| 2009
Sauvignon Blanc, Santa Ynez Valley
|
|
 In
making this cuvée we blended our estate fruit
with the best Sauvignon Blanc grown in other vineyards
in the Los Olisos area. Crisp and dry, with floral
aromas and true varietal expression, this wine combines
cold
tank fermentation with a small portion of barrel fermentation.
This 33rd vintage celebrates our commitment to making
the best Sauvignon Blanc in California.
back to the wine list |
| 2008
Cuvée Natalie |
| 
The three grape varieties that go into our Brander
Cuvée
Natalie might make this seem like a “greatest
hits” wine from the Santa Ynez Valley. Its Riesling
is grown in Fess Parker’s Camp 4 vineyard northwest
of us, the Pinot Grigio comes from the kick on Ranch,
about halfway to Lompoc, and the Sauvignon Blanc is
grown at Mesa Verde vineyard, about five miles due
south
of Brander. It’s made totally in stainless steel
to preserve its crisp freshness, but its made in an
off-dry style, giving it a little extra body and more
than a passing resemblance to some of our favorite
wines
from Alsace. 791 cases produced.
back to the wine list
|
| 2008
Cuvée Nicolas |
|  Cinnamon
‘n’ spice, and everything nice! This blend
of 80% Santa Ynez Sauvignon Blanc with 20% Semillon
has a graceful dried fruit component on the palate,
with the scant three months spent in oak barrels prior
to bottling adding an additional layer or two of complexity.
Do NOT look to this wine for any of that New Zealand
green ‘n gooseberry flavor here; just expect a
rich, full-bodied wine with a finish that goes on and
on. It offers a lot of hedonistic decadence for the
money, and if ever there was a perfect wine to stand
up to a big bowl of mussels, this is it!
back to the wine list
|
| 2008
Sauvignon Blanc, au Naturel |
|  Produced
from hand-tended, estate-grown Sauvignon Blanc with
24 hours skin contact before being moved into stainless
steel tanks for aging. The additional time on the skins
gives the finished wine a little extra texture and also
enables it to improve in the cellar. The aromas lean
toward the citrus side, with grapefruit predominant
upon opening, but gradually shifting more toward stonefruit
as the wine evolves in the glass.
au Naturel is crisp and fresh-tasting, with
a long finish that is subtle yet intricate, the sort
of wine that keeps you coming back for another sip,
if only to figure out why it tastes so intriguingly
good.
back to
the wine list |
| 2008
Sauvignon Blanc, Purisima Mountain Vineyard |
|
 This
is a single-vineyard designated wine made from the beautiful
fruit of the Purisima Vineyard. The vineyard lies in
the rolling hills of the Ballard Canyon area, west of
the town of Los Olivos. In
making this wine we treated the juice like we do with
our Sauvignon au Naturel: skin contact for approximately
24 hours prior to pressing. Only the free run juice
is used without any fermentation or maturation in oak
in order to render the best expression and purity of
Sauvignon Blanc. Only
158 cases made.
back to
the wine lis
|
| 2008
Sauvignon Blanc, Mesa Verde Vineyard |
|  90
Points Wine & Spirits!
The third year of this single vineyard-designated
Sauvignon Blanc from the Santa Ynez Valley! The juice
is treated like our Sauvignon Blanc au Naturel, with
skin contact for approximately 24 hours prior to pressing.
Only the free run juice is used without any fermentation
or maturation in oak in order to render the best expression
and purity of Sauvignon Blanc.
back to
the wine list
|
2007
Uno Mas de Brander, Grenache Blanc/Sauvignon Blanc |
|
 The
inspiration behind this wine can be found in some of
the wines coming out of the Languedoc-Roussillon area
of France, where the orange peel aroma and full-bodied
nature of the Grenache Blanc marries well with the lime
and grapefruit scents and leaner structure of Sauvignon
Blanc.
163 cases produced.
back to
the wine list |
2008
Chardonnay |
|
 Stylistically,
what we achieved with our Santa Ynez Valley Chardonnay
is very similar to what we look for in our Sauvignon
Blanc: a wine with lots of upfront fruit that is crisp
and fresh on the finish, and above all, absolutely food
friendly. Last year’s Chardonnay was done up in
100% stainless steel, but in 2008 we threw caution to
the winds and experimented a little, letting the wine
spend about three months relaxing in some neutral French
oak barrels. We’re quite pleased with the results.
The wine shows some vibrant tropical sensations on the
nose, with green apples and a little vanilla blossom
on the palate, all rounding out with just a touch of
soft velvet texture fleshing out the finish. It’s
refreshing and delicious without straying from the Brander
style. We bottled 374 cases.
back to
the wine list
|
2007
Moscato Di Fredi |
|  I
have named some of my best wines after my twin children,
Nicolas and Natalie. I wanted to name this Moscato after
my dog, Asti. To avoid inevitable conflict, I chose
to name it after Fredi, the name given to me by my friends
during my childhood in Argentina.
