2009 Buttonwood Sauvignon Blanc $14.00 New Release
Our Signature Wine
Sauvignon Blanc, “savage white,” originated in Bordeaux France where it was an indigenous varietal that grew “wild”.  Semillon is another white Bordeaux grape known for its superb blending characteristics. It is a thin-skinned, low-acid grape that lends textural viscosity to our blend without overpowering the aromatics or flavors of Sauvignon Blanc. In our vineyard, Wente Clone 1 Sauvignon Blanc grows in our two largest blocks, both west-east facing, and reach deep into the ancient riverbed soils on their own roots.  The warm and sunny days ripen the Sauvignon Blanc grapes past typical “grassy” flavors to those with citrus and tropical notes.

The Vintage
2009 was the third drought year in a row and although frost was not a problem in 2009, the vines were still recovering from the hardship of 2008 frosts so produced a smaller than anticipated crop.  The upside is that because clusters were small and berries petite, they produced juice with beautifully concentrated flavors.  We picked earlier than in previous years with a superb balance of sugars (24.6 brix), pH (3.22) and acids (.64 g/100ml).  The grapes were harvested by hand, from September 23-25.

Winemaking
As the grapes were hand harvested, they were whole cluster pressed to large stainless steel tanks where they were inoculated with VL3 yeast and set at a cool 59° to retain the esters during fermentation.  Almost three weeks later temperatures were reduced even further to inhibit malolactic fermentation.  Meanwhile, the Semillon was handpicked on October 7, whole cluster pressed to a tank and inoculated with the same VL3 yeast. Upon dryness, it was moved to French oak barrels, about 15% of which were new, and allowed to go through as much malolactic fermentation as it wished. The two were blended then fined with bentonite to remove proteins, chilled to remove tartrates, filtered, and bottled April 19-22 of 2010.

Tasting Notes
Our signature blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon is our flagship wine for a good reason.  This classic combination of 88% Sauvignon Blanc and 12% Semillon offers both sassiness and creaminess in one package that brings sensory pleasure with wide-ranging appeal.  A light, green-gold color with clear edges announces that this is a crisp, zesty wine. Indeed, notes of lemon-lime with a hint of grapefruit zest tease the nose followed by a lively acidity that dances across the palate, delivering more citrusy notes of Meyer lemon, key lime and a tinge of passionfruit. Then, creamy, toasty notes from Semillon rein in the raciness of the Sauvignon Blanc and bring roundness to the palate.  It finishes with a refreshing crispness that makes this the perfect partner for seafood. Pair it with crab cakes studded with red bells, green onion, capers, and lemon zest.                                                                                                                                                                                   1714 cases bottled

2009 Buttonwood Sauvignon Blanc "Zingy" $18.00 Gold Medal
The grapes for our 2009 Zingy came from two blocks, both of which are Sauvignon Blanc grafted onto Merlot and Cabernet rootstock.  Block 5 is a north-south facing 1-acre block and Block 1 marches east-west and borders our pond and the back road into the winery.  Although it is one of the great mysteries of winegrowing as to why they taste different than the big blocks of Sauvignon Blanc, these two blocks mature earlier, produce smaller clusters and berries with fewer clusters per vine.  As with all the Sauvignon Blanc at Buttonwood Farm, these two blocks are Clone 1 Sauvignon Blanc, also known as the Wente clone, which originated at Chateau d’Yquem in Bordeaux.
The Vintage
2009 was characterized by sparse rains in the early part of the growing season (3rd “drought” year in a row). Armando and his crew did an excellent job of pruning, leafing and shoot positioning, and the vineyard had a well-manicured look as we headed into the summer months.  A prolonged heat spell occurred in late August (triple digits for almost a week) which resulted in some crop reduction.
Winemaking
The grapes were harvested by hand and field sorted on September 23rd and 25th (pH: 3.22, Total Acids: .65g/100ml). We whole cluster pressed about 3 tons at a time to chilled stainless steel tanks.  After settling for two days, we racked the juice and inoculated with VL2 yeast, which is particularly suited for aromatic Sauvignon Blanc. Fermentation temperatures were kept under 60° to preserve the beautiful perfume of the juice. Malolactic fermentation was inhibited. Before bottling the wine was bentonite fined and chilled to 30° for 10 days to allow proteins and tartaric crystals to precipitate in the tank. It was filtered and bottled in January of 2010.
Tasting Notes
2009 Zingy displays a light gold-green hue with beautiful clarity.  A swirl produces the astounding aromatics for which Zingy has become known – lemon-lime, citrus blossom, and hints of guava. On the palate the wine is not only zingy, but zesty with a crisp acidity balancing lush flavors of kiwi, grapefruit and just-ripe stone fruit.  More tropical than grassy, 2009 Sauvignon Blanc, Zingy has a clean and refreshing finish.  Serve nicely chilled with halibut ceviche marinated in lime juice with avocado, tomato, lime zest and plenty of cilantro. 

