This is actually the third leg of a our holiday journey. First we explored the Sierra Foothills, then made a brief stop off in Monterey when visiting friends, and finally getting back to our home region, Santa Barbara. Actually, this final leg was it was a work day for my wife, and a kick it with friends day for me. Since my wife had to stop in Santa Barbara for work purposes, I was joined some LA friends to explore a few of the tasting rooms in the Santa Barbara Funk Zone. I've dropped in on the Funk Zone a few times before, but had never dedicated a full day to it, so I was excited to spend some quality time with friends while exploring. Needless to say, my wife was less than excited that she had to work while all this was going on.
Riverbench Vineyard (tasting $12, wines $24-$48)
'13 "Bedrock" Chardonnay, '13 Estate Chardonnay, '11 "Chapel View" Chardonnay, '11 Reserve Chardonnay, '12 Estate Pinot Noir, '11 Reserve Pinot Noir, '12 "Mesa" Pinot Noir, '11 "One Palm" Pinot Noir
Riverbench has a good reputation. Their winemaker, Clarissa Nagy, is highly considered in the area. Her husband is the winemaker at Byron, and I get the sense that they have a collaborative partnership. The primary focal points for Riverbench are Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and bubbly wines made with Chardonnay and/or Pinot Noir.
Since their actual winery is way up on the northern edge of the region, I was glad that they opened a new tasting room in the Funk Zone, making it a bit easier for us to access. The tasting room was chic and sleek. The staff were fine, though not terribly engaging. There were a handful of different tasting options, we chose the "Chardonnay, Up, Up and Array" and the "Pinot Noir All Star" flights. The Chardonnays were all enjoyable and they had nice diversity from one another. The Bedrock was 100% fermented in steel tanks, while the other three were aged in varying amounts of new French oak barrels.The Reserve was my favorite of the four that we tried, and at $32, a decent price point for a quality Chardonnay the region. The Pinots were also nicely varied - there were some neat flavor characteristics such as green olives in the Estate bottling and pencil shavings in the Reserve. The "Mesa" and the "One Palm" were a little too fruit forward for my tastes.
Experience: B- / Wines: B+
Whitcraft Winery (tasting $12, wines $40-$60)
'13 Sierra Madre Chardonnay, '13 Pinot Noir - Pence Ranch, '13 Pinot Noir - Presqu'ile, '09 Pinot Noir - Morning Dew Vineyard (Anderson Valley), '09 Syrah - Stolpman, '12 Syrah - Clover Creek
There are a handful of Santa Barbara urban tasting rooms that predate the Funk Zone. Whitcraft is one of those old timers, having been established in 1985. Their tasting room isn't too far from the Funk Zone, though it was a little bit more of a walk than I expected. They are in a strange little industrial nook close to the ocean, but kinda distant from most stuff.
Whitcraft was recommended to me by Wes Hagen, formerly of Clos Pepe. Since Wes suggested it, and I sort of worship Wes, I made damn sure that I visited it when I had the chance. The tasting room was quite small, and nothing at all fancy, pleasantly not image-conscious. The tasting room guy was super friendly and proud of the wines that he was pouring.
Like Wes Hagen, Drake Whitcraft does his own thing. His wines are made with as little intervention as possible - not fined or filtered, light use of sulfur and uses no other chemicals. All of the red wines are made with whole-cluster fermentation, meaning that the stems and skins are included during the fermentation process, leading to rich and full-bodied flavors.
And these were definitely some big bad wines to drink. The one white that we tried, the Chardonnay, was quite bright and textured. All three Pinots were flavorful and fun. The Sierra Madre was lightest in body, though still masculine. It was my favorite of the three, the other two were good but a bit too much bombast. I enjoyed both of the Syrahs, probably the Stolpman more as it was a bit more restrained. Across the board I thought that the wines were adventurous and enjoyable. However, they were too pricey for me to purchase.
Experience: B / Wines: B
Municipal Winemakers (tasting $10, wines $25-$50)
'13 "Bright Red" (Grenache/Cinsault/Counoise/Syrah/Mourvèdre), '13 Grenache, '13 Pinot Noir - Santa Rita Hills, '13 "MCS" (Mourvèdre/Carignan/Syrah), '10 "The End" (Grenache/Syrah)
I had visited Municipal once before, just over a year ago when in town for a wedding. The first time I was intrigued by the place, though I thought the wine was just ok. But, I dug the feel the first time, so I wanted to give in another shot.
I won't go into detail about the decor, just imagine a winery designed by Wes Anderson. So that's to be enjoyed. However, the two shortcomings of the winery the first time that I was there was the service and the wine. And in this visit, the same two things were lacking. Once again the folks working at the tasting room were indifferent about what they were doing there, which is kind of a bummer. And once again the wine was not great, actually in some cases, hard to enjoy - and it makes me very sad when wine isn't enjoyable to drink. The "Bright Red" and "The End" were quaffable, but that's about it. The Grenache was my least favorite, too syrupy, sharp and overt.
Experience: B- / Wines: C-
Kunin Wines (tasting 10?, wines $26-$45)
'13 Sauvignon Blanc - McGinley Vineyard, '13 "Pape Star" White Rhone Blend (Grenache Blanc/Roussanne), '13 Viognier - Camp 4 Vineyard, '13 Carignan - Camp 4 Vineyard, '13 "Pape Star" Red Rhone Blend (Grenache/Syrah/Mourvèdre), '08 Syrah - Alisos Vineyard, '13 Zinfandel - Paso Robles
Wine is obviously a yuppie pursuit, especially so when actively going to taste wines. However, I still find it off-putting when I come across wine tasting rooms that are overly pretentious. I know that it's ridiculous to be surprised by stuffiness at wineries, but there are times when I am honestly caught off guard by it. Kunin was definitely haughty, perhaps one of the haughtiest joints I've ever visited. I think it was more the customers than the staff, though the staff weren't all that warm or down-to-earth either.
I was a bit mixed about the wines. Most had good aspects, but most also had less-enjoyable aspects. The Sauvignon Blanc reeked of cat pee (I acknowledge that's considered a positive aspect in some white wines but in this instance it was too heavy to be enjoyable), but was nice and simple on the palate. The Viognier was too syrupy and sharp. The Carignan had a very interesting aroma - rainforest - but was overly sweet. The red Rhone blend flavors came off too juicy and just inauthentic. The Zinfandel was the most interesting - celery and white pepper nose, juicy though balanced, maybe too much heat, but interesting tartness.
Experience: C / Wines: C+
The Funk Zone is definitely it's own animal in comparison to the further afield Santa Barbara wine region. It's definitely seeking to attract folks, and given the quick growth that it's experiencing, it is likely succeeding. I think what's working for it is it's diversity. We went from the quietly confident Riverbench, to the brassy Whitcraft, to the absurd Municipal, and finally to the haughty Kunin, all within a square mile. When it comes to wine, the Funk Zone probably has you covered. And if the first three places that you visit aren't a fit, there's another place for you to check out right across the street.
Showing posts with label Trips. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Trips. Show all posts
December '14 Central Coast Pit Stop - Taste Morgan
Instead of taking our usual route through the Central Valley back home to LA, we decided to take our time heading back, and stop off and visit friends in Monterey. Lucky for us, our friends were willing to indulge our need for wine tourism, and happened to be members at Morgan. So we went with them to the Morgan tasting room in Carmel.
Morgan Winery (member tasting, wines $13-$58)
'13 Sauvignon Blanc, Lee Family '13 Albariño, '13 "Metallico" Chardonnay, '13 "Highland" Chardonnay, '13 "Twelve Clones" Pinot Noir, '13 Pinot Noir - Gary's Vineyard, '13 Pinot Noir - Tondre Vineyard, '13 "G17 (Syrah/Grenache/Tempranillo), '13 "Double L" Syrah, Lee Family '13 "Rio Tinto"
(Touriga Francesca/Touriga Nacional/Alvarelhao)
The wines of the Monterey area are a mystery to me. I know that there are some large brands from the area, such as Hahn, Estancia and Morgan, but I know that there are many more to explore. Morgan's "Taste Morgan" tasting room is in a high end shopping center, not my idea of a quintessential venue, but clever I admit. The tasting room is long with lots of bar space and lots of seating. The decor was very much the rustic country club fare, as well were the other patrons. We grabbed a set of low chairs around a coffee table. Once we settled in, the tasting room attendant came out and introduced himself, poured the first round, and then would revisit with each subsequent tasting.
I gathered that we got a more expansive tasting, thanks to our friends being members. I found it interesting that there were a variety of sub-labels to the wines that we tried: Morgan proper wines are blends from the whole area, Lee Family are sourced from various wineries in or outside of Monterey, Double L from their home vineyard, and then other vineyard designates such as Gary's, Tondre, etc. I've seen lots of wineries doing some of these types of designations, but it seemed like Morgan did it to the greatest degree that I've seen.
No doubt that I was prejudiced coming in to the tasting room. Given the fact that Morgan is a huge wine producerI expected the wines to be widely appealing. And they definitely were that. But they were also kind of interesting, not amazing and definitely safe, but pleasantly intriguing. The Sauvignon Blanc was a burst of friendly tropical and stone fruit, simple with medium acid throughout. The Albariño was bland, or as I wrote in my notes: "All Cali no Spain." The "Metallico" (aged in stainless steel tanks rather than oak barrels) Chardonnay was enjoyable, but too sticky and too mainstream. The "Highland" Chardonnay was definitely mainstream, though well built. A good gateway drug wine. I enjoyed all of the Pinots. The "Twelve Clones" was quite conventional, but well built and enjoyable. The Gary's Vineyard Pinot was very smooth with mature fruit. The Tondre Vineyard was my favorite. Very pretty, very exciting - lots of acid. The G17 blend was pretty pedestrian - just came off as a bland Syrah, but the Double L Syrah was massively flavorful - blood orange, boysenberries - dense as hell. The Rio Tinto blend was also pretty fun - a big juice pop.
To credit Morgan - they are making broadly appealing wine that is interesting. It's not the sort of stuff that I'd hang my hat on, but at the same time, I respect their game. The prices varied pretty widely - Rio Tinto for $13, the vineyard designate pinots for $58 - so I can see that they are trying to include lots of folks in their pricing scheme, which is smart. I'd prefer to visit a tasting room that isn't in a shopping center, but they obviously know what they are doing.
Experience: C+ / Wines: B
Morgan Winery (member tasting, wines $13-$58)
'13 Sauvignon Blanc, Lee Family '13 Albariño, '13 "Metallico" Chardonnay, '13 "Highland" Chardonnay, '13 "Twelve Clones" Pinot Noir, '13 Pinot Noir - Gary's Vineyard, '13 Pinot Noir - Tondre Vineyard, '13 "G17 (Syrah/Grenache/Tempranillo), '13 "Double L" Syrah, Lee Family '13 "Rio Tinto"
(Touriga Francesca/Touriga Nacional/Alvarelhao)
The wines of the Monterey area are a mystery to me. I know that there are some large brands from the area, such as Hahn, Estancia and Morgan, but I know that there are many more to explore. Morgan's "Taste Morgan" tasting room is in a high end shopping center, not my idea of a quintessential venue, but clever I admit. The tasting room is long with lots of bar space and lots of seating. The decor was very much the rustic country club fare, as well were the other patrons. We grabbed a set of low chairs around a coffee table. Once we settled in, the tasting room attendant came out and introduced himself, poured the first round, and then would revisit with each subsequent tasting.
I gathered that we got a more expansive tasting, thanks to our friends being members. I found it interesting that there were a variety of sub-labels to the wines that we tried: Morgan proper wines are blends from the whole area, Lee Family are sourced from various wineries in or outside of Monterey, Double L from their home vineyard, and then other vineyard designates such as Gary's, Tondre, etc. I've seen lots of wineries doing some of these types of designations, but it seemed like Morgan did it to the greatest degree that I've seen.
No doubt that I was prejudiced coming in to the tasting room. Given the fact that Morgan is a huge wine producerI expected the wines to be widely appealing. And they definitely were that. But they were also kind of interesting, not amazing and definitely safe, but pleasantly intriguing. The Sauvignon Blanc was a burst of friendly tropical and stone fruit, simple with medium acid throughout. The Albariño was bland, or as I wrote in my notes: "All Cali no Spain." The "Metallico" (aged in stainless steel tanks rather than oak barrels) Chardonnay was enjoyable, but too sticky and too mainstream. The "Highland" Chardonnay was definitely mainstream, though well built. A good gateway drug wine. I enjoyed all of the Pinots. The "Twelve Clones" was quite conventional, but well built and enjoyable. The Gary's Vineyard Pinot was very smooth with mature fruit. The Tondre Vineyard was my favorite. Very pretty, very exciting - lots of acid. The G17 blend was pretty pedestrian - just came off as a bland Syrah, but the Double L Syrah was massively flavorful - blood orange, boysenberries - dense as hell. The Rio Tinto blend was also pretty fun - a big juice pop.
To credit Morgan - they are making broadly appealing wine that is interesting. It's not the sort of stuff that I'd hang my hat on, but at the same time, I respect their game. The prices varied pretty widely - Rio Tinto for $13, the vineyard designate pinots for $58 - so I can see that they are trying to include lots of folks in their pricing scheme, which is smart. I'd prefer to visit a tasting room that isn't in a shopping center, but they obviously know what they are doing.
Experience: C+ / Wines: B
December '14 El Dorado County Trip - Great Views, Patient Family
I've got to share my appreciation for my in-laws. At least once a year, we come into town for the holidays or other event, and my wife and I state our interest in visiting wineries in the area. And every year, they volunteer to come along. Mind you, they don't drink wine, they've tried, but it's never been something that they've enjoyed. Just the same, they come along. We go into the wineries, unleashed due to the fact that we have a designated driver, and they wait patiently in the car. Sometimes they go for walks, but for the most part, they wait. Each time I feel guilty, but not so guilty as to give it up and do something else.
For this day's journey, we knew that we wanted to hit up a few places in the Fairplay/Pleasant Valley area of El Dorado County. We knew that we wanted to go to Skinner first, and considering that Sierra Vista was on the way back to the in-law's, we'd make that our final stop. What we didn't account for is how long we'd spend at Skinner, meaning that any plans to hit up any places in between were scrapped.
Skinner Vineyards and Winery ($10 tasting, wines $18-$48)
"Seven Generations" (Grenache Blanc/Roussanne/Picpoul Blanc/Viognier), '12 Rosé (Mourvèdre/Grenache), '12 Grenache - Estate, '11 "Eighteen Sixty One" (Grenache/Syrah/Mourvèdre), '11 "Dry Diggings" (Syrah/Grenache/Mourvèdre), '11 "Six Horse" Zinfandel, '09 Syrah - Stoney Creek Vineyard, '12 Grenache -Sumu Kaw Vineyard, '12 Grenache - Fenaughty Vineyard
During this visit, I had started reading Jon Bonné's The New California Wine. What a great book. In it he seeks and finds wineries that are doing their own thing, eschewing the California archetype of wine (big, bold, jammy). Since reading it, I decided to visit a number of wineries that he recommended that I hadn't heard of. Skinner was one of those. The Skinner story is a neat one. The current generations of Skinners, Mike and Carey, as well as their son Kevin and his wife Kathy came upon historical info about James Skinner - a great great great grandfather to James. James Skinner, a Scottish miner, had established a winery in gold country in 1861. Learning this, they decided to purchase land in the same area, and start up a new Skinner winery - to extend the family tradition. The space that they have built is gorgeous. A great, tall wooden building rests on a hillside that overlooks forested hills. Inside are a number of historical photos and drawings that tell the Skinner story.
The staff were very knowledgeable, some of the most astute in the area. The were good ambassadors for the family. I would say that there was one weird thing. Right near the tasting bar was a spiral staircase that wound down into what looked like a wine cellar. Everyone that came in, including us asked "Oh cool! Can I do down there?" And each and every time they answered, "NO! That's a private space just for the family!" This folks, is what you call an attractive nuisance. Everyone knows that spiral staircases are badass, especially ones that go down to secret cellars. And at the time that I was there, there wasn't any signage declaring the space off limits. But whatever, just weird. It did highlight the slight awkwardness of the space and the staff.
Regardless, the wine was banging. The white was super enjoyable, and the Rosé was a delicious ride. They allowed us to try a number of their Grenaches. All were great. The Estate was calm, quiet preserves, followed by late acid. The Sumu Kaw Vineyard Grenache was ridiculously light, but still carried acid and flavor. It was like a macho Rosé. The Fenaughty Vineyard Grenache was concentrated juice with pretty and light acid. Both of the GSM blends were good, I enjoyed the Eighteen Sixty One more. The Zinfandel, their one non-Rhone varietal, was a fine take - calm entry, grows in the mouth, blueberries, and a slight zip at the end. The Syrah was a big mamma-jamma. It was well constructed, mature, but too overbearing for me.
Experience: B / Wines: B+
Sierra Vista Vineyards and Winery ($0 tasting, wines $18-$35)
'13 "Old Vine" Chardonnay, '11 Roussanne,'13 Sauvignon Blanc, '13 Viognier, '13 Grenache, '11 Mourvèdre, '02 "Fleur de Montagne" (Grenache/Syrah,Mourvèdre/Cinsault), '04 "Fleur de Montagne", '08 "Fleur de Montagne", '12 "Fleur de Montagne", '09 "Old Clone" Zinfandel, '11 Syrah "Ancient Vine Reserve", '10 "Red Rocks Ridge" Syrah, '05 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, '12 Viognier Dessert Wine "Doux", '04 Viognier Dessert Wine "Doux"
There are a number of new, hip and well-heeled wineries in the Sierra Foothills - Skinner for one, but also, Andis, Turley, and Renwood. Sierra Vista is none of those things. It's been around since 1977, and is about as unassuming as a winery can be. We sat down at picnic tables with our leftover turkey sandwiches and looked out over the vineyard and the rolling hills beyond. While we sat, the owner and winemaker, John MacCready, and his family happened by. He was goofing off with his grandkids, or actually probably great-grandkids. Even though he's eighty two, he was still shimmying back and forth on one of the kid's scooters pretty well - or perhaps he was the one who got a shiny new scooter from Santa for Christmas.
