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.
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.
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