So I had some free time on a recent trip to California and decided to drive a little north of Santa Barbara to the town of Solvang. First off, let me describe Solvang in very short form.....its like stepping out of the boat while floating through the "Its a Small World" ride at Disney. Built to look like a neighborhood in Copenhagen, this European inspired little city is far from the usual hustle and bustle of California. While the main road in the center of town is very busy and can be tricky to walk accross, a leisurely stroll through the town will bring you to many shops, bakeries, and wine tourist traps worth a peek.
Just down highway 246, on the other side of Solvang from the 101, you will reach Refugio Rd. If you take a right you will drive down along some vineyards and eventually find Kalyra and Sunstone Wineries. Both are great stops, but we will save them for another time.
Just past Refugio Rd you will reach Edison Rd. Take a left and then a quick Right and you will find another little street with stores and restaurants on both sides. On the left, in a little, minimal store front, is the tasting room for Artiste Winery (They also have one in Healdsburg). I was met by Lori who was full of knowledge about the winery, wine maker, and the art work that covers all of the walls.
The story of Artiste is simple.... They dont make basic wine. They only make blends, masterfully concocted from their own vineyards and some partners'. The labels are printed copies of local artists, many of whom were also on display in the tasting room. The wines are each named after the painting used for the label. All the wines are small batch, limited production, and once they have been sold out, they are never repeated again.
This is the type of wine I like to bring home, ones that there is NEVER a chance I will see again on a store shelf. To pick a single wine though was a challenge, and as such, I came back with two...
A Good Year is a blend of 2006 Malbec, 2005 Petit Verdot, 2005 Cabernet Franc, and 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon. This is a very fruit forward wine with only a slightly off-dry finish. Definitely meant for a healthy piece of meat, this wine is the ultimate bottle to open for dinner and keep with some chocolate for dessert.
Ascension is a very interesting wine. The blend of mostly Zinfandel, Petit Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot create a wonderful crowd pleaser with some good snobby complexity for the wanna-be sommelier in the room. The best way I can describe this is take the biggest, boldest Zinfandel wine you can find, and make it finish like a old-vine Cab. This is an incredible wine for those who just love to drink wine and I would highly recommend picking some up if you are up for the price tag.
As with many of the Santa Barbara Region wineries, quality comes at a price. Most of the wines at Artiste are well into the $40-50 range. Many more are above that. If you do go there though, ask for Lori and tell her that Rick's friend from Massachusetts sent you!!
March 25, 2009
February 26, 2009
The James Gang....
Just north of Santa Barbara, in the heart of California's central coast region, is the little town of Paso Robles. The town is made up of a bunch of vineyard, some rolling hills, a few windy canyon roads, the 101 and its exit roads. Down one of these, about 5 miles, on the right is a small saloon called Tobin James Cellars. I was brought here by Lindsey in an attempt to entertain my inner (and maybe not always so inner) Red Neck..... How is that possible? A winery that caters to the Bush beer drinkers of the world??
Tobin James Cellars (http://tobinjames.com/) is a very fun and energetic winery. The tasting room is built like a western saloon, somewhat reminiscent of the White Horse in Nashville, and country music fills the air. As you may have been able to figure out, I am a fan of all things country, so without having tasted a drop of wine I was already a fan. However, the appeal could have been short lived if the wine didnt hold up its end of the deal... ...and that it did with ease.
Typical of the Central Coast region of California, the best wines for Tobin James were really the Syrah's and Zin's. The Pinot's were decent, but a little light which is again typical of this region. Many of the wines available in the tasting room are also available on their website. As such, you may notice that the prices are very reasonable. Some of the most notable of these are the 2006 Notorious Cabernet. Many restaurants have this wine on their reserve lists, but it is a very approachable bottle at only $18. This is, by far, one of the smoothest Cab's you will ever have the pleasure of trying. Also of note is the Black Magic Petite Sirah. Considering the French nature of this varietal, the fruit is extreme and the finish is very delicate. Again, at $25, this is very affordable for a fine wine.
All of this sounds great and makes Tobin James a good place to visit, but I cant fail to mention The James Gang. This is the title of TJ's wine club. What really distinguishes The James Gang from other wine clubs is sheer size. The James Gang has over 9000 members worldwide. Additionally, this may be the ONLY winery I have been to in all of California that has confidently stated that they can and do ship to Massachusetts, direct to club members. Lance, the co-wine maker of Tobin James, ensures that shipments contain a great diversity of wine to make them well worth the money. I was sold!!
