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

September '12 Local Visit - D'Argenzio Winery

D'Argenzio is a Sonoma-based winery with a unique idea: since one brother lives up in Sonoma and makes wine, and the other brother lives in Los Angeles and has retail space, why not operate two tasting rooms? It's a pretty unique idea, and one that I think is pretty clever. LA's a big ass place, and there are tons of wine fans here, so why not create some brand loyalty from afar? After hearing good things from coworkers, a friend and I decided to check it out one evening.


D'Argenzio Winery ($10 tasting, wines $30-$36)
'06 "Old Vine Cherry Block" Pinot Noir, '06 Pinot Noir, '08 Super Tuscan (Sangiovese/Cabernet Sauvignon/Petit Sirah), '10 Barbera, '09 Zinfandel, '06 Petit Sirah
All of the wines are sourced from Sonoma vineyards, some in the Russian River Valley, some in Dry Creek. Right out of the gate, I was impressed by the Old Vine Cherry Block Pinot Noir. Bright nose, mature color, subtle kick. The second Pinot did not perform as well, sweet - which was a less desirable characteristic that showed up to some degree in all of the wines. The Super Tuscan was a easy sipper with a variety of flavors, though I felt it was too chewy for its profile. They were kind enough to let us try the new Barbera, which was created by the son of the LA-based owner. We dug it - it was young and promising. I was fond of the Zinfandel - it was also sweet, but well balanced, some complexity, and not overpowering. The Petit Sirah was overtly sweet, and was bland on the back end.
It's a neat space, lots of old-style wood, with lots of attention to the decor. There are music nights frequently, thought while we were there, we were the only visitors. We were attended to by Anabel, the Tasting Room Associate, and Richard, the brother that lives in LA and decided to open up the tasting room. They were excited to share wine and talk about where to get great food in LA.
It's a nice opportunity to participate in the tasting room experience in town and not have to hoof it two or more hours away. The staff is knowledgeable, and the space is well maintained. I wasn't blown away by the wine, but a few - the Cherry Block Pinot and the Zinfandel - were quite nice. I'd recommend the place for folks looking for a nearby experience, but I wouldn't seek out their wine while up in Sonoma.
Experience B- / Wines: C+

August '12 Santa Barbara Trip - Slightly Off the Beaten Path

We headed up for the Ampelos member party. We've been members for a few years now, and they know how to put on an excellent party. Great food, good atmosphere at their vineyard, and of course, lots of wine. In addition to the party, I was interested in checking out a few wineries that we hadn't been to yet. Brewer - Clifton and Transcendence are two wineries that I've heard great things about, but every time that I was in Lompoc, I was at the Wine Ghetto, and didn't feel like heading a few blocks over to their tasting rooms. But we were able to swing over their this time. Also, we decided to stop in Santa Barbara on our way home for dinner, and were able to check out Au Bon Climat finally.

Brewer - Clifton (wines $30-$56)
'10 Chardonnay, '10 Chardonnay - Sea Smoke, '09 Chardonnay - Gnesa, '10 Pinot Noir, '10 Pinot Noir - Machado, '10 Pinot Noir - Cargasacchi, '10 Pinot Noir - Mount Carmel
Brewer - Clifton is a partnership between Greg Brewer, who is the winemaker at Melville, and Steve Clifton, who owns and runs Palmina. We've visited both of those wineries in the past and really enjoyed them, so we figured that their partnership label should be good as well. The tasting room is sleek and artful, though a bit chilly because it's connected to their storage area. They pour two different varietals of wine - Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Each type had a Sta. Rita Hills bottle (grapes came from a handful of vineyards), and then a few vineyard specific bottles. The wines were all excellent, but pricey. I'd say that the Gnesa Chardonnay is the best Chardonnay that I've had in the Central Coast, but at $52, that's a steep cost for one of my least favorite wine types. In their defense, my aversion to Chards is the "fat, buttery, caramel" style, since Brewer - Clifton only uses neutral oak barrels, the wines aren't sloppy bastards. They were quite tasty in fact. We definitely enjoyed the Pinots as well - but were once again cowed by the price tags. We were completely enamoured with the Cargasacchi Pinot. It was intricate and floral. As young as the Pinots were, they tasted excellent already. Cool place, quality wines, moderately high prices.
Experience: B / Wines: B+

