November '13 - Finger Lakes Wine Trip - Snow?!?!?

Thanksgiving this year brought us to New York to spend some quality time with my brother and sister-in-law. To persuade our visit to their coast, they offered to take us up to the Finger Lakes wine region the day after Thanksgiving - they know us too well. I've read good things about the area, so I was interested in checking it out.
The Finger Lakes are a series of narrow north to south running lakes that were formed by glacial activity. It's served as farming region and a vacation destination for quite a while. There's been winemaking going on in the Finger Lakes for a very long time, though the area didn't find the acclaim that West Coast wines have until recently. It's not an easy place to grow grapes due to the colder climate, and for a long time wineries felt that Vitis venifera grapes (the species that makes up almost all mainstream wine) could not grow in such a cold climate. Instead the fledgling wineries grew American grape varieties, like Concord and Norton, and later hybrid French/American grapes like Vidal Blanc, Vignoles, and Baco Noir. Often times these grapes were made into sweet wines, which is what folks came to expect of the area. A dramatic shift occurred when Dr. Konstantin Frank emigrated the region to work at nearby Cornell University. Based on his experience in Ukraine successfully growing Vitis vinifera, he showed that grapes such as Riesling, Gewürztraminer and Pinot Noir could grow well in the area if they were grafted onto native grape root stocks. Based on his winery's success, others followed suit, and the Finger Lakes began to gather a reputation as a quality wine region.
While preparing for the trip, I came across Evan Dawson's excellent book: Summer in a Glass. He's a news reporter for a Rochester TV station, and has become a big fan of the wines being made in the Finger Lakes. The book focuses on the stories behind the winemakers and the growth of the region. The book heightened my excitement for the trip and gave me guidance for what wineries were must visits.
We assumed was that it was going to be cold, however I took this to mean that it would be rather chilly, I did not expect it to be snowing and cold as hell the whole time. It wasn't anything out of the ordinary, but a bit surreal for my wife and I. California is a pretty temperate place, so snow in the vineyards is a funny thing to see.

Saturday (Seneca Lake)

Anthony Road Wine Company ($2 tasting, wines $9-$28)
'10 "Art Series" Riesling, '12 Pinot Gris, '12 Gewürztraminer, '12 Semi-Dry Riesling, '12 Rosé of Cabernet Franc, NV "Devonian" Red Blend (Cabernet Franc/Lemberger/Pinot Noir), '12 Pinot Noir, '12 Cabernet Franc/Lemberger, '12 Semi-Sweet Riesling, '12 "Sweet Dream" (Vignoles), NV "Tony's White" (Cayuga White)
I wasn't sure what to expect from New York wineries. Quite honestly the snow and ice in the parking lot freaked me out. The atmosphere inside Anthony Road was mellow, it seemed like a large and rambunctious group was leaving just as we were coming in, and the staff were relieved that the big group was leaving. I did find the setup to be a bit strange. The was a cash register at the very front of the room, and there were shelves with the wines displayed like a regular wine shop. There must be some rule about New York wineries running their commerce in such a way, because all of the other places that we visited (aside from Kemmeter) had the same setup. Maybe it's not a state rule, maybe it's a regional trend, but either way it's not something that I've seen except for at the very large wineries in California.
I was interested in visiting Anthony Road because it's winemaker - Johannes Reinhardt - is heavily featured in the Evan Dawson book. Johannes' winemaking skill is spoken of very highly in the book, and I figured it would be good to see what the big deal is. Johannes is the winemaker at Anthony Road, and has recently opened up his own winery - Kemmeter - just across the road. I made sure to make an appointment at Kemmeter and figured while we were in the area we could try his Anthony Road wines.
Anthony Road was established by the Martini family, who are still the owners today. Initially they planted all hybrid grape vines, but have since replaced all those vines aside from the Vignoles with Vitis vinifera. They have a long list of wines, allowing tasters to try five (also a practice that almost every other winery in New York embraced). Since my wife and I were both tasting, we split our tastes and covered ten of the wines. The wine list showed a wide diversity of wines for varying audiences that the wine list was directed at: a variety of sweet wines, easy and inexpensive wines, and slightly higher priced, but still reasonable wines. The staff person that attended to us was sweet and calm. When I asked if there was another common name for the Dornfelder, she fished out a wine book and shared with me that the other name is Blaufrankisch - a wine that we'd see by either name throughout our visit.
The wines were solid, not amazing, appealing in a mainstream yet respectable way, with narrow flavor variety. The dry and semi-dry whites had a nice variety of flavors, though didn't have very much depth. The "Art Series" Riesling was the most enjoyable, loads of pineapple and lemon, with a syrupy body. The Rosé was a strange profile, tobacco box and watermelon rind, and somehow light with lots of tongue drying tannins at the same time. The reds were tart and a bit too thin. We all really enjoyed the semi-sweet and dessert wines, especially the "Sweet Dream." It was candied grapefruit syrup with a nice and varied profile. The residual sugar was 14.2%, so definitely not for the diabetics.
Experience: B / Wines: B-

Kemmeter Wines ($0 tasting, wines $24-$30)
'12 Riesling - Red Tail Ridge, '12 Riesling - White Pine, '12 Riesling - Sheldrake Point, '12 "SanSan" Riesling
After reading the Dawson book, the one place that I knew I had to visit in the region was Kemmeter. Johannes Reinhardt just opened up his personal winery in August, but already there are people raving about the wines. I hoped that the experience would be unique and informative --- it was that and a whole lot more. On our arrival Johannes was immediately welcoming, handshakes and smiles, while gently ribbing my brother about his Arsenal scarf, Johannes was wearing a Bayern Munich hat.
As we settled in, Johannes gave us an in-depth overview of our tasting. He's a strong believer in the Finger Lakes region, and truly believes that with better farming practices the region can create great wines. Johannes comes from a family of winemakers in the famed Riesling region of Mosel, Germany, so he's likely to know a thing or two.
Our tasting comprised of four Rieslings, the first three were made to be emblematic of the diversity of the region. The Red Tail Vineyard Riesling exhibited the characteristics of Seneca Lake - the lake that Kemmeter is on, as well the basic center of the region. The White Pine is a from a vineyard close to Lake Ontario, the the far Northwest of the region. And the Sheldrake Point is from the Cayuga Lake, more of western part of the area. The SanSan was a sweeter wine, also from Red Tail Ridge. Johannes is beginning the process of preparing the land at the recently purchased site to be converted over to a vineyard, which will eventually be the source of his wines.
The diversity of the wines was astounding. All had great acid and great balance. The Red Tail Ridge was deeply serious, a kind and candied nose gave way to layers of lemons that rushed to cover my palate. The White Pine was more light, with pie crust. The Sheldrake Point had a neat profile and a funny diet 7-Up aspect, as well as green apples. Finally the SanSan, oh the SanSan. It was made in a spätlese style,which means that it's a late harvest wine. It showed a great amount of complexity - white and green pepper, golden cider, as well being super smooth. I was a big fan.
Visits like the one that we had with Johannes are the quintessential experience that I seek out in the world of wine. He's very passionate about making great wine. He takes great pleasure in what he does and his enthusiasm is infectious. It's a great thing to partake.
Experience: A / Wines: A-