The staff inside the tasting room were just as sweet. The wine list was exhaustively long, and it was only through great insistence on our part were we able to persuade them to allow us to skip a few wines here and there. Even through our protests, they were still able to get us to try sixteen (!!) different wines. Part of the reason that the list was so long was because they were doing library tastings of their "Fleur de Montagne" Rhone blend. Just the same, the list was quite varied.
Basically, there were a few big hits for us with the wines, and lots of misses. The table whites were not especially enjoyable. We liked the Viognier okay, but it wasn't very remarkable. Many of the reds were off-balanced, too sharp, sweet, with concentrated fruit, or had off-putting flavors. The "Fleurs" were pretty good, especially the younger ones, the older ones a bit sticky. The guy that was serving us was kind enough to hold on to some of the '05 Cabernet that they had, instead of serving what was left to a couple of other folks there ahead of us. He told us "You guys seem to like wine a lot, I think you'll get a kick out of this." The dude was right. It was fantastic. And given the other wines, we were taken aback. It had been decanted for a full day ahead of time. With a big cocoa nose and hits of toast, it was quite pretty, some sneaky sweetness, and a nice layer of dust. It was a tremendous experience. Finally we tried the dessert wines. The '12 was too quiet, but the '04 was tons of fun. Nutty, grippy, with slight hints of greeness.
Experience: B+ / Wines: B-
El Dorado County never ceases to intrigue. It's almost always going to assure good conversation and interesting history. It's hard to know if the wines are going to impress, surprise or underwhelm. Skinner and Sierra Vista represent two very distinct aspects of the region - new investment versus old-timer. Both are aggressively independent, and for that they are completely within the sweet spot for what's to love about the area. Just one thing though, do not go down the secret staircase.
For this day's journey, we knew that we wanted to hit up a few places in the Fairplay/Pleasant Valley area of El Dorado County. We knew that we wanted to go to Skinner first, and considering that Sierra Vista was on the way back to the in-law's, we'd make that our final stop. What we didn't account for is how long we'd spend at Skinner, meaning that any plans to hit up any places in between were scrapped.
Skinner Vineyards and Winery ($10 tasting, wines $18-$48)
"Seven Generations" (Grenache Blanc/Roussanne/Picpoul Blanc/Viognier), '12 Rosé (Mourvèdre/Grenache), '12 Grenache - Estate, '11 "Eighteen Sixty One" (Grenache/Syrah/Mourvèdre), '11 "Dry Diggings" (Syrah/Grenache/Mourvèdre), '11 "Six Horse" Zinfandel, '09 Syrah - Stoney Creek Vineyard, '12 Grenache -Sumu Kaw Vineyard, '12 Grenache - Fenaughty Vineyard
During this visit, I had started reading Jon Bonné's The New California Wine. What a great book. In it he seeks and finds wineries that are doing their own thing, eschewing the California archetype of wine (big, bold, jammy). Since reading it, I decided to visit a number of wineries that he recommended that I hadn't heard of. Skinner was one of those. The Skinner story is a neat one. The current generations of Skinners, Mike and Carey, as well as their son Kevin and his wife Kathy came upon historical info about James Skinner - a great great great grandfather to James. James Skinner, a Scottish miner, had established a winery in gold country in 1861. Learning this, they decided to purchase land in the same area, and start up a new Skinner winery - to extend the family tradition. The space that they have built is gorgeous. A great, tall wooden building rests on a hillside that overlooks forested hills. Inside are a number of historical photos and drawings that tell the Skinner story.The staff were very knowledgeable, some of the most astute in the area. The were good ambassadors for the family. I would say that there was one weird thing. Right near the tasting bar was a spiral staircase that wound down into what looked like a wine cellar. Everyone that came in, including us asked "Oh cool! Can I do down there?" And each and every time they answered, "NO! That's a private space just for the family!" This folks, is what you call an attractive nuisance. Everyone knows that spiral staircases are badass, especially ones that go down to secret cellars. And at the time that I was there, there wasn't any signage declaring the space off limits. But whatever, just weird. It did highlight the slight awkwardness of the space and the staff.
Regardless, the wine was banging. The white was super enjoyable, and the Rosé was a delicious ride. They allowed us to try a number of their Grenaches. All were great. The Estate was calm, quiet preserves, followed by late acid. The Sumu Kaw Vineyard Grenache was ridiculously light, but still carried acid and flavor. It was like a macho Rosé. The Fenaughty Vineyard Grenache was concentrated juice with pretty and light acid. Both of the GSM blends were good, I enjoyed the Eighteen Sixty One more. The Zinfandel, their one non-Rhone varietal, was a fine take - calm entry, grows in the mouth, blueberries, and a slight zip at the end. The Syrah was a big mamma-jamma. It was well constructed, mature, but too overbearing for me.
Experience: B / Wines: B+
Sierra Vista Vineyards and Winery ($0 tasting, wines $18-$35)
'13 "Old Vine" Chardonnay, '11 Roussanne,'13 Sauvignon Blanc, '13 Viognier, '13 Grenache, '11 Mourvèdre, '02 "Fleur de Montagne" (Grenache/Syrah,Mourvèdre/Cinsault), '04 "Fleur de Montagne", '08 "Fleur de Montagne", '12 "Fleur de Montagne", '09 "Old Clone" Zinfandel, '11 Syrah "Ancient Vine Reserve", '10 "Red Rocks Ridge" Syrah, '05 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, '12 Viognier Dessert Wine "Doux", '04 Viognier Dessert Wine "Doux"
There are a number of new, hip and well-heeled wineries in the Sierra Foothills - Skinner for one, but also, Andis, Turley, and Renwood. Sierra Vista is none of those things. It's been around since 1977, and is about as unassuming as a winery can be. We sat down at picnic tables with our leftover turkey sandwiches and looked out over the vineyard and the rolling hills beyond. While we sat, the owner and winemaker, John MacCready, and his family happened by. He was goofing off with his grandkids, or actually probably great-grandkids. Even though he's eighty two, he was still shimmying back and forth on one of the kid's scooters pretty well - or perhaps he was the one who got a shiny new scooter from Santa for Christmas.The staff inside the tasting room were just as sweet. The wine list was exhaustively long, and it was only through great insistence on our part were we able to persuade them to allow us to skip a few wines here and there. Even through our protests, they were still able to get us to try sixteen (!!) different wines. Part of the reason that the list was so long was because they were doing library tastings of their "Fleur de Montagne" Rhone blend. Just the same, the list was quite varied.
Basically, there were a few big hits for us with the wines, and lots of misses. The table whites were not especially enjoyable. We liked the Viognier okay, but it wasn't very remarkable. Many of the reds were off-balanced, too sharp, sweet, with concentrated fruit, or had off-putting flavors. The "Fleurs" were pretty good, especially the younger ones, the older ones a bit sticky. The guy that was serving us was kind enough to hold on to some of the '05 Cabernet that they had, instead of serving what was left to a couple of other folks there ahead of us. He told us "You guys seem to like wine a lot, I think you'll get a kick out of this." The dude was right. It was fantastic. And given the other wines, we were taken aback. It had been decanted for a full day ahead of time. With a big cocoa nose and hits of toast, it was quite pretty, some sneaky sweetness, and a nice layer of dust. It was a tremendous experience. Finally we tried the dessert wines. The '12 was too quiet, but the '04 was tons of fun. Nutty, grippy, with slight hints of greeness.
Experience: B+ / Wines: B-
El Dorado County never ceases to intrigue. It's almost always going to assure good conversation and interesting history. It's hard to know if the wines are going to impress, surprise or underwhelm. Skinner and Sierra Vista represent two very distinct aspects of the region - new investment versus old-timer. Both are aggressively independent, and for that they are completely within the sweet spot for what's to love about the area. Just one thing though, do not go down the secret staircase.
December '14 Livermore Valley Trip - Drinking in the 'Burbs
The Livermore Valley lacks he bucolic charm of other California wine regions. On approach, you find yourself in the exurbs of the greater Bay Area - chain restaurants and sub-divisions. Old friends of mine live nearby, and have sung the praises of the Livermore wine scene to me over the past several years. After doing a trip with them to the Santa Barbara area, they reciprocated by having me stay with them for the weekend and sharing their region with me.
To get to the wineries, you drive through the neighborhoods of Livermore. Homes, homes, homes, and then you break through and find yourself in a rural setting with lazy rolling hills. Many of the wineries have peaceful views looking down into the valley over expanses of green slopes. During the weekend that we were there, the wineries were all celebrating Christmas with craft shows, Santas, live music, etc.
We did the region over two days, one day it was just two of us, and then the second day it was three of us, plus their adorable child. They set the agenda, these were all wineries that they were very familiar with and enjoyed.
Saturday
Wente Vineyards ($10 "Winemaker's Flight" tasting, wines $25-$120)
'13 Small Lot Viognier, '12 Small Lot Counoise, '12 Small Lot Zinfandel, '12 GSM (Grenache/Syrah/Mourvèdre), '12 Small Lot Grenache, '12 "Nth Degree" Cabernet Sauvignon
To start us off, we drove to the edge of the region. Wente's vineyard backs right up to the hillside. It's a large campus with a golf course attached to it, a full restaurant and a handful of large, mission-style buildings. The tasting room is a bit cramped considering the palatial grounds. Our host was a lovely and knowledgeable woman. She had considerable experience in the wine industry and was happy to participate in a wandering conversation.
Wente is the grandaddy in the area - its also "the oldest continuously operating, family-owned winery in California." Carl Wente established the winery in 1883. Wente's name comes up a lot in the California wine scene, especially since Carl's son, Ernest Wente brought a specific Chardonnay cutting from France, that clone is now 75% of all Chardonnay made in California.
We both chose to go with the "Winmaker's Flight," a selection of wines that were all considered small lot bottlings. It seemed like the more interesting selection. While I didn't enjoy all of the wines equally, they were all confidently made. The Viognier was light, calm and laden with citrus. The flowers that often accompany Viogniers weren't there sadly. I had a good time with the Counoise, it was bright, natural and had fun green funk. Their Zinfandel was much more restrained that the normal Zin beasts I experience - light beef and checked back acid. The GSM was quite dense, well woven with big boy acid. I'm thinking it would be well served to be aged a few more years. The Grenache was the weakest of the bunch - too much oak and a slight medicine kick, though had an interesting cinnamon hint. The Cabernet was show-stopper. Velvety raspberries guided by smart acid and solid length - mainstream but delicious. As with most of the larger scale wineries, the prices were steep.
Experience: B- / Wine: B
Cuda Ridge Wines ($10 tasting, wines $21-$36)
'13 Sauvignon Blanc, '12 Cabernet Franc, '12 Malbec, '11 "Black Label" Cabernet Sauvignon, '11 "Bordeaux Blend" Cabernet Sauvignon, '12 Petit Verdot, '05 "Cuda Amis" Port-Style Dessert Wine
From the country club stylings of Wente, Cuda Ridge seemed like visiting a new neighbor's house. Their tasting room and small vineyard is immediately adjacent to homes, and the layout of the building was very suburban house-like. For their holiday festivities, each room was pouring different wines and had snacks and desserts to nosh on, sort of like a progressive house party. One of the rooms had delicious Portuguese soup that hit the spot. There were plenty of folks there, we may have crashed a member party, but who knows. We did get a chance to chat with the matriarch of the winery for a bit, she was terribly sweet - I got the feeling that they invested deeply in the familial feel to their wine community.
The wines were flavorful and generally lacked structure. The Sauvignon Blanc had a crazy grassy nose, and lots and lots of lemons. I don't think I've ever gotten banana bread off of a red wine before, but the Cabernet Franc's nose was dead on bready, the body was bright red fruit. I liked the Malbec, it was jumbled, but was enjoyable. The Black Label Cabernet Sauvignon, was big acid, big fruit, not very well defined. Alternatively, the Bordeaux Blend Cab was much more poetic. It probably needed aging, but was calm and varied, slight hints of mint. The Petit Verdot was a mouthful, big acid opening, tart black fruit and then a calm exit. Fianlly, the dessert wine was bacon and maple, but too much stickiness for me.
Experience: B- / Wine: C+
Big White House and Jon Evan Cellars ($5 tasting, wines $24-$45)
'12 Chardonnay - Spendorio Vineyard, '12 Viognier - Ripkin Vineyard, Lodi, '12 Sangiovese - Ripkin Vineyard, '13 Pinot Noir - Ripkin Vineyard, '10 "East/West Blend" Syrah, '12 Zinfandel - Splendorio Vineyard, '11 "Chateau Marion" (Merlot/Cabernet Sauvignon), Jon Evan '11 "The Winter Star" (Merlot/Cabernet Sauvignon), Jon Evan '11 "Les Famille des Amoureux" (Cabernet Sauvignon/Petit Sirah), Jon Evan '11 Late Harvest Syrah
We had a hell of a time finding a parking space in their huge dirt lot. The tasting room is in an airy barn, but on the day that we visited, that joint was wall to wall people. And everyone was there to have a good time. The vibe was like a festive sports bar at a country club - a bit older, chill, but saucy (in both was). We were able to select any wines we wanted to try from a massive list. We tried ten, but there were at least five more on the list that we skipped. The list offers two different labels - Big White House are wines that are made by Jon Marion, while Jon Evan wines are made by his son, Jon Evan Marion. Both men create bombastic wines, though Jon Evan's are much more interesting.The place definitely has an upbeat family vibe, though they certainly weren't equipped to deal with so many people. You had to wiggle your way to front to get wines, and then shout above the din to tell them which wine you wanted next.
Neither of the whites struck my fancy. Both featured an apricot skin flavor. The Viognier was a bit more interesting, it wasn't sweet, but had a dessert wine profile. The Big White House reds all had big flavor profiles, and the flavors ran amok - the Sangiovese had a juicy film, the Pinot showed burned branches and cranberries, the Syrah was sloppy, the Zin was a velvet punch straight in the mouth, and the "Chateau Marion" was jammy, jammy acid. Jon Evan's wines were more interesting. "The Winter Star" was dense, boisterous, had high tannins, but was the most thoughtful and enjoyable wine of the day. I also enjoyed the "Les Famille des Amoureux." It was a big dude, but the tannins were more calm, and a fun cranberry jam blend. I did not enjoy the Late Harvest Syrah - that dried apricot flavor showed up again, and the wine was un-centered.
Experience: C+ / Wine: C+
Les Chênes Estate Vineyard (member tasting, wines $23-$32)
'12 "Deux Blanc" (Chardonnay/Viognier), '12 "Anniversary" Pinot Noir, '12 Estate Syrah Reserve, '12 "Deux Rouge" (Cabernet Sauvignon/Syrah), '12 Primitivo, NV Old Vine Dessert Wine
Another winery, another dirt road and a barn for a tasting room - I'm starting to get a feel for the Livermore aesthetic. Les Chênes is a more calm and centered place in comparison to Big White House and Cuda Ridge. The folks behind the winery are Richard and Candice Dixon - a sweet older couple that have been married for over 50 years. In 1999 they purchased the Livermore property to retire on it, grow grapes, and make wine. They opened the winery in 2007.
The love that they have for each other and the wine was palpable upon our visit. The tasting room was busy, but thankfully not as crazed as other places that day. A group of carolers sang while folks mingled and enjoyed the wines. I was mixed on how I felt about the "Deux Blanc." Specifically my note says "seems like a county fair entrant - though a competitor." It had some very interesting characteristics, white smoke on the nose, strong acid, apple and viscous. The Pinot Noir was specifically made by Richard for their 50th wedding anniversary. It was tart and peppery, maybe too flavorful, but if that's commentary on their marriage, good on them. The Syrah was bright red and stark, lots of fun. A second flavor accompanied that primary note - thready and green, interesting. The "Deux Rouge" was a bit too cloying for me, juice added to the nice Syrah flavor. The Primativo was tons of fun. Green notes with a fogginess to it. Calm plums, prunes and raspberries. Finally the dessert wine wasn't very refined, but it was enjoyable - nutty, woody, with bright red fruit.
Experience: B+ / Wine: B
Sunday
BoaVentura de Caires Winery (member tasting, wines $24-$46)
'13 "White Table Wine" (Albariño/Sauvignon Blanc/Orange Muscat), '11 "Red Mutt" (Syrah/Petite Sirah/Cabernet Sauvignon/Zinfandel), '10 Syrah - Nelson Vineyard, '10 Petite Sirah, '11 "Green Label" Cabernet Sauvignon, '11 "Black Label" Cabernet Sauvignon, NV "Platinum Label" Cabernet Sauvignon, '11 "Blue Label" Cabernet Sauvignon, '09 "DePorted" Dessert Wine
BoaVentura was the hippest and best place that we visited all weekend. Quite honestly, I'm generally resistant to hip spots, but they were right on the money with their style and thankfully the wine was good as well. The BoaVentura barn has cool industrial art wrapped up in it.
Brett Caires was inspired to pursue wine based on his family traditions. He remembered wine being a part of family dinner. After a career in real estate and the food world, he and his wife purchased the five acre site that is now their winery and vineyard. The atmosphere was festive, lots of happy tasters on a chilly grey morning. Outside the barn door was a fire where kids enjoyed s'mores.
The white wine was pretty enjoyable. It had a soft effervescence, it was full mouthed and bright. Aside from the green funkiness, it was quite tasty. The "Red Mutt" was very good - medium bodied and a light entry. It had a Bordeaux/California vibe. The Syrah was sour candy grapes with late, soft tannins and nicely apportioned acid. The Petite Sirah was a showy pony - a dark raisin nose, a calm entry, and then a boysenberry juice body.