Transcendence Wines (wines $16-$45)
'11 Chardonnay - Zotovich, '09 Pinot Noir - Babcock, '09 "Parea" (Grenache/Syrah) - Larner, '09 Syrah, Kenneth Crawford '07 Syrah
Transcendence is the philanthropically-minded winery from Joey Gummere, formerly of Kenneth Crawford Winery. Each year, Transcendence designates one of their wines as a fundraiser and donates 100% of the sales of that wine to a chosen non-profit. Being a career non-profiteer, I totally dig this model. The tasting room conveys a yoga/eastern thinking vibe - peaceful and welcoming. Our host - Steve - was an awesome dude. He was very mellow, friendly and excited to share wine. He was even kind enough to have us sample some young Grenache from a barrel that was aging in the warehouse connected to the tasting room. The wines themselves varied from pretty good to very good for me. The Chard and Pinot were solid, and I definitely enjoyed the two Syrahs (especially considering the $16 and $28 price points). The Grenache/Syrah blend ("Parea") was not for me - though everyone else in my group loved it - so I'm not sure what happened there.
Experience: A- / Wines: B

Au Bon Climat Winery (wines $30-$45)
'08 Chardonnay, '04 "Hildegard" (Pinot Gris/Pinot Blanc/Aligote), '09 "Knox Alexander" Pinot Noir, '07 Pinot Noir - Nielson, '01 "Reservatum" (Sangiovese/Cabernet Franc/Merlot), '06 Petit Verdot - Bien Nacido
Jim Clendenen and his winery, Au Bon Climat, are an early institution to the Santa Barbara region. Jim's been involved in the wine industry since 1978, and created Au Bon Climat in 1982. Since then he's racked up numerous international awards and acclaim. The tasting room is in the busy State Street shopping area of Santa Barbara. We visited on a hot Sunday afternoon, and there was a weird vibe in the place. There were a lot of folks there, and I think that the staff were interested in bringing an end to the weekend. The place was very well decorated - hip and funky. I did not enjoy the wines very much. The whites tasted over-oaked to me, the reds were more preferable - especially the Pinots.
Experience: C / Wines: C+

There were interesting little hitches to this trip: such as getting bumped from our hotel and one of our friends having bronchitis on the trip, bad traffic, but that only seemed to highlight the brightness of the rest of it. Au Bon Climat was not as good as I imagined that it would be, but it was a gorgeous weekend and we really enjoyed Brewer - Clifton and Transcendence. It's my plan to continue to check out wineries that we haven't been to in the area, and I'm a bit afraid that we're going to have less quality experiences. Though this trip might be emblematic of future experiences - pretty darn good more often than not.

Corks Crew July '12 - BBQ Wines

A true pleasure of becoming a wine geek is being able to share and compare wine with friends. Over the past two years, we've come to realize that a handful of our close friends are also stoked on wine. It's a great pleasure to explore the world of wine with our friends, so we decided that it would be fun to create a monthly wine club to get together to chat about wine.
We had our first wine get together, with the theme of "Summer BBQ Wines."


The lineup of wines was pretty mixed, with a tendency toward Central Coast wines.
10 Star Lane Sauvignon Blanc - Santa Barbara
10 Rideau Roussanne - Santa Barbara
09 Tablas Creek Roussanne - Paso Robles
07 Ampelos Grenache - Santa Barbara
08 Domaine de la Pertruisane Le Naine Violet (Grenache) - Languedoc
09 Masút Pinot Noir - Mendocino
09 Tenlsey Syrah - Santa Barbara
09 Inama Carménere Piu - Veneto

N.V. Caprari Lambrusco - Emelia-Romagna 
N.V. Rosa Regale Brachetto d'Acqui - Piedmont

The big whiff of the night was the Grenache. It was way too sticky and sweet. A bad mix of overt flavors and high heat. 

The Tablas Creek Roussanne was very well received. It's an awesome wine - subtle, well built, and refreshing. 

We all enjoyed the Masút Pinot Noir - earthy, and nicely balanced.

The standout of the group was the Caprari Lambrusco. That was a crazy tasty wine. Just the right amount of sweetness, an interesting hint of sage. We were all huge fans. 

