I had been sick all week, took a day off from work on Wednesday and only worked a half-day on Friday and so I felt like just laying around the house all day, to take it easy and get some rest.
But on Saturday October 24th the weather was absolutely fantastic with bright blue sunny skies and the air was warm, about 78 degrees, so I was just itchin’ to head out to the wine country. To top it off Gary Vaynerchuck of Wine Library TV was in town doing book signing at V. Sattui Winery and I didn’t want to miss the opportunity to meet him.
So, off I went!
My nose and palate weren’t quite up to snuff so I wasn’t planning on doing too much wine tasting as I didn’t rust my senses to be able to accurately perceive the quality of a wine that day. Sadly, just two days prior I had to blind test two wines as part of a mid-term exams with my nose, palate and olfactory senses completely out of whack. It was a wonder that I was able to identify the even one of the wines.
As I entered the Napa Valley I felt like the beauty of the countryside was the perfect cure to the remnant of my cold. I was feeling absolutely fantastic as I view the landscape out my car window. This time of year most of the grapes have been harvested and the leaves on the vines are changing colors from green to light green, yellow and red.
After driving up to V. Sattui Winery and a brief meet and greet with Gary to get a copy of his book Crush It! signed I headed over to Sonoma to drive up the Valley of the Moon.
B. R. Cohn Winery - Sonoma
My one and only stop for tasting for the day was at B. R. Cohn Winery. My server was David Sharp, an extremely hospitable guy who was a wine maker himself for a number of years.
I tasted different levels of quality and price ranges of two of the varietals that they produce, Pinot Noir ($22 and $40) and Cabernet Sauvignon ($20, $55 and $100).
The first was the Panel Wagon Pinot Noir ($22) a light, simple everyday quaffable wine and the second was the more substantial 2007 B.R. Cohn Russian River Valley Pinot Noir ($40). Unfortunately the tasting room doesn’t use Pinot Noir glasses and I am sure this wine could have been better displayed in more suitable stemware. As it was, the Russian River Valley Pinot is a fruit forward wine with black cherry cola, raspberry and strawberry with a touch of vanilla and little black pepper.
My third wine was the 2007 B.R. Cohn Silver Label Cabernet Sauvignon ($20). I picked up on the nose a little bell pepper as well as black fruits, blackberry, black currant and black cherry with a touch of vanilla on the back end. I also I would judge this one to be your average Cabernet and at this price point I know of many Cabs out there of equal quality that between $10 and $15.
My fourth wine was the 2006 B.R. Cohn Olive Hill Estate Cabernet Sauvignon ($55). Loads of plum, black currant, mocha and cherry followed by black licorice and a touch of eucalyptus and chocolate covered mint. It is well balanced with supple tannin, a lasting finish and is readily drinkable now but could probably also spend some more time in the bottle.
My final wine of the day was the 2004 B.R. Cohn Olive Hill Estate Cabernet Sauvignon Special Selection ($100). A full-bodied, well rounded wine with layers of black currant, cocoa, mocha, cedar, anise, and green olive. Surprisingly I actually preferred the 2006 B.R. Cohn Olive Hill Estate Cabernet Sauvignon which is almost half the price. A nice wine but I wouldn’t shell out a Benjamin Franklin for it!
One of the great things about going through the enology program at Las Positas College is the opportunity to meet fellow wine geeks in a friendly and yet academic setting. Some students are there just to take a couple wine appreciation classes to learn more about their favorite beverage. Other students are already in the business and are there to improve their knowledge of wine making practices.
Then there are also some like John Kinney, owner of Occasio Winery in Livermore, who are retiring from one career and are starting a second career with a passion for making wine in their own winery. I first met John in class last Spring at Las Positas College and I recently heard through the grape vine on campus that he had opened his tasting room. So, last Saturday I decided to venture out to Livermore and drop in to see John and get a tour around his winery, discuss his vision and wine making methods and taste what this new winery has to offer.
One of John’s convictions about wine making is that one should actually make wine from the AVA in which the winery resides. This may sound odd, but not only are there are many Livermore wineries that sell wine made from Napa grapes but some even do not even make their own wine! Some wineries purchase bulk wine and then bottle it under their own label.
