Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/701904
july 2016 / the tasting panel / 63 Winemaker Anthony Riboli of San Antonio Winery, located in the Lincoln Heights dis- trict near Downtown Los Angeles. PHOTO COURTESY OF SAN ANTONIO WINERY and American oak, experimentation with unique yeast strains, bâtonnage for the different Chardonnays and changing cooperages. "Luck's part of life, let's be honest, but never stop thinking about what's the next concept. I think that's always been the most important lesson," says Riboli. "Work hard, enjoy what you're doing and evolve with it. Don't be so stagnant." At the winery, entrance to the work space lies past an ornate banquet room, replete with barrels, harvest wreaths and four towering redwood tanks (a relic of a bygone era, Riboli explaining that new redwood doesn't necessarily impart an appealing flavor). The form of the handsome backdrop then yields to function as the operation's labyrinthine organs reveal the requisite serpentine bottling conveyor, while around the cor- ner stand large stainless-steel fermenta- tion tanks. Another bend unveils towers of barrels, and yet another turn reveals Riboli's longtime fellow winemaker, French-born Arnaud Debons, wielding a metal wine thief. Among the dedicated fixtures here are the many Riboli family members themselves. Anthony's grandfather Stefano enjoys lunch daily at the Maddalena (named for his wife) and has recently taken to a ritual inquiry concerning progress of the new Paso Robles winery. Family photos decorate the walls, while Ribolis dominate the corner booth, communing over salads and the business of the day. All three of San Antonio Winery's loca- tions—Los Angeles, Ontario and Paso Robles—host daily tastings.