Drinking wine with friends is a great way to spend an evening. Our first venture into the "Corks Crew Wine Club" was quite a success. People were able to share good wine, eat good food, and enjoy each other's company. It was fun to discuss what qualities we found in the wines, and what we really enjoyed. We had such a great time, we even planned our next wine club theme - perhaps somewhat inspired by our inebriated state: "Spherical Spear-able Bubbly Brunch." It'll be fun to see what sparkling wines folks will try to pair with a Sunday brunch. 

July '12 Martian Ranch & Vineyard Tasting at Domaine LA

Domaine LA is a wine store in Hollywood, that I've been wanting to visit. I had heard good things, and based on their blog and tweets, they seemed funky and smart, with a preference for small and sustainable wines. With Domaine hosting Martian Ranch - a winery I've been interested in, it seemed like a good time to swing by.

Martian Ranch & Vineyard ($10 tasting, wines $18-$22)
 '11 "Uforic" Albariño, '11 "Mother Ship" Grenache Blanc, '11 "Down to Earth" Grenache Rosé, '11 "Ground Control" Grenache Noir, '11 "G" Mourvédre
Martian Ranch is a new winery that's based in Los Alamos, slightly north of the Los Olivos/Buellton/Lompoc area. They're opening up their winery for tastings very soon. The very popular Full of Life Flatbread bakery and restaurant is also in Los Alamos, so that would be a solid plan to visit Martian for a tasting and then have dinner at Full of Life.
There's definitely a unique vibe to Martian Ranch. The winemaker and "only employee" Michael Roth poured the wines - and was down to share lots about the choices that he made when creating the wines. All of the wines that were poured were interesting, inventive, well constructed and fun. All of the wines that we tried were well-priced, especially considering the high quality.
The Albariño was my favorite of the day. It was bright and crisp, with long lasting acidity and a late showing of minerality. The Grenache Blanc was a kick to drink - initially it seemed very serious, but after a few sips its bright fruit flavors and vegetal notes broke through. It had a low acid back-end, which balanced the wine nicely. The Rosé was a study of contrasts. It was very light colored - with a beautiful salmon tint. The wine had a floral nose. It was very light, like a Sauvignon Blanc - but featured Grenache Noir qualities, such as strawberries and vegetal notes midway. A strange and neat drink. The Grenache was also a unique wine - perhaps the most unique of the group. Michael Roth talked about how it went through carbonic fermentation, so it's ready to drink much earlier than your typical Grenache. Right off the bat the wine was very herby on the nose and early taste, then gave way to more serious and dark fruit flavors. There was a good tannic grip, but also remained light. The Mourvédre also show quite a bit of uniqueness. Also young, it displayed a vegetal flavor, but a very interesting hint of walnut showed through. A neat feature of the Mourvédre is that it did not have any sulfates added, the intention is to drink it young. The reds were so interesting, I can't say that I loved them as a go to wines, but they were both flavorful and well balanced. 
I dig living in LA. On a beautiful Sunday afternoon, I can go to a cool wine shop like Domaine LA and taste the inventive wines of Martian Ranch and talk to the to the winemaker. Life sure don't suck.
Experience: B+ / Wines: B+

June '12 East Bay Pit Stop - Steven Kent/La Rochelle

Livermore is conveniently located when we drive up for family visits. After a long drive up I-5, swinging onto the 580 heading toward the East Bay, there's often a traffic slowdown that begins in Livermore. Many times prior I've thought: "there's wineries here, why not stop and take a short break?" This is the first time I've followed through on that idea. In reading wine blogs, I'd heard recommendations for Steven Kent Winery, so we decided to make that our inaugural stop.