Now, in reading the details on the website about the $145 wine club shipments, one may not be overly impressed. The challenge is that the wines sent to The James Gang are not the wines sold to the public. Every shipment contains bottles that are from $30-60 each, making it a great value.
One of the wines that Lance informed me would be in the next shipment is the 2006 Fatboy Zinfandel. I am a big fan of Zin's from almost all regions. I have spent large amounts of money on great Zin's that I am scare to take out of my cellar. This wine, though not on the list, sells for $55 at the tasting room. I will drink the Fatboy when it arrives, though, as this may be one of the most amazing wines I have ever tasted. Zin's have a tendancy to be very big, very spicy, dry and peppery finishing and in urgent need of big food. The Fatboy is a definite exception. It is very fruit forward and purely enjoyable. Im sure, however, that it would complement a nice big piece of meat or some good BBQ just fine.
Maybe, for those of my friends paying attention to this blog, I will have to open this wine when I fire up my new grill this spring for all to enjoy!!
Tobin James Cellars (http://tobinjames.com/) is a very fun and energetic winery. The tasting room is built like a western saloon, somewhat reminiscent of the White Horse in Nashville, and country music fills the air. As you may have been able to figure out, I am a fan of all things country, so without having tasted a drop of wine I was already a fan. However, the appeal could have been short lived if the wine didnt hold up its end of the deal... ...and that it did with ease.
Typical of the Central Coast region of California, the best wines for Tobin James were really the Syrah's and Zin's. The Pinot's were decent, but a little light which is again typical of this region. Many of the wines available in the tasting room are also available on their website. As such, you may notice that the prices are very reasonable. Some of the most notable of these are the 2006 Notorious Cabernet. Many restaurants have this wine on their reserve lists, but it is a very approachable bottle at only $18. This is, by far, one of the smoothest Cab's you will ever have the pleasure of trying. Also of note is the Black Magic Petite Sirah. Considering the French nature of this varietal, the fruit is extreme and the finish is very delicate. Again, at $25, this is very affordable for a fine wine.
All of this sounds great and makes Tobin James a good place to visit, but I cant fail to mention The James Gang. This is the title of TJ's wine club. What really distinguishes The James Gang from other wine clubs is sheer size. The James Gang has over 9000 members worldwide. Additionally, this may be the ONLY winery I have been to in all of California that has confidently stated that they can and do ship to Massachusetts, direct to club members. Lance, the co-wine maker of Tobin James, ensures that shipments contain a great diversity of wine to make them well worth the money. I was sold!!
Now, in reading the details on the website about the $145 wine club shipments, one may not be overly impressed. The challenge is that the wines sent to The James Gang are not the wines sold to the public. Every shipment contains bottles that are from $30-60 each, making it a great value.
One of the wines that Lance informed me would be in the next shipment is the 2006 Fatboy Zinfandel. I am a big fan of Zin's from almost all regions. I have spent large amounts of money on great Zin's that I am scare to take out of my cellar. This wine, though not on the list, sells for $55 at the tasting room. I will drink the Fatboy when it arrives, though, as this may be one of the most amazing wines I have ever tasted. Zin's have a tendancy to be very big, very spicy, dry and peppery finishing and in urgent need of big food. The Fatboy is a definite exception. It is very fruit forward and purely enjoyable. Im sure, however, that it would complement a nice big piece of meat or some good BBQ just fine.
Maybe, for those of my friends paying attention to this blog, I will have to open this wine when I fire up my new grill this spring for all to enjoy!!
February 24, 2009
As Promised....Tin Barn Vineyards
As mentioned before, we stumbled upon this little group of wineries on 8th Street East, just outside of downtown Sonoma. Actually, here is the web link to learn more about them all: http://www.eighthstreetwineries.com/. The first one that we called on was Tin Barn Vineyards. It was Thursday, late afternoon, and I was told by the very welcoming voice on the phone that they were actually not open....but since she was there preparing shipments for the wine club we were welcome to come on in.