435 cases produced.

2009 Buttonwood Syrah Rose' $16.00 New Release
Syrah in the VineyardPerhaps this is where our commitment to making a traditionally serious rosé is most prevalent. The southern edge of our east-west facing block 3 is dedicated to growing Syrah just for rosé.  It is farmed so that we can pick it early in the season, at lower sugars but with the bright and fresh berry flavors that we seek in the wine.  During the growing season, the vines are meticulously tucked into the vertical trellis and the canopy is opened up by early leaf-pulling to expose the fruit zone. As the Syrah is also on its own roots, our belief is that our rosé carries nuances of the soil and the vineyard.

The Vintage
The 2009 growing season and was almost leisurely from a growing and harvest point of view.  A mild springtime resulted in timely bud-break and grape set, with few weather related issues during those critical periods.  August, however, threw a curve at us with record high temperatures over a 5 day period, which
hastened ripening and resulted in some dehydration and raisining on the "sun side" of the canopy.  These clusters were removed in the vineyard to keep the flavor profile and lower sugars desired, and  5.25 tons of Syrah was harvested on October 7, 2009 - one of the first picks of the vintage.

Winemaking Notes
We de-stemmed about 20% of the Syrah into a small bin where it was foot-stomped 2-3 times per day to gently break open the skins and extract color and tannins to the juice.  After about 24 hours, the balance of the harvested Syrah and the foot stomped portion was put into our bladder press, where it was lightly pressed for 20 minutes.  The press was completely sealed, where the juice remained on the skins overnight. The next morning, the entire lot was pressed to a cold stainless steel tank, racked off solids and inoculated with Rosé yeast.  The fermentation was long and cold - no more than 59° - for a seventeen day period. When dry, malolactic fermentation was inhibited, the wine chilled down to very cold temperatures to remove tartrates, filtered and bottled on January 27, 2010.

Tasting Notes
As usual, the Buttonwood Rosé is darkly hued, closer to light red than pink. The aromatics are truly bouquet-like, with hints of citrus, rose petal, cinnamon stick and wild strawberries. A first sip reveals strong notes of strawberry preserve and fresh raspberries that linger and are joined by layers of pomegranate tartness and minerality from the vineyard's ancient alluvial soils that shines through all of our wines.  There are little bursts of flavor as the wine refreshes the palate - hints of white peach and a bit of hibiscus tea.  Perfectly dry and seriously made, but still a wine to be enjoyed rather than analyzed – try it with gazpacho with shrimp.

297 cases produced

2007 Buttonwood Merlot $22.00 Gold Medal
The Vintage
2007 is being hailed as "the vintage of the decade" and indeed it was a peaceful, even and picture perfect growing season. A cold winter delayed bud break and flowering a few weeks, alleviating the threat of frost to young shoots.  The moderate temperatures throughout the summer provided extended time on the vines, producing grapes of superb concentration and intensity as well as lively acidity.
Winemaking Notes
The Merlot was picked on October 29th and 30th (24.8 brix,3.58pH,.66gms/100ml TA), and de-stemmed before fermentation.   A few tons were placed into open top fermenters where they were punched down by hand twice a day, and the balance of the fruit placed into a tank where it was pumped over twice each day.  This experiment was designed to see how to best extract flavor and color and tame tannins in the wine. We discovered that our Merlot likes a lot of oxygen during fermentation and extended maceration so tanks and pumpovers are the way to go!  Once primary fermentation was complete, the new wine was racked into a combination of barriques (60 gallon barrels) and puncheons (92 Gallon barrels), 20% of which were new.  Again, lots of experimentation, but we have found that the barrel tannins work with the skin tannins to produce softer and more elegant textures in the finished wines.  The Merlot was racked only once during its eighteen months in barrel and then bottled with no fining and light filtration on July 1, 2009.
Tasting Notes
This is one intense Merlot, and as with all Buttonwood reds will continue to evolve and improve with cellaring.  The dark garnet color foretells of the depth and intensity of the wine, which produces plum and cedar aromas with a first swirl, and then produces black cherry and redcurrant notes with time in the glass.  Cocoa flavors and texture are prominent on the palate, along with dried blueberry and black cherry, tobacco leaf and hints of cassis, thyme and sage.  The dusty tannins linger on the finish, mingling with more plum and earthy, gravelly notes characteristic of these estate old vines.  Try it with a garlic and rosemary rubbed rack of lamb, smoked over low heat and served with goat cheese mashed potatoes.                            

