Taut blue and red plums spin seamlessly into high-toned, fiery red brightness. A winning combination of freshness and ripe depth.
2019 marked the second vintage in a row without harvest-time heat spikes. Facial expressions around the team conveyed our shared thoughts and feelings without saying a word - a certain giddiness that we had a shot at replaying 2018 armed with that year of heat-free experience. And, the acids were hanging even higher and fresher than 2018.
We’ve settled into a rhythm with Para Maria: 40% earlier picked whole-cluster, whole-grape “carbonic” fermented Syrah for brightness and freshness, 40% de-stemmed crushed traditional Syrah for a dense core, and 20% de-stemmed Petite Verdot for a depth and cushion.
Maria Solorzano, this wine’s namesake, appears shy around visitors and she is always quick to smile. For anyone that sees her in action, it is clear that she leads by the example of her hard-work. Most comfortable in her routine of perpetual motion out on the vineyard – Maria runs perhaps the hardest working, most passionate vineyard crew in the world. On a daily basis, she teaches La Cuadrilla new techniques to execute a constant barrage of experiments – often adapting on the fly – figuring out practical ways of farming ridiculously high-density vineyards by hand or training canopies for ideal shading and wind-flow.
Label Art: The nickname for villagers from Santa Cruz, Jalisco; Maria’s hometown, is “Tecolote” – or night owl. The name stems from the popular late night parties thrown in the town. Maria and La Cuadrilla also turn nocturnal for three months out of the year to harvest in the cold night air for maximum freshness. A resident female Great Horned Owl is the most prolific rodent control beast on the vineyard. The Para Maria Brand is a 50-50 partnership between the Stolpman and Solorzano families.
Specs
Vintage: 2019
Varietal: 80% Syrah, 20% Petite Verdot
Appellation: Santa Barbara County
Vineyard: Sourced from vineyards under Ruben Solorzano’s control
Vatting & Fermentation: All stainless steel tanks, sealed for Carbonic, open-topped for crushed fermentation
Cooperage: 100% neutral oak barrels for 9 months
Harvest Date: October 2019
Release Date: October 2000
Alcohol: 14.1%
Production: 3800 cases
Included in the Box
6-bottles:
6x 2019 Para Maria Red Blend, Santa Barbara County
Case:
12x 2019 Para Maria Red Blend, Santa Barbara County
Owners: Tom & Marilyn Stolpman and Pete & Jessica Stolpman
Founded: 1990
Location: Los Olivos, California
Over 20 years ago, our Founding Partner, Tom Stolpman, discovered what we believe to be one of the greatest viticultural sites on earth. Hidden in the hills of California’s Central Coast, on a rare Limestone outcropping & unobstructed from the Pacific Ocean wind, this unique land is naturally suited to grow Syrah and Roussanne grapes. We are committed to preserving this natural environment for our vines through conscious farming, dry farming, & sustainable employment. In the winery, we prefer native fermentation & minimal manipulation.
Dedicated to sensible farming & winemaking, we believe that we can create vibrant, site-specific wines, with a focus unique to Ballard Canyon AVA, California.
Available States
AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, GA, ID, IL, IA, KS, LA, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MO, MT, NV, NH, NJ, NM, NY, NC, ND, OH, OR, PA, SC, TN, TX, VA, WA, WI, WY
@pseudogourmet98 I have no willpower anymore when comes to giving these kinds of purchases their due of cellar time. I look at 'em, consider the price, pop the cork.
94 Points. Editors’ Choice. This extremely affordable blend of 80% Syrah and 20% Petit Verdot always impresses. Expertly captured aromas of berry juice, pepper and thyme are savory yet soft on the nose. The palate is tense in structure but ripe in fleshy dark-red-fruit flavors, all elevated by cracked pepper and lavender touches. MK 3/1/21
I’m doing a cut and paste job from my email due to work firewalls… Forgive the punctuation/spellings:
This wine was a beautiful dark blackberry color, it kinda glows with a purple halo at the top of the glass. I received it late yesterday evening and immediately opened it and poured a glass to let it breathe. An early sip was too much fume and alcohol…no real flavor, but after I let it sit for awhile the wine had a rich slightly sweet flavor that hints of fruit, but I can’t quite wrap my head around what flavor. Its pleasant for a red wine, I don’t drink much in reds but I wouldn’t turn it down if offered for dinner. I found it had a hint of sweet that moved quickly to a dry full bodied taste that I enjoyed. This arrived after I’d eaten dinner so no food pairing happened. I’ll try it again tonight and see how I feel.
