December '12 Santa Barbara Trip - Quality Family Time

Usually for the holiday festivities we head back to Northern California, this year some of our family decided to converge on LA instead. Since I've been talking up Santa Barbara wineries for awhile, my brother and sister-and-law who were in from NY insisted that we take them to some wineries during their visit. So we knew that we had to take them to a few of our favorites and try to sneak in a few that we hadn't tried before as well.  


 

 Saturday (Buellton / Los Olivos)

Ken Brown Winery ($10 tasting, wines $35-$55)
'10 Chardonnay - Nielson, '11 Pinot Noir (Santa Barbara County), '10 Pinot Noir (Sta. Rita Hills), '10 Pinot Noir - Clos Pepe, '09 Pinot Noir - Cargasacchi, '09 "A" Cuvee Syrah
Since Ken Brown is a critical figure in the expansion of the wine industry - especially Pinot Noir - in Santa Barbara, he was an obvious choice to share with my brother and SIL. This was our second visit, and it was slightly less exciting than our first. The first time around we had Ken all to ourselves, which was awesome. This time there was another group of four, so it was harder to have an in-depth a conversation. Just the same, Ken was a friendly host once again.
The wines were slightly less exciting this time around - still great, but not "socks blowing off" amazing. All were well balanced, exhibited friendly fruit, but not overly so. The Santa Barbara County Pinot was quite impressive, nice acids, and good structure. My favorite was the Cargasacchi Pinot - it had a fantastic nose, a candy-like zip, some darkness to the flavor, and good grip.
Experience: B+ / Wines: A-

Buttonwood Farm Winery and Vineyard ($10 tasting, wines $14-$26)
'11 Grenache Blanc, '09 Marsanne, '10 Sauvignon Blanc "Signature", '11 Syrah Rosé, '08 Merlot, '09 Syrah, '07 Cabernet Sauvignon, '09 Cabernet Franc, '10 Malbec, '10 Syrah Port "P.O.S.H."
I've been thinking about swinging by Buttonwood for awhile. It's an independent organic winery with moderately priced wine that seems to have their own take on things - which are favorable characteristics in my book. Unfortunately those characteristics did not add up to a great experience. The tasting room had counters on both sides of the building, with a bunch of merchandise in the middle. Being a holiday weekend, there was not a lot of space left at the counter, and the staff person that attended to us did not seem excited to have more customers. She poured the wines quickly and gave little background and generally didn't engage us. They poured ten(!) different wines - none were very good. Across the board the wines were clunky and simple. My favorite note was on the Marsanne, I called it a "jank oakfest." The Merlot was quite a mess as well - overt sulfur and poor structure. My favorite was the Cab Franc.
Experience: C / Wines: C-

Kaena Wine Company ($10 tasting, wines $25-$38)
'11 "Hapa Blanc" (Grenache Blanc/Rousanne), '09 "Look me in the Eye" Grenache, '10 Grenache, '10 Grenache - Tierra Alta, '09 "Hapa Red" (Syrah/Grenache/Mourvedre)
Kaena's a pretty new winery. The guy behind it is also the head winemaker at Beckmen, so he  knows his stuff. I'm also a big fan of Grenache, and since it's their main grape, I figured it would be good to check them out. The space is quite sleek with a huge wrap-around counter and a couch area. There was a bit of a unique rocker vibe to the place. During our visit there was a huge family group there, and the staff person had to move quickly to keep up. She was friendly through the fray and was happy to share Kaena wine with folks.
The wines were definitely friendly and fruity - overly so. I really admire good Grenache, when it's done well its sweetness is tempered and allows complexity to slip through, but it's easy to let it be sticky sweet and slight. That's not to say that the Grenaches here were bad news - but they were a bit too sticky and clunky. The reds were a bit high in alcohol - 15.3, 14.9, 15.1, and 15.3. I enjoyed the Hapa Red most, but it too was overly sweet.
Experience: B- / Wines: B-

Byron Wines ($10 tasting, wines $22-$45)
'10 Pinot Blanc, '08 Chardonnay "Stainless Steel", '08 Chardonnay (Santa Maria Valley), '06 Chardonnay "Wente Clone", '10 Pinot Noir (Santa Maria Valley), '10 Pinot Noir "Julia's Vineyard", '07 "IO" Syrah - Whitehawk Vineyard
While visiting Ken Brown earlier in the day, he encouraged us to visit Byron.  He actually started Byron in 1984 (Ken Brown's first name is Byron), grew that business, and then moved on when he decided he wanted to mellow his life out. I had avoided going to Byron in the past because it's owned by Kendall-Jackson. I've assumed that the fact that it's owned by a huge conglomerate means that it creates sub-par wine, but Ken Brown assured me this was not the case. Apparently the conglomerate lets the creative team at Byron direct themselves, which apparently means that they create kick-ass stuff. I'd rather not give love to a big corporation, but sometimes hulking monoliths do something right.
The tasting room is comforting and classy at the same time. As well the staff were very friendly. The first (Pinot Blanc) and last (Syrah) wines were just pretty good, which makes them the laggards of the group. All of the Chards and the Pinots were very good. Well built, restrained, and a variety of flavors. I especially enjoyed the Wente Clone Chard - calm, citrus, and tropical fruit.
Experience: B+ / Wines: B+