Here is a tip – if you visit a winery in Livermore (or anywhere else) without wine making equipment or most their grapes comes from some an AVA other than Livermore ask them if they MAKE their own wine! Also, check the label on the wine. If the label states the wine was “Cellared and Bottled By…” and does not state “Produced By…” the wine probably came from somewhere else. The phrase “Produced By” indicates that the named winery crushed, fermented and bottled a minimum of 75 percent of the wine in that particular bottling. The phrase, however, does not mean that the winery grew the grapes. The term “Made and Bottled By” means that a minimum of 10 percent of the wine was fermented at the winery-the other 90 percent could be from other sources. “Bottled By” alone on a label indicates that the only role the winery most likely played in the wine'’ production was to purchase and bottle wine made somewhere else.
There are many wineries around the world that own their vineyards and produce their wines from their grapes, these are indicated by the designation “Estate” on the label. However there are wineries that do not own their own vineyards but rather source their grapes by contracting with vineyards. Likewise, there are many vineyards that do not produce wine but rather focus their labor on producing high quality grapes for contracted local wineries.
All of John Kinney’s wines are “Produced and Bottled By” Occasio Winery, sourcing quality grapes from local Livermore vineyards from which he is able to selectively choose quality grapes.
Occasio Winery has a very limited production and on my visit the tasting room was serving three wines with a fourth to be released in November.
My first taste was the 2008 Occasio Pinot Gris Del Arroyo Vineyard, Livermore Valley. This wine was a Gold Medal Winner at the 2009 Indy International Wine Competition. This is a copper-pink dry, light crisp wine with fine acidity and aromas of pear, apple, and melon and sells for only $16 so I brought a bottle home.
My second wine was the 2008 Occasio Sauvignon Blanc Del Arroyo Vineyard, Livermore Valley. This wine was a Silver Medal Winner at the 2009 Indy International Wine Competition. The profile of Sauvignon Blanc can have a great deal of range depending on the terrior, on the nose and palate I picked up melon, citrus and a slight herbaceous quality. This is a very light wine that would pair well with seafood and sells for $18 a bottle
My third and final tasting was the 2007 Occasio Petite Sirah Livermore Valley. This wine was also Silver Medal Winner at the 2009 Indy International Wine Competition. This wine is deep Garnet in color and the first impression on the nose was very robust and fruit forward. As I continued to swirl the glass more pepper notes began to come through. The is s big, full-bodied wine with jammy qualities of black fruit and spice, subtle notes of new leather and toasty oak envelop the flavors through the finish, giving way to notes of caramel and vanilla on the back end and finish. A fine representative of the Livermore Valley, this wine sells for $28 a bottle so I brought one to add to my collection.
Soon to be released is the 2007 Occasio Merlot Thatcher Bay Vineyard, Livermore Valley ($32) which I hope taste on a return visit. John also informed me that he would soon be making a very limited production a dry Zinfandel Rosé to be released around Christmas.
If you visit Occasio Winery in Livermore tell them you heard about them from Erik Wait’s “Adventures in Wine tasting”!
If you’re a wine fan as I am and you like to seriously enjoy your wine without being too serious about yourself with all the wine-snobbery that can be so common, then Gary Vaynerchuck (that’s VAY-Ner CHUK) is your kinda guy.
Gary’s on-line wine podcast at Wine Library TV ( http://tv.winelibrary.com/ ) is both informative and entertaining and his enthusiasm and passion for wine is contagious.
But Gary is no mere schlocky wine entertainer, he is all about getting down to business. Now Gary has written about this passion in his latest book Crush It! and will be appearing in San Francisco and in St. Helena this week at:
When: Friday, October 23, 2009 at 5:30 PM
Where:
SWIG 561 Geary Street San Francisco, CA 94102 (415) 931-7292
After spending four days in San Diego and Temecula it was time to head back home to the Bay Area. I hadn’t planned on making a side trip to Santa Barbara during my vacation in Southern California. But I left early on Monday morning (about 5:30 a.m.) so I figured I’d make the best of being 500+ miles from home with a short 3 hour visit.
I had first visited the wine country in Santa Barbara back in 1999 during a Christmas semester break when I was in seminary and I have been back few times during business trips. Santa Barbara is second only to Napa in terms its beauty and it is one of the finest areas for Rhone varietals (Syrah, Viognier etc.) and Pinot Noir in the state. This was the first time to the area with a camera handy so I was excited to be able to snap some shots for my wine blog.