La Rochelle Wine ($10 tasting, wines $24-$42)
'11 Santa Lucia Highlands Pinot Noir Rosé, '08 Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir, '08 Santa Lucia Highlands Pinot Noir, Pinot Noir - San Vicente Vineyard/Monterey
La Rochelle is a label within the Steven Kent Winery portfolio it focuses on Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, which are grown in cooler coastal climates, not in Livermore where the Steven Kent Winery is. Steven Kent Mirassou is related to the Mirassou wine empire that spans six generations. 
The grounds at the Steven Kent winery back right up to a vineyard, and the place has a Tuscan villa feel. When we visited, there was a wine bar set up on the front patio. The very friendly staff person at the patio bar explained our options:
a. Enjoy a choice of three tastings and keep the glass on the front patio.
b. Head to the Barrel Room and choose between a Steven Kent label tasting or a La Rochelle tasting for $10.
c. For $20 have a sit down reserve tasting of either Cabernets or Pinots, paired with cheese.
We chose the Barrel Room option, and decided that we'd go with the La Rochelle tasting. The Barrel Room, is set up like a stand up restaurant. We waited to be greeted by a host. After discussing which tasting we wanted, we were taken to our table-barrel. It's a dimly lit and quiet place. We were attended to by an odd woman, who would pour each glass of wine, state the seemly scripted description of the wine, stand staring at us for an uncomfortable moment, then wander off inexplicably. Aside from the woman on the patio, all of the staff that we spoke with were bland and strange. 
Since we had a flight of four Pinots, it was easy to draw commonalities between the wines. All were slight and calm, but had a high acid kick. These characteristics were nice, but since there was a lack of tannen kick, the profile was not well connected, and the wines all ran a bit hot - some more than others. The fruit tones weren't well distinguished, and tasted clumped together. The Sonoma Coast was the best of the lot. Prices were high for the amount of enjoyment that I got from the wines. 
Experience B- / Wines C+

June '12 Santa Barbara County Trip - Double Down

We've now been to the Santa Barbara Wine Country so many times that we've probably been to a majority of the wineries - and we have found several places that we really enjoy to visit. This time around we brought good friends who are also wine geeks, but hadn't been to the area, so we really wanted to show them some of our favorite places. So we figured we'd take them to the Wine Ghetto, and a couple of other other highlights in the area as well as check out a few places we hadn't been to before.

Saturday (Highway 246, Lompoc Wine Ghetto)

Dierberg & Star Lane Vineyards (wines $22-$80)
Star Lane '10 Sauvignon Blanc, Dierberg '09 Chardonnay, Dierberg '08 Pinot Noir, Dierberg '08 "Drum Canyon" Pinot Noir, Star Lane '07 Estate (Cab blend), Star Lane '05 Cabernet Sauvignon, Star Lane '06 "Astral" (Bordeaux blend)
By now we are very familiar with Dierberg. It's a solid place to visit - the setting is beautiful and the Dierbergs are talented winemakers. On our previous visit we purchased four bottles of the '09 Sauvignon Blanc because we liked it so much. We had hoped the would still have some in stock, but unfortunately had run out. The '10 Sauv that we tried on this visit was good, but did not hold a candle to its predecessor. Our favorite this time around was the Drum Canyon Pinot Noir - which I believe is their new vineyard right next to the winery.
Experience B / Wines B+

Melville Vineyards & Winery ($10 tasting, wines $26-$52)
'09 Chardonnay, '11 Chardonnay - Clone 76 Inox, '10 Pinot Noir, '10 Pinot Noir - "Carrie's", '10 "Verna's" Syrah
We'd been to Melville once - on our very first wine tasting trip. On that visit, we really enjoyed Melville, but we were curious if we'd dig it the same as the first time, or if as our wine intake increased - thereby making us more discriminating tasters - we'd find that Melville wasn't as great as we had previously though. Lo and behold Melville is still awesome, perhaps even more so that we previously thought. The grounds are great, with an Italian villa style structure, looking out onto the vineyard. We'd brought a picnic lunch, and one of the staff offered to have us sit on the patio, enjoy our lunch, and he'd bring our tasting out to us - quite the solid dude. Totally dug the wines. Prices weren't outlandish, and the baseline Chard and the Syrah were impressive. The wines that are being sold are younger that wines sold elsewhere in the area as far as I could tell - Melville has confidence in the taste of their wines right away and also state that they will age well. Who am I to doubt their recommendation? Their stuff is on point.
Experience B+ / Wines B+

