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Behind the Vine
Easy Street Tasting Room
by Hana-Lee Sedgwick
Hana-Lee Sedgwick is a writer, wine consultant and lover of all things wine and food. As a Certified Specialist of Wine and Sommelier, she loves to explore the world of wine in and around her hometown of Santa Barbara. When not trying new wines or traveling, she can be found practicing yoga, cooking, entertaining and enjoying the outdoors. Visit her popular blog, Wander & Wine, for wine tips, tasting notes and adventures in wine and travel: wanderandwine.com
WORD ON THE STREET: COLLECTIVE IS OPEN Rob and Emily Dafoe and Etienne Terlinden
B
uellton may be synonymous with pea soup and craft beer, but it also sits in the middle of the Santa Ynez Valley AVA, surrounded by some of the region’s best wine-growing areas. You won’t find cookie-cutter rows of tasting rooms or expansive vineyard views, but sometimes going off the beaten path has its rewards. A visit here will likely land you in a production facility that doubles as a tasting room, where the winemaker is the one pouring your wine, and samples straight from the barrel are the norm. Such a relaxed approach to tasting is what drew winemakers Rob Dafoe and Etienne Terlinden to the idea of opening a tasting room adjacent to their shared production facility in Buellton. The two have been working out of the same space since 2011, so when they had an opportunity to convert an old office earlier this year, they jumped at
Easy Street wines
the chance. Together, they developed the Easy Street Wine Collective, a small tasting room located on Easy Street – as the name implies – with a casual space to taste wine from their personal labels. Rob, a Santa Barbara native, got into the world of wine after having a successful career as a professional snowboarder and artist. After injuries sidelined his snowboarding career, his love for the arts led to an interest in crafting his own wine. He set out on his winemaking journey, interviewing famous growers and producers along the way, which he documented for his movie, From Ground to Glass, which premiered at the 2006 Santa Barbara International Film Festival. Today, Rob is most known for being one half of the winemaking team behind Tanner Dafoe wines, for which he and partner Jeff Tanner produce
small amounts of their highly soughtafter Cabernet Sauvignon and Bordeaux blends. In 2013, Rob and his wife, Emily, who makes hand-made leather handbags for her E.R. Leather Goods line, started a small family label called Rake Wines. For Rake, which was inspired by the lyrics of the Townes Van Zandt song of the same name, Rob works with Burgundian varieties such as Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, sourced from Destiny Vineyard in Los Alamos. Etienne, the longtime executive winemaker of Summerland Winery, grew up in Los Angeles. Etienne was first introduced to wine early on while traveling to his father’s native Europe on family vacations. Wine was always part of the dinner table, and after visiting many wine regions during his travels, he grew to appreciate the wine lifestyle. After attending UCSB, Etienne studied viticulture at UC Davis and has enjoyed a long career in Santa Barbara ever since, working with such wineries as Laetitia, Gainey, and Central Coast Wine Services. In 2001, he started his side label, Cordon Wine, with the goal
of showcasing the different AVAs in Santa Barbara while drawing inspiration from his European roots. At Easy Street Wine Collective, which is operated by Rob, Emily, and Etienne, tasters are able to try wines from both the Rake and Cordon portfolios in a space that offers an inside look into the winemaking process. On the tasting list, offerings include the 2015 Cordon Sauvignon Blanc ($24) from Happy Canyon, with its bright flavors and crisp acidity with Old World nuances. There’s also the 2014 Rake Chardonnay ($28), with notes of citrus and brioche and a crisp yet round finish. Although future blends may contain oak influence, this particular vintage was aged in stainless steel with partial malolactic fermentation. Good stuff. You’ll also find Rosé made from Pinot Noir and complex Grenache from Rake, as well as Chardonnay and velvety Syrah from Cordon. Currently, the two labels are the only wines represented at the Collective, but I’m excited to see what’s in store as they continue to grow and evolve. If you’re looking for a casual place to stop in for a tasting and chat with the people behind Rake and Cordon wines, a visit to Easy Street is an easy choice. Easy Street Wine Collective is open from 11 am to 5:30 pm Saturday and Sunday or by appointment during the week.
90 Easy Street, Buellton
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