Before the movie Sideways was released I considered the Santa Barbara Wine Country to sort of be my personal “secret getaway.” But now it has become a major tourist destination. Fortunately I was dropping in on a Monday while most people are at work, so the roads weren’t too busy and there were few people in the tasting rooms.
Driving up Interstate 15 from San Diego (to avoid the heavy traffic on I-5in Los Angeles) I then headed west on Highway 210, then cut over to briefly drive up I-5 to begin the climb over the Los Angeles mountains and then I got off at highway 156 to head west on the Ventura freeway. It’s a lovely drive through an agricultural valley loaded with orchards, vineyards and various fields of vegetables.
As I approach Santa Barbara I ran into a fog bank which I feared might make it difficult to take pictures in the wine country. I then merged onto north bound Highway 101 and began a scenic winding drive up the coast. I then decide head to the north end of the county to Los Olivos and travel up the wine trail that Miles (Paul Giamatti) and Jack (Thomas Haden Church) made famous in Sideways. As I headed over the hills the sun appeared to reveal an absolutely beautiful day.
Firestone Vineyards – Los Olivos (Santa Barbara County)
My first stop along the wine trail was at Firestone Vineyards ( http://www.firestonewine.com/ ) which is perched on top of a small hill that provides a gorgeous view of the Santa Ynez Valley below. These hills and vineyards appear in the movie Sideways in the scene in which Miles and Jack and running down a hill swigging from a bottle through the vineyards.
The tasting room is located at the southern end of the Foxen Canyon Wine Trail just a few miles east of Highway 101 in Santa Barbara County. From either direction on Highway 101, take the Zaca Station Road/Highway 154 exit. If coming from the north, turn left and over the highway. If coming from the south, turn right. As the road dips and curves southward, take an immediate left onto Zaca Station Road and continue for 2.5 miles. Firestone Vineyard is located on your left at 5000 Zaca Station Road.
I my first wine was the 2007 Chenin Blanc, a fruit forward wine with pear, melon, citrus with a medium body. The wine normally sells for $14 but it was on sell from the tasting room that day for only $10.
My second wine was the 2008 Sauvignon Blanc Estate is fruit forward, has bright acidity crisp with honeydew melon, cantaloupe, guava, passion fruit and white grapefruit on the nose and palate. I’m not the biggest Sauvignon Blanc fan but third was a fine representative for only $14.
My third taste was the 2007 Gewurztraminer. The grapes come from the Carranza Mesa block of their estate in the Santa Ynez Valley. On the nose there are notes of mandarin orange nutmeg, grapefruit, and a hint of sweet baking spice. The wine tastes slightly sweet or “off dry” and has a .56 residual sugar. This is a really nice wine for $13
My third wine in the line up was the 2007 Cabernet Franc Rose. It has refreshing fruity notes of watermelon, cranberry and strawberries. A fun summer wine that sells for only $10a bottle.
My fourth tasting and first full-bodied red was the 2004 Merlot Reserve, Santa Ynez Valley. This is a wine Merlot that even Miles would enjoy as it layers of cherry, cocoa , spice on the nose. On the palate the wine has a full-mouth feel, with supple tannins and layers of black cherry, plum and that evolve into prolonged fruit and subtle spice finish. A fair priced wine at $25.
My fifth wine was the 2005 Malbec, Santa Ynez Valley. This wine is deep scarlet in color that exhibits classical Malbec character with notes of blueberries and pipe tobacco on the nose. On the palate there are well concentrated and well integrated flavors of coca, blueberries and pomegranate with subtle fine tannins. I really enjoyed this wine so for only $22 I had to bring a bottle home.
My next wine was the 2005 Cabernet and Syrah blend. This wine displays the best of both varietals with a fine integration of black currant, bing cherries, plum, cocoa, plum, a little fresh cracked pepper and just a hint of vanilla. An awesome wine for only $22, another fine prize for my wine cellar.
My final wine was the 2005 Lineage Reserve. Normally this is a club-members only wine but the server allowed me to sample this fine wine. This is a Bordeaux style blend of 40% Cabernet Franc, 35% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Malbec and 5% Petite Verdot. On the nose I find hints of black currant, pipe tobacco and anise. On the palate it is loaded with dark ripe plum, dark chocolate and coffee. It has a great back bone with well balanced and integrated tannins. Unfortunately at $60 a bottle is a little too steep and I know of similar wines for about half the price.