@jfuruno I thought about it but I think I’ve bought 5-6 cases in the last month… though I did find out that we’re limited to two cases per resident in Oregon. Only found that out when one I really wanted got canceled. Key word being per resident.
How are you like that Santa Rosa btw? I think I’ve only tried one bottle.
Well, so this is a first – writing a Lab Rat report AFTER the offering has been posted. For whatever reason, UPS delivered my bottle to review at approximately 5:00 PM today – 17 hours after the posting. And to compound matters, it was an unseasonably warm day here in central North Carolina, and the bottle made an all-day trip around the countryside, making for quite the undesirable temperature upon delivery.
So for those at this late hour who are still undecided about this one, I’ll offer my findings and perspective.
Due to the temperature and rough ride, we had to let it rest a couple of hours, but poured off two sample glasses to give it more time to breathe and reach room temperature slowly, without use of refrigerator or cooler.
Color:
As you can see, it’s a dark, dense, hefty red – about as dark as you can go before “inky”. Fantastic legs, slowly working down the glass. Nice body, impressive visuals in the glass.
First nose: not too much fruit, some black cherry and plum. I do get a bit of alcohol heat, but not overpowering. I catch tobacco, fresh leather, some minerality/earth as well, but not to the extent of a Bordeaux or Burgundy. It strikes a nice balance.
First palate: The balance of flavors continues – definitely not a fruit bomb, and almost not enough fruit, especially for a Syrah, and for as young as it is. I’d attribute this to the neutral oak barrels – it has let the wine speak for itself, which seems a bit risky in forgoing what a 2-3 year aging period in French or American Oak can bring, but they pulled it off well. Definitely more on the acidic side.
After about 3 hours to settle, I sense a little more of the fruit flavors present, but still not predominant. More plum than cherry, maybe a little blueberry in there as well. The alcoholic heat is reduced to a degree; acidic finish is still present, but muted. More spice is making its way onto the palate – hard for me to pinpoint, but maybe nutmeg, clove – but in balance with the other flavor profiles.
It would have been helpful to have this rest overnight to see what an overnight rest and aeration would do, but I know my fellow Casemates are anxious for a peek into the bottle! It certainly is a great QPR, and for those desiring a complex, balanced, hefty Syrah, this is your huckleberry (THAT’S the missing fruit!!)
Ok, I’ll get some arrows pointed at me for this. Because I’m not comparing apples to apples. But I can handle it. Combining the rat comments with this being a 2019, the back of my little brain said this sounded kind of like a young baby Lillian. And Lillian buys/bought Stolpman fruit. And Stolpman isn’t Lillian and vice versa so another useless observation.
How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: Tax & Shipping not included in savings calculations)
2019 Stolpman Para Maria Red Blend - $15 = 9.37%
A really nice QPR. Lots of violet and lavender on the nose.
By the time time I received the ‘shipped’ notice, the wine had been received and in the cellar for a few days.
