When Presqu’ile Winery opens its doors to the public on Thursday, June 20, so begins an exciting new chapter in the story of Santa Maria Valley wine country.
One can only expect that serious wine connoisseurs, day-tripping winery hoppers, modern architecture buffs, and the entire community for that matter, will soon be making a pilgrimage to 5391 Presqu’ile Drive.
Last week, I met with Presqu’ile’s owners Matt Murphy and his parents Madison and Suzanne Murphy at their extraordinary estate.
The two Southern gentlemen (and their friendly winery dog) graciously gave me a preview, walking me through the 30,000-square-foot wine complex.
Presqu’ile’s new, state-of-the-art winery and hospitality building— connected by a unique cave system—and the nearby residences could easily grace the pages of Architectural Digest.
The award-winning, San Francisco-based architectural firm Taylor Lombardo Architects designed the project.
The design aesthetic is contemporary, sleek, and elegant: incorporating stone, wood, concrete, glass, and metal. Interesting modern art adorns the walls and landscaping. They paid attention to every detail—just as Presqu’ile does in winemaking.
Many of the building materials are sustainable and sourced from the West Coast. The sandstone used for the exterior and interior of the winery complex were harvested from a quarry in Lompoc. A local artisan labored for seven months hand-cutting and laying each stone.
“It was kind of a monumental effort on his part,” Matt remarked. “Pretty cool!”
The winery sits atop a hill at the back of the property off of East Clark Avenue, and applies a gravity flow concept, which allows for a more gentle treatment of the grapes during the creation of Presqu’ile’s critically acclaimed wines.
The Murphy family of Arkansas bought the 200 acres east of Orcutt in 2007. Soon thereafter, they planted 73 acres of sustainably farmed Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Sauvignon Blanc, among other varietals. Then they started building the winery and tasting room, and making wine, of course.
The owners said they searched meticulously to find the right place to “set down some roots” and develop a world-class wine project.
They determined the cool Santa Maria Valley made it the place to be, “because of the climate, the soils; that whole encompassing terroir thing,” Matt said.
He works hand-in-hand with Presqu’ile’s personable winemaker, Dieter Cronje, a wine rock star—literally. Cronje not only handcrafts vibrant, complex wines, but he actually has a rock band, The Tepusquet Tornadoes, made up of wine industry friends.
The university-trained 29-year-old native of South Africa came to California in 2006 to make Pinot Noir.
He met Matt while working at a winery in Santa Maria, realized that they are passionate about the same wine style, and teamed up with the goal of making exceptional wine.
Matt is quoted on the winery website as saying: “We believe the best wines are handcrafted with pristine fruit, very little manipulation and the utmost respect for place. We also hold the fervent belief that Santa Maria Valley has all the prerequisites for producing elegant, world-class wines.”
Presqu’ile’s unrelenting pursuit of quality definitely shows in its impressive lineup of high-end wines.
“We’re very happy with the wines,” Cronje told me as we walked through the new winery, where this talented winemaker can be like a kid in a candy store.
“It’s beyond words! We’ve been waiting for so long—it’s kind of larger than life,” Cronje added. “We have more control in the new building, so we should be able to make better wine in the future and more of it.”
Presqu’ile currently produces 2,800 cases of wine, of which about 50 percent is Pinot Noir.
Presqu’ile’s tasting room will be open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Guests can choose from three different flights of Presqu’ile wine. For $10, guests taste the 2012 Pinot Noir Rose, 2012 Santa Maria Valley Sauvignon Blanc, 2011 Santa Maria Valley Chardonnay, and the 2011 Santa Maria Valley Pinot Noir.
For $15, visitors can compare three single vineyard Pinot Noirs. For $20 they may try them all.
Presqu’ile’s wine club members receive an exclusive extra pour and complimentary tastings, and they have access to a beautifully landscaped outdoor lounge, as well as the handsome bocce ball courts and horseshoe pits.
Presqu’ile also offers 75-minute tours of the winery, by reservation, at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. daily for $45 per person.
On the tour, guests will learn about the valley’s geography and the family’s history. They’ll also get to walk through the unique cave system, see how wines are made in the winery, enjoy the panoramic views from the Outlook Terrace, and then taste three Presqu’ile Pinot Noirs paired with tasty canapés, such as wild mushroom, white truffle, and taleggio tart; air-dried beef; sous vide duck confit; and Well Bread crostini.
“You’ll pretty much get the whole experience from grape to glass,” Matt said of the winery tour.
Presqu’ile is French Creole for “almost an island.” Generations of the Murphy family once had a cherished piece of land on the Mississippi coast that they called Presqu’ile, which sadly was destroyed in Hurricane Katrina.
They may not be able to recreate their beloved Presqu’ile, but they’re now succeeding in “recreating a way of life and gathering point for a lot of people” in California, Madison said.
“We really do want it to be an easy rapport, and a place where people can interact. As they say on the Gulf Coast, ‘pass a good time!’” he said.
Sun wine and food columnist Wendy Thies Sell appreciates good Southern hospitality. You’re welcome to contact her at wthies@santamariasun.com.
Check out the Presqu’lle photo book!
This article appears in Jun 20-27, 2013.