Stolpman Vineyards (member tasting, wines $19-$66)
'09 "L'Avion" Rousanne, '09 Sangiovese, '10 "La Coppa" Sangiovese, '10 "La Cuadrilla" (Syrah/Petite Sirah), '10 "Originals" Syrah, '10 "Hilltops High Density" Syrah, '09 Sangiovese "degli Angeli", '10 "La Crocé" (Syrah/Sangiovese), '02 Merlot
Clearly we can't bring new folks on a visit to the area without stopping by at Stolpman. We actually visited twice on this trip, the first evening in Los Olivos, and the next morning in Lompoc. I am consistently blown away by how great their staff is, and how solid their wine is.
We were a very rambunctious group by the time that we got to Stolpman on Saturday night. But Brian rolled out the red carpet and treated us very well. The tasting list included many of the Stolpman big hitters (showing off the pricey wines during the holidays) like the La Crocé and the Sangio degli Angeli. The Sangioveses and the La Crocé were really knocking me out that day.
Our visit the next morning was equally awesome. Tom was a great host, and since it was a quiet morning we were able to chat with him for quite awhile.
Experience: A+ / Wines: A-

Sunday (Lompoc Wine Ghetto)

Samsara Winery ($10 tasting, wines $22-$46)
'11 Grenache Rosé - Windmill Ranch, '09 Pinot Noir - Rancho La Viña, '09 Pinot Noir - Turner, '10 Pinot Noir - Kessler-Haak, '08 Syrah - Ampelos
Odds are, if we go to the Wine Ghetto, we're going to stop by Samsara. Lee's always a cool dude to visit with, and the wines always impress. it was an especially mellow morning, and Lee was happy to chat and even take photos of us in front of the wine barrels. The winery seems to march to it's own beat. The wine stock is always shifting, and they aren't interested in selling merchandise or memberships. I get a big kick out of that vibe.
The wines were very good once again, well balanced. Samsara wines are quite full-flavored, probably because they include the stems during the winemaking process, thereby adding more tannins and flavor. The Rosé was quite nice - though we pine for the Pinot Rosé that they had a few years back. The Kessler-Haak Pinot was the standout once again.
Experience: B+ / Wines: B+

Flying Goat Cellars ($10 tasting, wines $20-$42)
'10 Sparkling Pinot Noir Rosé, 09 "Goat Bubbles" Blanc de Blancs - Sierra Madre, '10 Pinot Gris - Sierra Madre, '09 Pinot Noir - Solomon Hills, '09 Pinot Noir "Clone 2A" - Rio Vista, '08 Pinot Noir - Salisbury Vineyard
We visited Flying Goat a long time ago. I didn't enjoy our first visit, but I figured that it would be fair to give them another shot.  My experience level is higher, so I thought that that I may be able to appreciate them more. NOPE. The reason that I didn't like Flying Goat the first time around is the same reason I didn't like them the second time. They are snotty. It's odd that their motto is "wine without pretense." We did not feel welcomed there, and at the end of our tasting the staff person there asked us "What wine will you be taking home with you today?" I'm really not a fan of the hard sell, and generally wineries manage to avoid this techniques. Thankfully, the wines were better than the experience. The Pinots were all pretty good, though a bit slight and also overpriced.
Experience: D / Wines: C+

After a short visit we discovered one new great winery - Byron, one to keep an eye on - Kaena, and one that I'm sure now can be taken off the list - Flying Goat. We were very happy that our traveling companions enjoyed Stolpman, Samsara, and Ken Brown as much as we do. I was a bit fearful that traveling up to the area on the weekend after Christmas would be a headache, but aside from a few wineries that were a bit busy, it wasn't a problem at all.

December '12 Local Visit - Malibu Wines

This year my work decided to have our holiday party at a local winery - not my idea - I swear. One of my coworkers is actually a member of Malibu Wines, and thoughts that it would be a great location for us to celebrate the end of the year.  It's is a short drive from LA (if the traffic gods are smiling), but it's definitely a world apart. The hillsides are steep and beautiful.

Saddlerock NV Sparkling Brut, Saddlerock NV Sparkling Rosé, Saddlerock '10 Chardonnay, Saddlerock '11 Rosé of Pinot Noir, Saddlerock '10 Merlot, Semler '08 Cabernet Sauvignon, Semler '08 Syrah

Yeah - a wine themed aquarium

Our party was on a Friday morning, we were the majority of the people there at the time, though it appears that they can get really busy. There's tons of outdoor tables, chairs, and bars to accommodate crowds. There's definitely a faux-shabby/rustic vibe throughout - wine sculptures, re-purposed barrels on the lawn, a fish tank on a wagon, rock buildings for the bars, etc. The seating areas are comfortable, with adirondack chairs with slots in the arm rests for wine glasses. There was a scenic seating area up on a slight plateau above the winery that looked out over the whole area.
The staff didn't share a lot of details about the wine - they definitely had there hands full with our group of 40, and did an admirable job. We tasted most of the wines at the winery, and then took a shuttle bus tour of the Semler family estate and vineyards that are adjacent to the winery.