420 cases produced.

2008 Buttonwood Marsanne $22.00
Marsanne is one of two Rhone varieties grown among a bevy of Bordeaux grapes in the Buttonwood Farm vineyard. While interest in all of the Rhone varieties is increasing and Santa Barbara County has blazed the trail in production of wines produced from these remarkable grapes, Buttonwood remains one of the few California wineries to procuce this unique white wine. Buttonwood 2008 Marsanne is a delicate beauty. Subtle flavors of honey, pear and spice tease the taste buds while the light body an pleasantly tart finish make it a fine accompaniment with many first course dishes.

Serve Marsanne with butternut squash soup drizzled with cream and sprinkled with cumin.

238 cases produced.

2007 Devin $24.00 Gold Medal
Devin is our white blend of two Bordeaux varieties (deux vin!) grown here in the Buttonwood estate vineyard. With 58% Sauvignon Blanc and 42% Semillon, Devin is barrel aged to impart a stately elegance to this traditional French blend. A light flaxen color invites a swirl which unleashes subtle notes of toasted vanilla and coconut. A sip reveals the creamy texture of the wine, which is silky and round scored with white grapefruit nuances and zestiness from the Sauvignon Blanc. The finish hints of fig and hazelnut.

Buttonwood 2007 Devin is divine paired with rich and creamy textured food such as cream of leek and potato soup or chicken with a creamy Dijon mustard sauce.

287 cases produced.

2007 Buttonwood Cabernet Franc $22.00 Gold Medal
The southeastern corner of the vineyard is home to our 3.41 acres of Cabernet Franc. The land in this corner dips into a swale that heads down into a canyon and puts Cabernet Franc at risk for frost both in the spring and fall.  Despite its location, Franc grows well in our vineyard producing wines with flavors of spice and bright red fruit and aromas of violets and forest floor. This first "grape to glass" release of Cabernet Franc from our winemaking team is a barrel selection of the best in the cellar.
The Vintage
2007 is being hailed as "the vintage of the decade" and indeed it was a peaceful, even and picture perfect growing season. A cold winter delayed bud break and flowering a few weeks, alleviating the threat of frost to young shoots.  The moderate temperatures throughout the summer provided extended time on the vines, producing grapes of superb concentration and intensity as well as lively acidity. We harvested the 2007 Cabernet Franc on Halloween - definitely a treat!
Winemaking
After an early morning harvest, the grapes were de-stemmedand allowed a few days of cold soaking prior to inoculation with GRE yeast. This process extracts color, spicy flavor and tannins from the skins before fermentation, which occurred over a three week period.  Before Thanksgiving, the free run wine was moved into barrel and the skins pressed to tank before barreling.  We used 20% new French Oak, mostly from the Belair cooperage.  In December 2008, we tasted each barrel, selecting the most outstanding which were then racked off their lees and returned to barrel.  In June of 2009, each was tasted again, with twelve barrels chosen for this bottling.  This selection was blended and put back in barrel to "marry" flavors until November of 2009.  It was lightly filtered before bottling on December 17, 2009.
Tasting Notes
The deep, dark maroon color of this wine is astounding.  A bouquet of mocha and violets mingles with plum and hints of raspberry. A smooth texture with subtle dusty tannins play with dried blueberry, currant and earthy flavors layered with spice.  The experience resolves with sweet oak vanillin and lingering chocolate covered cherry notes.  Cabernet Franc is a food friendly wine that will continue to improve with cellaring for the next 5 to 7 years.  Pair it with grilled food such as pork ribs rubbed with sea salt, pepper, garlic, oregano and smoked paprika.

261 cases produced.