Fess Parker Vineyards & Winery – Los Olivos (Santa Barbara County)
My second stop was just down the road a bit at the sprawling Fess Parker Vineyards & Winery (http://www.fessparker.com/) . The grounds and front of the winery are beautiful where you can either picnic on the large front lawn or relax on the long front porch that wraps around the ranch house style tasting room.
The owner and founder Fess Parker made his claim to fame playing the role of Davy Crockett and Daniel Boone in the mid-1950 and 1960’s. He later purchased 714 acres in the Santa Ynez Valley and in 1989 and the winery now farms almost 700 acres on four vineyards throughout Santa Barbara County. Inside the tasting room there is a large fireplace, two tasting bars and a collection of Boone and Crocket souvenirs to take home along with your wine.
Before I talk about the line up of wines I tasted, let me just say that I was very impressed with everything! I first visited this winery in 1998 and returned about two years ago. The quality of the wines has improved immensely and I foresee them becoming a huge contender as world-class wines to compete with ones that sell for twice the price. My only hope is that they don’t actually increase their prices when they make front page news in Wine Spectator or other wine magazines.
My first wine was the 2008 “Santa Barbara County” Viognier (96% Viognier, 4% Rousanne). This wine has classic white Rhone character of fresh bananas, peaches, tropical fruit, pineapple with a little vanilla and nuttiness. A great wine for $24, I brought two of them home.
My second wine was the 2006 Chardonnay from Ashley’s Vineyard in the Santa Rita Hills. This chardonnay has crisp acidity and has complex layers of pineapple, citrus, fresh pear, and lychee nut, baked apple, vanilla and spice on both the nose and palate with a buttery finish. A well balanced wine but a little steep at $30 a bottle.
My first red was the 2007 Bien Nacido Pinot Noir. Although Fess parker’s specialty is Syrah I’d have to say that the Pinot Noir is definitely no slouch. If you are a Pinot lover, this wine will not disappoint you! On the nose and palate I picked up fresh raspberry and sarsaparilla followed clove, a hint of tobacco leaf, cinnamon and cranberry and a touch more minerality. This is a great Pinot but $50 a bottle was a bit much for me.
My second red, the 2006 Pommard Clone Pinot Noir was more even impressive. On the nose I picked up fresh cherry, blackberry, cola, flint, strawberry, bacon, and a smidgen of spice. On the palate Cool the texture is soft and round at the front of the attack, ultra velvety at the mid-palate with soft tannins. An exceptional wine that sells for $58 a bottle. My final red wine was the 2006 “Big easy:” Syrah. Deep garnet in color, dark plum at the base and cherry-colored near the rim. On the nose I picked up blueberry, blackberry, dark plum, beef jerky, bacon fat, vanilla and a hint of pepper. Supple on the palate, medium bodied, very dry, with plenty of well balanced fruit, acidity and tannins followed by a prolonged finish of black fruits, black pepper and dried meats. A great wine for $45 so I put two of them in my wine cellar.
Zaca Mesa Vineyards & Winery - Los Olivos (Santa Barbara County)
My third and final stop for the day was Zaca Mesa Vineyards & Winery. With camera in hand I first walked around the grounds snapping pictures and for some strange reason this placed looked very familiar and yet I knew I had not been to the tasting room before. Then in donned on me… I visited this winery about a year ago during harvest time but the tasting room was closed for the day. Yet, I also had a distinct memory of writing about one of their wines for my wine journal. Then I remembered that I reviewed their 2004 Z Cuvee as a class project last Thanksgiving (http://erikwait.blogspot.com/2008/11/adventures-in-wine-tasting-on.html ). So, now I was excited to finally be able to taste an entire line up of their wines.
Overall I have to say that I enjoyed their wines but found their prices a bit expensive in the tasting room. For example, the 2006 Z Cuvee was fine but they sell it for $20 and yet I had purchased 2004 last November for only $15 at Beverages & More. Their 2005 Syrah goes for $23 in the tasting room but Beverages and More (Bevmo!) sells this wine for $19.99 and K&L Wines sells it for only $16.99! The 2006 Grenache is $32, the 2006 Eight Barrel Syrah is $38 the 2005 Z Three $42and the 2006 Late Harvest Viognier goes for $20. While the quality of these wines were fine (but nothing to rave about) I thought the prices were insane.