Red Tail Ridge Winery ($2 tasting, wines $12-$23)
'12 Unoaked Chardonnay, 12 Barrel Fermented Chardonnay, '12 Dry Riesling, '12 Riesling, '12 Semi-Sweet Riesling, '12 "Good Karma" (Riesling/Chardonnay), '11 Pinot Noir, '11 Blaufränkisch
Oh man, going from Kemmeter to Red Tail Ridge is a shock to the system. Kemmeter is positive, excited and artisanal. Red Tail is cranky and rigid. I had high hopes for our visit, having heard good things from the Evan Dawson book and others in the area, but we did not have a positive experience.
The owners bring their previous professional experiences into running Red Tail Ridge. The wife of the team previously was a VP at a large corporate winery in California. The husband was an executive in the financial sector. They work together to make the all of the decisions about winemaking and the business management. One of the things that piqued my interest was their environment focus - having a LEED certified facility and utilizing sustainable farming techniques. I assume that wineries that focus on the environment are also focused on creating a calm and enjoyable customer experience. This was not at all the case on the day that we visited.
The woman that attended to us in the tasting room didn't seem to be in the best mood, robotically pouring and delivering the scripted talking points about the wines. Between certain wines, like from dry wines to semi-sweet, and whites to red wines, she insisted on pouring water into our glasses - instructing us to drink the water while clearing the glass. My wife even asked that she not do that, but the woman was unrelenting. Somehow this led to her telling us that the owners are very watchful about how much wine gets poured in the tasting room - there's an equation that adds up the number of tasting room visitors and measures that against the amount of wine poured, if those two don't match up the tasting room staff gets in trouble.
Things about the wines were hinky too. At some point I asked about the alcohol level of a wine, and was told that it was 12% - and that all of the wines were 12%. That sort of sets off alarms for me, that the wines are made to stand on their own merits, instead that no matter the variety they are built to fit into the same box. Across the spectrum the wines were limited in profile, though the primary flavors were enjoyable and the acid characteristics were enjoyable. I'm guessing that the wines were made with a eye toward being easy and moderate pleasing to a wide range of audiences rather than being true and/or interesting. The Rieslings were the most enjoyable for me, the reds were the least.
Experience: C- / Wines: C+

Hermann J. Wiemer Winery ($5 for regular tasting + $5 for premium tasting, wines $11-$36)
NV Rosé (Pinot Noir/Cabernet Franc/Chardonnay), '11 "Frost Cuveé" (Riesling/Chardonnay/Gewürztraminer/Sauvignon Blanc), '12 Chardonnay, '12 Gewürztraminer, '12 Dry Riesling, '12 Semi-Dry Riesling, '09 "Field Cuveé" (Cabernet Franc/Pinot Noir/Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot/Lemberger), '11 Cabernet Franc, '12 Late Harvest Riesling, '12 Reserve Dry Riesling, '12 Dry Riesling - Magdalena, ' 10 Cabernet Franc - Magdalena
Wiemer is one of the cornerstone wineries in the region. Hermann Wiemer emigrated to the region from Germany in the 1960's, bringing with him the knowledge gained from his family's many generations of winemaking in the Mosel. In 2003, Fred Merwarth took over as head winemaker after being Hermann's longtime apprentice. In 2007, Wiemer retired and began shifting full control of the winery over to Merwarth.
Upon our arrival, staff greeted us pleasantly, though they were a bit stiff. There was what appeared to  the main tasting area, which was a cozy bar area by the main entrance. Though we were lead into the winery, which was a much bigger and open space, which had a larger bar area. My guess is that on busier days this is where they do their tasting, as there were three or four other groups in this area. Unfortunately for us, this area was also not as well climate controlled, and was cold as hell. The lady who poured our wine for us was wearing a thick fur jacket, gloves and seemed off-put by the cold as well. She wasn't the most astute tasting room attendant, but was amiable and patient.  
Amiable and patient may also be the most accurate way for me to describe the Wiemer wines. Aside from the reserves, all of the wines had a similar profile - cute, quaint, and generally easy. I enjoyed them but found their sameness a bit odd. The reds were a bit more interesting, especially the Cabernet Franc. The attendant was nice enough to do side by side pourings of the reserve Dry Riesling next to the Magdalena Riesling and the regular Cabernet Franc next to the reserve. It was surprising to see how much more dense and action-packed the Magdalena Riesling and the Reserve Cab Franc had next to their brethren. Those comparisons really spoke volumes about how much vine selection plays into making higher quality wine.
Experience: B / Wines: B

Sunday (Keuka Lake)

Dr. Konstantin Frank Vernifera Wine Cellars ($0 tasting, wines $15-$70)
'08 Blanc de Blanc Sparkling, '10 Pinot Blanc, '11 Grüner Veltliner, '12 Rkatsieli, '12 Dry Riesling, '12 Gewürztraminer, '11 Reserve Gewürztraminer, '11 Cabernet Franc, '11 "Old Vines" Pinot Noir, '11 Pinot Meunier, '11 Cabernet Sauvignon, '07 Blanc de Noir Sparkling, '08 Bunch Select Late Harvest Riesling
As I mentioned at the top of this post, Dr. Frank is the granddaddy of them all, showing the region that Vinifera varity grapes can succeed, and not just rely on native and hybrid grapes. The winery has also employed folks that went on to become winemakers at other Finger Lakes establishments - such as Johannes Reinhardt, who's now at Kemmeter and Anthony Road.
The winery sits on a hill overlooking Kueka Lake. Standing on the deck by the entrance affords a lovely panoramic view of the surroundings. It was a cold morning so we took in the sights quickly and headed inside. Immediately upon entering the foyer there was a velvet rope strung across the entrance to the tasting room. An employee lifted the rope, and directed us to an open counter space. We were some of the first guests that day and it was quiet inside, but apparently the rope is used at all times. I thought it was a weird choice to have a setup like this, but I guess it must get quite busy. Our knowledgeable host appraised us of the situation - we were allowed five tastings each off of a very long list. Being the clever drinkers that we are, my wife and I teamed up to cover a good amount of the wines.
Since Dr. Frank was such an staunch advocate for Vinifera grapes that would succeed in the region, I saw the varietals that I expected to see - Riesling, Gewürztraminer, and Pinot Noir. All three were just okay, but definitely not taking any risks. I was excited to try the Rkatsiteli. It's a grape that I've never had before - it's an old Eastern European varietal - it was watery and had a limited profile, probably why it's not popular anymore, but it was neat to try. I found the Pinot Meunier enjoyable - nice light berry notes and hints of bark. My clever wife was able to persuade the attendant to allow us a taste of the Bunch Select Late Harvest Riesling - a rare bottling of their noble rot (aka "trockenbeerenauslese"). It was indeed quite delicious, a golden apple pie syrup, with hints of sage.
Experience: B / Wines: B-