Okay so I bought this April 7th and have kept it in temperature control since I received it. Opened a bottle tonight and immediately dumped it out into a decanter and let it sit as I’ve read most of you wine loving folks do. I am not much of a wine guy, so I thought maybe my perspective would be ok to share. Poured some in a stemless wine glass and swirled it around as I see people do, and took a big sniff. The aroma had very strong notes of…wine. Most red wines remind me of church wine and that time that father o’flanagan asked me to stay after Sunday school and “test” the Jesus Juice…but I digress. Seriously, I don’t know how y’all can pinpoint tastes of plum and berries and currant, much less tobacco and mushrooms. Either I’ve been jipped and got unsensational taste buds or you are a bunch of liars! Now I can tell the difference between a wine like Mad Dog 20/20 and one that is decent. This one is definitely decent. There’s a bit of a zing after swallowing and after each sip I almost immediately want another. Unfortunately red wine in general gives me heartburn, though every now and then I find one that doesn’t. I was hoping this one wouldn’t but it does. I feel it almost immediately which means if I continue to drink it, I wont be getting any sleep tonight… might be the case anyway now that I’ve been reminded of that day with father o’flanagan…
@mattig88
When I first started drinking dry red wines, all I noticed was alcohol, oak and tannins. And I didn’t care much for the oak or tannins. Over time and continued attempts to drink red wines, I found a few that I liked which motivated me to keep trying more wines. Pairing the wine with food helped as well.
Just as the enjoyment of dry red wines is an acquired taste (for most), being able to pinpoint and describe the flavors, smells and nuances of wine takes even more time. One of the things that helped me was to read other people’s tasting notes and look for what they described. Perhaps it is just the power of suggestion but if someone says “raspberry”, chances are I will taste it as well. It makes sense if you think about it. Given no suggestions, the potential smells and flavors are infinite. If someone says “cherry”, now you have something specific to look for. You might even find that you can expand on it, perhaps it is more like a black cherry or a Bing cherry.
As an aside, I take Prilosec everyday or I would not only get heartburn from red wine but just about everything else as well.
@chipgreen@mattig88 I also take a PepcidAC thanks to a family history of GERD. Does help, maybe the Two Jakes Roman Reserve would be a good offering to try if it floats by again…
2019 Para Maria Red Blend, Santa Barbara County
94 points ~ Wine Enthusiast
Tasting Notes
Specs
Included in the Box
6-bottles:
Case:
Price Comparison
$237.60/Case at Stolpman Estate for 12x 2019 Para Maria Red Blend, Santa Barbara County
About The Winery
Available States
AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, GA, ID, IL, IA, KS, LA, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MO, MT, NV, NH, NJ, NM, NY, NC, ND, OH, OR, PA, SC, TN, TX, VA, WA, WI, WY
Estimated Delivery
Monday, May 3
Stolpman Para Maria Red Blend
6 bottles for $79.99 $13.33/bottle + $1.33/bottle shipping
Case of 12 for $144.99 $12.08/bottle + $1/bottle shipping
2019 Stolpman Para Maria Red Blend
Looks interesting.
@CorTot I agree. Looking forward to the rats, but this sounds tasty and price looks good.
Love Syrah and Syrah blends. Hoping for rats on this, but dang, 2019 is such a baby (premie?)
@pseudogourmet98 I have no willpower anymore when comes to giving these kinds of purchases their due of cellar time. I look at 'em, consider the price, pop the cork.
@pseudogourmet98 I wonder if the partial carbonic might make this more approachable in its youth
@CruelMelody @pseudogourmet98 not sure if I’d want to use that for a colonic.
Oh, never mind, you said carbonic!
@pmarin @pseudogourmet98 I would rather use a cheap vodka for that
@CruelMelody @pmarin @pseudogourmet98 Sounds like a YouTube challenge . . .
I like owls, in for 6
That Enthusiast review:
94 Points. Editors’ Choice. This extremely affordable blend of 80% Syrah and 20% Petit Verdot always impresses. Expertly captured aromas of berry juice, pepper and thyme are savory yet soft on the nose. The palate is tense in structure but ripe in fleshy dark-red-fruit flavors, all elevated by cracked pepper and lavender touches. MK 3/1/21
https://www.winemag.com/buying-guide/stolpman-2019-para-maria-de-los-tecolotes-red-santa-barbara-county/
fwiw
I see Stolpman, I click yes-please.
@KingKoopa i’m enjoying working with Peter.
/giphy tactful-plastic-okra
@ttboy23, I’m sure you’re not surprised.