Saddlerock Peak

Once on the shuttle we learned the story of the Semler family and Malibu Wines. Ron Semler is a very successful businessman, involved in defense contracts, mining, etc. He purchased Saddlerock Ranch in Malibu, and as his business ventures became more successful he added more elements to the ranch. Now, in addition to having 65 acres of vineyards, there is an extensive equestrian center. As well there are zebras, camels, emus, buffalo, and other exotic animals. Finally, Ron Semler has an extensive collection of Airstream trailers, classic trucks, and the yellow Volkswagon Bus from the movie "Little Miss Sunshine" ... so there's that.
As impressive and showy as the property is, the wine is nothing spectacular. They were generally mellow and easy to drink, but offered very little complexity and were overtly fruity. Most of the wines that we drank were from the Saddlerock label, meaning that the wine was made from grapes grown throughout the Central Coast. The Chardonnay was the the most enjoyable. It was light and friendly - mostly matured in stainless steel. The Rosé was a whiff. I've thought for a long time that Rosé is a easy to make wine, most that I've had are delicious, not this one though. Too sticky and the nice vegital note that I enjoy was covered up by the sweetness. The Merlot and the Cab seemed to be divergent takes of the same base flavor - simple, bland red fruit with no tannins for the Merlot, with tannins for the Cab. The Syrah at the end which they gave to us to accompany our catered lunch was a nice touch, but it as well it was decent but unexciting. Like stereotypical Hollywood starlet Malibu Wines is very pretty, but not deep or interesting.
Experience: B- / Wines: C-

November '12 Central Valley Pit Stop - Klinker Brick

I'm regularly listen to the 3 Wine Guys podcast, and time and time again they mention Klinker Brink, and speak of the Zins - especially the "Old Ghost" - with reverence.  So when we decided to stop at a winery in Lodi on our way back down to SoCal, it seemed like a good opportunity to visit.

Klinker Brick Winery ($5 tasting, wines $15-$37)
'11 Rosé (Syrah/Grenache/Carignane/Mourvedre/Zinfandel), '10 Sangiovese - Amador, '10 Old Vine Zinfandel, '10 "Old Ghost" Old Vine Zinfandel, "Bricks and Mortar" Red Blend (Cabernet Sauvignon/Petit Sirah/Zinfandel), '10 "Farrah" Syrah, '05 "Gold Brick" Late Harvest Zinfandel

Our visit was on the Saturday after Thanksgiving, so the tasting room was busy, but there was still plenty of space at the bar. The tasting room was spacious with plenty handcrafted goods to sell. The staff generally kept on tops of things, but didn't seem all that knowledgeable about wine culture. At the end of my tasting, I asked to revisit the Rosé - and asked if I could swish out the remaining red wine with a small splash of the Rosé, but the staff person thought that was crazy and swished out with water instead. So was I got was a watery Rosé for the second tasting.
The Rosé was a fun blend of a variety of grapes, slightly sticky, but with a nice vegital note. The Zins are their bread and butter. All were jammy, were about 15.5% alcohol per volume, and were made to be appealing to a wide cross-section of wine drinkers. The quality and the flavors improved from the baseline - Old Vine, the mid-level Marisa Vineyard, and the Old Ghost - their premiere. The Old Ghost wasn't a wine that I'd pay $37 for, but it was a fun drink - also kind of neat to enjoy grapes from a 101 year old vineyard.  The Bricks and Mortar is a new blend for the winery. Another jammy fella, sweet and zippy. The Syrah was a funny wine. It had huge flavor on the front-end which gave way to a much more quiet back-end. I'm thinking that the winemaker recognized that it was too full-flavored and quieted out the wine so it would be more friendly. The Late Harvest Zin was a totally wacky finish to the tasting. Sweet chewy smoke with overt bacon notes. It was fun to sip, but I don't think that it would something that I'd want to drink much more than that.
Experience: B- / Wines: B-

The folks at Klinker Brick seem to know what they are doing. They make real wine that people want to buy. It's not stuff that's in my sweet spot, but I enjoyed it well enough - and definitely respect their business acumen. Since it's only the second winery that I've visited in the Lodi area, I don't yet have a feel for how it stacks up to other places - but my guess is that it's one of the better ones.

November '12 Gold Country Trip - Family, Good Health and Wine

Ah, the annual pilgrimage to NorCal for Thanksgiving. Since last year's trip was such an ideal setup for checking out wineries in El Dorado County on Wednesday before the family dinner on Thursday, and then heading out with the whole family on Friday to Amador - I decided to do the same thing again this year. The Apple Hill area that I explored in El Dorado County is very close to where my in-laws live. It's one of a few different winery groupings in the county. The beautiful Shenandoah Valley encompasses pretty much the entire winery grouping of Amador County. It's an enjoyable 45 minute drive from El Dorado County.

Wednesday (Apple Hill - El Dorado County)

Crystal Basin Cellars ($5 tasting, wines $16-$50)
 NV Sparkling Wine, '10 Chardonnay, '09 "Renegade Red", '10 Barbera, '10 "Mystery Juice", '09 Syrah, '10 Mourvedre, '10 Cabernet Franc, '09 Cabernet Sauvignon, '09 Malbec, '09 Petite Sirah, '09 Pinot Noir, '10 "Campione" (Sangiovese/Merlot), '09 "Triumphant" (Cabernet Franc/Merlot/Cabernet Sauvignon/Malbec/Petit Verdot), NV "Dolce Bottino" Dessert Wine (Barbera/Sangiovese), NV Syrah Port
It was rainy and nasty when we stopped in for a visit - stepping into the warm tasting room was a relief, especially when the folks behind the counter pointed out the extremely long tasting list. Crystal Basin was started by a group of friends that were amateur wine-makers. During our tasting, the mood of that friendship - happiness and fun-loving - permeated throughout. It's nice to think that a group can come together, create something that they love, and share it with lots of other folks. The staff were easy to chat with, especially KZ. Even though the tasting room got quite busy toward the end of our visit, they were always on top of the situation.
All of the grapes are purchased from El Dorado County vineyards. The wines are big and fun to drink - fruity, though they lack structure or subtlety. Realizing that they are so high in alcohol (16% on the Zinfandel, 15.8% on the Cabernet), it becomes apparent why the wines are quaff-able but not artistic. 
Aside from those general characteristics, the wines were a mix of decent to pretty good. The Syrah was my favorite - big flavor, but it exhibited some restraint. The upper-echelon blends - the "Campione" and "Trimumphant" were enjoyable - pretty well balanced and had nice flavors - but the $50 price tags were way too steep for the quality the wine. Lastly, the Syrah Port was bizarre. It had flavors of mint, cedar, endive and arugula to it. Not what I'd look for in a wine or a port, but interesting to taste for sure.
Experience: B / Wines: C-