BoaVentura specializes in Cabernet Sauvignon. They have two vineyard locations for their Cab growing. The back vineyard is a more stable location and easier to grow on. The front vineyard is rockier, sloped and receives less light. Given it's more challenging location, the grapes from the back vineyard make more interesting wines. All of the Cabs that I tried were thoughtful and flavorful. The Green Label (100% back vineyard grapes) was challenging, pine and cedar nose, sharp with high tannins and acid. The Black Label (50% front/50% back) had a much more grand profile. Lots of plum, very Californian. The Platinum Label (60% front vineyard, 40% back vineyard) had a big fruit nose, lots of tart jam and complexity. Finally, the Blue Label (60% front, 40% back) was most decadent. A pretty port nose, calm, velvety entry, and mature juice. Quite the show horse. We ended with the port. It was nice - caramel, leaves, herbs - but a note of medicine threw it off slightly.
Experience: B / Wine: B+
McGrail Vineyards and Winery (member tasting, wines $25-$45)
'13 Sauvignon Blanc, '13 Chardonnay, '12 Cabernet Sauvignon (barrel tasting), '08 Proprietary Red (Merlot/Cabernet Sauvignon), '11 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve
To their credit, McGrail put on a heck of a holiday party. They had a Santa, a lively band, and a bunch of folks enjoying the festivities. Aside from that, McGrail felt very different from the other wineries. Upon receiving our first glass of wine, we were also giving a little map that showed us the layout of the Tuscan-style building, and where we could find the rest of our wines for the tasting. The feel of the staff was stiff, and slightly annoyed. Perhaps this was specific to the holiday event, but I have a feeling that McGrail is always a stoic place. It did not have the happy, friendly atmosphere of the other wineries in the area. It felt like they were trying to emulate a larger winery, like Wente, but didn't have the same panache.
I was led to this conclusion partially by the wine. All of it was bland. The Sauvignon Blanc was nicely balanced, had lemon juice and peel, but was unengaging. The Chardonnay was simple and seemed watered down. The barrel tasting of Cabernet Sauvignon was most interesting. It was lively and had soft peppers. It was mainstream. Seemed like a top shelf supermarket mine. I disliked the Proprietary Red most. It hinted at rotten strawberries. The last tasting, the Cab Reserve was big flavored with raspberries and cherries, but uninspiring.
Experience: C / Wine: C-
Page Mill Winery ($10 tasting, wines $18-$39)
'13 Sauvignon Blanc - Ghielmetti Vineyard, '13 Chardonnay - Chandler Vineyard, '13 "Angela's Cuvée" Grenache Rosé - Lake County, '13 Grenache - Ghielmetti, '12 Zinfandel - Spencer Vineyard, Lodi, '12 Merlot - Cote Vineyard, SF Bay Region, '12 "GPS" (Syrah/Grenache/Petite Sirah), '12 Syrah - Tazatta Vineyard, '12 Cabernet Sauvignon, '11 Petite Sirah
Our last stop on the way to the airport was Page Mill. It wasn't one that my friends were familiar with, I had read a positive review about it in a wine blog. The tasting room was in a quaint rock building. The staff were very nice - surprisingly nice considering that we showed up near the end of the day, and they were starting to close up. The feel to the place was homey. Staff were not the most knowledgeable, but friendly, and were happy to pour as much wine as we liked. There was a lot to choose from. We bounced from taste to taste based on recommendations from the staff.
It was a mixed bag of wines. In addition to some being from the Livermore area, some of them were from various nearby regions: Lake County, Lodi, San Francisco Bay Area. Wines varied from off to good. The Sauvignon Blanc was completely unique. Hints of nastiness and pineapples on the nose. The body had cute, fragile characteristics, and a soft marshmallow mouthfeel. The Chardonnay was too much flavor. It had a sulfur aroma and strongly tasted of candied lemons. The Rosé was reminiscent of a stereotypical surfer - kinda vacuous and bland. I enjoyed the Greneche. It was simple but had a nice melange of flavors - flat cola, fruit juice, sage and funk. The Zinfandel was crazy dense, a kick in the mouth. The Merlot was just fine, pretty mainstream. I enjoyed the other Rhone, the Syrah as well. It had meaty pepper, and hinted of watermelon steak, backed by lots of acid. The Cabernet Sauvignon had a fun green entry with tons of fruit - not amazing, but quaff-able. We ended on the Petite Sirah - the one estate wine. It was similar to the overall experience - densely sweet, with light fruit, kind edges, and kind of jumbled.
Experience: B / Wine: C+
Well there it is. A whirlwind tour of the Livermore Valley. It's a sleepy region that has inspired folks to strike out and do what they love. And along the way they create friendly communities to join them. No one was really stuffy or seemed to look down on folks for not being knowledgeable enough - heck most of the places operated out of barns, and they maintained that quiet, supportive farmer mentality. I will say that I encountered very few interesting white wines. Many places relied upon Cabernet Sauvignon as their flagship grape. Aside from Napa, the California wine regions that I've visited are looking to stake their reputation to other varietals. Does this mean that Livermore will attempt to pivot away from Cab eventually? I'm guessing not, it's been a region for a long time, and while it's expansion is being fueled by the artisinal/locavore movement, I think they've defined themselves already.
To get to the wineries, you drive through the neighborhoods of Livermore. Homes, homes, homes, and then you break through and find yourself in a rural setting with lazy rolling hills. Many of the wineries have peaceful views looking down into the valley over expanses of green slopes. During the weekend that we were there, the wineries were all celebrating Christmas with craft shows, Santas, live music, etc.
We did the region over two days, one day it was just two of us, and then the second day it was three of us, plus their adorable child. They set the agenda, these were all wineries that they were very familiar with and enjoyed.
Saturday
Wente Vineyards ($10 "Winemaker's Flight" tasting, wines $25-$120)
'13 Small Lot Viognier, '12 Small Lot Counoise, '12 Small Lot Zinfandel, '12 GSM (Grenache/Syrah/Mourvèdre), '12 Small Lot Grenache, '12 "Nth Degree" Cabernet Sauvignon
To start us off, we drove to the edge of the region. Wente's vineyard backs right up to the hillside. It's a large campus with a golf course attached to it, a full restaurant and a handful of large, mission-style buildings. The tasting room is a bit cramped considering the palatial grounds. Our host was a lovely and knowledgeable woman. She had considerable experience in the wine industry and was happy to participate in a wandering conversation.
Wente is the grandaddy in the area - its also "the oldest continuously operating, family-owned winery in California." Carl Wente established the winery in 1883. Wente's name comes up a lot in the California wine scene, especially since Carl's son, Ernest Wente brought a specific Chardonnay cutting from France, that clone is now 75% of all Chardonnay made in California.
We both chose to go with the "Winmaker's Flight," a selection of wines that were all considered small lot bottlings. It seemed like the more interesting selection. While I didn't enjoy all of the wines equally, they were all confidently made. The Viognier was light, calm and laden with citrus. The flowers that often accompany Viogniers weren't there sadly. I had a good time with the Counoise, it was bright, natural and had fun green funk. Their Zinfandel was much more restrained that the normal Zin beasts I experience - light beef and checked back acid. The GSM was quite dense, well woven with big boy acid. I'm thinking it would be well served to be aged a few more years. The Grenache was the weakest of the bunch - too much oak and a slight medicine kick, though had an interesting cinnamon hint. The Cabernet was show-stopper. Velvety raspberries guided by smart acid and solid length - mainstream but delicious. As with most of the larger scale wineries, the prices were steep.
Experience: B- / Wine: B
Cuda Ridge Wines ($10 tasting, wines $21-$36)
'13 Sauvignon Blanc, '12 Cabernet Franc, '12 Malbec, '11 "Black Label" Cabernet Sauvignon, '11 "Bordeaux Blend" Cabernet Sauvignon, '12 Petit Verdot, '05 "Cuda Amis" Port-Style Dessert Wine
From the country club stylings of Wente, Cuda Ridge seemed like visiting a new neighbor's house. Their tasting room and small vineyard is immediately adjacent to homes, and the layout of the building was very suburban house-like. For their holiday festivities, each room was pouring different wines and had snacks and desserts to nosh on, sort of like a progressive house party. One of the rooms had delicious Portuguese soup that hit the spot. There were plenty of folks there, we may have crashed a member party, but who knows. We did get a chance to chat with the matriarch of the winery for a bit, she was terribly sweet - I got the feeling that they invested deeply in the familial feel to their wine community.
The wines were flavorful and generally lacked structure. The Sauvignon Blanc had a crazy grassy nose, and lots and lots of lemons. I don't think I've ever gotten banana bread off of a red wine before, but the Cabernet Franc's nose was dead on bready, the body was bright red fruit. I liked the Malbec, it was jumbled, but was enjoyable. The Black Label Cabernet Sauvignon, was big acid, big fruit, not very well defined. Alternatively, the Bordeaux Blend Cab was much more poetic. It probably needed aging, but was calm and varied, slight hints of mint. The Petit Verdot was a mouthful, big acid opening, tart black fruit and then a calm exit. Fianlly, the dessert wine was bacon and maple, but too much stickiness for me.
Experience: B- / Wine: C+
Big White House and Jon Evan Cellars ($5 tasting, wines $24-$45)
'12 Chardonnay - Spendorio Vineyard, '12 Viognier - Ripkin Vineyard, Lodi, '12 Sangiovese - Ripkin Vineyard, '13 Pinot Noir - Ripkin Vineyard, '10 "East/West Blend" Syrah, '12 Zinfandel - Splendorio Vineyard, '11 "Chateau Marion" (Merlot/Cabernet Sauvignon), Jon Evan '11 "The Winter Star" (Merlot/Cabernet Sauvignon), Jon Evan '11 "Les Famille des Amoureux" (Cabernet Sauvignon/Petit Sirah), Jon Evan '11 Late Harvest Syrah
We had a hell of a time finding a parking space in their huge dirt lot. The tasting room is in an airy barn, but on the day that we visited, that joint was wall to wall people. And everyone was there to have a good time. The vibe was like a festive sports bar at a country club - a bit older, chill, but saucy (in both was). We were able to select any wines we wanted to try from a massive list. We tried ten, but there were at least five more on the list that we skipped. The list offers two different labels - Big White House are wines that are made by Jon Marion, while Jon Evan wines are made by his son, Jon Evan Marion. Both men create bombastic wines, though Jon Evan's are much more interesting.The place definitely has an upbeat family vibe, though they certainly weren't equipped to deal with so many people. You had to wiggle your way to front to get wines, and then shout above the din to tell them which wine you wanted next.
Neither of the whites struck my fancy. Both featured an apricot skin flavor. The Viognier was a bit more interesting, it wasn't sweet, but had a dessert wine profile. The Big White House reds all had big flavor profiles, and the flavors ran amok - the Sangiovese had a juicy film, the Pinot showed burned branches and cranberries, the Syrah was sloppy, the Zin was a velvet punch straight in the mouth, and the "Chateau Marion" was jammy, jammy acid. Jon Evan's wines were more interesting. "The Winter Star" was dense, boisterous, had high tannins, but was the most thoughtful and enjoyable wine of the day. I also enjoyed the "Les Famille des Amoureux." It was a big dude, but the tannins were more calm, and a fun cranberry jam blend. I did not enjoy the Late Harvest Syrah - that dried apricot flavor showed up again, and the wine was un-centered.
Experience: C+ / Wine: C+
Les Chênes Estate Vineyard (member tasting, wines $23-$32)
'12 "Deux Blanc" (Chardonnay/Viognier), '12 "Anniversary" Pinot Noir, '12 Estate Syrah Reserve, '12 "Deux Rouge" (Cabernet Sauvignon/Syrah), '12 Primitivo, NV Old Vine Dessert Wine
Another winery, another dirt road and a barn for a tasting room - I'm starting to get a feel for the Livermore aesthetic. Les Chênes is a more calm and centered place in comparison to Big White House and Cuda Ridge. The folks behind the winery are Richard and Candice Dixon - a sweet older couple that have been married for over 50 years. In 1999 they purchased the Livermore property to retire on it, grow grapes, and make wine. They opened the winery in 2007.
The love that they have for each other and the wine was palpable upon our visit. The tasting room was busy, but thankfully not as crazed as other places that day. A group of carolers sang while folks mingled and enjoyed the wines. I was mixed on how I felt about the "Deux Blanc." Specifically my note says "seems like a county fair entrant - though a competitor." It had some very interesting characteristics, white smoke on the nose, strong acid, apple and viscous. The Pinot Noir was specifically made by Richard for their 50th wedding anniversary. It was tart and peppery, maybe too flavorful, but if that's commentary on their marriage, good on them. The Syrah was bright red and stark, lots of fun. A second flavor accompanied that primary note - thready and green, interesting. The "Deux Rouge" was a bit too cloying for me, juice added to the nice Syrah flavor. The Primativo was tons of fun. Green notes with a fogginess to it. Calm plums, prunes and raspberries. Finally the dessert wine wasn't very refined, but it was enjoyable - nutty, woody, with bright red fruit.
Experience: B+ / Wine: B
Sunday
BoaVentura de Caires Winery (member tasting, wines $24-$46)
'13 "White Table Wine" (Albariño/Sauvignon Blanc/Orange Muscat), '11 "Red Mutt" (Syrah/Petite Sirah/Cabernet Sauvignon/Zinfandel), '10 Syrah - Nelson Vineyard, '10 Petite Sirah, '11 "Green Label" Cabernet Sauvignon, '11 "Black Label" Cabernet Sauvignon, NV "Platinum Label" Cabernet Sauvignon, '11 "Blue Label" Cabernet Sauvignon, '09 "DePorted" Dessert Wine
BoaVentura was the hippest and best place that we visited all weekend. Quite honestly, I'm generally resistant to hip spots, but they were right on the money with their style and thankfully the wine was good as well. The BoaVentura barn has cool industrial art wrapped up in it.
Brett Caires was inspired to pursue wine based on his family traditions. He remembered wine being a part of family dinner. After a career in real estate and the food world, he and his wife purchased the five acre site that is now their winery and vineyard. The atmosphere was festive, lots of happy tasters on a chilly grey morning. Outside the barn door was a fire where kids enjoyed s'mores.
The white wine was pretty enjoyable. It had a soft effervescence, it was full mouthed and bright. Aside from the green funkiness, it was quite tasty. The "Red Mutt" was very good - medium bodied and a light entry. It had a Bordeaux/California vibe. The Syrah was sour candy grapes with late, soft tannins and nicely apportioned acid. The Petite Sirah was a showy pony - a dark raisin nose, a calm entry, and then a boysenberry juice body.
BoaVentura specializes in Cabernet Sauvignon. They have two vineyard locations for their Cab growing. The back vineyard is a more stable location and easier to grow on. The front vineyard is rockier, sloped and receives less light. Given it's more challenging location, the grapes from the back vineyard make more interesting wines. All of the Cabs that I tried were thoughtful and flavorful. The Green Label (100% back vineyard grapes) was challenging, pine and cedar nose, sharp with high tannins and acid. The Black Label (50% front/50% back) had a much more grand profile. Lots of plum, very Californian. The Platinum Label (60% front vineyard, 40% back vineyard) had a big fruit nose, lots of tart jam and complexity. Finally, the Blue Label (60% front, 40% back) was most decadent. A pretty port nose, calm, velvety entry, and mature juice. Quite the show horse. We ended with the port. It was nice - caramel, leaves, herbs - but a note of medicine threw it off slightly.
Experience: B / Wine: B+
McGrail Vineyards and Winery (member tasting, wines $25-$45)
'13 Sauvignon Blanc, '13 Chardonnay, '12 Cabernet Sauvignon (barrel tasting), '08 Proprietary Red (Merlot/Cabernet Sauvignon), '11 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve
To their credit, McGrail put on a heck of a holiday party. They had a Santa, a lively band, and a bunch of folks enjoying the festivities. Aside from that, McGrail felt very different from the other wineries. Upon receiving our first glass of wine, we were also giving a little map that showed us the layout of the Tuscan-style building, and where we could find the rest of our wines for the tasting. The feel of the staff was stiff, and slightly annoyed. Perhaps this was specific to the holiday event, but I have a feeling that McGrail is always a stoic place. It did not have the happy, friendly atmosphere of the other wineries in the area. It felt like they were trying to emulate a larger winery, like Wente, but didn't have the same panache.
I was led to this conclusion partially by the wine. All of it was bland. The Sauvignon Blanc was nicely balanced, had lemon juice and peel, but was unengaging. The Chardonnay was simple and seemed watered down. The barrel tasting of Cabernet Sauvignon was most interesting. It was lively and had soft peppers. It was mainstream. Seemed like a top shelf supermarket mine. I disliked the Proprietary Red most. It hinted at rotten strawberries. The last tasting, the Cab Reserve was big flavored with raspberries and cherries, but uninspiring.
Experience: C / Wine: C-
Page Mill Winery ($10 tasting, wines $18-$39)
'13 Sauvignon Blanc - Ghielmetti Vineyard, '13 Chardonnay - Chandler Vineyard, '13 "Angela's Cuvée" Grenache Rosé - Lake County, '13 Grenache - Ghielmetti, '12 Zinfandel - Spencer Vineyard, Lodi, '12 Merlot - Cote Vineyard, SF Bay Region, '12 "GPS" (Syrah/Grenache/Petite Sirah), '12 Syrah - Tazatta Vineyard, '12 Cabernet Sauvignon, '11 Petite Sirah
Our last stop on the way to the airport was Page Mill. It wasn't one that my friends were familiar with, I had read a positive review about it in a wine blog. The tasting room was in a quaint rock building. The staff were very nice - surprisingly nice considering that we showed up near the end of the day, and they were starting to close up. The feel to the place was homey. Staff were not the most knowledgeable, but friendly, and were happy to pour as much wine as we liked. There was a lot to choose from. We bounced from taste to taste based on recommendations from the staff.