Tin Barn Vineyards, http://www.tinbarnvineyards.com/, was very appropriately named. It is in the back corner of a steel garage-like industrial building. Sandy Maus, who also handles marketing for all of the 8th Street East Wineries, was even nice enough to put the big plastic sign out to flag the very small door for us. Once inside, we easily could have mistaken this room for some of the downtown Sonoma tasting rooms. It was very inviting with a small bar and stools.
Sandy told us a little bit about the company. According to Sandy, and interesting to me was that the wine maker, Michael Lancaster, REFUSES to make a Chardonnay. And as such, their first pour of the day was an excellent Sauvignon Blanc. The 2006 Sauv Blanc was very crisp with a touch of citrus and a very clean finish. I would have stopped right there, but Sandy opened every bottle in the place for us to try and I couldnt let her down.
I had two favorites on this stop, but only one came with us. The Russian River Zinfandel was amazing, but has comparably large production volume and, as Tin Barn can ship through a 3rd party to MA, we opted not to take one home. The winner was....
2007 Carneros Pinot Noir. Only 98 cases of this wine was produced, but I would happily volunteer to drink them all on my own. This is a very food-friends Pinot. The initial fruit is very light as it is still a young wine, but the finish is not overly oaked or tanic...Surprising as it is was aged in 75% new French oak barrels. The price for a bottle of this gem is $34. I will tell you, it is money well spent. We didnt get this one all the way home. Instead, we finished it the night before we left with a meal at "The Girl and The Fig" in downtown Sonoma.
FYI --> The 2007 season was a near perfect one for the Sonoma area. This was especially true in the southern area where Carneros is located. However, it was considered to be a very low yield season so the expectation is that most wines of this vintage will have much lower production.
Tin Barn Vineyards, http://www.tinbarnvineyards.com/, was very appropriately named. It is in the back corner of a steel garage-like industrial building. Sandy Maus, who also handles marketing for all of the 8th Street East Wineries, was even nice enough to put the big plastic sign out to flag the very small door for us. Once inside, we easily could have mistaken this room for some of the downtown Sonoma tasting rooms. It was very inviting with a small bar and stools.
Sandy told us a little bit about the company. According to Sandy, and interesting to me was that the wine maker, Michael Lancaster, REFUSES to make a Chardonnay. And as such, their first pour of the day was an excellent Sauvignon Blanc. The 2006 Sauv Blanc was very crisp with a touch of citrus and a very clean finish. I would have stopped right there, but Sandy opened every bottle in the place for us to try and I couldnt let her down.
I had two favorites on this stop, but only one came with us. The Russian River Zinfandel was amazing, but has comparably large production volume and, as Tin Barn can ship through a 3rd party to MA, we opted not to take one home. The winner was....
2007 Carneros Pinot Noir. Only 98 cases of this wine was produced, but I would happily volunteer to drink them all on my own. This is a very food-friends Pinot. The initial fruit is very light as it is still a young wine, but the finish is not overly oaked or tanic...Surprising as it is was aged in 75% new French oak barrels. The price for a bottle of this gem is $34. I will tell you, it is money well spent. We didnt get this one all the way home. Instead, we finished it the night before we left with a meal at "The Girl and The Fig" in downtown Sonoma.
FYI --> The 2007 season was a near perfect one for the Sonoma area. This was especially true in the southern area where Carneros is located. However, it was considered to be a very low yield season so the expectation is that most wines of this vintage will have much lower production.
I hate Chardonnay.....but.....
So during our trip we stumbled upon a little group of wineries just outside of downtown Sonoma. They are known by the general public as the 8th Street East wineries (obviously located on 8th St East) and are very tough to find as almost no signs exist. The group consists of about 6-8 different little gems, each residing in a series of metal warehouse buildings. Our first exposure was to a really small one called Tin Barn which I will discuss a little later. Sandy, the lady in the tasting room at Tin Barn, also works in marketing for all of these little wineries and gave us some advice on where else to try. One of her suggestions was Macrostie Winery (http://www.macrostiewinery.com/) for its Chardonnay.
I stopped her right there... I just dont like Chardonnay. Too buttery and Oaky, they all try way too hard to be the French style Napa Chardonnays...just not my choice. But Sandy did not back down, swearing my opinion would change if I just gave Macrostie a shot. The moral of the story is "Trust Sandy!"