Heron Hill Winery ($5 tasting, wines $14-$25)
'11 "Eclispe White" (Chardonnay/Pinot Gris/Pinot Blanc), '12 Reserve Pinot Gris, '12 Dry Riesling, '12 Reserve Riesling, '11 Muscat, '12 Reserve Gewürztraminer, '12 Semi-Dry Riesling, '11 Riesling - Ingle, '11 Pinot Noir, '11 Cabernet Franc, '11 Reserve Blaufränkisch, '11 Late Harvest Vidal Blanc
I was a bit hesitant about going the Heron Hill, it's website exudes a hyper-corporate vibe, but I had a random conversation with a guy from New York awhile back and he was enthusiastic about it. So visit we did. Heron Hill looms from its hilltop perch - a sprawling art deco-ish space. It's a very pretty building with tons of space for customers and tons of stuff for sale. The tasting room was nearly empty when we arrived and stayed that way through our whole visit. Because of that, the staff person there was able to give us lots of attention and cheerfully chatted with us throughout our visit. He was a friendly character, as was the woman running the cash register that we talked to when purchasing wine at the end.
As with Dr. Frank, the wine list at Heron Hill was extremely long. Once again we were allowed five pourings, though the pourer was loose with the juice and was happy to pour us whatever regardless. I found that the wines at Heron Hill very different from the ones at Wiemer. Instead of being overly restrained and structurally similar regardless of the grape, the wines at Heron Hill were quite varied in flavors and generally more wild. In essence the wines were vibrant, but at times sloppy. The Rieslings that we tried had pretty good levels of structure and nice flavors. The Pinot Gris had a silly banana scented nose, but was too round on the palate.  The first taste of the Gewürztraminer that had was pretty off-putting - my wife described it as "a flooded engine." We asked the guy behind the counter what he thought and he agreed that it tasted poorly, and that it probably got janky overnight. He opened another bottle. The fresh wine was more tight, but had a limited profile. As was the case at most of the Finger Lakes wineries, the reds were mediocre. Though instead of being too weak the Heron Hill reds were off-balance, too jammy, too acidic, and/or too peppery. The Late Harvest Vidal Blanc was enjoyably pretty, with a hint of ocean nose and a blend of apricot and tropical fruit.
Experience: B+ / Wines: B-

Ravines Wine Cellars ($5 for 5 + $1 premium wine tasting, wines $13-$30)
'12 Dry Riesling, '12 Sauvignon Blanc, '12 Gewürztraminer, '12 "Keuka Village White" (Cayuga/Vignoles), '12 Chardonnay, '11 Pinot Noir, '11 Cabernet Franc, '10 "Meritage" Cabernet Sauvignon/Cabernet Franc/Merlot), '12 "Keuka Village Red" (Noiret/Cabernet Franc), '11 Late Harvest Vignoles

Ravines is one of the more acclaimed establishments in the region. The owner/winemaker was raised on a vineyard in Provence, was trained at a well-esteemed wine program in France, and then brought that knowledge with him to the US. The space exuded a classy yet spartan vibe. It's a charming space that overlooks the lake. The view was made even more enjoyable while we were there as it began to snow and dusk settled in.
Sometimes you go into a place and the staff enriches experience. Sometimes the staff dampens the experience. At Ravines, things were made more intense by the woman that attended to us. We were one of two groups there at that time. We were directed to our own counter, where our pourer gave us the run down as through she was enthusiastically reading from a script. A regular tasting was $5 to choose five wines from a list of ten. For an additional $5 one could choose a cheese pairing (which my wife and sister-in-law did) or a chocolate pairing (which my brother did). For those that had the pairings the attendant was quite instructive and insistent: "Take a bite of the chocolate, let it melt onto your tongue, then try the wine. You should be tasting a cherry cordial. Did you taste it? Did it 'pop' for you? There it was! I saw your face, it popped!" Kind of annoying when you're just trying to enjoy wine.
Ravines wines were a nice mix of the Wiemer structure and the Heron Hill vibrancy. They weren't all amazing, but they had some authentic characteristics and nice overall body. The Riesling was one of the most impressive on their - lots of bold acid and flavor. The Gewürztraminer had promising aspects but had a greeness that bothered me. I liked the Pinot Noir, it was well layered and a variety of flavors. I had heard good things about the Meritage, and there were neat flavors to it, but it was too brooding for me, perhaps an older vintage would have been more enjoyable. The Late Harvest Vignoles was crazy sweet, though it had a very nice body, marmalade notes, and enjoyably dense viscosity.
Experience: B- / Wines: B+

Throughout our visit to the Finger Lakes I was noting the contrasts that the region has with the
California wineries that I've visited. There are unique differences. We saw much greater focus on white wines rather than red, not surprising since it is a cold-growing climate, but remarkable nonetheless.  The tasting lists had lots more choices with a large number of different varietals being used. Seeing the hybrid and native grapes was definitely unique. I enjoyed the Vidal Blanc and Vignoles dessert wines that we tried at a handful of places. Instead of talking about the alcohol levels of the wine, the focus on was residual sugars. All of the wines were low alcohol, which made waking up in the morning easier. Since it's more of a nascent wine region, the quality to price ratio was much better than all of the California regions that I'm familiar with aside from the Sierra Foothills.
So the big question is whether the Finger Lakes will become more of a powerhouse wine region. If Johannes Reinhardt is right, the region can make a better quality product. He strongly believes that the region will begin to embrace more rigorous growing and winemaking practices and make better wine.

I'd really like to see that. The Finger Lakes is a gorgeous region and enjoying a crisp glass of well crafted Riesling is a wonderful way to enjoy it.

November '13 Grand Cayman Vacation Bonus - Seven Fathoms Rum Tour

No good vacation is complete without a nice tour, for me those tours preferably include the creation of wine and/or spirits. We decided to take a jaunt to Grand Cayman, given that our other new yuppie activity is diving. Dive trips are great for several reasons, one being that normally you dive in the morning, then have the rest of the day to explore the area. In doing some research on Trip Advisor, I came across Seven Fathoms. Being that I'm interested in both drinking and nerding out about drinking, it seemed like a solid choice.

Cayman Spirits Company ($10 tour, rums $24-$40)
Governor's Reserve Rum line (Coconut, Banana, Gold, Spiced, Dark), Seven Fathoms Rum
The lobby and tasting room is decorated with interesting old diving equipment and locally made goods - spices, etc. When we arrived, Walker Romanica was finishing up with another group, so we poked around while we waited. Walker is the co-founder and the head distiller, so we were excited to have him as our guide. He seemed a bit tentative about getting too technical with us, but we assured him that we were definitely into geeking out about the rum-making process. He poured us samples of the various Governor's Reserve rums, and we headed to the distilling floor.
Walker and his partner Nelson got started with the business only seven years ago, and the warehouse that we visited had opened just a few

months prior, so Walker was very proud to show off the new equipment and to explain their methods. As the first and only distillers to make rum in Grand Cayman, the goal is to make a spirit that captures the essence of the island. Walker was born and raised in Cayman, so he is driven to represent his home well. They try to source as much of the sugar cane (which is the central component of the rum) from local growers, though because there's not huge sugar cane farms on the island, they do import some. As well, the coconuts that are used in the coconut rum and the spices that are used in the spiced rum are locally sourced. Walker did a bang up job explaining the distilling process, and I got a good sense that they really care about making a good quality product. Briefly we discussed the aging process, which varies for the different rums, but is done in old Makers Mark barrels. The unique process that we chatted about was the Seven Fathoms Rum, which is barrel aged for one to three years 42 feet underwater in a secret location off the island. We had a number of questions about this process, such as: Do the barrels ever leak and get the fish drunk? How well concealed are the barrels? etc. Walker was a bit cagey in response to these questions - apparently they are quite worried about people figuring out where the rum is and stealing it.
We went back to the tasting bar and tried the rest of the offerings. I have to say that all of the rums were quite delicious. We tried the Governors Reserve Rum line - Coconut, Banana, Gold, Dark, and Spiced. The Coconut was great quality - a true flavor that was well integrated. The Dark Rum was very enjoyable - subtle and serious. The Seven Fathoms was awesome. The idea of the unique aging process is to have the underwater waves agitate the rum so that it gains a depth of character from that constant activity. I've never had a rum with such complexity. It reminded me of a good quality whiskey. Walker asked us if we wanted to try a few new items. Being game drinkers, we were up to the task. First up was a new product that's just about to be rolled out: their Gun Bay Vodka (the name Gun Bay refers to the site of an important historical event in Cayman - the Wreck of the Ten Sail), the Vodka was extremely smooth and enjoyable. Finally we tried a seasonal product, their white rum infused with Scotch Bonnet peppers - it had the perfect amount of spice, enough to make you snap to attention, but not so much to blow you away.