It was a mixed bag of wines. In addition to some being from the Livermore area, some of them were from various nearby regions: Lake County, Lodi, San Francisco Bay Area. Wines varied from off to good. The Sauvignon Blanc was completely unique. Hints of nastiness and pineapples on the nose. The body had cute, fragile characteristics, and a soft marshmallow mouthfeel. The Chardonnay was too much flavor. It had a sulfur aroma and strongly tasted of candied lemons. The Rosé was reminiscent of a stereotypical surfer - kinda vacuous and bland. I enjoyed the Greneche. It was simple but had a nice melange of flavors - flat cola, fruit juice, sage and funk. The Zinfandel was crazy dense, a kick in the mouth. The Merlot was just fine, pretty mainstream. I enjoyed the other Rhone, the Syrah as well. It had meaty pepper, and hinted of watermelon steak, backed by lots of acid. The Cabernet Sauvignon had a fun green entry with tons of fruit - not amazing, but quaff-able. We ended on the Petite Sirah - the one estate wine. It was similar to the overall experience - densely sweet, with light fruit, kind edges, and kind of jumbled.
Experience: B / Wine: C+
Well there it is. A whirlwind tour of the Livermore Valley. It's a sleepy region that has inspired folks to strike out and do what they love. And along the way they create friendly communities to join them. No one was really stuffy or seemed to look down on folks for not being knowledgeable enough - heck most of the places operated out of barns, and they maintained that quiet, supportive farmer mentality. I will say that I encountered very few interesting white wines. Many places relied upon Cabernet Sauvignon as their flagship grape. Aside from Napa, the California wine regions that I've visited are looking to stake their reputation to other varietals. Does this mean that Livermore will attempt to pivot away from Cab eventually? I'm guessing not, it's been a region for a long time, and while it's expansion is being fueled by the artisinal/locavore movement, I think they've defined themselves already.
November '14 Santa Barbara Trip - Black Friday
When your wife has work to do on the day after Thanksgiving, and you've got the day off, might as well hook up with some friends and check out some wineries. We wanted to check out some estate wineries, as well as a few tasting rooms in Los Olivos. Lincourt and Roblar are two of a handful of estate wineries that are on the east side of the Santa Ynez Valley that I had not yet visited, so we wanted to check those places out. After a morning afield, we planned to lunch in Los Olivos and meet up with a few more friends. Los Olivos was filled with folks who found themselves in the same predicament as us - thirsty and looking for something to do.
Once again I apologize for the lack of photos - I'm crap at remembering to take them, that's something my wife is smart about doing.
Lincourt Winery ($10 tasting, wines $18-$50)
'12 Steel Chardonnay, '13 Rosé (Grenache/Grüner Veltliner), '10 "Carol Ann" Chardonnay, '12 Pinot Noir - Lindsay's Vineyard, '12 "Annie Dyer" Pinot Noir, '12 Syrah, '11 Merlot, '12 Cabernet Sauvignon
A long while back, a coworker recommended Lincourt to me. I'd been dismissive of her recommendation, largely because Lincourt is a piece of a wine empire. Lincourt was the first piece, but the Foley Wine Group also is connected to Foley and Firestone in Santa Barbara, as well as wineries in Napa, Sonoma, Lake County, Washington and New Zealand. Empires give me pause - their products can be obnoxiously mainstream. However, over the years, I'd heard random folks saying supportive things about Lincourt, so I put it on my list.
Since my friend and I got such an early start leaving LA, Lincourt was an easy choice being that they are one of the only wineries in the area that opens at 10am. Arrive at 10am we did, first ones in the door. The property was pretty expansive from what I could see, open lawns, and a few patio areas. Inside was decorated typically - light coloring, a good amount of stuff for sale, a few different counters to sidle up to. The tasting room staff were still getting prepped when we waltzed in. We had a good conversation with the dude that took care of us. He was very enthusiastic about Lincourt's wines, and wine in general. He had all sorts of recommendations about where to travel to in France to enjoy wine.
Given the fact that Lincourt and Foley share a winemaker, it's not surprising that the profiles of the wines are similar - calm, smartly made, simple, broad-scale appeal. Of the chardonnays, I preferred the Carol Ann, despite the presence of aging in oak barrels, it was pretty. The Rosé was enjoyably crisp with a slight effervescence. Both Pinots were enjoyable, the Anne Dyer characteristics were well integrated and was quite full flavored - my favorite wine of the tasting. The Syrah was dense with jumpy fruit and vegetable notes. The merlot was overt - too much pucker. I'm bearish on the idea of Cabernet Sauvignons being grown in the region, I don't think that they work out all that well. The Lincourt Cabernet was good for the area, well layered with some chocolate, though still not as contemplative as the exciting Cabernets that I've had before.
Experience: B / Wine: B
Roblar Winery ($10 tasting, wines $20-$42)
'11 "Block One Reserve" Sauvignon Blanc, '12 Central Coast Chardonnay, '12 Sta. Rita Hills Pinot Noir, '11 Grenache, '11 Estate Merlot
I've driven past Roblar a number of times, its on the road to a handful of places that I've visited before. From that vantage, I've been inclined to keep on driving by because it looks like a place that is popular with party buses - expansive parking lot and tons of touristy-looking folks rambling about. While researching this trip, I happened across Roblar's website, and noticed that they are a sister winery to Michel-Schlumberger in Sonoma, which I visited a few years back and loved. Well, if Robar had any of that magic, I was in.
The building is huge - it houses a sprawling tasting room and their winery. The tasting room evokes a hunting lodge feel, lots of wood and a massive fireplace. Even here we were early arrivals, so we grabbed a few tall chairs and sat at the bar. Given the high ceiling, I imagine when the place is busy it can get loud. Thankfully we had the run of the place when we were there. The tasting room manager was fun, very animated and very much about the Roblar wine.
The regular tasting list only scratched the surface of the wines that Roblar offers. It seemed for every varietal, there were three levels of choices. For the chardonnays, we were told that the premium chard was "like Land 'o Lakes," the moderate "I Can't Believe It's Not Butter," and the budget "Parkay." Categorizing the wines like that was a bad sign to me. Buttery chardonnay can beat streets. If that's what they're after they weren't going to be very enjoyable to me. The Sauvingnon Blanc followed that mold - too sweet, various flavors but mainstream. Despite my apprehension, the chardonnay was decent, crisp and approachable, The Pinot Noir as well was pretty good, classic juicy mainstream flavors, lots of cherry. The Grenache was a big disappointment. It is often a favorite of mine, but this fella was far too sweet to be enjoyable. I was surprised by how much I enjoyed the Merlot - fruit-forward yet calm, and very nice acid.
Experience: C+ / Wine: C+
Larner Wine ($10 tasting, wines $23-$65)
'12 Rosé (Syrah/Grenache/Mourvèdre), '10 "Elemental" Red Blend (Grenache/Syrah/Mourvèdre), '10 Grenache, '10 Syrah, '09 Reserve Syrah
I'm a bit familiar with Larner's vineyard, as it's been a esteemed source of grapes for other wineries - supplying Samsara, Kaena, Bonaccorsi, Kenneth-Crawford and others. More recently, they've started making wines for their own label. Larner's tasting room is hidden in plain sight. Right at the main intersection in Los Olivos, smushed next to the Los Olivos General Store and the Panino sandwich shop is their tasting room. It's not even really a room, it's like an alcove. At one point during our tasting there were six people including us, and it was really crowded. Despite that, the woman in the tasting room was very cool, and excited to share Larner wines.
Small room, big wines. The rosé was grand - stark yet had a bright note in the middle. The reds were increasingly bombastic and creative. The "Elemental" was savory, vibrant and dense. The grenache started smooth, but became quite grippy toward the end - too overt for me. The sweet tomato entry on the regular syrah gave way to a dark blueberries profile - quite tart. The reserve syrah was the most interesting red - crushed flowers and juicy tannins - very boisterous.The wines were funny, as I was drinking them I was really engaged in them, until I realized how overt they were - these are big mamma-jamma wines, but they are made with intricate characteristics. Not my favorite profile, but definitely enjoyable and respectable.
Experience: B / Wines: B+
Byron Wines ($10 tasting, wines $22-$45)
'12 Pinot Blanc, '12 Chardonnay, '12 Chardonnay - Nielson Vineyard, '11 Pinot Noir, '12 Pinot Noir - Nielson Vineyard, '11 Pinot Noir - Julia's Vineyard
We really enjoyed Byron on our first visit there a few years back. The wine was expressive and mature, and the staff were confident and fun. This time around they seemed a bit off their game. I will have to say that it was quite crowded, but even with that they didn't seem to be able to deal with the situation. One of my friends purchased wine, which is supposed to then waive the tasting fee, when she pointed out that they had failed to do that, they took ten minutes to fix it, but still didn't fix it correctly. When she brought their attention to that mistake, they were not receptive. Rather than push it, my friend gave up. This experience definitely runs counter to to calmness and nimbleness that we were treated to before - so hopefully an anomaly.
Perhaps it was the busyness, or the exasperated manner of the staff when they were pouring, but I didn't enjoy the wine as much this time either. The whites were quite clean and crisp, but seemed buttoned up. I wrote in my notes that the Nielson Vineyard Chardonnay was the Tracey Flick of wines. The pinot noirs were more compelling. While the Santa Maria Valley Pinot was a bit too sweet, the Nielson Vineyard and the Julia's Vineyard were delicious - dark entry, good acid, well balanced.
Experience: B- / Wines: B
For a one day jaunt, we covered a good amount of ground (I didn't bother to add any notes about my tastings at Stolpman and Samsara considering that I've written so positively before about both that there's little new to add to my enthusiasm for those place). I was definitely thankful to not be the driver for this trip. Visiting some of the older estate wineries - Lincourt and Roblar - was interesting. The Foley/Lincourt empire is definitely smart about their enterprise. And while I didn't love Roblar, I can appreciate that they are creating quality wines with a smart business practice. I think I'm going to have to go back to Larner at some point to figure out if their wines are too big for me, or justifiably bombastic.
Once again I apologize for the lack of photos - I'm crap at remembering to take them, that's something my wife is smart about doing.
Lincourt Winery ($10 tasting, wines $18-$50)
'12 Steel Chardonnay, '13 Rosé (Grenache/Grüner Veltliner), '10 "Carol Ann" Chardonnay, '12 Pinot Noir - Lindsay's Vineyard, '12 "Annie Dyer" Pinot Noir, '12 Syrah, '11 Merlot, '12 Cabernet Sauvignon
A long while back, a coworker recommended Lincourt to me. I'd been dismissive of her recommendation, largely because Lincourt is a piece of a wine empire. Lincourt was the first piece, but the Foley Wine Group also is connected to Foley and Firestone in Santa Barbara, as well as wineries in Napa, Sonoma, Lake County, Washington and New Zealand. Empires give me pause - their products can be obnoxiously mainstream. However, over the years, I'd heard random folks saying supportive things about Lincourt, so I put it on my list.
Since my friend and I got such an early start leaving LA, Lincourt was an easy choice being that they are one of the only wineries in the area that opens at 10am. Arrive at 10am we did, first ones in the door. The property was pretty expansive from what I could see, open lawns, and a few patio areas. Inside was decorated typically - light coloring, a good amount of stuff for sale, a few different counters to sidle up to. The tasting room staff were still getting prepped when we waltzed in. We had a good conversation with the dude that took care of us. He was very enthusiastic about Lincourt's wines, and wine in general. He had all sorts of recommendations about where to travel to in France to enjoy wine.
Given the fact that Lincourt and Foley share a winemaker, it's not surprising that the profiles of the wines are similar - calm, smartly made, simple, broad-scale appeal. Of the chardonnays, I preferred the Carol Ann, despite the presence of aging in oak barrels, it was pretty. The Rosé was enjoyably crisp with a slight effervescence. Both Pinots were enjoyable, the Anne Dyer characteristics were well integrated and was quite full flavored - my favorite wine of the tasting. The Syrah was dense with jumpy fruit and vegetable notes. The merlot was overt - too much pucker. I'm bearish on the idea of Cabernet Sauvignons being grown in the region, I don't think that they work out all that well. The Lincourt Cabernet was good for the area, well layered with some chocolate, though still not as contemplative as the exciting Cabernets that I've had before.
Experience: B / Wine: B
Roblar Winery ($10 tasting, wines $20-$42)
'11 "Block One Reserve" Sauvignon Blanc, '12 Central Coast Chardonnay, '12 Sta. Rita Hills Pinot Noir, '11 Grenache, '11 Estate Merlot
I've driven past Roblar a number of times, its on the road to a handful of places that I've visited before. From that vantage, I've been inclined to keep on driving by because it looks like a place that is popular with party buses - expansive parking lot and tons of touristy-looking folks rambling about. While researching this trip, I happened across Roblar's website, and noticed that they are a sister winery to Michel-Schlumberger in Sonoma, which I visited a few years back and loved. Well, if Robar had any of that magic, I was in.
The building is huge - it houses a sprawling tasting room and their winery. The tasting room evokes a hunting lodge feel, lots of wood and a massive fireplace. Even here we were early arrivals, so we grabbed a few tall chairs and sat at the bar. Given the high ceiling, I imagine when the place is busy it can get loud. Thankfully we had the run of the place when we were there. The tasting room manager was fun, very animated and very much about the Roblar wine.
The regular tasting list only scratched the surface of the wines that Roblar offers. It seemed for every varietal, there were three levels of choices. For the chardonnays, we were told that the premium chard was "like Land 'o Lakes," the moderate "I Can't Believe It's Not Butter," and the budget "Parkay." Categorizing the wines like that was a bad sign to me. Buttery chardonnay can beat streets. If that's what they're after they weren't going to be very enjoyable to me. The Sauvingnon Blanc followed that mold - too sweet, various flavors but mainstream. Despite my apprehension, the chardonnay was decent, crisp and approachable, The Pinot Noir as well was pretty good, classic juicy mainstream flavors, lots of cherry. The Grenache was a big disappointment. It is often a favorite of mine, but this fella was far too sweet to be enjoyable. I was surprised by how much I enjoyed the Merlot - fruit-forward yet calm, and very nice acid.
Experience: C+ / Wine: C+
Larner Wine ($10 tasting, wines $23-$65)
'12 Rosé (Syrah/Grenache/Mourvèdre), '10 "Elemental" Red Blend (Grenache/Syrah/Mourvèdre), '10 Grenache, '10 Syrah, '09 Reserve Syrah
I'm a bit familiar with Larner's vineyard, as it's been a esteemed source of grapes for other wineries - supplying Samsara, Kaena, Bonaccorsi, Kenneth-Crawford and others. More recently, they've started making wines for their own label. Larner's tasting room is hidden in plain sight. Right at the main intersection in Los Olivos, smushed next to the Los Olivos General Store and the Panino sandwich shop is their tasting room. It's not even really a room, it's like an alcove. At one point during our tasting there were six people including us, and it was really crowded. Despite that, the woman in the tasting room was very cool, and excited to share Larner wines.
Small room, big wines. The rosé was grand - stark yet had a bright note in the middle. The reds were increasingly bombastic and creative. The "Elemental" was savory, vibrant and dense. The grenache started smooth, but became quite grippy toward the end - too overt for me. The sweet tomato entry on the regular syrah gave way to a dark blueberries profile - quite tart. The reserve syrah was the most interesting red - crushed flowers and juicy tannins - very boisterous.The wines were funny, as I was drinking them I was really engaged in them, until I realized how overt they were - these are big mamma-jamma wines, but they are made with intricate characteristics. Not my favorite profile, but definitely enjoyable and respectable.
Experience: B / Wines: B+
Byron Wines ($10 tasting, wines $22-$45)
'12 Pinot Blanc, '12 Chardonnay, '12 Chardonnay - Nielson Vineyard, '11 Pinot Noir, '12 Pinot Noir - Nielson Vineyard, '11 Pinot Noir - Julia's Vineyard
We really enjoyed Byron on our first visit there a few years back. The wine was expressive and mature, and the staff were confident and fun. This time around they seemed a bit off their game. I will have to say that it was quite crowded, but even with that they didn't seem to be able to deal with the situation. One of my friends purchased wine, which is supposed to then waive the tasting fee, when she pointed out that they had failed to do that, they took ten minutes to fix it, but still didn't fix it correctly. When she brought their attention to that mistake, they were not receptive. Rather than push it, my friend gave up. This experience definitely runs counter to to calmness and nimbleness that we were treated to before - so hopefully an anomaly.
Perhaps it was the busyness, or the exasperated manner of the staff when they were pouring, but I didn't enjoy the wine as much this time either. The whites were quite clean and crisp, but seemed buttoned up. I wrote in my notes that the Nielson Vineyard Chardonnay was the Tracey Flick of wines. The pinot noirs were more compelling. While the Santa Maria Valley Pinot was a bit too sweet, the Nielson Vineyard and the Julia's Vineyard were delicious - dark entry, good acid, well balanced.
Experience: B- / Wines: B
For a one day jaunt, we covered a good amount of ground (I didn't bother to add any notes about my tastings at Stolpman and Samsara considering that I've written so positively before about both that there's little new to add to my enthusiasm for those place). I was definitely thankful to not be the driver for this trip. Visiting some of the older estate wineries - Lincourt and Roblar - was interesting. The Foley/Lincourt empire is definitely smart about their enterprise. And while I didn't love Roblar, I can appreciate that they are creating quality wines with a smart business practice. I think I'm going to have to go back to Larner at some point to figure out if their wines are too big for me, or justifiably bombastic.
June '14 El Dorado County Trip - Long Talks and Medium Sips
Here I find myself realizing that I completely forgot to log this trip. I hadn't expected to do any tasting on this trip, so I didn't bring my trusty notebook. So I reverted to my old technique of writing notes on the tasting sheets. Keeping those loose sheets out of the recycling bin can be tricky. Apparently that's where they ended up this time, because I didn't even realize that I had not yet written this entry until seven months later. So I'll do my best to recall the wines that I tried. Thankfully, my memory of the experience is pretty clear.