By the way… in case you are wondering how I can taste so many wines and not get drunk… I use a spit cup rather than swallow.
On my third day in the Southern California (Saturday, August 15th) I headed north to the Temecula, in southwestern Riverside County, with a friend of mine. To get there from San Diego you take Interstate 15 over a series of hills to the Temecula Valley. It is about 45 a minute drive from Escondido and Ramona. It is bordered by Murrieta on the northwest and the Pechanga Indian Reservation on the south, with unincorporated areas of Riverside County on all of its other borders.
I first visited the area in the late 1980’s when I was in the Marine Corps and stationed at Camp Pendleton. Back then I don’t recall seeing any vineyards or wineries, all I remember is a lot of cows and a few residential areas. Today it is a booming residential, tourist destination and wine country.
The history of wine making in Temecula started in 1968 when Vincenzo and Audry Cilurzo established the first modern commercial vineyard in the Temecula Valley. In the same year, Guasti-based Brookside Winery planted its own vineyard and in 1971, Brookside produced the first wines from Temecula grapes at their Guasti Winery. Callaway Vineyard & Winery opened the first Temecula Winery in 1974 and it was the first winery I ever visited in Temecula in 1999, thirty years after they began farming grapes in 1969. In 1975 John Poole opened Mount Palomar Winery which I also visited back in 1999 and revisited on this trip, 10 years later. In 1978 the Cilurzos opened the third Temecula winery at a new site. Their original vineyard, Temecula’s oldest, is now owned by Maurice Carrie Winery. Approximately 1,300 acres are currently planted in commercial vineyards. Within the appellation there are 5,000 acres located in a protected area referred to as the Citrus/Vineyard Zone most of which is generally located on and around Rancho California Road.
Thorton Winery - Temecula
Our first stop for the day was Thornton Winery, which opened in 1988. Their primary focus is on sparkling wine made in the Méthode Champenoise process. But, I decided to only taste a sample of their white and red still wines.
Most wineries require that you “belly up to the bar” where you stand and have a person behind the counter samples of their wine. It isn’t a very relaxing way to enjoy the wine and few, if any, people are going to enjoy their wine at home in this fashion. Such tasting rooms are more like wine bars than tasting rooms.
At Thorton Winery you are able to sit at table either inside or out on their beautiful patio in view of the fountain and restaurant. A server then brings you a tasting menu with a number of flights to choose from such as all white wines, all red wines, a mixture of red and white wines and different varietal variations (Rhone, Italian, or a blend). The tasting fees are between $10-$17 for six moderate sized proportions. My friend and I both chose the “Cal-Ital & Rhone Flight” ($13) which consisted of the 2007 Viognier ($28 a bottle), the 2006 Thorny's Coat Red which is a blend of Syrah, Grenache, Barbera, and Sangiovese ($18 a bottle), the 2005 Syrah ($24 a bottle), and the 2007 Sangiovese. Overall I would say that the quality of the wines was fair but at those prices it is easy to find higher quality of wines.
Mount Palomar Winery - Temecula
Our second stop in the Temecula wine country was at Mount Palomar Winery. Mount Palomar has 40 acres of producing vineyards overlooked by the Palomar Mountain range and their main emphasis is on Bordeaux style blends and Italian varieties. But what I found to be most interesting was their excellent Port and Solera Cream Sherry. The winery uses two main brands: Mount Palomar and Castelletto. The Castelletto name (“little castle” in Italian), used by Mount Palomar for our Italian style wines, comes from the family of our founder's wife, Olivia de Reya Poole. The name “Castelletto” is a title awarded in Italy to Antonio and Sebastiano de Reya in 1735. The Castle and Star image on the label is found on the original Castelletto crest.
Today, Mount Palomar Winery is owned and operated by Louidar Inc., an Arizona Limited Liability Company. Current development plans include extensive new vineyard plantings; a larger wine production facility; a new guest facility including restaurants and a wine country resort and spa; and estate homes.