2006 Buttonwood Cabernet Sauvignon $24.00
With our first harvest of Cabernet Sauvignon in 1989, we immediately recognized the potential of our vineyard to produce grapes that reflect all the best qualities of this varietal.  Since then, the combination of our vineyard location, soil type, and vineyard management techniques have produced marvelous fruit from we have created luscious Bordeaux style wines. The 2006 growing season was long and cool, creating ideal “hang time” conditions for grapes in the Buttonwood vineyard.  This small harvest of cabernet sauvignon fermented for two and a half weeks before going in to 60 and 90 gallon French oak barrels for 20 months of aging.  Not only does this wine evoke splendid aromas of cola and dark cherry, it delivers flavors of pomegranate, and dusty plum tinged with tobacco and cedar held together on a framework of velvety tannin.                     

Try Buttonwood 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon with lamb chops rubbed with minced garlic and rosemary then grilled over red oak.

300 cases produced.

2003 Buttonwood Trevin $30.00
Trevin is the proprietary name for our classic Bordeaux-style blend and represents the quintessence of our vineyard. Each year, select barrels of Trevin's three components are set aside as we blend and bottle our varietal red wines. These special barrels are then blended together and returned to one year old Franch oak barrels for an additional year of aging. This extra year of aging gives Trevin extra grace, suppleness, and richness.

The flavors of the 2003 vintage are an intricate blend of the three component wines offering the forward fruit of Merlot, the spiciness of Cabernet Franc and the backbone and base notes of Cabernet Sauvignon. As with all of our red wines, Trevin is a great food wine and will continue to age gracefully for years to come.

Treat yourself to a bottle of Trevin served with prime rib with creamed horseradish and Yorkshire pudding.

370 cases produced.

2007 Buttonwood Syrah $22.00
We have two fields of Syrah in our vineyard.  One is dedicated exclusively to Rosé production and one to producing this devilishly spicy full red Syrah.  The field for this Syrah is located on the westernmost edge of the vineyard where it receives the brunt of the ocean breezes that blow our way each afternoon. That might be the reason Syrah hung on the vine without ripening throughout the entire month of October.
Vintage
2007 was one of those gorgeous vintages, but with a few twists of Mother Nature to keep things interesting!  A mild October kept grapes “on hold” but then we had a short but forceful heat wave and boom – the grapes became almost too ripe!  We harvested Syrah (26 brix, 3.63pH, .51gms/ml TA) on Halloween 2007 – a nice treat.
Winemaking
Our winery was already full at the time, so we de-stemmed the Syrah grapes into 1.5Ton open top fermenters.  These “boxes” are 4x4x4 and required us to punch down each by hand twice each day – not only building muscles for us, but allowing some of the alcohol from the elevated sugars to blow off. It was a lively fermentation with super-active yeast gobbling up the sugar and moving to dryness in record time. The wine was racked to barrel, 20% of which were new Eastern European oak barrels. After the wine completed malolactic fermentation it was racked once, then lightly filtered and bottled in May of 2009
Tasting Notes
Look how dark this wine is!  Its beautiful garnet hues foretell the wine’s deep and complex nature.  On the nose, dried raspberry notes leap from the glass, along with toasty cedar and a spicy under layer.  Notes of lavender lurk in the bouquet, which is mirrored on the palate and joined by flavors of blackberry and red plum.  Nicely balanced, the finish reminds of dark chocolate covered cherries.  Syrah romances garlic so try this with your favorite marinara served with meatballs over linguini and topped with shaved Grana Padano. 

262 cases produced.

2005 BW 1.5L $75.00
To celebrate her arrival as Buttonwood's winemaker, Karen Steinwachs created this rich, complex wine as a tribute to Buttonwood founder Betty Williams. "BW" blends the best from the four red varietals from the vineyard into a wine of strength and elegance, just like its namesake. Available only in 1.5L Magnum.

Serve BW with Roast Beef and Yorkshire Pudding.

143 bottles produced.

2009 Summer Revelry $72.00/case (available only in the tasting room)
Chill down this Semillon/Marsanne blend and beat the summer heat! It's soft, it's creamy and it's easy on the pocketbook. We think it's just right for summer.

Serve Summer Revelry with all your summer favorites- reading, swimming, working on your tan.

200 cases produced.

2006 Hawk Red $14.00
Labeled with an image from the brush of artist and Buttonwood partner Seyburn Zorthian, Hawk Red is named for one of the "natural partners" that populate the Buttonwood Farm Vineyard. As harvest draws near, hawks can be seen circling high above the vineyard, performing the essential service of discouraging grape-eating linnets and starlings from ravaging the vines. The mighty hawks of harvest are an awesome sight to behold and we are proud to count them among our fellow inhabitants here at Buttonwood.

Enjoy this everyday table wine with a variety of food from simple stews to fancy roasts.

724 cases produced.