@jrbw3 love it, I almost bought it first
I’m doing a cut and paste job from my email due to work firewalls… Forgive the punctuation/spellings:
This wine was a beautiful dark blackberry color, it kinda glows with a purple halo at the top of the glass. I received it late yesterday evening and immediately opened it and poured a glass to let it breathe. An early sip was too much fume and alcohol…no real flavor, but after I let it sit for awhile the wine had a rich slightly sweet flavor that hints of fruit, but I can’t quite wrap my head around what flavor. Its pleasant for a red wine, I don’t drink much in reds but I wouldn’t turn it down if offered for dinner. I found it had a hint of sweet that moved quickly to a dry full bodied taste that I enjoyed. This arrived after I’d eaten dinner so no food pairing happened. I’ll try it again tonight and see how I feel.
@amehzinggrace Thank you for the report
@amehzinggrace thanks for the review. Did you notice any carbonation?
@losthighwayz there was no carbonation
@amehzinggrace thank you
In for 6. Sounds tasty plus I live in Portland and there’s a bird on it.
@jfuruno I thought about it but I think I’ve bought 5-6 cases in the last month… though I did find out that we’re limited to two cases per resident in Oregon. Only found that out when one I really wanted got canceled.
Key word being per resident. 
How are you like that Santa Rosa btw? I think I’ve only tried one bottle.
@jfuruno Santa Lucia not Rosa.
@jfuruno also a cool eye on the cork
@sillyheathen Hi! I haven’t had it in a few weeks, but I like it a lot.
Intrigued. In for a case
/giphy ditsy-beneficial-saffron
Lab rat report coming! UPS just now delivered!
Well, so this is a first – writing a Lab Rat report AFTER the offering has been posted. For whatever reason, UPS delivered my bottle to review at approximately 5:00 PM today – 17 hours after the posting. And to compound matters, it was an unseasonably warm day here in central North Carolina, and the bottle made an all-day trip around the countryside, making for quite the undesirable temperature upon delivery.
So for those at this late hour who are still undecided about this one, I’ll offer my findings and perspective.
Due to the temperature and rough ride, we had to let it rest a couple of hours, but poured off two sample glasses to give it more time to breathe and reach room temperature slowly, without use of refrigerator or cooler.
Color:
As you can see, it’s a dark, dense, hefty red – about as dark as you can go before “inky”. Fantastic legs, slowly working down the glass. Nice body, impressive visuals in the glass.
First nose: not too much fruit, some black cherry and plum. I do get a bit of alcohol heat, but not overpowering. I catch tobacco, fresh leather, some minerality/earth as well, but not to the extent of a Bordeaux or Burgundy. It strikes a nice balance.
First palate: The balance of flavors continues – definitely not a fruit bomb, and almost not enough fruit, especially for a Syrah, and for as young as it is. I’d attribute this to the neutral oak barrels – it has let the wine speak for itself, which seems a bit risky in forgoing what a 2-3 year aging period in French or American Oak can bring, but they pulled it off well. Definitely more on the acidic side.
After about 3 hours to settle, I sense a little more of the fruit flavors present, but still not predominant. More plum than cherry, maybe a little blueberry in there as well. The alcoholic heat is reduced to a degree; acidic finish is still present, but muted. More spice is making its way onto the palate – hard for me to pinpoint, but maybe nutmeg, clove – but in balance with the other flavor profiles.
It would have been helpful to have this rest overnight to see what an overnight rest and aeration would do, but I know my fellow Casemates are anxious for a peek into the bottle! It certainly is a great QPR, and for those desiring a complex, balanced, hefty Syrah, this is your huckleberry (THAT’S the missing fruit!!)
Cheers!
@Kraxberger There’s always tomorrow, you’ve still got another 27 hours!
[fixed that pic too…]
@Kraxberger Great review. Thanks!
@Kraxberger Thank you for reviewing
@Kraxberger was there a slight fizz? The reviews for the '18 mention it
@losthighwayz None whatsoever.
And after the overnight rest and aeration, it softened amazingly!
@Kraxberger, caved in after this review.
@abhiabhi You won’t be disappointed. The wine definitely improved overnight.
@abhiabhi @Kraxberger thanks for the follow up!
