December '13 Amador County Trip - In Search of OGP...Yeah You Know Me

On the second day of holiday downtime with the family, my brother-in-law decided to scoot on down to Amador County. Monday is a quiet day, and not all of the wineries in the area were open. One goal that I had in mind was to go to Vino Noceto, to try their Old Grandperé Zinfandel. While at Vino Noceto, we were strongly encouraged to check out the brand new Turley tasting room just down the road.

Young's Vineyard ($0 tasting, wines $25-$42)
'12 Viognier, '11 Sangiovese, '11 Zinfandel, '11 Barbera, '11 Petite Sirah, '11 Cabernet Sauvignon
I enjoyed Young's the first time that we visiting the Shenendoah Valley. My brother-in-law dug the hell out of Young's on that trip, so when he and I decided to roll out to the area, he really wanted to go again, which I was totally cool with. It was a Monday, so it was very quiet, just a big-ass golden retriever snoozing on the floor when we arrived. The dog was sweet and enjoyed being pet. The lady behind the counter was friendly as well, though I did not try to find out if she liked ear scratches too. The tasting room was painted with dark colors, which gave the place a bit of a spooky gothic feel, but is also calming in a weird way. 

Young's also abides by the high acid / low tannin profile that I've seen at other quality wineries in the Amador region. The Viognier was a little tainted with smoke on the opening, but that gave way to light citrus and enjoyable green hues. The oak was evident, but not obnoxiously overt. All of the reds were calm but still showed unique characteristics. My favorite was the Zinfandel. Once again a little bit of oak showing, though there were nice layers of flavors. It was a bit bombastic compared to their other wines, however its alcohol volume was a scant 14.2% - pretty low for the region. All of the wines were solidly below 15%, and the Cabernet was only 13%. I wasn't wild about their Cabernet. It was pretty, but too sweet and too green. I'm sure they put strong effort into making it, but it wasn't worth the $42 that they were charging for it. Overall the wines that we tried showed confidence by the winemaker - it's definitely in the upper crust of places that I've visited in the area. 
Experience: B / Wine: B

Vino Noceto Winery ($0 tasting, wines $16-$28)
'12 Pinot Grigio, '10 "Noceto" Sangiovese, '10 "Riserva" Sangiovese, '10 Barbera - Linsteadt, '10 Zinfandel - Original Grandpére, '13 "Frivolo" Moscato

Vino Noceto is known for three wines - their Sangioveses - which they have a number of, their "Frivolo" Moscato dessert wine, and their Original Grandpére Zinfandel. I'm fine with Sangio's, I'm not enthused about Moscatos, but I am always down to try the different versions of Old Grandpére that are found at various wineries in the area. "OGP" is the oldest Zinfandel vineyard in California - planted in 1860. Other wineries will sell their bottlings of it, and infrequently will include on their reserve tasting lists, but Vino Noceto is the only winery that will regularly pour it.
We rolled up and the place was rather packed.  Two large groups had almost completely filled the place. Both groups were having a great time. We managed to squeeze our way in to get a taste. Everyone else finished up partway through our tasting, and eventually it was just us and the two goofy dudes who were the pourers. The mood of the place was welcoming - snacks were out and the pourings were generous.

All of the wines were sweeter in profile than I would have expected, and given that the wines were generally in the low 14% range for alcohol, the sweetness wasn't coming from being high octane. The "Riserva" Sangiovese was more dialed in - robust and at the same time more calm - compared to the standard "Noceto" bottling. The "Linsteadt" Barbera was dense and sweet, strangely nearing the qualities of a port somehow. The OGP too seemed obnoxiously port-like. It did show an interesting variety of subtle flavors, but unfortunately the sweetness was too prevalent to enjoy the wine as much as I would have liked. 

Vino Noceto seems to be doing business at a good clip. People rave about their Mosceto and their baseline Sangiovese. They seem to have very affordable case deals available often, and overall their wines are very nicely priced. It's a fun place for people that don't want to take their wine too seriously.
Experience: B / Wine: C+

Turley Wine Cellars ($10 tasting, wines $28-$50)

'11 "Old Vines" Zinfandel, '11 "Judge Bell" Zinfandel, '05 "Dogtown" Zinfandel, '10 "The Label" Cabernet Sauvignon

The new kid on the block. The tasting room had just opened up within the last month when we visited. Turley has been around for a while, with a tasting room in Paso Robles, and having a decent sized distribution with wines made from various California regions - Contra Costa, Lodi, Mendocino, Napa, Paso Robles, and Sonoma. They've been making wine with Amador grapes going back several years, and more recently purchased the old Karly vineyard. Now with that vineyard, they'all start to make Amador specific Zin, rather than using it in California designate Zinfandel. It's a sign of growth for Amador that larger labels like Turley and Renwood are not just making wines from the area but actually have a physical presence with their tasting rooms. 

The interior features a wrap-around bar in the center of the room, and a lot of open space surrounding it. Even though it's a brand new space, the decor has a weather look that's artsy while at the same time evoking a western roadhouse. It was just us and the tasting room manager when we were then, and it felt like we should be speaking in hushed tones given the echoing off the hardwood throughout. She wasn't the friendliest of tasting room folks that I've ever met, but she was pretty knowledgeable about the wine.

Turley is know for their Zins, and though the list was limited given their recent opening, Zins were three out of the four wines on the tasting menu. The "Old Vines" Zin is a blend from all of the growing regions. It had a huge red fruit flavor, tons of acid, and was, I guess "kinda likeable - that's what I have written in my notes. The "Judge Bell" is their first Amador specific wine that they've made. It's from Story Winery's vineyard, next door neighbors of Turley's new Amador vineyard.Still big flavor, though more calm compared to the Old Vines, typical Zin profile, a little lime within the acid. Given it's age, the '05 Dogtown showed Cabernet characteristics: muted and medium fruit. It did still retain some grip though. It was my least favorite of the Zins. Finally we tried the Cab, labeled, well, "The Label" - named because it's from the vineyard on the property of the Turley family in Napa. It was being sold in a large-format bottle. It was a quiet wine, especially compared to the rest of the tasting. Some greenness, generally unexciting. 

Experience: C+ / Wines: B-

Kind of a typical day for Amador. Solid experience at Young's, inexpensive and rambunctious wine at Vino Noceto, and Turley representing the newcomers was a bit pricier and more refined than the average spot in the area. Though at the end of the day, I truly hope that the Turleys don't push out the Vino Nocetos. Amador's charm comes from it's sleepiness and unassuming nature. The more that wineries from out of the area roll in and bring their stuffier mentalities, the less it will be enjoyable. Let's hope that the competition compels more growth in winemaking technique in the area, but doesn't wipe out the personable nature.