The facility is large enough for both of them, and it's segmented into different sections. Everyday, the teams of both wineries gather together, make lunch, and discuss the day. The usually taste a few wines, too, and explore their merits and faults along the way. This daily exchange and wine tasting seems a vital and invaluable exercise in cultivating the culture within this winery.  

A series of vineyards meanders through the valley, and you'll find several grape varieties including syrah. Many locals point to syrah from here as benchmark California syrah. 

The twin winery set-up is a unique one, but it works for Bob & Jim.

As a testament to their long friendship, if you look up in the winery, in the space where a transom would be,  you'll see a few photos-- one is a picture of the two from decades ago, and the other is recent picture. 

Two wineries, uniquely intertwined, helped start an incredible wine movement in the Santa Barbara area.