During our visit we tasted the 2006 Mount Palomar Viognier. It is an “okay” wine for $20 but I have certainly found many others that were better for the same price.
Our second wine was a rare varietal which is only produced by four wineries in the United States - the 2007 Castelletto Cortese. Mount Palomar introduced this Italian variety to California in 1991. It is grown mainly in the province of Piemonte in Northwest Italy, is often considered Italy's premiere traditional white variety. If you visit the winery this is a unique opportunity to try something different and expand your palate!
Our third wine was the 2005 Mount Palomar Cinsaut. This varietal is usually used as a blend so you don’t find too many 100% bottlings. It is a light bodied wine that would work well white meats such as turkey and a fair price at only $14.40 a bottle.
Our fourth wine was the 2006 Mount Palomar Meritage $24 which wasn’t all that impressive followed by the 2004 Mount Palomar “Cloudbreak” which was already showing a little age around the rim. For $50 I can certainly find many more impressive wines elsewhere.
Our sixth tasting was the 2004 Mount Palomar Syrah which for $44 which was way over priced as nothing about it rang my bell.
However, our final tasting was worth the drive to Temecula alone. The 2008 Mount Palomar Solera Cream Sherry is an absolute dream! Since 1978 Mount Palomar has produced handcrafted sherry wines in their outdoor aging solera. Using the classic Palomino variety and patient aging of at least three years under the sun creates rich, almond caramel, butterscotch and hazelnut flavors with a long silky finish. This wine sells for $29 and I bought three of them, one to keep and two to give as gifts to friends.
At the beginning of this Summer I planned to travel around California and visit as many wine regions as possible. Between June and July I went to the Napa Valley, Amador County, Monterey, and Paso Robles. Then from August 13th through 16th I visited San Diego, Temecula and Santa Barbara. On Thursday August 13th I drove from the San Francisco Bay Area down to Escondido which is in the North East side of San Diego County (an 8 hour drive) to where my wine exploration began over ten years ago when I was a student at Westminster Theological Seminary.
Orifla Vineyards - Escondido
Orfila Vineyards & Winery on the east side of Escondido, tucked into the picturesque San Pasqual Valley, approximately 30 minutes from San Diego and just a stone’s throw from the Wild Animal Park. Orfila specializes Rhone-style from their estate hillside vineyard, which is about approximately 15 miles from the Pacific Ocean, as well as from other grape-growing regions along the coast of California. They also produce an awesome Merlot, an intense Pinot Noir and my favorite Sangiovese in the state.
They have an impressive line up of wines and for a nominal fee you can try six of them. I wanted to state all of them so I returned the following day for another lineup.
My first wine on Thursday was the Estate Viognier "Lotus" Lot 67 ($29) which is 76% Viognier with Marsanne and Rousanne, aged the blend in French Oak. This is a rich and floral wine with well balanced plenty of citrus, tropical and vanilla notes.
My second wine was the 2007 Ambassador's Reserve Chardonnay ($25). If you like big buttery oaky Chardonnays then is one is right up your alley. The wine is 100% malolactic and barrel fermented then aged in French Oak to produce a full-bodied Chardonnay with rich flavors of vanilla, oak, butter and apple.
The third pour was the 2007 Gewürztraminer. The grapes are sourced from Monterey County it is a sweeter style of this varietal (4.7% R/S) with flavors of melon, green apples, honey, with a slightly spiced finish. At $16 a bottle it is a great value so I brought ½ case back home with me.
My fourth taste was the Pinot Noir Lot #37. This is not your light and subtle style Pinot. It is very earthy and with flavors of cherries, plums, raspberries, root beer and vanilla on the nose and the palate along with some mild tannins on the back end. A bit pricy at $41 a bottle but I found in to be very complex and intriguing so I bought ½ case.
My final wine for the first day was the 2006 Estate Grown Sangiovese “Di Collina.” This is my favorite Sangiovese in the state of California and I’ve loved it for over ten years. It is produced with grapes from their own hillside vineyards and has aromas of dark plums, raspberries and blackberries with savory spices, salty bacon, bright acidity and hints of vanilla from the soft oak on the finish. It is absolutely awesome with Italian food, especially pesto. At $23 a bottle the price is fair so I brought home 6 bottles.
