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+