Arcadian Winery ($15 tasting, wines $30-$65)
'06 Chardonnay - Sleepy Hollow, '07 Pinot Noir - Fiddlestix, '06 "Jill's Cuveé Pinot Noir, '06 Syrah - Westerly/Santa Ynez Valley, '06 Syrah - Stolpman, '04 Pinot Noir - Pisoni, '06 Syrah - Purisima
Arcadian is one of the newest additions to the Wine Ghetto, though owner and winemaker Joseph Davis has been creating wine under the Arcadian label since 1996. The wines come from the Santa Lucia Highlands up in Monterey County, as well as in a few different places in Santa Barbara County.  Each bottle that we tried were single vineyard designates. The woman at the tasting room was super stoked on the Arcadian wine, and her abundant enthusiasm was worrisome and infectious at the same time. The wines are all well built - each having unique characteristics but also fitting within a restrained paradigm. We were able to taste a few older vintages - the '04 Pinot was fan-tas-tic. Arcadian's median prices are a bit steep for me, but they are definitely a good addition to the Ghetto.
Experience B / Wines B+

Samsara Wine Company ($10 tasting, wines $22-$46)
'11 Grenache Rosé - Windmill Ranch, '10 Pinot Noir, '09 Pinot Noir - Turner, '09 Pinot Noir - Kessler-Haak, Syrah - Verna's
Our first and only visit to Samsara was over a year ago, and we enjoyed it that first time - especially the Rosé. This second time around, we were really impressed with all of their work. Samsara is a small production winery, putting out less than 1000 cases a year. Chad Melville, the owner, is very interested in natural production, relying upon native yeasts, and does not fine or filter the wine. The dude in the tasting room - Lee - is a super fun cat to chat with. He's very mellow, but also very passionate about wine. He's happy to discuss Samsara and Santa Barbara wine in-depth. The wines are playful, though not obnoxious. All were good, though we most enjoyed the Pinot from Kessler-Haak.
Experience B+ / Wines B+

Jalama Wines ($10 tasting, wines $26-$40)
'09 "Giallo" (Pinot Gris), '08 Pinot Noir, '10 Grenache - La Presa, '10 Mourvedre, '08 Syrah - La Presa, '08 Syrah - Paradise Road
Last year, Jalama was the winery that we were seeking out that drew us to the Wine Ghetto. It's one of two wine labels that are operated by Marc Cargasacchi, the other being the brand new Joseph Blair. We had hoped to visit both during this trip, but Marc was not available that day to run the Joseph Blair room, because a tractor broke down or something. So we had a fun time visiting with Christy at Jalama and plan on visiting the other label in the future. As before, the Jalama wines were very good. The Mourvedre was very fun to drink, and the La Presa Syrah really knocked my socks off.
Experience B / Wines B+

Sunday (Alamo Pintado Rd., Los Olivos)

Rideau Vineyard (tour, wines $18-$35)
'10 Viognier, '10 "Siempre" Albariño, '09 "FDL" Grenache, '07 "'FDL' Chateau Duplantier" (Syrah/Grenache/Mourvedre), '10 Riesling
I'd heard good things about Rideau from a few friends, and had planned on going at some point. So when Rideau ran a deal on Travelzoo I grabbed it. The deal was for two people to go on a tour, have a tasting and wine lesson, a cheese pairing, and a bottle of wine to boot. Our guide for the tour was the fantastic Shay. He took great pleasure in telling the history of Rideau, showing the vineyard and the winemaking area. During the pairing, he shared a lot of knowledge about wine appreciation and patiently answered everyone's questions. The force behind Rideau is Iris Rideau, who has had a long and successful career in the financial sector. She appreciated the Santa Ynez area, and was interested in restoring the old adobe bunkhouse that is now the winery. Shay toured us around the grounds, spending a lot of time discussing grape-growing, and a bit about the winemaking process. Rideau focuses largely on Rhone varietals. Their wines are well built - tasty and restrained - but lack excitement. Dug the Grenche most - did not enjoy the Riesling. Most of the wines were affordably priced. The grounds are quite nice, there is a large shaded lawn in the back with tons on seating for picnics. I'd recommend a visit, especially if you can get Shay to be your guide.
Experience A- / Wines B