Crystal Basin Bistro (free tasting, wines $16-$20)
NV "Pomme" Pomegranate Sparking Wine, '11 "Kougar Koolaid" Pinot Grigio, '09 "BadaBing" Primotivo, '09 "BadaBoom" (Mourvedre/Zinfandel), '09 "Fugedaboutit" Tempranillo, NV "Suite Thing" Muscat
Recently, the folks at Crystal Basin Cellars opened up a restaurant right across the parking lot from their winery. The restaurant had a diverse selection of well priced lunch and dinners, and the staff were accommodating.
To add to the dining experience, the owners decided to also have wine tasting at the bistro. Smart setup, you order your food at the counter, then go taste wine while your food is being prepped. The wines all had ridiculous names - "BadaBing, Suite Thing," etc., and the guy guiding the tasting wasn't as knowledgeable about the wines as the folks at the Crystal Basin tasting room.
On par with the names of the wines, the wines themselves were silly and lacked skill or value. The wines were basic and schlocky.  Perhaps I shouldn't have high expectations for a wine tasting at a restaurant - but we were encouraged to visit and have a tasting from the folks at the winery. Go for the food, heck try the free wine tasting, but it's certainly something that you can "Fugedabout."
Experience: C+ / Wines: D

Bumgarner Winery ($5 tasting, wines $15-$39)
'11 "Silver Fork" Apple/Pear Hard Cider, '11 "Silver Fork" Rosé (Mourvedre/Barbera), '10 "Silver Fork" Mourvedre, '10 Touriga, '08 Tempranillo, '08 Petite Sirah, '08 Cabernet Sauvignon, '06 Cabernet Sauvignon
Bumgarner's tasting room is right around the corner from Crystal Basin Winery, but it's a very dramatic shift in style and mood. Their space is in a funky converted old barn, and it's hip-ly rustic on the inside. They have three wines on tap - which are the "Silver Fork" series, and folks can purchase bottles and have them refilled with those wines. Their wines are sourced from a handful of vineyards in the county.
In contrast to Crystal Basin, Bumgarner's wine is  serious. Even the Rosé was deeper and more grippy than I'm used to. I didn't enjoy the Tempranillo or the Touriga.  Both were off-balance and didn't have compelling flavors.  Here are my entire notes on the Petite Sirah: "Big, serious dude," and it sure as heck was. It seems like the winery's focus is on the Cabernet - and that was an interesting wine. Once again, it had very bold and dark tones, and definitely lacked the Cab smoothness that I like, but there was something fun about it. At 14.2% alcohol, the winemaker was definitely making an artistic choice to not let the grapes get overt and obnoxious with too much alcohol. In addition to enjoying the '08 Cab, I tried the '05, which was definitely in the same vein of the younger version, but not quite as good. My hope is that by laying the '08 down for a year or so, it will be a nice fella to enjoy on a rainy evening.
Experience: B / Wines: C+

Friday (Shenandoah Valley - Amador County)

Young's Vineyard (free tasting, wines $25-$32)
'11 Chardonnay, '11 Albariño, '10 Sangiovese, '10 Zinfandel, '09 Zin, '10 Syrah, '10 Barbera, '09 Cabernet Sauvignon, '10 Petite Sirah, NV Tawny Port
Young's gets very mixed review on Yelp, some ratings very good, others very bad. Most of the negative reviews said that the staff was snotty. The folks that liked the place said that the staff were nice, wine was good, and the grounds are beautiful. I'd have to agree with the latter group. The grounds at Young's are very serene - the hilly vineyard calmly slopes toward the winery, a beautiful pond, and plenty of outdoor seating for those that want to relax and take in the day. The tasting room has a modern and rustic feel. And we had absolutely no qualms with the staff. The guy that took care of us really took care of us. A bonus was the utterly massive dogs that were roaming the property and loping up to folks for pets. They looked like Golden Retrievers, but were like 120-140 pounds. Super sweet dogs.
And indeed the wines were good, though some were better than others. Across the board the wines showed restraint, especially in comparison to other wineries in the area. There was a nice variety to the flavors. The Syrah was the least enjoyable - high acidity and a clash of flavors. The Sangiovese was banging - tart but friendly. The exciting finish to the tasting was the Tawny Port. I don't frequent Ports, but this one was a lovely drink - approachable sweetness, and a fun nutty finish.
Experience: B / Wines: B