I'm limited in my knowledge about rums, but I was very pleased with our visit. Walker was a great host, we learned tons on the tour, and the rum was great.

November '13 Pitt Stop - R Wine Cellar Urban Winery

I found myself in Pittsburgh for a work trip (lovely city by the way), and decided take a break from the conference and wander around. Near downtown is a cool area called the Strip District. It's an old factory and warehouse neighborhood that's starting to convert over to hip restaurants, artsy spaces and schlocky shops. While walking around I happened across a "wine tasting" sign. Being unable to resist those two powerful words I followed the signs to R Wine Cellar.

R Wine Cellar Urban Winery
'11 Riesling, '12 Traminette, '12 "Lake Erie White" (Diamond Grapes), '11 "Fiona" Chardonnay, '11 "Lake Erie Red" (Concord Grapes), '11 Gluhwien
The space appeared to be divided into two sections, the front area for tasting - with a bar and normal tasting room decor, and the back for winemaking. I didn't go into the back, but it looked to be crowded with tanks and barrels. It being a Wednesday afternoon the tasting room was empty. After a few minutes a gentleman popped his head out of the back to let me know he'd be with me shortly. Kind of a smart setup, being able to work on the wine then being able to attend to customers when they come in.
The man that I interacted with wasn't super forthcoming with info about the winery, or even his name, but he took good care of me, pouring any wines that I was interested in, and answering the many questions that I asked. The winery was created a year and a half ago as a project for the whole family to work on - three generations. The man that I was speaking to was the patriarch, and his kids and his kids kids all have roles in the process. The wines they make come from a variety of sources, purchasing grapes from California, South America, and the nearby Lake Erie region. Since there was a variety of wines to try, I decided to focus on the Lake Erie wines, as an introduction to a region that I'd never tried before. The wines were poured in those small plastic cups - like the ones used in a dentist's office.
I wasn't blown away by the wines, but I appreciated the tasting. The Riesling was quite sharp and dry and had bland lemons. The Traminette - a hybrid grape developed at Cornell - had a silly, sweet Gewurtztraminer nose, but gave way to a high acid and dry body with hints of nice flowers. The Lake Erie White had some different flavors, not the most appealing on the palate. The Chardonnay had nice hints of peaches and apricots. I'd heard about folks making wine with Concord grapes, and so I was excited to try the Lake Erie Red. It was a bit sweet, thin, with medicine flavors - I'm not sure what food one would eat with it. Finally the owner suggested that I tried the Gluhwein. Gluhwein is a traditional mulled wine that's served at German Christmas festivals. It was mulled with fresh oranges and spices, and was served warm. It was sweet and chewy - fun to drink.

I've got to say that I'm a fan of urban wineries - especially ones that aren't adjacent to wine regions. They are truly bringing the wine to the people. Ordinarily the urban wine experience means that you're talking to a third party about the wines, but with people now bringing the grapes into old industrial districts and making them there, you're now able to have a conversation about the minutia of the wine with the person who is intimately aware of the process. I'm glad I tripped across R Wine Cellar and look forward to running into similar wineries in the future.

October '13 - Santa Barbara Trip - Sneaking Off

Weddings are a beautiful thing - especially when the weddings take place in a wine region, and you're able to slip away from the festivities to check out a few wineries. This particular wedding involved a close friend, and a handful of old friends that came into the area to be a part of the wedding. On Friday we managed to slip off with the groom for a visit to Santa Barbara's "Funk Zone" before the wedding rehearsal. On Sunday we had a pickup to make at Ampelos in the Wine Ghetto, and were accompanied by friends who'd never been wine tasting in the region before.

Municipal Winemakers ($12 tasting, wines $27-$38)
'12 Pinot Noir, '12 "Bright Red" (Grenache/Cinsault/Counoise/Syrah), '12 Counoise, '11 "Dark Red" (Syrah/Cabernet Sauvignon), '11 Grenache - Fox Family
This was the first visit that I'd made to the Funk Zone. It's in a converted industrial sector of Santa Barbara - artists, builders, restaurants, and a handful of wineries. Specifically I was interested in going to Municipal - I first heard about it from Wes Hagan when we did a tour at Clos Pepe. We were hanging out with the groom, just biding time before the wedding rehearsal so we headed over to check Municipal out.
Municipal is definitely going for a different feel, it's skewing toward a younger audience. The tasting room is in former dive shop, and they've kept some of the old signage around. They've also got a lot of funky decor - goofy paintings, mismatched chairs, re-purposed shelving, etc. It's a fun kind of silly, not an annoying needy kind of silly. The woman who attended to us in the tasting room was limited in her knowledge about the wine, but was extremely friendly and super stoked about the fact that our friend was getting married. Our visit was a bit short, we had to book on out to make sure that we didn't miss the rehearsal.
Across the board the wines had a nice organic flavor, with enjoyable vegital notes. However they were a bit simple, cluttered and at times the acid was too prevalent. The Pinot was slightly too high on the acid. The Bright Red blend was quite zippy as well - curiously a mix of two contrasting experiences: licks off of a battery and light pillows. The Counoise was fun and simple. The Dark Red Blend was very flavorful with jumpy acid. Finally the Grenache was quite sharp, overtaking other aspects.
Experience: B / Wines: B-