Stolpman Vineyards ($10 tasting, wines $19-$68)
'10 Viognier, '09 "L'Avoin" (Roussanne), '10 Grenache, '10 "La Coppa" Sangiovese, '08 Sangiovese, '10 Syrah, '10 "High Density Hilltops" Syrah, '10 "Angeli" Syrah
The previous two times that we visited Stolpman, we've really enjoyed ourselves - somehow this time was even better. It was a lazy Sunday afternoon, and when we walked inside, an employee named Tom asked if we'd prefer to enjoy our tasting on the front patio. It was a beautiful day, and being able to enjoy Stolpman wine while watching folks passing by on the street was a fantastic way to spend the afternoon. Tom was a tremendous host, he was excited to discuss the wines and was able to answer my numerous in depth. I wasn't a huge fan on the whites, they were good wines, but they didn't tickle my fancy. However, the reds were all a hit with me. The Grenache was a really interesting wine - it was wispy slight, but still had a firm structure. The "Angeli" Syrah was awesome - Angeli is Stolpman's reserve wine. What's neat about their wines is that the wines that we were being served were young and could use some aging, but were good to drink right away.
Experience A / Wines A-

This trip reaffirmed our enthusiasm for the Santa Barbara region and likely made converts out of our first-time visiting friends. On each trip we take to the area, there is at least one or two places that really do a fantastic job of ensuring that we have a great time. The staff at the different wineries are often so friendly and passionate about the wine that it's impossible to not get caught up in the excitement. This time around, every place that we went to we had great conversations with winery staff - Lee at Samsara, Shay at Rideau, and Tom at Stolpman were standouts. Between the excellent people and the delicious wine, how doesn't one become a wine geek?

LA for the Urban Wino - 55 Degree Wine (Atwater Village)

55 Degree Wine is largely responsible for my wine nerdom. My wife and I moved to a place just blocks away from them, and had heard good things from friends. Quickly we became regulars. The main staff people at the time, Stephanie, Tony and Wendy, were excellent hosts. They were truly passionate about wine and enjoyed sharing insights. They were great teachers, and put a lot of energy into making the experience positive for us. For us it was an ideal situation to learn to love wine. We visited frequently, and touted it to our friends.
55 Degree has a pretty sweet setup. You walk into a normal seeming wine store, brightly lit, with stacks and stacks of wines shelved delicately. The wines sold there aren't easy to find around town and some - like this one - are awesome. The major focal point is Italian wines, so the wine bottles are categorized by region, and then by other countries. As you approach the counter, a staff person directs you to a small staircase that isn't seen from the front of the store. Down the staircase you go, descending into a dimly lit, simply decorated cellar. It's definitely a unique spot. Once you find a table, a staff person brings you a menu that features the weekly wine options, broken up into four themed flights, each flight is comprised of three large tasting pours of wine. The themes can be based on a many different things - a specific region, a specific type of wine, and so on. There's a small food menu (cheese plates, pizza, hummus, etc.). You can also order wines by the glass and there are plenty of quality beers to choose from.
About a year ago, the bar began to lose it's luster. First off, the people that worked there that really knew wine began to leave. The weekly wine flight options weren't nearly as inventive or diverse. The new staff that came in weren't nearly as engaging or knowledgeable. It also seemed like the focus of the place shifted from a quiet neighborhood wine bar with an educational focus to a groupon fueled party spot. I'm not sure if that happened purposefully, but the ownership definitely seemed more interested in more people who visited once rather than a more moderate stream of people visiting regularly.
As we became less infatuated with 55, we began to explore other wine stores and wine bars. It became clear that the only advantage that 55 has over other locations is closeness to us. We discovered that 55 was charging a lot more for their wines than other wine stores, and that were other wine bars in the area that focused on a superior customer experience.
I'm not sure whether the 55 Degree will shift back to it's previous self. I have a feeling that a reason that the ownership was less invested in the regular customer was because they were focused on opening a sausage and beer restaurant next door (Link 'N' Hops - which received a less than stellar review from LA Weekly), and had to cut costs. So now that the restaurant is now open, perhaps 55 will receive more focus from the ownership and will return to its previous glory. My guess is though that the reason the restaurant was opened was because the wine store/bar model wasn't playing out as well as hoped, so potentially 55 will continue to underwhelm when compared to its past.

