Sunlight into wine
Spring 2012
Spring is around the corner and our twenty-one year old
vines are finally legal! They are celebrating and getting
the tender loving care they deserve under the vigilant
eyes and hands of Sunstone’s
new rising star winemaker,
Nicholas “Nick” de Luca.
Nick is a versatile winemaker
who has gained extensive
experience working with a
number of notable wineries
and vineyards in California
and New Zealand. Having
study International Law at the
Université de Poitiers in France
and later graduating from the
Nicholas de Luca
University of California at Santa
Cruz, he fished around in New
York City for a little over a year, working as a bicycle
messenger and ambivalently drifting towards further
education in law. A mid-April snow storm that dumped a
record amount of snow upon Manhattan convinced him
to move back to California, where he serendipitously
took a job at Cline Cellars in Sonoma as a forklift driver.
Being multilingual and the only native English speaker
on the team aside from the winemakers, de Luca
instantly took on the job of translating between the
production crew and the technical staff. This offered
him the unique opportunity to learn in a practical
environment from true professionals. de Luca has
worked harvests for several wineries among them
Byington Vineyard & Winery in in the Santa Cruz
Mountains, Williams Selyem Winery in Healdsburg, CA,
Fisher Vineyards in Santa Rosa, CA, Highfield Estate in
Marlborough, New Zealand, and Cline Cellars in Sonoma,
CA. Most recently, de Luca spent seven vintages as
Director of Vineyards and Winemaking at Dierberg &
Star Lane Vineyards in Santa Ynez.
“I aim to make wines that force you to reconsider your
preconceptions about fine wine,” he says. “For me that
means crafting a wine that is inventive, distinctive, and
true to its terroir. The real trick is to never believe in your
own voodoo so much that you can’t change your mind.”
Nick is known for his attention to detail in the cellar as
well as in the vineyard. He is not only a winemaker but
also a viticulturist, and therefore spends considerable
time working with his vineyard managers to produce
fruit at a level of quality necessary for world class
wines. We are excited to have him on our team, and
welcome his dedication to organic grape growing and
environmental sustainability.
New Releases
Spring 2012
2009 Chardonnay, Lot #11, Santa Barbara County
Santa Barbara County is famous around the world for
it’s Chardonnay’s. We have been producing Chardonnays
from vineyards located in cooler areas closer to the ocean
for over a decade. Sourced entirely form the Los Alamos
Vineyard this Chardonnay was fermented and aged
entirely in stainless steel. It displays bright citrus and
exotic fruits with hints of lime zest. It’s a perfect match
with Thai cuisine like green curries, or Chinese food with
a spicy edge. 800 cases made
$24 retail | $18.00 re-orders by March 30, 2012
2007 Rapsodie du Soleil, Estate Bottled
A Côtes du Rhône style blend of 86% Syrah, 12%
Mourvedre and 2% Viognier, all grown organically on the
Sunstone Estate, this blend was aged in French oak for 36
months. shows off its lavender floral aromas, white and
Bing cherries blackberries, dried plum, cinnamon, roasted
coffee beans and licorice. Its rich characters of juicy Bing
cherry, boysenberries, cloves, black licorice, vanilla bean,
bitter chocolate, and anise flavors are constant with this
blend each vintage year. Aged in 35% New American
Oak. 724 Cases produced.
$37 retail | $27.75 re-orders by March 30, 2012
Save the Dates!
We are now accepting reservations for the following
events. For more details, or to make your reservations,
please call Membership & Events Director, Jenna Angelo
at (800) 313-9463, extention 234, or email her at Jenna@
SunstoneWinery.com.
April 21-22: Earth Day Celebration
June 22-23: Solstice Celebration
September 8: Harvest Stomp Party
Private Tasting Picnics
Our private tasting allows guests to have in-depth
educational experience with our wine specialist in a
private setting. Private tastings always include our
reserve library wines as well as our dessert wine paired
with locally made chocolate. Turn your tasting into
the ultimate picnic experience for your group! All
private tasting guests will receive 20% off of all wine
purchases as well as a Sunstone logo glass. To make
reservations, please call Hospitality Director, Eden Eglin
at (800) 313-9463, extention 242, or email her at Eden@
SunstoneWinery.com.