My wife and I were up in the area for a family camping trip, and given that my wife had a little more work to accomplish from her folks' house, I decided to venture out to a few Apple Hill wineries to occupy myself. It was the middle of the week, and a hot day, so I was the only taster at both places - meaning that I had a good opportunity to chat up the folks working the tasting rooms.
Fenton Herriott Vineyards ($0 tasting, wines $15-$25)
'13 Chardonnay, '12 Gewürztraminer, NV Janeway Lot 2 (Chardonnay/Gewürztraminer), '10 Zinfandel, '11 Barbera, '11 Syrah, '10 White "Port", '11 Ruby Syrah "Port"
The Fenton Herriott estate is a simple and friendly spot. You enter the gate, pass by a barn, and drive up a short hill to the tasting room. Beyond the room is a picnic area and the vineyard itself. Inside is a plainly decorated room with a good amount of space. Debbie, the tasting room manager, was dealing with paperwork when I arrived. She put that aside, and gave me the royal treatment. Good god, she was friendly. We yakked for a long time while she poured several wines. One should not assume that Debbie is always friendly though. Toward the end of my tasting some guys trying to sell printing supplies came in, much to Debbie's irritation. She sent them packing with efficiency. The tasting list is pretty long, and she invited me to taste whatever I wanted to. I was aiming to taste a little bit less, but she encouraged me to try more.
To me, Fenton Herriott represents the typical Sierra Foothills winery. The wines are definitely inexpensive, there is a wide variety of wines being made - many not ideal to the region, and the wines are not at all complex - some are pretty good, some are not. The Gewürztraminer was too sticky, and the white blend didn't come together well. The reds were basic, none stood out as having interesting characteristics. I did enjoy the Chardonnay. It too was simple, but had a good calm flavor to it.
Experience: B / Wines: C
Chateau Davell Boutique Winery ($5 tasting)
'13 "Chloe" Chardonnay, '11 "Marguerite" Red Rhone Blend, '12 "Zander" Zinfandel, '12 "Augustus" Super Tuscan, '11 Cabernet Sauvignon
Apparently, I've been drinking wine long enough to be typecast. Debbie at Fenton Herriott told me "Oh you should go to Chateau Davell, it's the sort of place that you'd love." I'd never heard about Chateau Davell before, but I was open to recommendations. The tasting room is located within the same grouping as Crystal Basin and Bumgarner, which I visited a few years back. It's a tiny, homey-looking building, with some kids toys and space for running around out front. The interior is cozy and rustic. Upon entering, the winemaker, Eric, came out of the back. On quiet days like the day I visited he paints in the back. All of the label art is painted by him, and most of it is portraiture of his family.
Eric was a super neat dude to chat with. He was calm and confident in his work. He was accommodating, but didn't feel the need to fill in the empty spaces of the conversation. In addition to the vineyard, his family has an organic farm where they grow produce to sell to local markets. He and his wife were compelled to start growing organic because of their children. All of the wine is grown organically and some is unfiltered (perhaps this is what Debbie had in mind when she directed me here).
The wine was very much like Eric - not overstated, individual, and enjoyable. I really liked the Chardonnay. It was playful and classy. The reds were nice, but lacking my notes, I can't recall which ones really stood out. I have a feeling that I'll be back at Chateau Davell, next time around I'll be sure to bring my notepad.
Experience: B / Wines: B
For a quick visit, this trip made an impression on me. There really is something special about wine tasting in the Sierra Foothills. Sure the wine can be hit-and-miss, but the people can't be beat. They are friendly, helpful, and proud. I realize that I can get caught up in the luxurious estates with the palatial grounds, but what I really enjoy is the good conversation. And that's what this area is all about.
My wife and I were up in the area for a family camping trip, and given that my wife had a little more work to accomplish from her folks' house, I decided to venture out to a few Apple Hill wineries to occupy myself. It was the middle of the week, and a hot day, so I was the only taster at both places - meaning that I had a good opportunity to chat up the folks working the tasting rooms.
Fenton Herriott Vineyards ($0 tasting, wines $15-$25)
'13 Chardonnay, '12 Gewürztraminer, NV Janeway Lot 2 (Chardonnay/Gewürztraminer), '10 Zinfandel, '11 Barbera, '11 Syrah, '10 White "Port", '11 Ruby Syrah "Port"
The Fenton Herriott estate is a simple and friendly spot. You enter the gate, pass by a barn, and drive up a short hill to the tasting room. Beyond the room is a picnic area and the vineyard itself. Inside is a plainly decorated room with a good amount of space. Debbie, the tasting room manager, was dealing with paperwork when I arrived. She put that aside, and gave me the royal treatment. Good god, she was friendly. We yakked for a long time while she poured several wines. One should not assume that Debbie is always friendly though. Toward the end of my tasting some guys trying to sell printing supplies came in, much to Debbie's irritation. She sent them packing with efficiency. The tasting list is pretty long, and she invited me to taste whatever I wanted to. I was aiming to taste a little bit less, but she encouraged me to try more.
To me, Fenton Herriott represents the typical Sierra Foothills winery. The wines are definitely inexpensive, there is a wide variety of wines being made - many not ideal to the region, and the wines are not at all complex - some are pretty good, some are not. The Gewürztraminer was too sticky, and the white blend didn't come together well. The reds were basic, none stood out as having interesting characteristics. I did enjoy the Chardonnay. It too was simple, but had a good calm flavor to it.
Experience: B / Wines: C
Chateau Davell Boutique Winery ($5 tasting)
'13 "Chloe" Chardonnay, '11 "Marguerite" Red Rhone Blend, '12 "Zander" Zinfandel, '12 "Augustus" Super Tuscan, '11 Cabernet Sauvignon
Apparently, I've been drinking wine long enough to be typecast. Debbie at Fenton Herriott told me "Oh you should go to Chateau Davell, it's the sort of place that you'd love." I'd never heard about Chateau Davell before, but I was open to recommendations. The tasting room is located within the same grouping as Crystal Basin and Bumgarner, which I visited a few years back. It's a tiny, homey-looking building, with some kids toys and space for running around out front. The interior is cozy and rustic. Upon entering, the winemaker, Eric, came out of the back. On quiet days like the day I visited he paints in the back. All of the label art is painted by him, and most of it is portraiture of his family.
Eric was a super neat dude to chat with. He was calm and confident in his work. He was accommodating, but didn't feel the need to fill in the empty spaces of the conversation. In addition to the vineyard, his family has an organic farm where they grow produce to sell to local markets. He and his wife were compelled to start growing organic because of their children. All of the wine is grown organically and some is unfiltered (perhaps this is what Debbie had in mind when she directed me here).
The wine was very much like Eric - not overstated, individual, and enjoyable. I really liked the Chardonnay. It was playful and classy. The reds were nice, but lacking my notes, I can't recall which ones really stood out. I have a feeling that I'll be back at Chateau Davell, next time around I'll be sure to bring my notepad.
Experience: B / Wines: B
For a quick visit, this trip made an impression on me. There really is something special about wine tasting in the Sierra Foothills. Sure the wine can be hit-and-miss, but the people can't be beat. They are friendly, helpful, and proud. I realize that I can get caught up in the luxurious estates with the palatial grounds, but what I really enjoy is the good conversation. And that's what this area is all about.
October '14 Santa Barbara Trip - Backtracking
We found ourselves drawn up to the area once again by a party. This time we were going to one of Stolpman's member parties at their vineyard in Ballard Canyon. That party, btw, was off the chain. Even though it was ridiculously hot that day, they really rolled out the red carpet for their members - a great tour led by Peter Stolpman, Ruben "The Grape Whisperer" Solórzano cooked up some awesome tacos, almost the full roster of Stolpman wines were being poured, and they even had a mariachi band - quite a shindig. After the party we had that afternoon and next morning to visit some other wineries.I've realized that many of the places that I visited early on deserve a second glace. After a second visit to Zotovich, I changed my tune. Some places, like Beckmen, took a second visit to confirm my opinion. And at Palmina, which I loved on my first visit, strongly lost it's luster the second time around. So with that in mind, we decided to revisit Cold Heaven in Buellton on Saturday, and then Longoria and Moretti on Sunday in Lompoc.
Cold Heaven Cellars ($10 tasting, wines $22-$75)
'12 Viognier- Le Bon Climat, '11 "Mutchmore" Pinot Noir, '10 "Nevertell" Pinot Noir, '10 "Second Sin" Syrah, '04 "Second Sin" Syrah, '08 "Domaine Des Mondes" Syrah, '13 Late Harvest Viognier
Owner/winemaker Morgan Clendenen is an interesting character. She got
her start in wine working for a distributor in North Carolina. During a
stint at a Napa winery, she met Jim Clendenen, an institution in the Santa
Barbara region - most known for his winery Au Bon Climat. Morgan and Jim married and she
started the Cold Heaven label with him. They are now divorced, and Morgan know runs the winery independently. Cold Heaven is a quandary. Despite how our first visit was off-kilter, we still enjoyed the wines. And, at one of our early wine parties, a Cold Heaven Pinot was a big hit. It's focus on Viognier was one of the original attractants for us, it's my wife's favorite white grape. We were excited to go back for a revisit.
Once again the tasting room was a bit of a disaster. The dude running the place was terribly nice, but really not on top of things. The tasting room is tiny, and any time there was more than one small group in for a tasting it got really cramped, which he didn't really have a solution for. Also, we were looking forward to the Viognier - on our first visit we tried four different ones - this time around there was only one to try.
The wine was just pretty good. The Viognier was easy and enjoyable - candied lemons. I enjoyed the Muchmore Pinot somewhat more than the Nevertell Pinot, especially given the price difference ($22 vs. $38). The Nevertell was overflavored while the Muchmore had a lighter body and blueberry compote. I wasn't expecting to try three Syrahs, but that was the order of the day. The '04 Second Sin was by far my favorite of the three - velvety with some meat on it. The other two were both quite dense, giving me the feeling that they could probably age and turn out like the older Second Sin. Finally the Late Harvest Viognier was a treat - light/bright lemons and caramelized grapefruit.
Experience: B- / Wine: B-
Longoria Wines ($10 tasting, wines $19-$48)
'13 Pinot Grigio, '12 "Cuvée Diana" Chardonnay, '11 Pinot Noir - Fe Ciega, '11 Tempranillo, '11 "Blues Cuvée" Red Blend (Cabernet Franc/Syrah/Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot/Malbec), '10 "Vino Dulce" Syrah Dessert Wine
We had a great time during our first visit to Longoria's Lompoc Wine Ghetto space. That time we visited in late fall, as grapes were fermenting, and since the tasting room was on part of the winery, we were given an up close view on the fermentation process by the tasting room attendent. We also really enjoyed the wine. I had heard that Longoria was moving into a new space in Lompoc, so I was interested in seeing their new spot. The new space is a very old space for the Lompoc community. Rhe building was constructed in 1913 to as the "JM Club" - a gathering space for employees of the Johns-Manville Company, then the Celite World Minerals Company. The space was often used for dances or parties. Many long-time residents recalled going there for weddings or other celebrations. The space had fallen on disrepair, prompting the Longorias to purchase it and spruce it up for the tasting room, adding a winemaking facility in the back. They faithfully restored old features of the building, the molding, windows, doors, fireplace, etc.. Lucky for us, Diana, Rick Longoria's wife was in the tasting room on the day of our visit, she was happy to show us around the new space and discuss the efforts they went to in bringing the place back to life.
I take it as a good sign that Longoria is establishing a space outside of the Ghetto. Rick and Diana were the first winery to open up in the Wine Ghetto. Now some 19 wineries call the Wine Ghetto home. As the area becomes more serious about wine, more wineries are going to pop up and help to renew spaces throughout the town - which I think will be positive for the economic health of Lompoc. It's a neat model to see unused buildings being adapted into wineries.
Diana guided us through our tasting. Pinot Grigio has been a mainstay of their roster since 1999. It was crisp with clear notes of lemons and pineapples, not braggy for sure, but a bit too understated. The Chardonnay showed clear signs of oak on the palate, though it was well integrated. It was serious but playful. The Pinot opened brightly with tar and inky dark jam, simple yet high quality. I dug the Tempranillo most - a quiet dusty entry lead to a macho blackberry body and then late playfulness. Definitely Cali-style but mature. The red blend was bright and had rust, but it was monochromatic. The dessert wine was smartly made, a nice balance of sweet and zip - chocolate raspberries. None of the wines knocked it out of the park, but they were thoughtful.
Experience: B+ / Wine: B
Moretti Wines ($10 tasting, wines $20-$35)
'13 "Bianchetto" White Blend (Tocai Friulano/Arneis/Malvasia Bianca), '13 Rosé (Pinot Noir), '11 Pinot Noir - Machado, '10 "Rosso Mio" (Dolcetto/Barbera/Nebbiolo), '11 Merlot
Antonio Moretti is a big booster of the Santa Rita Hills. A long-time restauranteur from Italy, he fell in love with wines from the area, and decided to move there. Eventually he opened up "Taste of Sta. Rita Hills" wine bar located in the Wine Ghetto - a shop focused on featuring wines from a variety of smaller labels that didn't have their own tasting rooms. Back in 2011 we visited Taste of Sta. Rita Hills. Antonio was an awesome host, sharing his enthusiasm for the wine of the region, even pairing cheeses and meats that paired well with the wines on the tasting list. In that first tasting, we did try a few of the wines that Antonio had made himself under the Moretti Wines label. More recently, Antonio and his wife Jeni opened up an additional tasting room in the Ghetto to display their own wines.It is a welcoming space with a little patio area so that folks can have their lunch while enjoying a glass of Moretti wine. On the day of our visit Jeni Moretti was staffing the space along with her big German Shepherd. She, like Antonio, was an amiable host. We chatted at length about her experiences in the wine world, living in a rural area, and of course Moretti wines. I was not wowed by the wines. Easy yes, interesting not as much - which is how I remember the Moretti wines that I had back in '11. The Bianchetto had lots of lemon lime and late stonefruit. The Rosé was pretty with strawberries, and slightly sweet. For me, the Pinot Noir had a big flavorful entry and too much of a mainstream profile. The red blend followed suit - big bright fruit entry with a jammy acid kick. I enjoyed the Merlot most, thanks to its tobacco/chocolate characteristics, which added depth to the fruit notes.
Experience: B / Wine: C+
It's nice to be able to revisit. My opinion of Cold Heaven was confirmed - pretty good wine with a tasting room that lacks organization. Longoria is a solid institution in the region, with solidly made wine. I and am very happy to see how they are revitalizing Lompoc with their new tasting room. And Moretti has great customer service and simple, flavorful wines.
What was fun about this visit was the conversations. At both Longoria and Moretti we were able to have long talks with the matriarchs of the wineries. Owning a winery is an exercise in passion and frustration, and both Diana and Jeni were calm yet passionate people. I'm certain that I wouldn't be able to be as cool as they are if the wine world was my career.
August '14 Santa Barbara Trip - Knocking Their Socks Off
For years I've been haranguing old friends who live in Northern California to come down to Santa Barbara to enjoy the wine country. Finally they succumbed to my demands. In choosing which wineries should go, I wanted to show them my favorite haunts. Of course a number of places that I dig are in the Wine Ghetto, so Lompoc was on the list. Lucky Ken Brown, Lafond and Presqu'ile are on the west side of the valley as well, so we didn't have to spend much time driving across the region.
Lafond Winery and Vineyards ($10 tasting, wines $20-$48)
'12 Riesling, '12 Stainless Steel Estate Chardonnay, '11 Pinot Noir, '10 Pinot Noir - Arita Hills Vineyard, '11 Syrah, '10 Estate Syrah
We took scenic Santa Rosa Road from Lompoc first thing in the morning, and wound along the road to get to Lafond. On my first and prior visit to Lafond, the front tasting room was crowded with patrons, but the wine manufacturing floor was being used for tasting as well, and one of the best tasting room employees I've met to this day - Diane - took great care of us. This time around, the place wasn't as crowded, the back area was getting prepped for a wedding, and Diane was nowhere to be found. This time around our visit was more pedestrian. The staff were perfectly nice - the zing was gone though. Regardless of our individual experience, Lafond is the oldest established winery in the region, opening in 1962. The next winery to open was in 1972. Given that, they are dependable and confident.
I found the wines to embrace that same quality, though also a bit mainstream. The Riesling showed some nice flavors - peach, machine, leaves - but too crisp on the back end. Stainless Steel Chardonnays are become more popular, and I think that's a good thing. This one was nicely crisp and interesting. Of the two Pinots, I enjoyed the Santa Rita Hills blend more than the Arita Hills Vineyard designate - both were fruity, but the blend was more approachable, the designate too juicy. Perhaps some aging would change my preference. I enjoyed the Estate Syrah more, but both were a bit to heavy for my tastes.
On both the experience and the wine, I wasn't quite as captivated with Lafond as I was on my first visit. It's still a high quality place, and probably will be for another fifty years.
Experience: B / Wines: B
Ken Brown Wines ($10 tasting, wines $35-$60)
'12 Chardonnay - Nielson Vineyard, '12 Pinot Noir, '11 Pinot Noir - Santa Rita Hills, '11 Pinot Noir - Garey Vineyard, '10 Pinot Noir - Rancho La Viña Vineyard, '11 Syrah - Watch Hill Vineyard
Ken Brown's covered a lot of ground over the past 35 years. He was the founding winemaker at Zaca Mesa Winery - one of the first wineries to open in the area, and still one of the largest. In 1984, he established Byron (Byron is his first name). Byron was an extremely successful label, eventually being bought out by Robert Mondavi, and then Kendall Jackson. After leaving both of those enterprises, he still found himself a very busy man - consulting and mentoring other wineries throughout the region. But he still had a hankering for making is own wine. And for that many are thankful. Ken Brown Wines are some of the most solid in the area. He's best known for his Pinots and Chardonnays, but also puts out Syrahs.