Terre Rouge and Easton Wines ($12 library tasting, wines $16-$95)
'09 Grenache Blanc, '09 "Vin Gris D'Amador" Rosé (Mourvedre/Grenache/Syrah), Easton '07 Zinfandel - Fiddletown, '09 "Tête-a-Tête" (Syrah/Mourvedre/Grenache), '06 Syrah - Sentinel Oak, '06 Syrah - High Slopes, Easton '04 Cabernet Sauvignon,
Library Tasting: '09 Viognier, '09 "Ascent" Syrah, '08 "Ascent" Syrah, '01 "Ascent" Syrah
Bill Easton, the winemaker of Terre Rouge / Easton has a reputation that proceeds him. He's one of the original Rhone Rangers - the folks that worked hard to bring Rhone style grapes (Syrah, Grenache, Viognier, etc.) to California. He's also one of the earliest winemakers to establish a winery in the Sierra Foothills. From all accounts, he's a master at making wine, and an ambassador for the wines of California. Since he's so well appreciated, it's no surprise that the tasting room was jam packed. As it turned out, every year on the day after Thanksgiving, the winery hosts a library tasting of it's premiere wine: "Ascent," hence the large crowd. We decided to do a regular tasting, then join the library tasting of the Ascent in the back room. We managed to find counter space, and were well attended to by the staff.
All of the wines were extremely well made - and worked with the regional characteristics (high acidity, tart fruit) rather than fighting against the flavors or letting a high alcohol level wash the subtle flavors away. According to a staff person, no Terre Rouge / Easton wine goes over a 14.5% alcohol level. Each wine was enjoyable and individualized. The '07 Zinfandel was an exciting wine to try because it comes from a vineyard that's nearly 150 years old. It was well balanced and flavorful. The Syrahs were excellent, especially the "High Slopes." I appreciated the fact that they were pouring and selling wines that had been aged a few more years that other wineries. It's a pet peeve of mine that wineries advise that you age a wine a number of years, perhaps to excuse how  underdeveloped it's tasting at that time. If the wine doesn't taste ready yet - don't pour it. I guess it has something to do with taxes paid by the wineries on unsold wine, but I appreciate Terre Rouge managing to work that out. In addition, even though the wines that were poured were aged, the didn't have a tired out quality, they tasted young and vibrant.
After enjoying the normal tasting, we shifted to the back room for the library tasting. Lo and behold, Bill Easton was the one doing the pouring. It appears that I'm becoming a huge wine fanboy, because I talked that dude's ear off for quite a while. He was very polite, and was kind enough to share loads of information about technique, regional history, and general viticulture.
The library wines were superb. The Viognier was solidly built - not fragile like many Viogniers - and very enjoyable. The "Ascent" Syrahs were mighty awesome. The '09 definitely needed time to age, but had very interesting levels and was excellent quality. The '08 was robust with tannins, and had a playful sweet fruit edge. The '01 was straight poetry. Despite it's age it was youthful. The tannin grip was mature, which provided a strong backbone. Acid and nice dark berry fruit slipped in happily.
Experience A- / Wines: B+

Jeff Runquist Wines (free tasting, wines $20-$28)
'10 Cabernet Franc, '10 "Z" Zinfandel, '10 Sangiovese, '10 Syrah, '10 Petite Sirah, '10 Souzao, '10 Tannat
Last stop of the day, and another packed joint. Runquist's tasting room was bursting at the seams. The tasting room is a large space with a wrap-around bar, and there were people three deep trying to taste wine. Thankfully the winery had a temporary bar in the barrel room, which was a bit more calm and easier to get pourings at. Jeff Runquist is a longtime winemaker, working for major wineries in Northern California. Eventually he decided to create his own wine, using grapes sourced from Amador County (Zinfandel), Paso Robles (Cabernet), Clarksburg (Petite Sirah), among others. 
There was definitely an interesting intersection of Runquist's wines that covered the places that I visited on this trip in El Dorado (Crystal Basin and Bumgarner) - big, dark & high overt acidity, while also showing off some of the restraint from the Amador wineries (Young's and Terre Rouge). The Zin was the pick of the litter with bold fruit and balanced acid. The Syrah was enjoyable, but was more of a crowd pleaser than an artistic wine. The Sangio was disappointing - it was rough and had too much toasty oak showing up throughout. It was neat to try some of the lesser known varietals - Souzao and Tannat,  though neither jumped out at me during the tasting as superb wines.
Experience: C+ / Wines: C+

After doing this trip a second time, the results were similar to the first trip, though a bit more refined. The majority of the wineries are wrangling the grapes grown there - dealing with high acidity and potentially high levels of alcohol. The low nutrient soils, and high elevation are helpful in forcing the grapevines to strain themselves which sends more high quality flavor to it's fruit. However the greater variety of temperatures in the growing season (near freezing in the spring and hot in the summer) versus the more moderate climates of the premiere growing regions in California means that it's more difficult to create superb wine. So it's interesting to see how the different wineries react to those constraints. Some wineries, like Crystal Basin create big, silly and friendly wines. Wineries like Bumgarner seem to come to grips with these issues, and make dark and acidic wines. Finally, wineries like Terre Rouge successful navigates the environmental circumstances and makes very talented wines that exhibit the most positive values of the region. The Gold Country is still a new wine region. Many wineries are still experimenting with which varietals are best grown. Zinfandel seems to have a home in the region, and Syrahs are gaining in popularity. Sangiovese and Petite Sirah also were bottled at many of the wineries.
I'm not sure that I'll be able to convince my in-laws to allow me to drag them along to tastings during the Thanksgiving break next year - it's becoming apparent that my sister-in-law, my wife and I are the only ones who get a kick out of these. But I won't give up quietly. Admittedly, not all of the wineries are amazing, but there's an authenticity to the wineries that I thoroughly enjoy. While there are a few places that are held by hyper-corporate conglomerates, most are family owned and operated. And in some instances, the winemaker will even be around, and you can yammer at them incessantly, like I love to do.