Member groups: $15pp / $45pp with picnic
Non-Members: $20pp/ $50pp with picnic
www.SunstoneWinery.com | (800) 313-9463
Like Sunstone @ www.Facebook.com/SunstoneWinery
Sunlight into wine
Spring 2012
Spring is around the corner and our twenty-one year old
vines are finally legal! They are celebrating and getting
the tender loving care they deserve under the vigilant
eyes and hands of Sunstone’s
new rising star winemaker,
Nicholas “Nick” de Luca.
Nick is a versatile winemaker
who has gained extensive
experience working with a
number of notable wineries
and vineyards in California
and New Zealand. Having
study International Law at the
Université de Poitiers in France
and later graduating from the
Nicholas de Luca
University of California at Santa
Cruz, he fished around in New
York City for a little over a year, working as a bicycle
messenger and ambivalently drifting towards further
education in law. A mid-April snow storm that dumped a
record amount of snow upon Manhattan convinced him
to move back to California, where he serendipitously
took a job at Cline Cellars in Sonoma as a forklift driver.
Being multilingual and the only native English speaker
on the team aside from the winemakers, de Luca
instantly took on the job of translating between the
production crew and the technical staff. This offered
him the unique opportunity to learn in a practical
environment from true professionals. de Luca has
worked harvests for several wineries among them
Byington Vineyard & Winery in in the Santa Cruz
Mountains, Williams Selyem Winery in Healdsburg, CA,
Fisher Vineyards in Santa Rosa, CA, Highfield Estate in
Marlborough, New Zealand, and Cline Cellars in Sonoma,
CA. Most recently, de Luca spent seven vintages as
Director of Vineyards and Winemaking at Dierberg &
Star Lane Vineyards in Santa Ynez.
“I aim to make wines that force you to reconsider your
preconceptions about fine wine,” he says. “For me that
means crafting a wine that is inventive, distinctive, and
true to its terroir. The real trick is to never believe in your
own voodoo so much that you can’t change your mind.”
Nick is known for his attention to detail in the cellar as
well as in the vineyard. He is not only a winemaker but
also a viticulturist, and therefore spends considerable
time working with his vineyard managers to produce
fruit at a level of quality necessary for world class
wines. We are excited to have him on our team, and
welcome his dedication to organic grape growing and
environmental sustainability.
New Releases
Spring 2012
2009 Chardonnay, Lot #11, Santa Barbara County
Santa Barbara County is famous around the world for
it’s Chardonnay’s. We have been producing Chardonnays
from vineyards located in cooler areas closer to the ocean
for over a decade. Sourced entirely form the Los Alamos
Vineyard this Chardonnay was fermented and aged
entirely in stainless steel. It displays bright citrus and
exotic fruits with hints of lime zest. It’s a perfect match
with Thai cuisine like green curries, or Chinese food with
a spicy edge. 800 cases made
$24 retail | $18.00 re-orders by March 30, 2012
2007 Rapsodie du Soleil, Estate Bottled
A Côtes du Rhône style blend of 86% Syrah, 12%
Mourvedre and 2% Viognier, all grown organically on the
Sunstone Estate, this blend was aged in French oak for 36
months. shows off its lavender floral aromas, white and
Bing cherries blackberries, dried plum, cinnamon, roasted
coffee beans and licorice. Its rich characters of juicy Bing
cherry, boysenberries, cloves, black licorice, vanilla bean,
bitter chocolate, and anise flavors are constant with this
blend each vintage year. Aged in 35% New American
Oak. 724 Cases produced.
$37 retail | $27.75 re-orders by March 30, 2012
Save the Dates!
We are now accepting reservations for the following
events. For more details, or to make your reservations,
please call Membership & Events Director, Jenna Angelo
at (800) 313-9463, extention 234, or email her at Jenna@
SunstoneWinery.com.
April 21-22: Earth Day Celebration
June 22-23: Solstice Celebration
September 8: Harvest Stomp Party
Private Tasting Picnics
Our private tasting allows guests to have in-depth
educational experience with our wine specialist in a
private setting. Private tastings always include our
reserve library wines as well as our dessert wine paired
with locally made chocolate. Turn your tasting into
the ultimate picnic experience for your group! All
private tasting guests will receive 20% off of all wine
purchases as well as a Sunstone logo glass. To make
reservations, please call Hospitality Director, Eden Eglin
at (800) 313-9463, extention 242, or email her at Eden@
SunstoneWinery.com.
Member groups: $15pp / $45pp with picnic
Non-Members: $20pp/ $50pp with picnic
www.SunstoneWinery.com | (800) 313-9463
Like Sunstone @ www.Facebook.com/SunstoneWinery