This was our third visit to Ken Brown over the past few years. The last two visits were in an appointment only space - the new space is just down the street and has regular hours for folks to drop in for tastings. The new spot was quite attractive - open with lots of wood features. I was curious about staff, the appointment visits were always with Ken and his wife Deb, who were very welcoming and of course knowledgeable. The staff at the new place were extremely competent and quite friendly. They also recommended the new restaurant in Buellton - Industrial Eats - which was amazing.
As usual the wine was great. The Chardonnay was showy, a bit sticky, and well balanced. The fun thing about visiting the godfather of Pinot is trying lots of Pinots. On this visit, all four that we tried were great. The SBC was easy and pleasing. The SRH was smooth and complex - elements of plum and thyme. The Garey Vineyard was my favorite - wood bark and big acid - seriously balanced and just plain serious. The Rancho La Viña was also very enjoyable - intricate, lengthy and fruity. Finally the Syrah - nice notes of savory preserves and mushrooms - though it was a bit binary.
Experience: A- / Wines: B+
Piedrasassi Winery ($10 tasting, wines $18-$42)
'13 "Light Summer Red" Carbonic Sangiovese, '11 "White Wine" (Albariño/Sauvignon Blanc), Lompoc Wine Company '12 Pinot Noir, '10 Syrah
Piedrasassi is one of the most exciting places to visit in the Wine Ghetto. It's the the most stylish - even though they've redecorated three times in the past two years. They bake bread that they sell at the local farmers market and share samples with the tasting. And the wine is unique. Piedrasassi is the personal wine label of Sashi Moorman, winemaker extraordinaire for the region - he also makes wine for Stolpman and Sandhi.
The redecorated space was great fun. A big wraparound bar and lots of tile. The staff person there was tremendously friendly, and even though things got a bit hectic due to a malfunction with their credit card machine, she was cool and on top of things.
I was a little concerned that the wine would be too avant garde for my friends, but it all went over well with them. The Carbonic Sangiovese was good times - chewy with lots of acid, apricot and plum skins. Stolpman is doing a Carbonic Sangio as well - both are good, but Stolpman's is slightly more mainstream. I enjoyed the White Wine thoroughly, it was macho but also had sweetness. The Pinot was full-flavored yet simple, nothing to plant a flag to. As usual the Syrah was great - very full flavored, well-balanced, almost aggressive in it's youthfulness.
Experience: B+ / Wines: B+
Clos Pepe Estate ($0 tour, wines $20-$59)
Axis Munde '13 Rosé (Mourvèdre/Grenache), '12 "Homage to Chablis" Chardonnay, '12 "Barrel Fermented" Chardonnay, Axis Munde '12 Grenache/Syrah, '11 Pinot Noir, '09 Pinot Noir, '10 Pinot Noir
Almost all wineries are character-driven enterprises - the wine emulate their leadership - Stolpman is calm and friendly, Zotovich is classy, Sarloos is quirky, Ampelos is boisterious. Wes Hagen of Clos Pepe may be the biggest character in the area. No one that I've interacted with in the Santa Barbara wine community is more effusive, nerdy, and instructive as him. The tours that he leads at Clos Pepe are bar none. We've done the tour once before, and that time it was just our small group of four. This time around he had a huge group, and he held court. During the tour, Wes connected wine to a wide range of human history - the formation of society, the creation of philosophy, medicine, politics, and lots of other stuff. During the tasting in the beautiful Pepe home, Wes gave an informal lessen on wine pairing and general sommelier concepts.
The tasting was accompanied by warmed baguette and various cheeses (one of these f'ing days I need to figure out how to get over my lactose issues and enjoy some damn cheese). Wes hovered around the room, introducing the various wines - telling stories to accompany each. As on my first visit, the wine was superb. The Rosé was a savory blend of strawberries and watercress, structured by strong acid. The "Homage to Chablis" showed a fun interplay between acid and calm fruit - it was subtle and attractive. The "Barrel Fermented" Chard was definitely more mouth-filling with a cute maple syrup note, though it retained it's minerality. The three Pinots were all delicious, and definitely showed individualized characteristics. The '11 showed fruit, but remained slight. The '09 was more aggressive on the opening and had a good amount of refined fruit. The '10 was very upfront and boisterous. All in all, a profound wine geek's experience.
Experience: A+ / Wine: A
Presqu'ile Winery (member tasting, wines $18-$48)
'13 Sauvignon Blanc, '12 Chardonnay, '13 Rosé (Pinot Noir), '12 Estate Pinot Noir, '12 Pinot Noir - Steiner Vineyard
Presqu'ile completely blew me away on my first visit - which was not to long after they had opened their estate winery for tastings. I thought that the wine was confident and clear, the staff intelligent, and the location austere and attractive. One thing that I had noted at the time was that the winery was really gearing itself toward exclusivity. Based on my recommendation, a friend who frequents the area for work went to Presqu'ile. He liked it so much that he became a member. So on this visit, I was able to partake in the exclusivity with my member friend - the member's only patio, the extra tasting, etc. As Presqu'ile grows, I think that the exclusivity aspect taints the experience for me. Folks that are attracted to exclusive access are not people that I enjoy being around.
Regardless, the property is gorgeous. The architecture is the most exciting that I've experienced in the area - modern and clever. We tasted our wine on the member's only back patio - trendy outdoor furniture abound. The patio had a bar to sidle up when we were ready to progress through the wine list - for the most part we sat around our table and chatted or played rousing games of foosball.
The Sauvignon Blanc was clean with a hint of jalapeños. The Chardonnay was a bit over-flavored. I enjoyed the '12 Pinot, it had a lot of funky flavors - green and black olives, and was high in tannins. The Steiner Vineyard Pinot Noir was extremely flavorful, bordering on over-extracted, but still a very enjoyable drink. The wines were all high on the flavor-scale, a bit to much collectively.
Experience: B- / Wine: B
Well it worked, my friends were thoroughly impressed by the region. Specifically Clos Pepe, Ken Brown and Stolpman (which I opted to not review since I visit it so frequently) were the biggest hits, though all were enjoyed. It was a weekend of catching up with great friends and superb wine. These friends are important to me, so to be able to spend a relaxing weekend of epicurean pursuits with them was a boon.
Lafond Winery and Vineyards ($10 tasting, wines $20-$48)
'12 Riesling, '12 Stainless Steel Estate Chardonnay, '11 Pinot Noir, '10 Pinot Noir - Arita Hills Vineyard, '11 Syrah, '10 Estate Syrah
We took scenic Santa Rosa Road from Lompoc first thing in the morning, and wound along the road to get to Lafond. On my first and prior visit to Lafond, the front tasting room was crowded with patrons, but the wine manufacturing floor was being used for tasting as well, and one of the best tasting room employees I've met to this day - Diane - took great care of us. This time around, the place wasn't as crowded, the back area was getting prepped for a wedding, and Diane was nowhere to be found. This time around our visit was more pedestrian. The staff were perfectly nice - the zing was gone though. Regardless of our individual experience, Lafond is the oldest established winery in the region, opening in 1962. The next winery to open was in 1972. Given that, they are dependable and confident.I found the wines to embrace that same quality, though also a bit mainstream. The Riesling showed some nice flavors - peach, machine, leaves - but too crisp on the back end. Stainless Steel Chardonnays are become more popular, and I think that's a good thing. This one was nicely crisp and interesting. Of the two Pinots, I enjoyed the Santa Rita Hills blend more than the Arita Hills Vineyard designate - both were fruity, but the blend was more approachable, the designate too juicy. Perhaps some aging would change my preference. I enjoyed the Estate Syrah more, but both were a bit to heavy for my tastes.
On both the experience and the wine, I wasn't quite as captivated with Lafond as I was on my first visit. It's still a high quality place, and probably will be for another fifty years.
Experience: B / Wines: B
Ken Brown Wines ($10 tasting, wines $35-$60)
'12 Chardonnay - Nielson Vineyard, '12 Pinot Noir, '11 Pinot Noir - Santa Rita Hills, '11 Pinot Noir - Garey Vineyard, '10 Pinot Noir - Rancho La Viña Vineyard, '11 Syrah - Watch Hill Vineyard
Ken Brown's covered a lot of ground over the past 35 years. He was the founding winemaker at Zaca Mesa Winery - one of the first wineries to open in the area, and still one of the largest. In 1984, he established Byron (Byron is his first name). Byron was an extremely successful label, eventually being bought out by Robert Mondavi, and then Kendall Jackson. After leaving both of those enterprises, he still found himself a very busy man - consulting and mentoring other wineries throughout the region. But he still had a hankering for making is own wine. And for that many are thankful. Ken Brown Wines are some of the most solid in the area. He's best known for his Pinots and Chardonnays, but also puts out Syrahs.
This was our third visit to Ken Brown over the past few years. The last two visits were in an appointment only space - the new space is just down the street and has regular hours for folks to drop in for tastings. The new spot was quite attractive - open with lots of wood features. I was curious about staff, the appointment visits were always with Ken and his wife Deb, who were very welcoming and of course knowledgeable. The staff at the new place were extremely competent and quite friendly. They also recommended the new restaurant in Buellton - Industrial Eats - which was amazing.
As usual the wine was great. The Chardonnay was showy, a bit sticky, and well balanced. The fun thing about visiting the godfather of Pinot is trying lots of Pinots. On this visit, all four that we tried were great. The SBC was easy and pleasing. The SRH was smooth and complex - elements of plum and thyme. The Garey Vineyard was my favorite - wood bark and big acid - seriously balanced and just plain serious. The Rancho La Viña was also very enjoyable - intricate, lengthy and fruity. Finally the Syrah - nice notes of savory preserves and mushrooms - though it was a bit binary.
Experience: A- / Wines: B+
Piedrasassi Winery ($10 tasting, wines $18-$42)
'13 "Light Summer Red" Carbonic Sangiovese, '11 "White Wine" (Albariño/Sauvignon Blanc), Lompoc Wine Company '12 Pinot Noir, '10 Syrah
Piedrasassi is one of the most exciting places to visit in the Wine Ghetto. It's the the most stylish - even though they've redecorated three times in the past two years. They bake bread that they sell at the local farmers market and share samples with the tasting. And the wine is unique. Piedrasassi is the personal wine label of Sashi Moorman, winemaker extraordinaire for the region - he also makes wine for Stolpman and Sandhi.
The redecorated space was great fun. A big wraparound bar and lots of tile. The staff person there was tremendously friendly, and even though things got a bit hectic due to a malfunction with their credit card machine, she was cool and on top of things.
I was a little concerned that the wine would be too avant garde for my friends, but it all went over well with them. The Carbonic Sangiovese was good times - chewy with lots of acid, apricot and plum skins. Stolpman is doing a Carbonic Sangio as well - both are good, but Stolpman's is slightly more mainstream. I enjoyed the White Wine thoroughly, it was macho but also had sweetness. The Pinot was full-flavored yet simple, nothing to plant a flag to. As usual the Syrah was great - very full flavored, well-balanced, almost aggressive in it's youthfulness.
Experience: B+ / Wines: B+
Clos Pepe Estate ($0 tour, wines $20-$59)
Axis Munde '13 Rosé (Mourvèdre/Grenache), '12 "Homage to Chablis" Chardonnay, '12 "Barrel Fermented" Chardonnay, Axis Munde '12 Grenache/Syrah, '11 Pinot Noir, '09 Pinot Noir, '10 Pinot Noir
Almost all wineries are character-driven enterprises - the wine emulate their leadership - Stolpman is calm and friendly, Zotovich is classy, Sarloos is quirky, Ampelos is boisterious. Wes Hagen of Clos Pepe may be the biggest character in the area. No one that I've interacted with in the Santa Barbara wine community is more effusive, nerdy, and instructive as him. The tours that he leads at Clos Pepe are bar none. We've done the tour once before, and that time it was just our small group of four. This time around he had a huge group, and he held court. During the tour, Wes connected wine to a wide range of human history - the formation of society, the creation of philosophy, medicine, politics, and lots of other stuff. During the tasting in the beautiful Pepe home, Wes gave an informal lessen on wine pairing and general sommelier concepts.The tasting was accompanied by warmed baguette and various cheeses (one of these f'ing days I need to figure out how to get over my lactose issues and enjoy some damn cheese). Wes hovered around the room, introducing the various wines - telling stories to accompany each. As on my first visit, the wine was superb. The Rosé was a savory blend of strawberries and watercress, structured by strong acid. The "Homage to Chablis" showed a fun interplay between acid and calm fruit - it was subtle and attractive. The "Barrel Fermented" Chard was definitely more mouth-filling with a cute maple syrup note, though it retained it's minerality. The three Pinots were all delicious, and definitely showed individualized characteristics. The '11 showed fruit, but remained slight. The '09 was more aggressive on the opening and had a good amount of refined fruit. The '10 was very upfront and boisterous. All in all, a profound wine geek's experience. Experience: A+ / Wine: A
Presqu'ile Winery (member tasting, wines $18-$48)
'13 Sauvignon Blanc, '12 Chardonnay, '13 Rosé (Pinot Noir), '12 Estate Pinot Noir, '12 Pinot Noir - Steiner Vineyard
Presqu'ile completely blew me away on my first visit - which was not to long after they had opened their estate winery for tastings. I thought that the wine was confident and clear, the staff intelligent, and the location austere and attractive. One thing that I had noted at the time was that the winery was really gearing itself toward exclusivity. Based on my recommendation, a friend who frequents the area for work went to Presqu'ile. He liked it so much that he became a member. So on this visit, I was able to partake in the exclusivity with my member friend - the member's only patio, the extra tasting, etc. As Presqu'ile grows, I think that the exclusivity aspect taints the experience for me. Folks that are attracted to exclusive access are not people that I enjoy being around. Regardless, the property is gorgeous. The architecture is the most exciting that I've experienced in the area - modern and clever. We tasted our wine on the member's only back patio - trendy outdoor furniture abound. The patio had a bar to sidle up when we were ready to progress through the wine list - for the most part we sat around our table and chatted or played rousing games of foosball.
The Sauvignon Blanc was clean with a hint of jalapeños. The Chardonnay was a bit over-flavored. I enjoyed the '12 Pinot, it had a lot of funky flavors - green and black olives, and was high in tannins. The Steiner Vineyard Pinot Noir was extremely flavorful, bordering on over-extracted, but still a very enjoyable drink. The wines were all high on the flavor-scale, a bit to much collectively.
Experience: B- / Wine: B
Well it worked, my friends were thoroughly impressed by the region. Specifically Clos Pepe, Ken Brown and Stolpman (which I opted to not review since I visit it so frequently) were the biggest hits, though all were enjoyed. It was a weekend of catching up with great friends and superb wine. These friends are important to me, so to be able to spend a relaxing weekend of epicurean pursuits with them was a boon.
May '14 Santa Barbara Trip - Pretty Doesn't Mean Good
One day trips is a clever way to have Santa Barbara trips, lighter on the costs and time commitment, but they are tiring. Since we became members of Martian Ranch after having such a kick-ass experience during our March trip, we drove up this time for their pick up party. Our friends were up in the area as well, so we were able to visit Tyler and Stolpman (once again opting not to review since we're huge fans and always there) with them. I was also compelled to try out Rusack based on recommendations from folks we'd met along the away.
Tyler Winery ($15 tasting, wines $36-$55)
'12 Chardonnay, '12 Chardonnay - Dierberg, '12 Pinot Noir, '12 Pinot Noir - Bien Nacido
Once again we had brought another couple of friends to the Ghetto, and wanted to show off the quality we visited six months prior. I was also curious to try Tyler again, to see if my initial experience was emblematic or a one-off. Once again the tasting room was chilly and stark, though this time around it appeared that the construction was on hiatus. There was a different tasting room person this time around, which was a small bit of a relief - being distant is better than snotty. Just the same we didn't feel comfortable during the tasting, and didn't feel like lingering around after, we tasted the four wines and then hurried out.
During our previous visit, all of the wines that we tried were from the 2011 vintage. This time around, all 2012s. I'm not sure if this tasting was completely affected by the youth of the wines, or if the 2012 vintage is sub-par to 2011, but I was not as enamored with the wines, not nearly. Throughout the tasting, I wrote notes like: "not pretty right now," "stark," "not as poetic as I remember," and "intense as hell." The wine wasn't bad, they was just really compact. Certainly they were a quality product. I'm guessing that they all just need time to stretch their legs. For sure it would be preferable if the winery were to be pouring the vintages of the wines that are ready to be tasted. Sure the wine can and should be held for five to ten years, but pour it when it's going to be enjoyable, not challenging. With that said, on the Chardonnays, I prefered the Dierberg, it was a bit more sunny than the Santa Barbara County bottling. The Bien Nacido Pinot Noir was too crazy dense for me, I found the Santa Barbara County Pinot to be pretty exciting with notes of stomped flowers and tar juice.
Experience: B- / Wines B
Rusack Vineyards ($12 tasting, wines $14-$45)
'11 Chardonnay - Catalina Island, '13 Rosé (Syrah/Sangiovese/Pinot Noir), '12 Pinot Noir, '12 Pinot Noir - Solomon Hills, '12 Sangiovese, '11 "Soul of the Vine" Dessert Wine (Sémillon)
Ballard Canyon is the newest AVA in the region, and is home to some superstar wines - Stolpman, Beckman, super-cult winery Jonata, and Larner, not to mention being used by many other wineries that are in the general area.. The region is known for it's Rhones, especially Syrah. Rusack is one of the older wineries in the area, and is the only one with a tasting room on scenic Ballard Canyon Road. It's a beautiful drive along the canyon road. Driving from the south, the road is initially tight and windy, but opens up to a bucolic valley. The Rusack property sits at the ideal open spot of the valley. The winery has made ideal use of this setting with more than ample patio and garden seating. I get the feeling that Rusack's setting is well known, since the place was hopping with a wide variety of patrons - older yuppies, locals, bikers, and more. The tasting room counter was packed, but there was plenty of good seating outside. Allison Rusack, co-founder with her husband Geoff, is part of the well-heeled Wrigley family. The progenitor of the empire, William Wrigley Jr., was the major developer of Santa Catalina Island, a fun tourist destination just off the coast from Los Angeles. The family still has strong ties to the island, through a conservancy. This explains why Rusack Vineyards has a vineyard on Catalina.
