Wine
- Pure & Simple
Eiven
during his childhood, wine was a part of Drake Whitcraft's
life. He was still in elementary school the first time he helped
out in the cellar of his parents' winery. Even at that young
age, Drake was often asking questions about why things tasted
different and exploring his vivid curiosity about the whole
winemaking process. During harvests, little Drake got his friends
involved, too. They would come over and help stomp grapes, which
was a good time for all. Then while his father, Chris Whitcraft,
worked in the winery, transforming the grapes into wine, he
would explain what he was doing and why he was doing it. "After
fifteen years of hearing it, stuff just sank in," Drake
explains. Now, he has taken on the winemaking duties from his
father, but Drake has never veered from the truly natural methods
that make Whitcraft Winery so unique.
The
Whitcraft wine making philosophy comes from
family friend and wine legend, Burt Williams. It's a simple
one, but it gets right to the heart of the process. As Burt
used to say about making wine, "you put it in the barrel
and you don't f%#k with it." While the phrasing may be
colorful, the idea behind it is one Drake puts great value in.
"Probably 95% of wineries use enzymes or other additives
in their wine. I've never bought into it." Drake believes
in the quality of mother nature and doesn't see a reason to
try and manipulate what she already has to offer. In fact, at
Whitcraft, their minimalist philosophy is such that the only
things in a bottle of their wine are grapes, sulfur, and yeast.
It's in the same spirit that Drake has been pushing for a wine
ingredient label to be on bottles. For instants, "when
I tell people that our wines are among those which are vegan,
they're surprised because they assume all wines are. They don't
realize a lot of wines actually aren't vegan," Drake points
out. Much of what they do at Whitcraft is about
demystifying wine.
New
technology and innovations have given winemakers a lot of tools
and options for exerting more control over the wine making process.
"I think people are afraid of variation in their wines,
but I think variation is the heart and soul of wine." From
a sales standpoint, nowadays, being able to deliver consistently
similar wines vintage after vintage is often helpful. But it's
not how things used to be. Drake remembers wine drinkers being
a bit more engaged when he was a boy. He recalls people at tastings
bringing note pads, being more willing to explore different
wines and finding out what they liked for themselves. Now, people
rely so much on scores when making purchases, and when they
go tasting, the goal is often more about having fun then to
discover new wines. So long as the market place supports uniformity
or expects consistency in wines from year to year, plenty of
winemakers will continue to manipulate their wines with various
additives in an effort to minimize variation. Drake hopes it
is a phase the industry moves out of over time.
Drake
sees himself as more like a shepherd of the wine, than its maker.
He wants the wine to be an expression of what nature delivered
rather than something he's put his footprint all over. A good
friend of the family, that's "really into manipulating
wine, jokes with me that I'm not a real winemaker," Drake
chuckles. It's a title Drake is happy to forgo. For him, delivering
a pure, natural wine is far more important than his offerings
tasting consistently the same from vintage to vintage. Drake's
thinking may just be a little further along than many people
in the world of wine, but there is plenty of reason to think
that they'll catch on.
Click
the links to read reviews of Drake's Chardonnay,
Syrah,
Melville
Pinot Noir and his Aubaine
Pinot Noir.
Whitcraft
Winery Label Reviews
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Whitcraft
2009 Kick on Vineyard Chardonnay
Grape(s):
Chardonnay
Winery: Whitcraft
Region: Santa Barbara
Year: 2009
Special Designation: Kick on Vineyard
Price: 25-30
Review:
On the nose, aromas of tropical fruit and a bit of creamy
oak can be found. The palate offers flavors of pineapple,
guava, and a hint of citrus, complicated by hints of vanilla
and oak at the finish. A Chardonnay with a fairly creamy,
full mouthfeel and restraint acidity, try a bottle if
you like a harmonious balance of vanilla and fruit.
Rating: 89
Character: lush fruit,
restraint acidity, supple mouthfeel
Farming Certification: (none) |
|
Whitcraft
2007 Clover Creek Syrah
Grape(s):
Syrah
Winery: Whitcraft
Region: Santa Barbara
Year: 2007
Special Designation: Clover Creek
Price: 25-30
Review:
Alluring aromas of cherries, blackberries, blueberries,
and chocolate greet you on the nose. A sip reveals flavors
of cherry and blackberry, accented by spices, cocoa, and
smokey, woodsy notes. A wine possessing nice acidity and
good structure, which make it very food friendly, try
a bottle if you like rich fruit with lively spice.
Rating: 88
Character: red fruit,
light tannins, supple mouthfeel
Farming Certification: (none) |
|
Whitcraft
2007 Melville Vineyard Pinot Noir
Grape(s):
Pinot Noir
Winery: Whitcraft
Region: Santa Barbara
Year: 2007
Special Designation: Melville Vineyard
Price: 40-45
Review:
Bright aromas of cherries and raspberries, along with
hints of chocolate and dusty earth can be discover on
the nose. A sip reveals lively red berry flavors, accented
by white pepper and a bit of earth. A nice and bright
wine, with a food friendly acidity, it's a bottle for
fans of dynamic Pinots.
Rating: 90
Character: light fruit,
bright mouthfeel, light tannins
Farming Certification: (none) |
|
Whitcraft
2008 Aubaine Vineyard Pinot Noir
Grape(s):
Pinot Noir
Winery: Whitcraft
Region: Santa Barbara
Year: 2008
Special Designation: Aubaine Vineyard
Price: 55-60
Review:
Rich aromas of black cherries and boysenberries are accented
by wet earth, spice, and cola on the nose. Flavors of
cranberries and boysenberries come to life on the palate,
along with suggestions of dusty earth, cola, and a bit
of pepper. A bright, lively, layered wine that's great
with food, try a bottle if you like Pinot which has some
pizazz.
Rating: 90
Character: light fruit,
light tannins, bright mouthfeel
Farming Certification: (none) |
96
— 100 |
Spectacular |
92
— 95 |
Outstanding |
89
— 91 |
Great |
85
— 88 |
Good |
81
— 84 |
Solid |
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By
Jason Barlow
www.whitcraftwinery.com
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