Ok, I’ll get some arrows pointed at me for this. Because I’m not comparing apples to apples. But I can handle it. Combining the rat comments with this being a 2019, the back of my little brain said this sounded kind of like a young baby Lillian. And Lillian buys/bought Stolpman fruit. And Stolpman isn’t Lillian and vice versa so another useless observation.
@kaolis
And your point is lol
@kaolis
Oh and thanks for reminding me I have a couple Lillian’s in the cellar
@kaolis @scottw58
Seems you were Scott baiting with this
The reply was more than a bit delayed.
@kaolis @rjquillin
I couldn’t have said it better myself lol
@rjquillin @ScottW58 Hey, it’s National Beer Day and I participated ,ha!
How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: Tax & Shipping not included in savings calculations)
2019 Stolpman Para Maria Red Blend - $15 = 9.37%
A quality wine from a quality producer at a great price - what more can you ask for? Purchase with confidence, my friends . . .
@tercerowines maybe some Tercero on here?
@losthighwayz @tercerowines one of these days!
@losthighwayz @tercerowines @Winedavid49 found this comment and found it ironic with the recent Tecero offering : )
@bunnymasseuse @losthighwayz @Winedavid49 funny…
/giphy nuisance-grainy-nugget
Syrah + Petit Verdot! Speaking to my heart!
What is the ideal drinking window on this young wine?
You had me with the owl . . . it just kept staring right at me, no matter where I moved.
/giphy stupid-mucky-zombie
@rpstrong I forgot to check the “I am not a zombie” box.
/giphy taboo-traditional-music
@losthighwayz losthighwayz in the house!
/giphy contentious-hurried-muffin
/giphy workable-vigorous-fan
A really nice QPR. Lots of violet and lavender on the nose.
By the time time I received the ‘shipped’ notice, the wine had been received and in the cellar for a few days.
@KingKoopa thanks! yea, we were pumped about getting this one.
Okay so I bought this April 7th and have kept it in temperature control since I received it. Opened a bottle tonight and immediately dumped it out into a decanter and let it sit as I’ve read most of you wine loving folks do. I am not much of a wine guy, so I thought maybe my perspective would be ok to share. Poured some in a stemless wine glass and swirled it around as I see people do, and took a big sniff. The aroma had very strong notes of…wine. Most red wines remind me of church wine and that time that father o’flanagan asked me to stay after Sunday school and “test” the Jesus Juice…but I digress. Seriously, I don’t know how y’all can pinpoint tastes of plum and berries and currant, much less tobacco and mushrooms. Either I’ve been jipped and got unsensational taste buds or you are a bunch of liars! Now I can tell the difference between a wine like Mad Dog 20/20 and one that is decent. This one is definitely decent. There’s a bit of a zing after swallowing and after each sip I almost immediately want another. Unfortunately red wine in general gives me heartburn, though every now and then I find one that doesn’t. I was hoping this one wouldn’t but it does. I feel it almost immediately which means if I continue to drink it, I wont be getting any sleep tonight… might be the case anyway now that I’ve been reminded of that day with father o’flanagan…
@mattig88
When I first started drinking dry red wines, all I noticed was alcohol, oak and tannins. And I didn’t care much for the oak or tannins. Over time and continued attempts to drink red wines, I found a few that I liked which motivated me to keep trying more wines. Pairing the wine with food helped as well.
Just as the enjoyment of dry red wines is an acquired taste (for most), being able to pinpoint and describe the flavors, smells and nuances of wine takes even more time. One of the things that helped me was to read other people’s tasting notes and look for what they described. Perhaps it is just the power of suggestion but if someone says “raspberry”, chances are I will taste it as well. It makes sense if you think about it. Given no suggestions, the potential smells and flavors are infinite. If someone says “cherry”, now you have something specific to look for. You might even find that you can expand on it, perhaps it is more like a black cherry or a Bing cherry.
As an aside, I take Prilosec everyday or I would not only get heartburn from red wine but just about everything else as well.
@chipgreen @mattig88 I also take a PepcidAC thanks to a family history of GERD. Does help, maybe the Two Jakes Roman Reserve would be a good offering to try if it floats by again…