This wine emulates the low alcohol, moderately sweet,
and slightly sparkling wines made from the Muscat Canelli
grape, and originating in Northern Italy.
back to
the wine list
|
| 2008
Chateau Neuf de Pink |
|  The
2008 Brander Chateau Neuf Du Pink is a delicious
Syrah-based rosé with a splash of Sauvignon Blanc
added for a little more charm and complexity. We get
the grapes from our neighbors at the Clover Creek and
Mesa Verde Vineyards down the road.
The Syrah receives 24-hour
skin contact, giving our rosé a deep strawberry
color and a playful, strawberry bubblegum nose. The
2008 bottling shows crisp mid-palate fruit, followed
by a dry, lingering finish that makes it perfect as
an aperitif or just a wonderful wine to relax with on
a warm, sunny day.
back to
the wine list |
| 2007
Syrah, Santa Ynez Valley |
|
 Each
year we bottle a small amount of Syrah that is a blend
of estate grown fruit with Syrah grown from other vineyards
in Santa Ynez Valley. This lot was matured in a combination
of French and American oak barrels and bottled 8 months
after harvest.
back to
the wine list
|
| 2007
Syrah, Colson Canyon, Santa Ynez Valley |
|  A
single vineyard designated Syrah produced with fruit
from the Colson Canyon Vineyard in Santa Maria. This
full-bodied syrah shows complex layers of black licorice,
dried cherry, white pepper and finishes with cedar box.
With firm tannins, this wine should age well for the
next 4-6 years.
back to
the wine list
|
| 2008
Cabernet Sauvignon |
|  It
used to be that Cabernet Sauvignon was excruciatingly
difficult to get right in the Santa Ynez Valley. Years
of effort have resulted in the local vineyard people
figuring out which sections of the valley offer the
ideal growing conditions for the variety and the result
is that this area is now home to some pretty credible
Cabernets. The 2008 Brander Cabernet Sauvignon is sourced
from several local vineyards, including Estelle, Viña
de Santa Ynez, Fess Parker’s Camp 4, and our own
estate vineyard here in Los Olivos. This array of vineyards
gives us plenty of material to work with in order to
make a Cabernet to please everyone’s needs. We
go for soft tannins to make it approachable in its youth
with grilled beef, but the region’s growing conditions
give the wine a foundation of invigorating acidity that
enables it to match dishes more complex than Santa Maria
style barbecue. Right now there are caramel tones on
the nose with black cherry leading the way in the mouth.
It’s a young’un, but has great potential
to evolve over the next 5-10 years in the cellar.
back to
the wine lis
|
| 2008
Merlot |
|  Merlot
has been planted in the Santa Ynez Valley for at least
thirty years, but it’s only been recently that
it’s really begun to shine. As a winemaker, it’s
gratifying to see that growers in this area have really
done their research and have selected the optimal Merlot
clones grafted them to the right rootstock combinations
and planted them in the best, most Merlot-friendly vineyard
sites in the region. Our 2008 Merlot offers ample evidence
that everything is now in sync; the wine exhibits wonderful
concentration, with cherry fruit with soft tannins achieved
from a long, cool fermentation period. Four months aging
in small French and American oak add just enough texture
to this supple wine to complement (but not mask) its
appealing regional identity. This is a wine to enjoy
over the next year or two.
back to
the wine list |
| 2007
Bouchet |
|  50%
Cabernet Franc, 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10 % Syrah
“Bouchet”
is another name the French use for Cabernet Franc in
the Bordeaux region and it felt appropriate to use it
for our estate grown, Bordeaux-style red blend. Notice
that we say “Bordeaux-style”. This cuvée
is made from 50% Cabernet Franc, 40% Cabernet Sauvignon,
and 10% Syrah. In Bordeaux you’d expect to see
Merlot or Petit Verdot as the go-to grapes to round
out the mix, but we’ve found that a dollop of
Syrah perfectly rounds out the palate and adds another
layer of unexpected complexity to the wine. We like
to think of the oak regimen as being assertive rather
than aggressive, with the mostly new French barrels
adding some seductive spice and herbal notes that meld
the Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Syrah flavors
into one of the most seamless wines produced here in
the valley. 2007 is the 24th vintage we’ve made
of this blend and for good reason, it’s become
the red we’re most recognized for. Exceedingly
drinkable on release, if you have the patience you’d
be safe in aging it for 5-10 more years under proper
cellar conditions.
back to
the wine list |
| 2006
Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve |
|
 Our
2006 Cabernet Reserve is surprisingly approachable for
such a young vintage. It has a bright (yet earthy) bouquet
with nuances of pepper, dried black cherry showing on
the front palate. This leads to an explosion of green
olives, asparagus and black currant, all wrapped up
with a smooth, silky finish. We recommend that you decant
for about an hour or so – just the right amount
of time you’ll need while preparing foie gras
or your favorite recipe for rib-eye steak au poivre.
The 2006 Brander Cabernet Reserve is enjoyable now but
will go another 5-7 years with proper cellaring.
back to
the wine list |