Experience C / Wine Selection & Prices C-

April '12 Central Valley Pit Stop - Van Ruiten

Being that my wife and I both have family in NorCal, we drive through the Central Valley with frequency. Even though it doesn't have the same wine cache as the Sonoma and Napa regions, the Central Valley is a prolific growing region for all sorts of agriculture, including wine grapes. Lodi has a rich history of wine growing, thanks to the influx of Gold Rush era immigrants who brought grape vines with them - particularly Zinfandel. I've thought during the past few trips to visit family that we should stop and check out the area.

Van Ruiten Family Vineyards ($5 tasting, wines $13.99-$34.99)
'11 Pinot Grigio, '10 Lake County Sauvignon Blanc, '10 Chardonnay, '08 "Double Barrel" Chardonnay, '10 Clarksburg Pinot Noir, '10 Cab-Shiraz, '08 Cabernet Sauvignon, '10 "Lot No. 498" Cabernet Sauvignon, '09 Petit Sirah, Winsome '08 Old Vine Zinfandel, Glory Days '09 Zinfandel, '07 Late Harvest Viognier
Upon entering the tasting room, we were warned that they were out of their Old Vine Zin, which I guess can be an issue for folks if they don't find out immediately. Not a big deal for us, we take on all wines equally. The ambience was quite nice. In the warmer months, the winery hosts a band every Sunday afternoon, and there were a bunch of folks digging the music outside on the patio drinking bottles that they had purchased inside. Everyone was very friendly. Strangers struck up conversations with us and the staff person who attended to us was very talkative. The place had a mellow and welcoming vibe. We've never tried Lodi wines before. My expectation was that the wines would be high in alcohol, that all of the reds would taste the same, and that they would serve White Zin. I have to give more credit to Van Ruiten.  I was not blown away by the wines - none were refined or complex, but they showed some balance and definitely were not the high octane bombers that I expected. The reds generally had flavor variences between them, some good, some not so good. The Petit Sirah was the most emblematic of this experience. My tasting note on this one reads: "mediocre melted Boysenberry sorbet." That generally fits with most of the Van Ruiten reds because most of the wines had a clear, decent flavor to them, but that's the most of it. The good reds had a basic good flavor, while the bad reds, had a less-enjoyable basic flavor to them. And we were not served a White Zin - so that's a good thing. The Pinot Grigio was enjoyable, and the Winsome Zin (Winsome is one of Van Ruiten's budget labels) was tasty for the price. The '08 Cab, the Cab-Shiraz, and the Late Harvest Viognier were definite lowlights.
Experience: B- / Wines: C+

It's a long drive between LA and Sacramento. It's long and it's curious, because along those seemingly empty 384 miles there is actually a lot going on. Even though California sees itself as a cosmopolitan touchstone, it is at root an agricultural state. Along I-5 or the 99, food is being grown. Wine is my kind of agricultural product, so it's nice to know that when I find myself passing through, I can stop and enjoy some of their wares.

Wine Tasting Etiquette Quandry

Since I've to a number of tasting room recently, I've come up against a bit of a sticky issue. Very often, the tasting room attendants will ask the question "So what do you think about that wine that you just had?"
Sometimes I can answer both honestly and positively, "That was excellent, I really liked the blah blah blah, etc."
But sometimes the wine that they ask about does not taste good and/or have redeeming qualities. What's the proper way to answer? I see three potential options:

1) Be completely and bluntly honest. One of the first times I ever went wine tasting I went with my buddy Cal. Cal would take a sip of wine, make a disgusted face, and say "I do not like!" directly to the attendant (in his thick Syrian accent). This can be hilarious and frank, but more often uncomfortable.

2) Admit that you didn't like it but blame yourself for not liking it. This would be something like saying "This seems like it's really good quality, I just don't like Syrahs." In instances this works well, but not very helpful when you have to come up with excuses for not liking all of the wines that are being poured.

3) Lie like there's no tomorrow. Act as though you enjoyed every last drop. Honestly this is my go to technique. No matter what the winery's size or style is, they are in the business of making people happy, so it's easier to act as though they've accomplished their goal. Though I can't help feeling disingenuous when I do it.

So my question is - how do you handle this? Blunt honestly, deferred blame, or outright lie? Or perhaps something else? I'm certainly open to new ideas, so lay them on me.