Share this:

Qupé’s History

The wine business in Europe is a matter of tradition. Many of Europe’s wineries have existed for centuries, in many cases in the same family for all that time. In the U.S, something called Prohibition knocked the American wine industry off the map for some 40 years. Only in the 1970s did wineries focused on anything other than jug wines start to take hold.

Because of this history, you find many instances of people from all sorts of careers taking left turns at winery owner. Bob Lindquist, winemaker and owner of Qupé is one of those people. While enrolled at UC Irvine, Lindquist tasted some good wine and was intrigued. He began learning about wine in the way that one does: by tasting and asking questions.

Lindquist found that he did not want just to drink wine, he wanted to make it. To that end, he got jobs at wineries, first as a harvest worker, then in tasting rooms. A job managing a wine store may seem like a detour from his quest but fate intervened. As Lindquist himself describes it on his blog, http://Qupeblog.com/2011/02/02/the-importance-of-the-kinks/, The Kinks, legendary rock group, got him back on course.

Lindquist’s story in brief: The Kink’s were due to give a concert locally, and major fan Lindquist had to go. At the last minute, his store’s owner needed Lindquist to work. With the importance of seeing The Kink’s, and having a vague promise from a friend that a job at Zaca Mesa Winery might be available, Lindquist bailed on the store. As might be expected, the store bailed on him, and Lindquist found himself jobless. Fortune shined, however, because he saw The Kink’s and the Zaca Mesa position proved real.

Zaca Mesa allowed Lindquist to trade his time for use of the facilities. His first vintage was in 1982. In 1983, he left Zaca Mesa to go it alone, using rented facilities. In 1989, he and Jim Clendenen, who started Au Bon Climat in the same year Qupé began, teamed up to build a facility. Both wineries continue to use this facility.

Qupé’s Wines

Qupé focuses on Rhône varieties. That’s common enough in California nowadays but in the 1980s, choosing syrah as your winery’s foundation wine constituted the definition of edgy. Qupé was the first producer of marsanne in California, and the first to produce syrah, viognier, and a Rhône-style blend in Santa Barbara. That’s vision!

Let’s talk about the syrah. The winery produces many small lot, single-vineyard bottlings that highlight different terroir. The winery’s Central Coast bottling stands as its calling card. Well it should.

Climate-wise, the Central Coast offers good conditions for syrah. Warm days ripen the grapes, and cool nights help the grapes retain acidity. The wine therefore boasts a full body and great depth, but with a structure that can carry that richness. The wine delights right away with its big peppery flavors but it has the grace to age for several years. Lindquist does not make mere alcoholic blockbusters that become overbearing as they lose their youthful appeal. Instead, he aims for a balance of elements. Qupé’s syrah can stand comfortably with Rhône wines in terms of quality and style. In terms of price, Qupé looks good indeed. 91 Points, Wine & Spirits (Best Buy).

Wine and Spirits has named Qupé one of the country’s top 100 wineries 8 out of the last 9 years. Food and Wine named Bob Lindquist one of the world’s top winemakers in 2010. Keep an eye on Qupé.