Piedrasassi / New Vineland Winery ($10 tasting, wines $22-$42)
'12 "P.S." White Wine - Sauvignon Blanc, '10 White White (Sauvignon Blanc/Roussanne), '12 "P.S." Rosé (Sangiovese), '12 "P.S." Syrah, '10 Syrah
Visiting the Wine Ghetto with friends that have never been before creates a tricky situation: what
wineries do you choose to take them to? There are many great options. With our friends from Chicago with us, we knew we needed to make stops at Ampelos and Stolpman to make pickups. Those two places are always good, solid choices. Since I've written positively about that places several times, I didn't write up notes for the blog. The third and final choice was a tricky one. Go to one the few places that we'd never been to that may or may not be good? Go somewhere we'd been many times already and really enjoyed, like Samsara or Jalama? Or go somewhere that we had only visited once, intrigued us on that visit, and deserved a second tasting to see if it held up? Obviously that's the choice that we went with.
Since our last visit almost two years to Piedrasassi ago, they're now making bread in the back of the building. Since we entered from the back, the baker pointed us through to the tasting room in the front, but also offered some bread samples. Melissa Sorongon was handling the pouring duties, so it was neat to get her input on how she and Sashi Moorman (her husband and winemaker for Stolpman and Sandhi) made choices regarding the Piedrasassi wines. Early on in the tasting we were able to have an in depth discussion about the wines and breads that we were served, but soon a few large groups arrived, and the room became much more loud and tight.
Regardless the wines were very enjoyable. The "P.S." wines are more budget focused, but stand up on their own merits. The P.S. White had a very nice profile - crisp with pineapples, a smooth ending, medium bodied. The Piedrasassi White was very reminiscent of Stolpman's flagship white - L'Avion - with a bit more kick. The Rosé was made with carbonic maceration, weighty compared to other rosés, with very crisp acid and strawberries. The P.S. Syrah was a kick in the pants, big ass black pepper and green vegetables that calmed down really nicely midway through to the end. It was a great price so we picked up a few bottles. Randomly I was at our favorite wine shop here in LA a few weeks later and there was a dude buying a half case of the P.S. Syrah. I chatted with him for a bit about how great the wine was, and we basically convinced each other to split up the last four bottles that the store had left in stock. The Piedrasassi Syrah was a little bit more of a quiet storm compared to the P.S. It's pepper and acid was neatly restrained, but it had a lot of juice. Probably one to open a while before pouring to allow it to breathe.
Experience: B+ / Wines: B+

We're getting quite sneaky at integrating winery visits into our trips. This time around our visits were nice little breaks from the bigger event of the weekend. It was nice to break free during the hubbub to take the groom out. It was even nicer to share our new obsession with old friends on a lazy Sunday.

August '13 Santa Barbara Trip - Second Chances

It's become an important holiday in our household to head up to Santa Barbara the first weekend of August for Ampelos' annual member appreciation party. They throw a hell of a party - and it's an excuse to have another wine weekend, quickly following our July trip. This time around we planned to check out a winery before and the party on Saturday and then another after the party, then to hit up a few places in Lompoc on Sunday.

Saturday (Santa Rosa Road & Highway 246)

Sanford Winery & Vineyards ($20 "Winemakers Flight" tasting, wines $30 - $80)
'09 Chardonnay - La Rinconada, '09 Chardonnay - La Entrada, '10 Viognier - Sanford & Benedict, '09 "Fleur de Domaine" (Viognier/Roussanne), '10 Pinot Noir - La Rinconada, '10 Pinot Noir - Sanford & Benedict, '09 Pinot Noir - Vista Al Rio

 I'd heard lots about Sanford prior to our visit. It happens to be a popular topic of conversation with folks who work at the wineries in the area. Sanford is a cornerstone winery to the region, and it's original owner - Richard Sanford - was instrumental in the growth of Santa Barbara wine, especially Pinot. Awhile back Richard Sanford lost the winery after corporate interests took over (though why he lost it is a bit of a point of dispute between the locals). Richard Sanford reopened as Alma Rosa in the old Sanford location, and the Sanford Winery kept the name and moved down Santa Rosa Road to its new home. Based on the stories that we heard, I avoided Sanford. I dislike the concept of corporate wineries. I've been to some pretty paltry ones, such as Rutherford Hill (though also some solid ones, ex: Byron). I guess its my assumption that corporations rely on market analysis to create their wines rather than using artistic intent. That sort of thing bums me out. I'm not really into wine for the acute market analysis. Sanford's space doesn't dis-spell my assumptions. Its a big, faux ranch house, filled to the gills with merchandise.
It being a Saturday, there were plenty of folks sidled up to the bar. As much I wanted to hate Sanford, I really appreciated how intelligent their staff was, and I felt that their wine was well made. The white wines didn't light my fire, but they were solid - the Viognier being the one that I enjoyed the most. Both of the Pinots were well constructed. I'm not sure if I'm over-reaching with my wine analysis here, but I've noticed that some winemakers nimbly use acid as a structural aspect within their wines, Bill Easton at Terre Rouge definitely does this, Sashi Moorman does this, especially at Sandhi. At Sanford, for some reason, I noticed the absence of this. Acid showed up as a specific aspect, a note, but not adding structure. Well it's a thought. In my notes, I wrote that the Vista Al Rio Pinot was a "swing voter," which still cracks me up. I guess I'm saying that the wine was a fence rider, trying to please as many as possible. Although I enjoyed the wines, the prices were too steep.
Experience: B- / Wines: B

Foley Estates Vineyards & Winery ($0 member's tasting, wines $30-$75)
'11 "Steel" Chardonnay, '10 Chardonnay - Santa Rita Hills, '10 Chardonnay - Bar Lazy S , '10 Chardonnay - Two Sisters, '10 Pinot Noir - Santa Rita Hills, '10 Pinot Noir - Two Sisters
While at the Ampelos member event, we met a few lovely couples. One of the couples invited us to join them at Foley where they were members for a tasting. Now we'd been to Foley once before, and had a disliked the place on that visit. So I wasn't stoked to return, but we enjoyed their company, so we decided to go. The grounds were well manicured, the tasting room politely decorated with lots for sale, and commercials for Foley and its partner wineries played on the flat screen tv.
My major grudge with Foley (as with Sanford) is that it is a very corporate winery. That's certainly how I felt during our first visit. That visit was awhile back and now I think I've mellowed a bit on that issue. Just because a winery is corporate, that doesn't mean its product isn't smartly made. I guess early in my experience with visiting wineries on I lumped wines into two categories: artisanal and corporate. Obviously there's a hell of a lot more complexity to that spectrum.
Since we were with members, the staff were happy to pour us the good stuff. The Bar Lazy S Chardonnay was definitely a mainstream Chardonnay, 40% new oak, but was nicely balanced. As well the Two Sisters Chardonnay - their top shelf bottling was enjoyable. It was made with 100% new oak and full malolactic fermentation, sure to be a golf club crowd pleaser, but pleasing to me as well. The Pinots were pretty good. The Santa Rita Hills wasn't exciting but had some nice notes on the back end. The Two Sisters probably is a bit young still - showing tightness - but had a fun chewy, leafy green entry, smartly used oak, and was nicely balanced.
Experience: C+ / Wines: B

Sunday (Lompoc)

Scott Cellars ($10 tasting, wines $18-$42)
'10 Pinot Blanc - Sierra Madre, '10 Chardonnay - Sierra Madre, '09 Pinot Noir - Sierra Madre, '10 Sangiovese - Whitehawk,  '09 Sangiovese - Stolpman, '10 "Cuvee JP" (Sangiovese/Syrah), '10 "WHOLL" (Syrah/Sangiovese/Zinfandel), '10 Syrah - Larner
The minute we walked into Scott, we were enthusiastically greeted by perhaps the friendliest winery person I've ever met. He - as we figured out as the tasting went on - ended up being Peter "Scott" Fraser the owner/winemaker. He was so excited to share his wines, and tell his stories - which I'm sure he's told thousands of times. His excitement was infectious,  it was difficult to not get amped up about the wine industry in response. Peter really built himself up into the wine world, going from wine clerk to winemaker and then to owner. Peter opened Scott Cellars in 2005, buying grapes from an assortment of vineyards in the Santa Barbara and Santa Maria AVAs. This independent winery is the exact opposite end of the spectrum from Sanford and Foley.
As much as I liked Peter, I felt that the wines were clunky. The Pinot Blanc was cute and tasty - and the bottle that we brought home and drank later was enjoyable. The acid on the Pinot Noir made the wine less enjoyable - rough around the edges. Both of the Sangioveses were fun to drink but a bit sharp and unrefined. I had a good time drinking the Cuvee JP - nice kick, but a bit too sweet. The WHOLL was definitely an interesting and fun blend, quick pepper, lively but calm. The Syrah was enjoyable - very juicy.
Experience: B+ / Wines: B

