A rock-solid white wine from an exceptional team, this is produced by James Ontiveros and Paul Wilkins in Santa Maria Valley. It’s not your “Kiwi” style wine from New Zealand; this pretty Santa Barbara County white has elegant, delicious notes of sweet melon nicely offset by notes of green peppers, lemon, and minerals. Stainless steel fermented and aged 17 months without oak, it’s all about purity of fruit. They recommend it with fresh ceviche tostadas, and I loved it with my chicken chile verde enchiladas. It’s a good choice for most shellfish, chicken dishes, or tofu and veggie stir-fries. Available at their Los Olivos tasting room, it’s a very good buy at $18 retail, or order it online at Altamaria.com.
This article appears in Jan 17-24, 2013.