November '12 Santa Barbara Trip - Near and Far

We decided to answer the siren call of Santa Barbara because we had a pickup party to go to at Ampelos - and because we just really wanted to go, and finally had some free time to do so. We went again with our excellent wine friends, and built a trip around checking out places we hadn't been to, and places we thought our friends should be introduced to.

Saturday (Foxen Canyon Rd. / Los Olivos)

foxen 7200 ($10 tasting, wines $26-$50)
'10 Sauvignon Blanc - Vogelzang, '10 Sangiovese - Williamson-Doré, '10 Cabernet Franc - Tinaquaic, '10 Merlot - Vogelzang, '09 Cabernet Sauvignon - Vogelzang

We made a plan to meet up with friends at foxen 7200. As it turns out, the tasting room is way the hell up Foxen Canyon Road, especially when there's some kind of bicycle race going on along Zaca Station Road. Foxen splits it's wines between two labels - Foxen proper is mostly Pinot, and foxen 7200 is bigger reds. As the winery became more successful, they built a larger tasting room, but decided to keep "The Shack" (which is about a quarter mile up the road from the Foxen facility) to have as a tasting room for the foxen 7200 wines.
The Shack certainly was funky, and there was a nice patio and a cool patio cat. The staff were all very happy and took care of us. Across the board, I didn't dig the wines enough to be able to think about buying any, especially considering how costly the bottles were. They were all single vineyard wines, were 100% made with the label grape, and had quality characteristics, but I wasn't a fan of the flavors. The Sauv and the Sangiovese were too tart, and the Merlot and Cab were too simple. The Cab Franc was interesting, but at $48, way too steep.
Experience: B / Wine: C+

Andrew Murray Vineyards ($15 reserve tasting, wines $16-$36)
'11 "RGB" (Roussane/Grenache Blanc), '10 Syrah "Tous les Jours", '10 "Espérance" (Grenache/Syrah/Mourvedre), '10 Syrah - Watch Hill, '09 "Eleven Red" (Cabernet Sauvingnon/Cabernet Franc/Tempranillo/Saniovese), '10 Grenache - Terra Bella, '10 Syrah - Thompson, '10 Syrah - Stolpman
I'd heard about Andrew Murray for a long time, he has a solid reputation in the area for Rhone-style wines. I've been wanting to visit for awhile - so when I finally was back in Los Olivos I made sure to swing by. Unfortunately, I think we chose a poor day to visit. It was busy as hell. Apparently it was the same day as the member party at the vineyard - so members were swinging through the tasting room to say hello.  The tasting room attendant was by herself tried very hard to take care of everyone, but definitely wasn't able to spend time elaborating on the wines or talking about the winery. The tasting room was very modern and chic. There were lots of things for sale - we noticed that there was a large display featuring scented candles for sale, which seemed quite odd in a wine tasting room.
The wines that we tasted were priced on a more reasonable scale than most Los Olivos tasting rooms, which is a big plus for me. Unfortunately, I didn't enjoy their wines very much. They all had an artificial quality, and were too simple. The "Eleven Red" was a pretty fun drink, and at $18, well-priced. The big bummer were two wines on the reserve list - the vineyard designated Grenache and the Stolpman Syrah. The Grenache had typical charactaristics - sweetness and edge, but did not weave together well. The Syrah was big clutter of flavor. I'm well acquainted with Stolpman's 2010 Syrahs, and it's interesting to see how different winemaking practices can come up with completely different products even when starting with very similar materials.
Since our visit was so marred by the crush in the tasting room, I think we should try to swing by in the future - but it'll be on "AMV" to convert me into a believer.
Experience: C- / Wines: C+

Sunday (Highway 246 / Los Olivos)

Clos Pepe Vineyards (tour $0, wines $23-$59)
'10 Estate Chardonnay "Hommage to Chablis", '10 Estate Chardonnay "Barrel Fermented", Axis Mundi '10 Grenache/Syrah - Windmill, '09 Estate Pinot Noir, '10 Estate Pinot Noir
Holy fuck - this is a fantastic tour. Wes Hagen is a superb host. I've heard very positive reviews of the Clos Pepe tour for quite a while - and had even looked into booking one last year, but found out that Wes had put the tours on hiatus. A few days prior to heading up for this trip, I thought it might be worth a shot to check and see if the tours were back online. Thankfully they were, and Wes did indeed have an opening for the Sunday of our visit. Here's how Wes described the tour in an email to me:
"Tour usually lasts until around noon or 12:30 - very geeky, very complete. You will learn more about wine in two hours than in your previous lifetime, guaranteed." 
Perhaps not everyone gets stoked about a tour like that - but I sure as hell do!
As advertised the tour was very exhaustive. Wes is extremely knowledgeable about wine and other things - and puts tons of energy in delivering that knowledge in a conversational and entertaining way. He discussed the history of wine, the unique geology of the region, farming techniques, wine making techniques, and lots lots more. At the end of the walk we were taken up to the "big house" where the owners of the winery live. Wes had set up a tasting for us with great cheeses and fresh breads. While he poured the wine samples, we had a great chat about food, politics, and of course wine.
After such an amazing tour and hosting, it would have been a shame if the wines weren't good - but they lived up to the caliber of the day. The two Chardonnays were very well balanced and were top notch quality. It was fun to compare the steel vs. oaked Chard. The steel aka "Hommage to Chablis" was easily more in my wheelhouse and indeed fantastic, but the oaked was built as a different wine and was a star in its own right. The Axis Mundi Grenache/Syrah blend was a neat everyday drinker. Wes actually served it chilled - which while odd - was a solid choice. An easy drinker chilled or not. The Pinots were what we came for and they were hype-worthy. The '09 was a more formal and classy specimen, and the '10 was a bit more audacious. Wes, in great detail, explained that there was a big difference in the weather for those two years. '09 was a great year for wine making in the area, especially for Pinots. '10 was a lot more difficult with a huge heat spike just before harvest. So the '10 was a more plushy and bold than it's predecessor. That being said the '10 was delicious as well, though I preferred the '09 hands down.
After finishing up the tour and tasting, Wes encouraged us to picnic by the pond on the edge of the property, among the willows and ducks. It was a peaceful end to an outstanding experience.
Experience: A+ / Wines: A