I was not enthused by the quality of the wine itself. Each had nice elements, but the Chardonnay and Rosé suffered from being too sharp, and the reds were too fruity and hot. The Sangiovese had nice earthiness and acid, but fell apart late. The dessert wine was enjoyable, though simple.
Experience: B / Wines C+
Both visits on this trip were a let down. We had enjoyed Tyler so much on our first visit, I was hopeful they would knock it out of the park again, and impress our friends. And I had been looking forward to Rusack for a long time, but the wine didn't really stand out for me. I'll still hold out hope for Tyler. It's a critical darling, and even if the wines weren't pretty, they had authenticity.
Tyler Winery ($15 tasting, wines $36-$55)
'12 Chardonnay, '12 Chardonnay - Dierberg, '12 Pinot Noir, '12 Pinot Noir - Bien Nacido
During our previous visit, all of the wines that we tried were from the 2011 vintage. This time around, all 2012s. I'm not sure if this tasting was completely affected by the youth of the wines, or if the 2012 vintage is sub-par to 2011, but I was not as enamored with the wines, not nearly. Throughout the tasting, I wrote notes like: "not pretty right now," "stark," "not as poetic as I remember," and "intense as hell." The wine wasn't bad, they was just really compact. Certainly they were a quality product. I'm guessing that they all just need time to stretch their legs. For sure it would be preferable if the winery were to be pouring the vintages of the wines that are ready to be tasted. Sure the wine can and should be held for five to ten years, but pour it when it's going to be enjoyable, not challenging. With that said, on the Chardonnays, I prefered the Dierberg, it was a bit more sunny than the Santa Barbara County bottling. The Bien Nacido Pinot Noir was too crazy dense for me, I found the Santa Barbara County Pinot to be pretty exciting with notes of stomped flowers and tar juice.
Experience: B- / Wines B
Rusack Vineyards ($12 tasting, wines $14-$45)
'11 Chardonnay - Catalina Island, '13 Rosé (Syrah/Sangiovese/Pinot Noir), '12 Pinot Noir, '12 Pinot Noir - Solomon Hills, '12 Sangiovese, '11 "Soul of the Vine" Dessert Wine (Sémillon)
Ballard Canyon is the newest AVA in the region, and is home to some superstar wines - Stolpman, Beckman, super-cult winery Jonata, and Larner, not to mention being used by many other wineries that are in the general area.. The region is known for it's Rhones, especially Syrah. Rusack is one of the older wineries in the area, and is the only one with a tasting room on scenic Ballard Canyon Road. It's a beautiful drive along the canyon road. Driving from the south, the road is initially tight and windy, but opens up to a bucolic valley. The Rusack property sits at the ideal open spot of the valley. The winery has made ideal use of this setting with more than ample patio and garden seating. I get the feeling that Rusack's setting is well known, since the place was hopping with a wide variety of patrons - older yuppies, locals, bikers, and more. The tasting room counter was packed, but there was plenty of good seating outside. Allison Rusack, co-founder with her husband Geoff, is part of the well-heeled Wrigley family. The progenitor of the empire, William Wrigley Jr., was the major developer of Santa Catalina Island, a fun tourist destination just off the coast from Los Angeles. The family still has strong ties to the island, through a conservancy. This explains why Rusack Vineyards has a vineyard on Catalina. I was not enthused by the quality of the wine itself. Each had nice elements, but the Chardonnay and Rosé suffered from being too sharp, and the reds were too fruity and hot. The Sangiovese had nice earthiness and acid, but fell apart late. The dessert wine was enjoyable, though simple.Experience: B / Wines C+
Both visits on this trip were a let down. We had enjoyed Tyler so much on our first visit, I was hopeful they would knock it out of the park again, and impress our friends. And I had been looking forward to Rusack for a long time, but the wine didn't really stand out for me. I'll still hold out hope for Tyler. It's a critical darling, and even if the wines weren't pretty, they had authenticity.
March '14 Santa Barbara Trip - A Three Hour Tour
I've done it again, I've cajoled friends into a wine weekend trip. A group of six intrepid travelers joined me for a quick weekend jaunt. Initially the plan was to get into the area early enough on Friday to hit up a few places in Lompoc, but traffic waylaid those plans. Actually the whole trip was beset by happy delays. In addition to the below reviews, we visited a few of our favorites - Stolpman and Samsara. However, since we've visited those places so often and have rated them highly on multiple occasions, I decided to skip reviewing them.
AVA Santa Barbara ($10 tasting, wines $26-$32)
'12 Sauvignon Blanc - Ballard Canyon, '12 Viognier - Ballard Canyon, '10 Chardonnay - Santa Maria, '12 White Blend (Sauvignon Blanc/Viognier), '12 Rosé (Grenache), '10 Pinot Noir - Santa Maria, '12 Cabernet Franc - Santa Ynez Valley
The Funk Zone is becoming quite the clutch stop for us when we're interested in doing a tasting and can't quite make it all the way up the road to Santa Barbara wine country. In this instance, we hit the road a bit late on a Friday and got stuck in weekend getaway traffic. The plan was to get up to Lompoc by late afternoon, and check out a few places, but the 101 decided to nix that idea for us. Instead we found ourselves rolling through downtown Santa Barbara with just enough time to pop into a Funk Zone tasting room.
AVA is a side project for Seth Kunin, his primary label Kunin has been around for over fifteen years. His goal with AVA is to highlight the variety of terrior that exists in the Santa Barbara region. To accomplish that he makes specific varietals that are emblematic of each region - Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from the cooler Sta. Rita Hills, Syrah and other Rhones from the moderate Ballard Canyon, and Cabernet / Bordeaux wines from the warm Happy Canyon AVA. It's a fun concept, and the tasting room backs it up with a totally bad ass mural.
The wines were a bit of a mixed bag. It's hard to argue that they were emblematic of the terrior, considering that the wines were all a bit dense - hinting at barrel aging, and some straight up showed oak in their nose or flavor profile. I'm not saying that oak shouldn't be used, but when a winery is trying to show regional typicity, it should take a low-interventionist approach. Oak or not, I enjoyed the Viognier quite a bit. The Sauvignon Blanc and the Chardonnay had promising variety but were both too cluttered. The White Blend and the Rosé were on tap - the Rosé was okay, but the white was nearly undrinkable - too stark and candied. The Pinot Noir was my favorite - it hit on all the right notes. The Cab Franc was a bit of an experience - roasted squash, super dense, not to be consumed without a hearty meal to accompany it.
Experience: B / Wines: C+
Martian Ranch & Vineyard ($10 tasting, wines $20-$35)
'13 Rosé (Syrah), '12 Albariño, '12 Chenin Blanc, '12 Grenache Blanc, '12 Viognier, '12 Mourvèdre, '11 Grenache Noir, '12 Grenache Noir, '12 Cabernet Franc, '11 "Red Shift" Syrah, '11 "Mystery" Syrah, '11 Tempranillo,
At the beginning of the day, we had a plan: Hit up Martian Ranch in the morning for an hour or so, then head down to Los Olivos for a few visits, then roll back over to Lompoc to hang out in the Ghetto for a few more hours. Perhaps a bit ambitious, but not unreasonable. The plan was all shot to hell the minute we got to Martian Ranch. Right off the bat they were super accommodating. Wanna bring your dog in? Sure go right ahead. Wanna try every wine on our long ass list? Go for it. Super duper accommodating. So much so, that when the afore mentioned dog pissed in the tasting room, the owner - Nan - quietly grabbed paper towels and cleaned it up before we even noticed that it had happened. Somehow that endeared Nan to us, and she asked if we wanted to check out the winery and vineyard. So we filled our glasses with Viognier, and hopped into the back of the ranch truck. Martian Ranch is a new venture, and Nan was very excited to share it with folks. It is a stunning property with an immense open space, bordered by verdant hills. Nan said that part of the appeal of having a winery was having a big space all to yourself. I'm not rich as hell, so I don't think about a concepts like that, but in looking out over her whole property, I can see the appeal. She's also proud of their biodynamic focus, which I can get behind. After a long meandering conversation we headed back to the tasting room and drank a lot more wine.
In addition to being biodynamic, all the wines are estate grown. The Rosé and Albariño were simple. The Chenin Blanc had an interesting herb characteristic - it is aged in acacia wood barrels. The Viognier was my favorite of the whites, bright, layered, slight oak. The reds were more interesting than the whites in general - some juiciness, some fun notes (twigs, funk, meat), though not especially complex or lengthy. In general, the wine quality is just pretty good, dependably solid, but nothing to right poetry about. I did appreciate that their wines are reasonably priced for the region, especially the reds. It will be interesting to see how Martian Ranch develops. They definitely roll out the red (and white) carpet for their guests.
Experience: A- / Wines: B
LaMontagne Winery ($10 tasting, wines $30-$48)
'11 Pinot Blanc, '12 Pinot Blanc, '13 Rosé (Grenache/Mourvedre), '11 Pinot Noir, '11 Tempranillo
The Wine Ghetto has been blowing up. Each time we visit, there are more tasting rooms. I'm starting to think that critical mass may have been reached. To me, the marker of a trend reaching critical mass is when there are newcomers to the trend, and the quality of the product created by the newcomers (those being recent converts to the world of the product) isn't quite as good. Newcomers see the trend, recognize the momentum, and hop onto the trend. But, because they are so new and haven't been within that world for very long, their product doesn't stand up to the trend starters. In this story, the longer term Ghetto wineries are the trend starters, such as Ampelos, Samsara, Flying Goat, Fiddlehead, etc. LaMontagne is a brand new tasting room. Kim Smith entered the world of wine recently, starting to take winemaking classes in 2006. Soon after that, she attended a wine event that Wes Hagen - the winemaking badass at Clos Pepe - she asked for an opportunity to study under him, he agreed, and she was off and running. By 2009 Kim Smith was producing wine under the LaMontagne label.
I've got no authority to say it, but I think that winemakers need to be involved in the trade longer than that before they have their own labels. I guess they don't need to, but I'm going to say that the wine won't be very good after that short of a time in the industry.
Last time that we visited, the tasting room belonged to Joseph Blair Wines. Since then, Joseph Blair moved into the new wing of the Ghetto, across Chestnut Court. The room had undergone a huge decorating shift, and now a huge, old wooden bar had taken over the center of the room. Light snacks were on the table to accompany the wines. The lady in the tasting room was friendly, but not at all knowledgeable about wine.
Despite my earlier tirade, the wine was pretty good, though priced way too high for the quality. The Pinot Blancs were enjoyable, the '12 had nice baking spice, lemons and dry-roasted leaves - simple, a bit sharp. The Pinot Noir was fun to experience. The flavors were a bit sloppy, but there were very interesting characteristics - savory mushrooms, tart blackberries - nice spectrum. Finally, the Tempranillo was fine, very dense, hot, lacked all of the flavor profile you'd expect.
Experience: B- / Wine: C+
The lesson of the weekend is to allow plans to change. Even though we didn't get to our original destination on time on Friday, we were able to make a pit stop in the Funk Zone and enjoy AVA. Thank god we didn't have firm plans on Saturday, or there would have been no way we could have hung out and enjoyed the day at Martian Ranch. Each time I head up to Santa Barbara for wine tasting I feel like I need to rush, and cram in as many visits as possible. And each time, somewhere in the middle of the trip, I realize that there's no need to do so, that we're better off enjoying the journey and taking our time. Somehow I have to make that a mantra so I don't get worked up when the inevitable delays occur...
AVA Santa Barbara ($10 tasting, wines $26-$32)
'12 Sauvignon Blanc - Ballard Canyon, '12 Viognier - Ballard Canyon, '10 Chardonnay - Santa Maria, '12 White Blend (Sauvignon Blanc/Viognier), '12 Rosé (Grenache), '10 Pinot Noir - Santa Maria, '12 Cabernet Franc - Santa Ynez Valley
The Funk Zone is becoming quite the clutch stop for us when we're interested in doing a tasting and can't quite make it all the way up the road to Santa Barbara wine country. In this instance, we hit the road a bit late on a Friday and got stuck in weekend getaway traffic. The plan was to get up to Lompoc by late afternoon, and check out a few places, but the 101 decided to nix that idea for us. Instead we found ourselves rolling through downtown Santa Barbara with just enough time to pop into a Funk Zone tasting room.AVA is a side project for Seth Kunin, his primary label Kunin has been around for over fifteen years. His goal with AVA is to highlight the variety of terrior that exists in the Santa Barbara region. To accomplish that he makes specific varietals that are emblematic of each region - Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from the cooler Sta. Rita Hills, Syrah and other Rhones from the moderate Ballard Canyon, and Cabernet / Bordeaux wines from the warm Happy Canyon AVA. It's a fun concept, and the tasting room backs it up with a totally bad ass mural.
The wines were a bit of a mixed bag. It's hard to argue that they were emblematic of the terrior, considering that the wines were all a bit dense - hinting at barrel aging, and some straight up showed oak in their nose or flavor profile. I'm not saying that oak shouldn't be used, but when a winery is trying to show regional typicity, it should take a low-interventionist approach. Oak or not, I enjoyed the Viognier quite a bit. The Sauvignon Blanc and the Chardonnay had promising variety but were both too cluttered. The White Blend and the Rosé were on tap - the Rosé was okay, but the white was nearly undrinkable - too stark and candied. The Pinot Noir was my favorite - it hit on all the right notes. The Cab Franc was a bit of an experience - roasted squash, super dense, not to be consumed without a hearty meal to accompany it.
Experience: B / Wines: C+
Martian Ranch & Vineyard ($10 tasting, wines $20-$35)
'13 Rosé (Syrah), '12 Albariño, '12 Chenin Blanc, '12 Grenache Blanc, '12 Viognier, '12 Mourvèdre, '11 Grenache Noir, '12 Grenache Noir, '12 Cabernet Franc, '11 "Red Shift" Syrah, '11 "Mystery" Syrah, '11 Tempranillo,
At the beginning of the day, we had a plan: Hit up Martian Ranch in the morning for an hour or so, then head down to Los Olivos for a few visits, then roll back over to Lompoc to hang out in the Ghetto for a few more hours. Perhaps a bit ambitious, but not unreasonable. The plan was all shot to hell the minute we got to Martian Ranch. Right off the bat they were super accommodating. Wanna bring your dog in? Sure go right ahead. Wanna try every wine on our long ass list? Go for it. Super duper accommodating. So much so, that when the afore mentioned dog pissed in the tasting room, the owner - Nan - quietly grabbed paper towels and cleaned it up before we even noticed that it had happened. Somehow that endeared Nan to us, and she asked if we wanted to check out the winery and vineyard. So we filled our glasses with Viognier, and hopped into the back of the ranch truck. Martian Ranch is a new venture, and Nan was very excited to share it with folks. It is a stunning property with an immense open space, bordered by verdant hills. Nan said that part of the appeal of having a winery was having a big space all to yourself. I'm not rich as hell, so I don't think about a concepts like that, but in looking out over her whole property, I can see the appeal. She's also proud of their biodynamic focus, which I can get behind. After a long meandering conversation we headed back to the tasting room and drank a lot more wine.In addition to being biodynamic, all the wines are estate grown. The Rosé and Albariño were simple. The Chenin Blanc had an interesting herb characteristic - it is aged in acacia wood barrels. The Viognier was my favorite of the whites, bright, layered, slight oak. The reds were more interesting than the whites in general - some juiciness, some fun notes (twigs, funk, meat), though not especially complex or lengthy. In general, the wine quality is just pretty good, dependably solid, but nothing to right poetry about. I did appreciate that their wines are reasonably priced for the region, especially the reds. It will be interesting to see how Martian Ranch develops. They definitely roll out the red (and white) carpet for their guests.
Experience: A- / Wines: B
LaMontagne Winery ($10 tasting, wines $30-$48)
'11 Pinot Blanc, '12 Pinot Blanc, '13 Rosé (Grenache/Mourvedre), '11 Pinot Noir, '11 Tempranillo
The Wine Ghetto has been blowing up. Each time we visit, there are more tasting rooms. I'm starting to think that critical mass may have been reached. To me, the marker of a trend reaching critical mass is when there are newcomers to the trend, and the quality of the product created by the newcomers (those being recent converts to the world of the product) isn't quite as good. Newcomers see the trend, recognize the momentum, and hop onto the trend. But, because they are so new and haven't been within that world for very long, their product doesn't stand up to the trend starters. In this story, the longer term Ghetto wineries are the trend starters, such as Ampelos, Samsara, Flying Goat, Fiddlehead, etc. LaMontagne is a brand new tasting room. Kim Smith entered the world of wine recently, starting to take winemaking classes in 2006. Soon after that, she attended a wine event that Wes Hagen - the winemaking badass at Clos Pepe - she asked for an opportunity to study under him, he agreed, and she was off and running. By 2009 Kim Smith was producing wine under the LaMontagne label.I've got no authority to say it, but I think that winemakers need to be involved in the trade longer than that before they have their own labels. I guess they don't need to, but I'm going to say that the wine won't be very good after that short of a time in the industry.
Last time that we visited, the tasting room belonged to Joseph Blair Wines. Since then, Joseph Blair moved into the new wing of the Ghetto, across Chestnut Court. The room had undergone a huge decorating shift, and now a huge, old wooden bar had taken over the center of the room. Light snacks were on the table to accompany the wines. The lady in the tasting room was friendly, but not at all knowledgeable about wine.
Despite my earlier tirade, the wine was pretty good, though priced way too high for the quality. The Pinot Blancs were enjoyable, the '12 had nice baking spice, lemons and dry-roasted leaves - simple, a bit sharp. The Pinot Noir was fun to experience. The flavors were a bit sloppy, but there were very interesting characteristics - savory mushrooms, tart blackberries - nice spectrum. Finally, the Tempranillo was fine, very dense, hot, lacked all of the flavor profile you'd expect.