On Friday August 14th I visited the tasting room again for another line up. My first and second wine was the 2006 and 2007 Estate Ambassador's Reserve Merlot. The Ambassador’s Merlot is a limited bottling produced from only the finest grapes from our hillside vineyards. Both are a full-bodied Merlot but the ’07 was richer with more intense and concentrated fruit, far superior to the ’06. The 2007 is dark, smoky and luscious cherries, a little spice and a bit jammy with a cedar and tobacco finish. At the time they were only selling futures which was unfortunate because I would purchased a few bottles.
My third wine was the 2005 Estate Syrah “Seasons.” This wine wasn’t quite up to snuff; sort of a simple one note wine but they were having a two for one special at about $10 per bottle.
The next taste was the 2006 Estate Syrah. A noticeable improvement over the “Seasons.” It is complex with layers of plum, blackberry, and raspberry followed by a hint of bitter-sweet cocoa with a dash of pepper on the back end. At $32 it is a bit steep, but I brought a couple bottles home.
My final wine was the California Tawny Port. It is medium brown color going to tan on the rim with good viscosity. It is velvety smooth with rich flavors of caramel, raisins, licorice, toasted almonds, cashews, a pinch of Orange zest with a lingering finish. A fair price at $25 a bottle so I picked up three, one for myself and two to give away as gifts.
If you are ever in the San Diego area, especially if you are visiting the Wild Animal Park, you’ve got to stop in for a tasting at Orfila Vineyards & Winery. (http://www.orfila.com/main.html)
Schwaesdall Winery - Ramona
On my second day of visiting the San Diego area I stayed with some close friends who I met when I lived in Ramona while a student at the seminary. It is at an elevation of about 1,500 feet and as you drive up from Escondido on the long winding Highway 78 you then drop into the Ramona Valley which is known as “The Valley of the Sun.” Back in the 1850’s Ramona was called “Nuevo” and was home to Native American Indians and there are still a couple reservations in the area with accompanying casinos.
Today, Ramona also has a couple wineries one of which is Schwaesdall Winery, owned by vintner John Schwaesdall. A San Diego native, he started making wine from some of the old vineyards in Ramona that were planted in 1950’s. Since then he has planted 4 1/2 acres of various red and white wine grapes among enormous granite boulders that are found predominately in the Ramona and Mt. Woodson area of San Diego. On a covered deck overlooking his vineyards you can sample his wines while enjoying the view of Iron Mountain. I mostly interested in the estate bottled wines so I could get a “taste of Ramona.”
My first wine was the Ramona Red ($15), a red table blend of 36% Syrah, 16% Grenache, 15% Ruby Cabernet, 22% Gamay, 11% Mourvedre. It has subtle berry notes, it is somewhat earthy with a hint of smoke, black pepper followed by an herbal and berry finish.
My next wine was the Zinfandel 2004. An interesting wine with Raspberry jam on the nose and palate and a little oak on the finish. Not bad for $18.
A few weeks ago a friend of mine came up from Southern California for weekend a visit. So I decided to show him the beauty of the Napa Valley with a long country drive up the Silverado Trail and an exploration of the wine caves at Jarvis Winery.
Jarvis is at the southern end of the winery so we first stopped there for a tour and tasting. The tour is quite impressive as the entire winery is inside the 45,0000 square foot cave within the Vacas Mountains four miles east of the town of Napa. There are many wineries in the Napa Valley that use wine caves for storing barrels and aging wine. But this was the first I had visited (and I’ve been to 95 Napa wineries so far) that the entire winery was in a cave. The tour was quite impressive and within the wine caves is a naturally flowing stream which helps maintain the needed humidity for barrel aging the wines. My friend commented, “This is like Disneyland.”
The fee was $40 and the line up of the wines was quite expensive. We tasted the 2007 Finch Hollow Chardonnay ($95), the 2005 Cabernet Franc ($44), the 2006 Merlot ($90), the 2004 Lake William Bordeaux Style Blend ($105). The 2002 Cabernet Sauvignon ($95), and the 2001 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve ($160). While their wines have many award claims, frankly I wasn’t impressed by any of them. I know of many better wines or of equal quality for under $30.
While my friend and I had a great time, enjoyed the wines and the beautiful grounds and the wine cave I would have to say, “pass” on purchasing any of their wines.