Bratcher Winery / Arcadian Winery ($15 tasting, wines: Bratcher - unknown / Arcadian $45-$75)
Bratcher '09 Chardonnay - Santa Maria Valley, Bratcher '08 Pinot Noir - Santa Maria Valley, Bratcher '09 Pinot Noir - La Encantada, Arcadian '07 Chardonnay - Sleepy Hollow, Arcadian '06 Syrah - Stolpman, Arcadian '07 Pinot Noir - Sleepy Hollow
 I guess that I was unclear that Bratcher and Arcadian shared a tasting room. We'd visited Arcadian once before, a year ago, and we thought that the wine was quite good, but expensive. My intention was for us to check out one of the few wineries in the Ghetto that we hadn't been to before - Bratcher. But we walked into Arcadian, which was now serving Bratcher wine as well. The dude at the tasting room seemed nice, so we agreed to try the Bratcher wines and the Arcadian wines.
There is a relationship between the two labels, Joe Davis of Arcadian has been mentoring Chris Bratcher as he grows his winery, therefore it makes sense that they share a tasting room as well.
The Bratcher wines were enjoyable but not remarkable - soft, mellow, round. The Chard was a bit syrupy but had a nice sunniness. The Santa Maria Valley Pinot had some nice herbal qualities, unfortunately it had no tannins at all. The La Encantada showed slight brown aging and lacked depth. I'm having some trouble with the Bratcher website, and I don't recall what their wine prices were, but I feel like they were in the high $20 to high $30 range - not quite the price that I would hope for with their wines.
On the other hand, the Arcadian wines are quite pricey and quite good. The Chardonnay - served at room temp - was super calm with forthright acid, crisp. The Syrah was very flavorful, even a bit of cool funk. The Pinot showed talented balance with "chewy fancy jams." Quite an enjoyable drink.
Experience: B / Wines: B

Zotovich Cellars ($10 tasting, wines $22-$48)
'10 Chardonnay, '12 Rosé of Pinot Noir, '10 Pinot Noir, '10 Syrah

While we wandered around the Ghetto considering what one additional place we should visit, the first visit to Zotovich, we thought the wine was okay, but we definitely didn't love the experience. On that visit the tasting room was packed with mid-fifties frat dudes that were already pretty soused. So clearly there was a chance that the experience could improve the second time around.
thinking was: which place deserves a second chance? Zotovich and Fiddlehead were the two places that sprung to mind. We chose Zotovich, and planned to revisit Fiddlehead on another day. One our
And it did. First off, we were the only visitors at the time, so no worries about obnoxious old guys. Second, the staff person was quite knowledgeable, also a departure from the first visit.  As well, the wine was something that I definitely enjoyed more this time around. The Chardonnay was quite bright, with a nutty flavor and hints of greenness. The Rosé was flavorful and balanced, a fun to drink "jam vinegarette." I found the Pinot to be calm and intricate, there's a mouth kick that hangs toward the end. The Syrah was pretty good, but my least favorite, not as well rounded as the others.
Experience: B / Wines: B+

I left from this weekend a bit confused. Things had gotten a bit topsy-turvy. With having to alter my perceptions about the qualities of Sanford and Foley, my anti-corporate values had taken a bit of a hit. Moreover, I started to recognize that my first impressions of Foley and Zotovich were off-base. I guess that means that I'm going to have to revisit a bunch of other wineries in the future - its a heavy burden, but I guess I'll take it on.
On the other hand, it was a stellar weekend. The Ampelos party was awesome as usual. We met some great folks and really enjoyed the wines that we had at the various places that we visited. I'll seek to have more of an open mind about wineries that I investigate in the future.

July '13 Santa Barbara Trip - The Old New is Old, the New New is Very New

Even though visits to the Santa Barbara wine country are old hat for me now, new was the theme for this trip. We went with new friends, checked out some newly opened wineries, and we experimented with mixing camping and winery-hopping together (what I am trying to brand as "wamping," though without much success).

 Saturday (Los Olivos)

Sandhi Wines ($10 tasting, wines $28-$45)
'11 Chardonnay - Santa Rita Hills, '11 Chardonnay - Rita's Crown, '11 Chardonnay - Sanford & Benedict, '12 Rosè of Pinot Noir - Rita's Crown, '11 Pinot Noir - Santa Rita Hills, '11 Pinot Noir - La Encantada, '11 Pinot Noir - Wenzlau
Sandhi is a rather new winery that's been created by partners Rajat Parr - a super famous sommelier, Charles Banks - owner of Jonata and Screaming Eagle wineries, and the winemaker and all-around badass Sashi Moorman of Piedrasassi, Stolpman, and Evening Land. The tasting room is in a small building in the back of what is now Mattei's Tavern - originally built in 1886 as a hotel for the carriage line that went through the Santa Ynez Valley. Now Mattei's Tavern is hip restaurant serving both traditional and modern local fare. Sandhi moved into the complex in November, and has intentions to expand to making pizzas out on their patio.
It was a bit tricky for us to find the tasting room, it's placed on the far back corner of the property, though it would have been easy enough to drive up to if we had taken the alleyway. We were welcomed into the old made new sleek space. The tasting room attendant was a fun guy to chat with, he was very much on our wavelength.
The wines were all top shelf quality. Acid was well utilized to provide structure, and the alcohol levels were kept low, so the wines were calm and polite. Subtle notes crept in throught the experience of each sip. For the most part, these were wine nerd wines - not something that would be smart to indoctrinate new wine drinkers on. They might find the wines agreeable, but they wouldn't get a deep appreciation for the artistry. Both of the Chardonnays had effective sharpness, balance and length. The Rosè was straight crazy-times. It was led through carbonic maceration during fermentation, which is not a process that I'm familiar with, but is the same process used to make Beaujolais nouveau. It was super interesting - a candied vegital note - definitely something to nerd out on. The Pinots were all light, tart fruit with sprinkles of pepper, serious but fun. The Wenzlau had a bizzare nose of pickles, which thankfully wasn't present in the taste, it was my favorite of the whole lineup.
Experience: B / Wine: B+

Sunday (Highway 246 and Lompoc Wine Ghetto)

Babcock Winery & Vineyards ($15 "Terroir" tasting, wines $14-$60)
'11 White Syrah "Identity Crisis", '11 Chardonnay, '12 Pinot Gris "Naughty Little Hillsides", '11 Pinot Noir "Precocious" - El Camino Ranch, '11 Pinot Noir "Ocean's Ghost", '11 Pinot Noir "Déjà vu" - Rabbit Ridge, '10 Cabernet Sauvignon "Block 15" - Estelle