Qupé Wines (tasting $10, wines $18-$45)
Verdad '11 Grenache Rosé - Sawyer Lindquist, '11 Chenin Blanc, '11 Viognier - Ibarra-Young, '10 Grenache - Sawyer Lindquist, Verdad '09 Tempranillo - Sawyer Lindquist, Ethan '09 Sangiovese - Alisos, '09 Syrah - Sawyer Lindquist, '07 Syrah - Alisos
There's plenty of discussion around the idea that people's tastes for wines change over time. What once was thought to be a great wine can years later be considered okay. I'm not sure if that explains the shift in my feelings toward Qupé,  but it may have something to do with it. Not that I hated or even disliked the wines this time around, but I wasn't blown away by it as I was on my first visit, this time around it was more pedestrian.
The tasting room was pretty calm during this visit, mid-afternoon on a warm Sunday. The staff person was nice. Lots of stuff for sale on the walls.
The wines varied for me from decent to pretty good. I didn't find the Rosé or the Viognier to be very appealing. The Chenin Blanc was a nice drinker - well balanced citrus with cream. As on our first visit, I enjoyed the Tempranillo, which is normally a wine that I dislike quite a bit. Both Syrahs were pretty good - though the '09 was preferable. The wine prices were reasonably set for the area.
Not sure what exactly fell off for me with Qupé. Certainly I've done a look more wine tasting in the last year and a half - but I can't think that my tastes have changed that much. Perhaps its a case of too high expectations. It's no longer one of my top places to visit, but still a very solid joint.
Experience: B / Wines: B-

Dragonette Cellars (tasting $10, wines $25-$58)
'10 Sauvignon Blanc (Santa Ynez Valley), '11 Sauvignon Blanc (Happy Canyon), '11 Sauvignon Blanc - Grassini, '10 "Seven" (Syrah/Grenache/Mourvedre/Viognier), '10 "MJM" (Syrah/Grenache/Mourvedre/Viognier)
Perhaps it's on odd numbered visits that I really enjoy wineries. My above Qupé visit was my second, and I was underwhelmed. With Dragonette, I was a huge fan the first time, not as enamored the second time, and now on the third visit - quite impressed. Hopefully I'm not that arbitrary, and and justly reviewing these places.
I'm pretty sure that the thing that bugged me about Dragonette on my last visit, was that it was extremely busy, and the staff was running around frenetically. This time, we had the tasting room to ourselves, and the staff person was awesome and knowledgeable. Dragonette is a very young winery, and it appears to me that they are doing quite well. They were all sold out of their Rosé, their Pinot, and their regular GSM blend.
The wines that we did taste were artfully built. The three Sauvs were quite good, my preference was the Happy Canyon. It had the same brightness of the Santa Ynez, but also showed some minerality, which I'm always a sucker for. The Seven didn't blow me away, but it had qualities that it exhibited that bragged that it was a well built wine. The MJM - the Dragonette flagship wine - was a rockstar, super smooth. In my notes I labeled it as a "classy fellow." Dragonette's prices for their wines is a bit steep, but after tasting the wines the costs seem pretty just.
Experience: B+ / Wines: A-

Aside from the long ass drive up to Foxen while slaloming around the bicyclists, this was a banging trip. On Saturday, we got to see some great countryside, lounged at Stolpman at the end of the day, enjoyed the Ampelos pickup party, and checked out a solid Thai place in Lompoc - Herb Home. Sunday we were treated to the fantastic Clos Pepe, enjoyed a serene picnic, and ended our trip at Dragonette.
I am a bit concerned that I'm developing a bias against older wineries in Santa Barbara. I seem to be a fan of the young, upstart wineries, such as: Samsara, Peidrasassi, Ampelos, and Dragonette. And I have not enjoyed a number of established wineries: Andrew Murray, Zaca Mesa,  Au Bon Climat, to name a few. I'm wondering if it's because I'm buying into the "startup" narrative, or if the established wineries are not making wines that are exciting to me - but for a different audience. I guess I'll have to drink more wine to find out.
According to one tasting room employee, the time between Halloween and Thanksgiving is an excellent time to visit, because so many people avoid traveling at that time. It was super mellow throughout the area during our visit, so I'll plan on trying to swing back through during this time again next year.

Corks Crew October '12 - Wine & Ceviche Pairing

What does one do when a friend starts up a ceviche catering business? Especially when said friend asks for recommendations about wines that would pair well with his ceviches? Why - of course - you'd have a party and invite your wine nerd friends over to take on that challenge.

Radio Ceviche makes some very unique and delicious food. We tried three different creations - tangy (ginger, hibiscus), spicy (chile de arbol), and herbal (spearmint, basil). Folks were randomly assigned find wines to pair with the unique ceviches. No wine was supposed to be over $20.

