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Vintner Richard Sanford may have found the ingredient that will keep the wine flowing at his Alma Rosa Winery & Vineyards: EnCap Investments LP’s Robert Zorich.  

Mr. Zorich has offered to purchase the Santa Ynez Valley, Calif., property for $1.7 million in a deal that would allow Mr. Sanford and his wife, Thekla, to continue living and producing wine there as employees. The sale would be tested during an auction next month.  

Neither Mr. Sanford nor Mr. Zorich responded to request for comment.  

Mr. Sanford, a hall-of-fame winemaker, is credited with bringing the pinot noir grape to California’s Central Coast. But his winery has been in Chapter 11 bankruptcy since July 2012. - WSJ

In Santa Barbara, the soon-to-open Caveau Wine Bar & Merchant is hosting a tasting of local wines from the 2012 vintage with more than 50 wineries taking part, including the Ojai Vineyard, Brewer-Clifton, Sandhi and Au Bon Climat. The beauty is that it’s a futures tasting and wines will be offered at 20% off retail if purchased before they are released, i.e., in the future. 

...Founded by two enormously qualified sommeliers, Eric Railsback and Brian McClintic (star of the film "Somm"), Caveau specializes in European wines — and in local Santa Barbara wineries. - LATimes