I've driven by Babcock many times, and have intended on stopping for the past few years, but for whatever reason it never jumped to the top of my list of places to visit. It's on the same route as Melville, Dierberg/Star Lane and Clos Pepe, wineries that I think highly of, so I guess I felt that the other wineries on Highway 246 couldn't be as good, so I should keep on driving. I'm now making a conscious decision to visit places that I'd skipped over before, so it was high time to make a Babcock stop. It's not like I dragged myself there kicking and screaming. The website for the winery touts the numerous accolades for winemaker Bryan Babcock, and a few different people had suggested that I visit there.
Though the winery's been around for a long time (since the early 80's), the tasting room is brand new. It's a big open warehouse building, and it has a hip aesthetic. Apparently Mona Babcock is a top executive at Forever 21, and designed it with goal of creating a "modern mid-century vibe."
There were a few other couples at the counter when we arrived, so we sidled on up like the wine cowboys that we are. The guy behind the counter was cool. He was local and chatted enthusiastically about the area and the local wine.
I respect the wine that we tried, but I didn't love it. Across the board the wines were "too much." The Chardonnay was too pillow-y from too much malolactic fermentation. The Pinot Gris was too boisterous. The "Ocean's Ghost" Pinot Noir was too juicy. The Cabernet had too much garnet. By no means were these bad wines, but a little bit overboard, and because they did show interesting subtleties, it bummed me out a bit with the "too much" aspects. Bryan Babcock is definitely an interesting winemaker. He's making exciting wines - especially Pinots - with a variety of takes. I'd just rather that the wines would be a bit less brash.
Experience: B / Wine: B-

Palmina ($10 tasting, wines $18-$30)
'11 Arneis, '12 Pinot Grigio, '12 Tocai Fruliano, '11 Malvasia Bianca, '12 "Botasea" Rosè (Dolcetto/Barbera/Nebbiolo), '11 Dolcetto, '10 Barbera, '07 Nebbiolo
I thought quite highly of Palmina on my first visit there in April, 2011. I thought that the hospitality was grand and that the wines were made with talent and confidence. It's not that I was off-base with my opinion, nor is Palmina inhospitable with untalented wines, but two years later the wine and experience isn't a standout in the field. It's still a welcoming place to visit.
The gents working there were friendly, though the guy that took could have used some more training. He stated that "not many people have heard of Pinot Grigio," hmmm, not so sure you're right about that buddy. There were snacks to enjoy, breadsticks, cured meats, olive oils, etc. As we were there the place packed up to the point that there was quite a din.
My opinion of their wine has changed pretty dramatically. On this visit I found the wines to be bland and monochromatic. Most had a singular upfront flavor and then fell away dramatically. The Malvasia Bianca was some fun, the nose was very light and sweet and the taste was quite dry, nothing like the nose at all. Of the reds, the Barbera was the most enjoyable, some complexity with pepper and plum notes as well as earthiness.The Nebbiolo, aka the wine of kings, had some nice acid and tannins, but fell away pretty quickly.
I'm more familiar with wines from Italy than from France, due to the fact that there's a wine bar and store down the street from my place that I used to frequent. Outside of Sangioveses and Barberas, I've not encountered really good Italian varietals being made in California. They come off more safe and boring. Perhaps if I knew French wine better I'd feel the same way about French varietals being made in Cali.
Experience: B- / Wine: C

Joseph Blair Wines ($10 tasting, wines $22-$30)
'10 "Ghetto White" Chenin Blanc, '10 Viognier, '10 Gewurztraminer, '09 "Heartbreak" Pinot Noir, '09 "Reveller" (Merlot/Petit Verdot), '10 Cabernet Sauvignon

Image from http://wine-dingroad.com/

Joseph Blair is the alternative label from Mark Cargassachi of Jalama. At Jalama, he's focusing on Rhone wines, whereas at Joseph Blair he's taking a crack at Bordeaux varietals as well as pinots and various whites.
Even though Joseph Blair is a new winery, we've attempted to visit twice before. The first time the doors were locked, and the folks at Jalama told us that Marc had a tractor break down, so we wouldn't be able to taste at the new place. The second time the doors were unlocked, but there was no one around, and after poking around for 10 minutes, we headed to another place. Finally on this visit, we were able check out the wines.
First off, Mark Cagassachi's dog Chester is the coolest dog ever. He's a rat terrier I think. That's it, just had to be said.
The tasting room has rotating art from local artists and a few high tables to sit around as well as a large desk counter where the wine is poured. The woman pouring the wines for us is an enthusiastic fan of Jalama and Joseph Blair, and happily took care of us.
The whites were nicely full-flavored, though all showed a little too much oak. The Viognier showed pretty, fragile flowers, which I always enjoy. The Ghetto Red had some fun notes, two well combined notes, pretty with a kick. The Reveller had a similar profile, but was a bit more convoluted. The Cabernet was really interesting, almost like sweet dirt. It had just been bottled, so it's likely that the wine will get better.
I've visited Jalama a handful of times and think highly of the wines that Mark Cargasacchi creates. That talent is carrying over to his Joseph Blair wines. They are a little bit more vivacious and silly, though not quite as deep. At this point, the prices of these wines are pretty decent, which is always appreciated.
Experience: B / Wine: B

Tyler Winery ($15 tasting, wines $36-$60)
'11 Chardonnay, '11 Chardonnay - Clos Pepe, '11 Pinot Noir, '11 Pinot Noir - Bien Nacido, '11 Pinot Noir - Bentrock
Justin Willett of Tyler Winery definitely represents the cutting edge of Santa Barbara wine. He's young, he's got a bunch of different wine projects going, and like Sandhi Wines, is trying to honor the Burgundian style with his wines in the Sta. Rita Hills region.
The winery warehouse that we tasted in was brand new - walls are still being built to create offices. Apparently Ryan Zotovich of Zotovich Cellars owns the big building that houses Tyler, and the plan is to have both wineries in the space, as well as a boutique hotel and an eatery. That would be a huge cultural shift for Lompoc, and definitely speaks to the potential greater trend that's occurring in the area. I've heard that the Lompoc City Council are pretty anti-growth, so perhaps the project won't get off the ground.
The lady that ran the tasting room exuded a hoity-toity vibe. She was very proud of Tyler wines, and was happy to show it off, but she also was a bit dismissive of other winemakers in the area. When I asked er the prices of the Tyler wines, she answered "They're all under $60." as though any decent wine drinker would be happy to buy any bottle as long as it's under $60.
I will say that the wines were incredibly impressive. The Chardonnays were flavorful but respectful, the Clos Pepe maybe a bit too dense in flavor. The Pinots were excellent. Similar profiles, but nicely distinct aspects. The Bentrock was the most impressive. It had a cool blood orange note.
Experience: B- / Wine: A- 

Monday (Foxen Canyon Road and Santa Maria)