The three wines that were paired with the "Flor de Fuego" tangy ceviche:
'10 Matua Valley Sauvignon Blanc - Paretai Estate
'11 Dashwood Sauvignon Blanc
'11 Angarano Vespaiolo Breganze
Immediately we were all quite impressed by how well the Matua paired with the food. It wasn't over flavored so it allowed the ceviche to shine, but it also had gentle and fun flavors. The Dashwood was also nice, but not as impressive as the Matua. The Vespaiolo was very interesting. Not all that well matched for such a flavorful food, but it had good qualities to be appreciated on its own.

There was a bit of a switcheroo for the second ceviche. Folks were expecting the "El Diablo" spicy ceviche, but since we had mentioned an interest in a new vegan ceviche, that one replaced the spicy one. The vegan ceviche was awesome, but didn't have the features of the spicy ceviche. So the wines that were brought to pair were not necessarily on the mark.
Here are the three wines that were matched with the vegan ceviche:
'11 Selbach "Incline" Riesling
'10 Christian Salmon Sancerre Vieilles Vignes
'10 Crognaleto Trebbiano d'Abruzzo
 The Riesling was fine as a stand-alone, but definitely was a wacky match for the tangy-ness of the ceviche. The Sancerre (a Sauvignon Blanc), was quite understated and unremarkable with the food. The Trebianno was widely panned by folks. Not good with the food, not good by itself. 

The final ceviche, the herbal "Yerba Buena" is epic. It's a clever marriage of herbs and consistency. Here are the paired wines:
'10 Tenuta dell Ugolino Verdiccio
'10 Seagrape Chardonnay - Zotovich Vineyard
'09 Mount Nelson Sauvignon Blanc
The Verdiccio was a solid pairing, though it didn't have quite enough acid to stand up to the ceviche. The person that brought the Seagrape Chardonnay admitted that she paid more than the $20 limit that we had set, and that she didn't care if it paried well with the ceviche that she'd been assigned. She brought it because she loved it and she wanted us to try it. In her defense, it was an awesome drink, and paired pretty well with the food as well. The Mount Nelson was quite good as well - though not as spectacular as previous Sauv pairings.

After all the wines were tried and the ceviche was gone - everyone agreed that the very first wine that we tried, the Matua Sauvignon Blanc, was the best matched wine with it's assigned ceviche. The other star of the day was the Seagrape Chardonnay. It wasn't necessarily all that well paired, it was a wicked delicious wine though. It was interesting that so many Sauvignon Blancs - especially ones from New Zealand - stood up so well to the variety of ceviches. Conventional wisdom on wine and food pairings is to choose wines that are from the same regions as the food.
Since ceviche is a South American and Central American creation, there's no traditional wine to use to pair. In addition to the wines that were tested during our gathering, I've thought that perhaps an Albariño or a Grüner Veltliner would hold up well to the ceviches.
At the end of the evening we decided that the next gathering's theme would be: Favorite Holiday Dinner Side Dishes and Paired Wines. It's not a catchy title - but should be fun.

Corks Crew September '12 - Pinot Piñata Party

At the first wine party, we decided that subsequent Corks Crew themes should be chosen at the end of each event, when we are especially imbibed. The August Corks Crew theme: "Spherical Spearable Bubbly Brunch" very well highlights our ability to come up with confusing and fantastic themes. That theme was so fantastic, that I forgot to take pictures or notes. The synopsis of that event - bubbly wines taste good, and so does breakfast food. Domaine Chandon Brut Classic was the favorite wine of the afternoon.
At the end of that event, we came up with the theme for September: "Pinot Piñata Party." Simple theme, bring a red Pinot, and take a whack at the piñata. This time around we were a bit more wine-focused. Everyone sat inside with the AC (too damn hot that day), drank each one together, discussed their thoughts, and rated the wines on a 100 point scale. Nine people participated in the ratings. Here are the results, in order of the most to least liked, with some of my tasting notes:

'10 Laetitia Estate Pinot Noir - avg. score - 90.6 (high 98, low 85)
Good balance and variety, not amazing but very solid.
'09 Cold Heaven "Nevertell" Pinot Noir - 88.8 (high 91, low 80)
Bright and fun, shifting flavor intensities, sweet and friendly. 
'08 Ampelos "Rho" Pinot Noir - 86.6 (high 93, low 82)
 Exuberant, a bit silly/rowdy, quality notes, monochromatic finish.
'11 Hahn "Nicky Hahn" Pinot Noir - 85.9 (high 96, low 75)
Silky with kick, not that well-built, moderate quality.
'10 Castle Rock Pinot Noir - Mendocino County - 85.7 (high 89, low 80)
Big and upfront, lots of nice acid kick.
'10 Cave Des Onze Communes Pinot Noir Valle d'Aoste - 84.4 (high 91, low 78)
Crazy petrol nose, big sweetness tempered by earth and mush, watery back.
'07 Attilio Ghisolfi Langhe Pinay - 81.6 (high 88, low 70)
Mature darkness, fun tartness, moderate lengthy finish, a bit bland.

Some very interesting takeaways. Big ups to Laetitia - that was a solid wine. I'm familiar with Cold Heaven, but only knew about their viogniers - which are very good. A large number of the wines were from California Laetitia, Cold Heaven and Ampelos are all from the Santa Barbara area, Castle Rock from Mendocino, and Hahn is a California designate. With all those young fruity wines, the two Italian wines were rather panned by the tasters - but it would be curious to see what people would think if those wines stood on their own. It was a hell of a party, people dug the opportunity to do side-by-side comparisons.
Next month's theme: Wine and Ceviche Pairing