Experience: B- / Wine: C+
The lesson of the weekend is to allow plans to change. Even though we didn't get to our original destination on time on Friday, we were able to make a pit stop in the Funk Zone and enjoy AVA. Thank god we didn't have firm plans on Saturday, or there would have been no way we could have hung out and enjoyed the day at Martian Ranch. Each time I head up to Santa Barbara for wine tasting I feel like I need to rush, and cram in as many visits as possible. And each time, somewhere in the middle of the trip, I realize that there's no need to do so, that we're better off enjoying the journey and taking our time. Somehow I have to make that a mantra so I don't get worked up when the inevitable delays occur...
December '13 Sonoma Trip - Lots and Lots of Personality
The wife and I hauled our cookies over from Napa early in the morning to catch up with a different set of friends from the couple than we had spent the previous day with. We were groggy, and a bit cranky from too much wine the night before, but it was a very pretty drive up the 29, and 128 to Dry Creek. The friends that we met up with on this go-around were not familiar with Sonoma, so I set the route. I knew that Unti was a must-do, considering that I had raved about it before, and my wife hadn't been with me on that trip. Preston, Nalle, and Acorn were all on my list, and seemed to be thematically consistent with one another, sustainably minded and had passionate ownership.
Unti Vineyards ($10 tasting, wines $23-$40)
'12 "Cuvée Blanc" (Vermentino/Grenache Blanc/Picpoul), '12 Rosé (Grenache/Mourvedré), '12 Barbera, '10 Zinfandel, '11 "Segromigno" (Sangiovese/Montepulciano), '10 Syrah, '10 Syrah "Benchland"
I hold Unti in very high esteem. On my first visit I was blown away by the confidence with which they made wine, and the calmness that they presented it. When planning this trip to Sonoma, with my wife who hadn't been on my first visit, I was resolute that I must take her to Unti. The scene was slightly different compared to my first visit. The tasting room is no longer in the same space as the winery, there is a stand alone room for receiving visitors. True to previous form, the space is downscale and mellow, especially compared to the wineries that we visited the day before in Napa. As before, the staff were very knowledgeable and pleasant. I was excited to learn that the owner of Unti is a huge Oakland A's fan - the yearly staff party is an epicurean delight of a tailgate at an A's game. And apparently A's hitting coach Chili Davis is a huge Unti fan - perhaps my appreciation for Unti was meant to be.
Even if they didn't affiliate themselves with the best baseball team, I'd still be a huge Unti fan, because of the wine. All of their wines are estate grown, and while they have a diverse list, each one is well balanced and unique. The Rosé is a consistent standout, and perhaps their best wine, though we really enjoyed the Segromigno - roasted coffee nose and a goofy gourd aspect, lots of tannin and acid, but still an easy drink. The Syrahs were both very good as well, curiously different, the Benchland was more poetic and layered.
Experience: B / Wines: A-
Preston Vineyards ($10 tasting, wines $22-$36)
'12 Sauvignon Blanc, '12 Viognier, '12 Roussanne, '11 "Madam Preston" White Blend (Roussanne/Viognier/Marsanne/Grenache Blanc), '11 Mourvedré, '11 Barbera, '11 Zinfandel, '11 "L. Preston" Red Blend (Syrah/Mourvedré/Grenache/Cinsault/Carignane)
I'm a provincial person. I very much like the things that I like. When I discover that another person likes the things that I like - generally I try to like them (still following me here?). Preston, on it's face has many things that I like. Two of those things specifically, cats and organic wine growing, are huge to me. Prior to visiting, I did not realize how committed to cats and organic farming Preston was. As soon as we parked, I started to melt in Preston's favor. Cats ran amok - they slept under the picnic benches, they prowled around on the tables in the tasting room, and the definitely enjoyed being pet. The funky farmhouse tasting room (also a point in Preston's favor) was filled with books about organic and/or biodynamic farming, and other random literary/liberal screeds. On face, I was in love with Preston. On face, I wanted to marry Preston and spend the rest of my life with it. Somehow that all came to a screeching halt when we began to tasting the wine and talk to the staff. Let's start with the staff - they were fine, just fine. But given such an idealistic state, how could they be blasé? Beats me, but they sure were. Perhaps a bad day.
And how could the wine be so unexciting? My understanding is that the progenitor of Preston has recently retired, and a new crew has taken the helm for winemaking - perhaps that explains the disconnect. That's not to say that the wine was horrid, but it did not match the hopes that the ethos of the place promised. I had hoped for original and earthy wines, perhaps with subtlety. The wine list had some length to it, and we were able to try as many as we liked.The whites showed more stickiness than I like, though the "Madam Preston" was light and crisp, and had interesting notes of pear skins. The reds were too jammy, especially the Barbera. While the "L. Preston" also showed jam, it did have some olives on the nose and on the palate, I enjoyed its overall profile.
Experience: B- / Wines: C+
Nalle Winery ($10 tasting, wines $28-$48)
'10 Reserve Chardonnay, '11 Reserve Chardonnay, '12 "Vinum Clarum" Zinfandel, '11 Zinfandel - Bernier-Sibary, '11 Zinfandel - Henderlong
Experience: B+ / Wines: B+
So I've got this running list of wineries to check out that I gotten recommendations for. Sometimes I remember to note who recommended a place, and sometimes I don't. Nalle is a place that ended up on my list, and I can't recall how. However, once I checked out their website, I knew that I had to go. Quick little fact about me: I love silly shit. Absurdity makes my day. Nalle is all about the silly. They have an invented family crest which prominently features squirrels. Silly + wine = I'm in.
The winery looked like an angular Quonset hut with an earth covered roof. The chillest of vibes exuded the place as we arrived. Inside stacks of barrels had congregated to the back - near a basketball hoop, and a handful of folding tables were laid out for tasting. Two very friendly folks staffed the table - one turned out to be the winemaker Andrew. He was a super mellow and smart guy. He had taken over winemaking duties from his father a few years back but clearly was large and in charge.
Chardonnays and Zinfandels were the varietals of the day, but Nalle also makes Pinot Noirs and Bordeaux blends. The Chardonnays are sourced from Hopkins Ranch in Russian River Valley. Both were crisp and had a nice variety of flavors. I enjoyed the '11 more, it was a cooler year, and the wine it was more bright and zippy. Each Zinfandel was enjoyable in its own way. The Vinum Clarum light bodied and meaty. The Bernier-Sibary was pretty, had bits of sage, and a lovely dose of raspberries. As excellent the rest of the wines were, the Henderlong was by far my favorite. Henderlong is the home vineyard, grown at the same site as the winery. Right by where we parked were some knobbled head trained Zinfandel vines - beastly and beautiful. The vines were dry farmed - which gets brownie points from me. Tart and ripe boysenberries, impressive flavor that would surely be a good wine to indoctrinate people into becoming wine enthusiasts.
Experience: B+ / Wines: B+
Acorn Winery ($10 tasting, wines $23-$42)
'12 Rosato (Dolcetto/Zinfandel/Sangiovese/Cabernet Franc), '11 Sangiovese, '10 Cabernet Franc, '10 "Axiom" Syrah, '09 "Acorn Hill" Sangiovese, '09 Alicante Bouschet, '11 "Heritage Vines" Zinfandel, '10 "Medley"
There is a fair share of wineries that march to the beat of their own drum. Sure there are places that are cookie-cutter, trying to emulate styles that have worked well for others, but I'd say that more places that I've visited are doing their own thing. Acorn doesn't march to a different beat - it's doing something completely different. The primary difference between Acorn and other wineries is their deep focus on blends. Betsey and Bill Nachbaur purchased the vineyard - Alegria - in 1990, inheriting a wide variety of different varietals planted within the same blocks. The block groupings are organized around specific major varietals (Syrah, Cabernet Franc, Sangiovese, Dolcetto, and Zinfandel). None of their wines are made with just one type of grape. All told, some 60 different types of grape vines are grown in their vineyard.
Tastings at Acorn are appointment only. Another group was finishing their tasting up, so Bill Nachbaur poured us the Rosato outside. Bill chit-chatted with us, but once we were inside, it was clear that Betsey was the talker in the family. She clearly took pleasure in leading tastings - sharing a lot of insights about their winemaking process. Strangely, she was a bit dictatorial - insisting that her viewpoints on things, like how to re-cork wine overnight, were the rule and no other concepts could be accepted. She did put a tremendous amount of attention into us, even pouring side-by-sides a handful of times to show how the wine aged over a few days.
While the wines were not my favorites, they were most certainly well made and authentic. The Rosato a bit sticky, but was enjoyably chewy and some endives on it. The Sangioveses were both solid, though the '09 was a bit harsh. I enjoyed the Cab Franc quite a bit - calm blackberry brambles. The Syrah had good structure, though it was almost too militant about it's flavors - can't explain it, but that's how I felt about it. Alicante is always a fun wine to try, and this one had a mellow entry that lead to a very vibrant middle, a bit sharp at the end. The Zin had very good acid, but a bit sweet. Finally the Medley - which is an insane field blend of up to 40 different varieties - was interesting, challenging, but too rambling for me. Acorn wines are fun wines to drink with friends that know wines.
Experience: B / Wines: B
Once again, Sonoma proved to be a much more personable visit in comparison to Napa. Each place had it's own thing going on, and the wines seemed to match the personalities of the folks in the tasting rooms. Unti was confident, smart and mellow. Preston was off it's game and scattered, though well meaning. Nalle was funky, fun, and celebratory. Acorn was cerebral, very unique and welcoming. It was a great day. And while the previous day's venture in Napa was enjoyable, it's clear that Sonoma is so much more our style.
Unti Vineyards ($10 tasting, wines $23-$40)
'12 "Cuvée Blanc" (Vermentino/Grenache Blanc/Picpoul), '12 Rosé (Grenache/Mourvedré), '12 Barbera, '10 Zinfandel, '11 "Segromigno" (Sangiovese/Montepulciano), '10 Syrah, '10 Syrah "Benchland"
I hold Unti in very high esteem. On my first visit I was blown away by the confidence with which they made wine, and the calmness that they presented it. When planning this trip to Sonoma, with my wife who hadn't been on my first visit, I was resolute that I must take her to Unti. The scene was slightly different compared to my first visit. The tasting room is no longer in the same space as the winery, there is a stand alone room for receiving visitors. True to previous form, the space is downscale and mellow, especially compared to the wineries that we visited the day before in Napa. As before, the staff were very knowledgeable and pleasant. I was excited to learn that the owner of Unti is a huge Oakland A's fan - the yearly staff party is an epicurean delight of a tailgate at an A's game. And apparently A's hitting coach Chili Davis is a huge Unti fan - perhaps my appreciation for Unti was meant to be.Even if they didn't affiliate themselves with the best baseball team, I'd still be a huge Unti fan, because of the wine. All of their wines are estate grown, and while they have a diverse list, each one is well balanced and unique. The Rosé is a consistent standout, and perhaps their best wine, though we really enjoyed the Segromigno - roasted coffee nose and a goofy gourd aspect, lots of tannin and acid, but still an easy drink. The Syrahs were both very good as well, curiously different, the Benchland was more poetic and layered.
Experience: B / Wines: A-
Preston Vineyards ($10 tasting, wines $22-$36)
'12 Sauvignon Blanc, '12 Viognier, '12 Roussanne, '11 "Madam Preston" White Blend (Roussanne/Viognier/Marsanne/Grenache Blanc), '11 Mourvedré, '11 Barbera, '11 Zinfandel, '11 "L. Preston" Red Blend (Syrah/Mourvedré/Grenache/Cinsault/Carignane)
I'm a provincial person. I very much like the things that I like. When I discover that another person likes the things that I like - generally I try to like them (still following me here?). Preston, on it's face has many things that I like. Two of those things specifically, cats and organic wine growing, are huge to me. Prior to visiting, I did not realize how committed to cats and organic farming Preston was. As soon as we parked, I started to melt in Preston's favor. Cats ran amok - they slept under the picnic benches, they prowled around on the tables in the tasting room, and the definitely enjoyed being pet. The funky farmhouse tasting room (also a point in Preston's favor) was filled with books about organic and/or biodynamic farming, and other random literary/liberal screeds. On face, I was in love with Preston. On face, I wanted to marry Preston and spend the rest of my life with it. Somehow that all came to a screeching halt when we began to tasting the wine and talk to the staff. Let's start with the staff - they were fine, just fine. But given such an idealistic state, how could they be blasé? Beats me, but they sure were. Perhaps a bad day.And how could the wine be so unexciting? My understanding is that the progenitor of Preston has recently retired, and a new crew has taken the helm for winemaking - perhaps that explains the disconnect. That's not to say that the wine was horrid, but it did not match the hopes that the ethos of the place promised. I had hoped for original and earthy wines, perhaps with subtlety. The wine list had some length to it, and we were able to try as many as we liked.The whites showed more stickiness than I like, though the "Madam Preston" was light and crisp, and had interesting notes of pear skins. The reds were too jammy, especially the Barbera. While the "L. Preston" also showed jam, it did have some olives on the nose and on the palate, I enjoyed its overall profile.
Experience: B- / Wines: C+
Nalle Winery ($10 tasting, wines $28-$48)
'10 Reserve Chardonnay, '11 Reserve Chardonnay, '12 "Vinum Clarum" Zinfandel, '11 Zinfandel - Bernier-Sibary, '11 Zinfandel - Henderlong
Experience: B+ / Wines: B+
So I've got this running list of wineries to check out that I gotten recommendations for. Sometimes I remember to note who recommended a place, and sometimes I don't. Nalle is a place that ended up on my list, and I can't recall how. However, once I checked out their website, I knew that I had to go. Quick little fact about me: I love silly shit. Absurdity makes my day. Nalle is all about the silly. They have an invented family crest which prominently features squirrels. Silly + wine = I'm in.The winery looked like an angular Quonset hut with an earth covered roof. The chillest of vibes exuded the place as we arrived. Inside stacks of barrels had congregated to the back - near a basketball hoop, and a handful of folding tables were laid out for tasting. Two very friendly folks staffed the table - one turned out to be the winemaker Andrew. He was a super mellow and smart guy. He had taken over winemaking duties from his father a few years back but clearly was large and in charge.
Chardonnays and Zinfandels were the varietals of the day, but Nalle also makes Pinot Noirs and Bordeaux blends. The Chardonnays are sourced from Hopkins Ranch in Russian River Valley. Both were crisp and had a nice variety of flavors. I enjoyed the '11 more, it was a cooler year, and the wine it was more bright and zippy. Each Zinfandel was enjoyable in its own way. The Vinum Clarum light bodied and meaty. The Bernier-Sibary was pretty, had bits of sage, and a lovely dose of raspberries. As excellent the rest of the wines were, the Henderlong was by far my favorite. Henderlong is the home vineyard, grown at the same site as the winery. Right by where we parked were some knobbled head trained Zinfandel vines - beastly and beautiful. The vines were dry farmed - which gets brownie points from me. Tart and ripe boysenberries, impressive flavor that would surely be a good wine to indoctrinate people into becoming wine enthusiasts.
Experience: B+ / Wines: B+
Acorn Winery ($10 tasting, wines $23-$42)
'12 Rosato (Dolcetto/Zinfandel/Sangiovese/Cabernet Franc), '11 Sangiovese, '10 Cabernet Franc, '10 "Axiom" Syrah, '09 "Acorn Hill" Sangiovese, '09 Alicante Bouschet, '11 "Heritage Vines" Zinfandel, '10 "Medley"
There is a fair share of wineries that march to the beat of their own drum. Sure there are places that are cookie-cutter, trying to emulate styles that have worked well for others, but I'd say that more places that I've visited are doing their own thing. Acorn doesn't march to a different beat - it's doing something completely different. The primary difference between Acorn and other wineries is their deep focus on blends. Betsey and Bill Nachbaur purchased the vineyard - Alegria - in 1990, inheriting a wide variety of different varietals planted within the same blocks. The block groupings are organized around specific major varietals (Syrah, Cabernet Franc, Sangiovese, Dolcetto, and Zinfandel). None of their wines are made with just one type of grape. All told, some 60 different types of grape vines are grown in their vineyard.Tastings at Acorn are appointment only. Another group was finishing their tasting up, so Bill Nachbaur poured us the Rosato outside. Bill chit-chatted with us, but once we were inside, it was clear that Betsey was the talker in the family. She clearly took pleasure in leading tastings - sharing a lot of insights about their winemaking process. Strangely, she was a bit dictatorial - insisting that her viewpoints on things, like how to re-cork wine overnight, were the rule and no other concepts could be accepted. She did put a tremendous amount of attention into us, even pouring side-by-sides a handful of times to show how the wine aged over a few days.
While the wines were not my favorites, they were most certainly well made and authentic. The Rosato a bit sticky, but was enjoyably chewy and some endives on it. The Sangioveses were both solid, though the '09 was a bit harsh. I enjoyed the Cab Franc quite a bit - calm blackberry brambles. The Syrah had good structure, though it was almost too militant about it's flavors - can't explain it, but that's how I felt about it. Alicante is always a fun wine to try, and this one had a mellow entry that lead to a very vibrant middle, a bit sharp at the end. The Zin had very good acid, but a bit sweet. Finally the Medley - which is an insane field blend of up to 40 different varieties - was interesting, challenging, but too rambling for me. Acorn wines are fun wines to drink with friends that know wines.
Experience: B / Wines: B
Once again, Sonoma proved to be a much more personable visit in comparison to Napa. Each place had it's own thing going on, and the wines seemed to match the personalities of the folks in the tasting rooms. Unti was confident, smart and mellow. Preston was off it's game and scattered, though well meaning. Nalle was funky, fun, and celebratory. Acorn was cerebral, very unique and welcoming. It was a great day. And while the previous day's venture in Napa was enjoyable, it's clear that Sonoma is so much more our style.
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