Uni White 2023

Stolpman’s Hedonistic “Wow” Factor
Roussanne might be the richest, most decadent white grape in the world of wine.  Ripe fruit intensity, and a coating, thick mid-palate deliver a hedonistic “wow” factor not often found in white wines.  
Because Roussanne spends months ripening on the vine, slowly developing its signature flavor concentration, the tart acidity of the grape often dwindles by harvest time.  At Stolpman, we decided zesty Chardonnay would be the perfect blending complement.  The Chardonnay lends a structured back-bone that refreshes the palate once the Roussanne’s up-front wave of flavor ebbs.
Like Santa Barbara’s most famous delicacy, urchin harvested off our Channel Islands, the Uni white wine combines decadent richness with delicate precision.  We originally created Uni in 2016 as an exclusive for the Uchi Sushi Group out of Austin, Texas.  Word quickly got out about the wine, with the help of SommTV’s promotion of Uni alongside the release of the Delicacy film.  Today, Uni can be enjoyed throughout the US, Japan, and Europe.
Healthy late season rains pushed back bud-break and the growing season by 3-4 weeks.  We escaped the summer without any extreme heat events that would have accelerated ripening.  Slow, even ripening led into a strategic, well-spaced harvest in which Chardonnay hit ideal high-acid ripeness in late September, and not atypically, we picked the Roussanne November 8-10.
Despite the minority share of Roussanne, the grape shows itself dominantly in the dark golden hue of the blend.  On the nose, the Roussanne’s deep concentration continues its march of honey suckle and golden pineapple.   The Chardonnay comes through with an appealing, joyful brightness on the palate.   The two marry into yellow mango flesh.  Coating gourmet smoothie texture already envelopes any note of oak toast.  Pear and apple through to kumquat on the finish.