Demetria Estate ($10 tasting, wines $22-$45)
'12 Riesling, '11 Chardonnay, '12 Rosè of Grenache, '12 Rosè of Pinot Noir, '11 Pinot Noir - La Encantada, '10 Syrah, '10 "Cuvee Constantine" (Grenache/Mourvedre/Syrah), '10 "North Slope" Syrah
The drive up to Demetria off of Foxen Canyon is a long and winding one, but the view from estate makes trip worthwhile. The Tuscan style building and grounds overlook a slight ravine, and the opposing slope is covered with vines, and rolling hills and vines continue on behind for a long distance. There's a peaceful garden and patio with plenty of tables and chairs. There were a few other groups at the same time. Some folks were lunching which we ended up doing after our tasting.
The one drag about this place was the staff person who took care of us. Perhaps he was having a shit day, but I'm guessing that he's generally an ass, because he managed to be a snot, a schlub, and a general doofus as the same time. Right off the bat he gave me guff for asking for tasting notes that I could write on - acting as though he had to go to great lengths to grab me a blank piece of paper. He also was fussy at our friend for wanting to fill up her water bottle. And last be not least he called my wife nosey for overhearing that another patron was being pouring a Rosè that wasn't on the pouring list, and asking if we could try it as well.
Thankfully our severe dislike of that dude was overcome by superb wine. The Riesling and the Chardonnay were just pretty good, and the Rosè of Pinot didn't blow me away, but the rest of the wines were fantastic. My favorites were the Rosè of Grenache (flowers and peaches, quite precious and flavorful), the Pinot Noir (affirmatively against grain for Santa Barbara - earthy and vegital, calm and delicious), and the Estate Syrah (mellow, light, some sweet peppers and green vines).
Experience: B / Wines: A-

Presqu'ile Winery ($20 tasting, wines $18-$55)
'12 Sauvignon Blanc, '11 Chardonnay, '12 Rosè of Pinot Noir, '11 Pinot Noir, '10 Pinot Noir - Rim Rock, '10 Estate Pinot Noir
Our traveling companions had visited Presqu'ile's tasting room in Los Olivos a few months prior and had spoken quite highly of the wines, so we decided to check them out and to have a look at their brand new winery complex out in Santa Maria. The grounds are gorgeous. The airy main building incorporates posh elements that are rare in the region, such as a member's only tasting room, and a wine cave that is only granted to higher level members.
The wines were impressive - it justified the highbrow atmosphere of the space. All were low alcohol compared to the region, between 12.9% and 13.6%. The Pinots were nicely varied - the Santa Maria Valley was peppery and meaty, the Rim Rock was circumspect (first time I've used that adjective in my tasting notes - check out the big brain on Brad!), and the estate was light with a cute little kick.
As much as we enjoyed the wines, I was a bit thrown by the exclusivity vibe at Presqu'ile. Members receive no discount on the wine - as far as I know, no other Santa Barbara area winery does that with their memberships. Members do receive free shipping on purchases, free tastings, and access to parts of the winery that non-member are restricted from - such as the special tasting room and the wine cave. I'll be interested to see if that strategy catches on with other wineries in the region.
Experience: B+ / Wines: B+

Based on the quality of wine being produced at the three very new wineries that we visited - Sandhi, Tyler, and Presqu'ile - it really feels like the Santa Barbara region is gaining momentum. Sure, it's been booming for awhile, catalyzed by "Sideways" and the general notion of wine tourism, but now there seems to be a stronger majority of wineries been created with very talented staff and deep-pocketed backers. I'm hopeful that this trend continues, but somehow without making the region more snooty and pricey.

June '13 Local Visit - San Antonio Winery

I've built up a pretty good amount of animosity toward San Antonio Winery over the past three years. Three years ago was the summer when I really started to become enthusiastic about wine. That summer we went on a family trip basically in the middle of nowhere. We flew into Reno, picked up a rental car, stopped at a Costco and loaded up on provisions. We asked for some advice on which wines to choose from the Costco wine guy, and he enthusiastically directed us to a bottle of Stella Rosa, a wine we had never heard of before (somehow). We bought some other wines, but that was the one that he really got our hopes up about. So we get out to our vacation spot, and we're having a great time. I'm relaxed as all hell and have started to read Terry Theise's awesome book Reading Between the Vines. Reading this book, relaxing, and drinking wine, it was ideal - until we pop open the Stella Rosa. It was bad news. Sticky sweet nastiness. That's not to say it ruined the vacation, or turned me off wine - clearly that hasn't happened - but it kind of offended me. My dislike was further fueled over the many, many billboard's that have seemed to crop up across the state promoting Stella Rosa - "Stella gets around." Each time I saw those I remembered how much I disliked that wine.
To draw it together, San Antonio Winery is the parent of Stella Rosa, as well as an grip of other wine labels: San Simeon, Maddalena, Sera Ambra, Riboli Family, Windstream, Opaque, Santo Stefano La Quita, Kinderwood, Sangria, Bow Tie, and I'm sure others. It's been around for a very long time, since 1917, it's the longest running winery in Los Angeles. It managed to survive prohibition because it produced sacramental wine for Catholic churches. It not only survives today it thrives.

San Antonio Winery ($12 tasting, wines $13-$30)
San Antonio '10 "Heritage Blanc" (Viognier/Riesling/Pinot Gris/Sauvignon Blanc), San Antonio '12 Rosé of Gamay, Maddalena '10 Zinfandel, , San Simeon '08 Syrah - Pretty Penny Vineyard, San Simeon '08 Petite Sirah, Opaque '09 Malbec, Sera Ambra NV Moscato Orange
First impression of the place - there is a ton of stuff being sold. A big space is filled with many displays of wine, beer, liquor and food. Off to one side is a cafe. There's a very long tasting bar that runs the length of the room, so there's lots of places for wine drinkers to plug in. Behind the bar is a wall shelved with more wine, beer and liquor. All of the beer, and most of the liquor for sale are not products from the San Antonio regime - they just have a really good alcohol selection for folks, which I find strange, basically making San Antonio Winery a liquor store with a winery theme.
It was a Thursday afternoon, and there were plenty of patrons. We sidled up to the bar, and were immediately tended to by an enthusiastic youngish dude. He informed us of our options for tasting, three for free, and another four from the Artisan series for $12. We opted to pay - might as well put some skin in the game, right? The dude pouring for us was pretty hyped about the wines.
None of the wines impressed. I didn't hate them, honestly they were better than I expected, but after my Stella Rosa experience I had low expectations. The white blend was nicely crisp, though the fruits were jumbled. Additionally it had 14.9% alcohol per volume, which is a bit steep for a white. The Rosé - interesting that it was a Gamay - had watermelon notes, sneaky pepper and a too watery finish. The Zinfandel has a rough tart entry and was overly oaked. The Syrah had big tannins and unripe plums - it was my least favorite of the group. I couldn't locate a specific flavor within the Petite Sirah, just purple. The Malbec was the best, and the priciest of the lot. Pretty good length, the flavors were a bit clumpy, and there was a harsh sharp note that made the wine less enjoyable. Last, we finished up with the Orange Moscato. It was syrupy and industrial.

As far as I can tell, San Antonio Winery is a very successful business. They have a large presence in LA, and establishments in San Bernardino County and Paso Robles.The LA space is huge, and they obviously deal in high volume. The prices for the wines that we tried were steep for the quality, but I can imagine that people are willing to pay those prices. I found it a bit odd that on the way out there are road arrows for at least a block directing people out. Perhaps they've had patrons get turned around on the industrial streets around their place, but I more took them as a sign that I should be fine just visiting the one time.
Experience: C+ / Wine: C-