A couple days later we went to the warehouse garage that served as a winery and tasting room for Macrostie. I was still very skeptical of the decision when they lined up 2 Chardonnays as the first two pours. First up, the Carneros Chardonnay. Carneros is a region in the southern part of Sonoma county, bridging highway 12 between Napa and Sonoma. Some of our favorite Pinot Noirs come from this region as it is a very cool and moist area and the grapes tend to be sweeter and more fruity. I can now honestly say that the only Chardonnay I truly enjoyed comes from here as well.
The Macrostie 2007 Carneros Chardonnay is a crisp, smooth wine. Where so many Chardonnays will leave a very dry and oaky aftertaste lingering in your mouth, this one finishes with a mildly citrus taste that is almost like a Sauvignon Blanc, but not as strong or sweet. While many Chardonnays are Barrel Aged in as much as 40-50% new French Oak, this one is only 20% new with a blend of French and Hungarian. The softness this provides is without compare.
Macrostie does have some distribution throughout the US, but this was a bottle we had to bring home. At only $23, this was already a bargain. And my just mentioning they changed my opinion of Chardonnay forever, we got them to knock another 10% off the price.
When you visit Macrostie, make sure you save room for their Pinot Noirs as well. The Wildcat Pinot is especially good.
I stopped her right there... I just dont like Chardonnay. Too buttery and Oaky, they all try way too hard to be the French style Napa Chardonnays...just not my choice. But Sandy did not back down, swearing my opinion would change if I just gave Macrostie a shot. The moral of the story is "Trust Sandy!"
A couple days later we went to the warehouse garage that served as a winery and tasting room for Macrostie. I was still very skeptical of the decision when they lined up 2 Chardonnays as the first two pours. First up, the Carneros Chardonnay. Carneros is a region in the southern part of Sonoma county, bridging highway 12 between Napa and Sonoma. Some of our favorite Pinot Noirs come from this region as it is a very cool and moist area and the grapes tend to be sweeter and more fruity. I can now honestly say that the only Chardonnay I truly enjoyed comes from here as well.
The Macrostie 2007 Carneros Chardonnay is a crisp, smooth wine. Where so many Chardonnays will leave a very dry and oaky aftertaste lingering in your mouth, this one finishes with a mildly citrus taste that is almost like a Sauvignon Blanc, but not as strong or sweet. While many Chardonnays are Barrel Aged in as much as 40-50% new French Oak, this one is only 20% new with a blend of French and Hungarian. The softness this provides is without compare.
Macrostie does have some distribution throughout the US, but this was a bottle we had to bring home. At only $23, this was already a bargain. And my just mentioning they changed my opinion of Chardonnay forever, we got them to knock another 10% off the price.
When you visit Macrostie, make sure you save room for their Pinot Noirs as well. The Wildcat Pinot is especially good.
February 23, 2009
Why Wait
So as mentioned in my intro post I have just returned from my second visit to Sonoma. We flew into Los Angeles on Tuesday, 2-17, where I had business meetings. We then drove north to Santa Barbara and Santa Ynez. Visited a few wineries on Tuesday afternoon and ended at dinner at the Los Olivos Cafe. The next morning we went to a few more wineries in the area before driving north again through the central coast wine region, ending in Oakland for the night. Thursday I had another meeting, followed by our final drive north into Sonoma for the weekend.
The wineries we visited on this trip were as follows and in this order:
Carr -- Santa Barbara
Foley -- Santa Maria
Hitching Post -- Solvang
Kalyra -- Solvang
Rusak -- Buellton
Foxen -- Paso Robles
Rancho Sisquoc -- Paso Robles
Tobin James -- Paso Robles
Tin Barn -- Sonoma
Iron Horse -- Healdsburg
Gary Farrell -- Healdsburg
KAZ -- Kenwood
Schug -- Sonoma
Macrostie -- Sonoma
BR Kohn -- Kenwood
Chateau St Jean -- Kenwood
Family Wineries -- (actually 5 wineries, all in Kenwood)
Eric Ross -- Glen Ellen
Needless to say, we like wine a lot!! This is about 1/3 the number we hit on our first trip...
During our first trip, and actually the first two days, we learned a great trick. Many wineries will give you free tastings, some will charge a small fee, some a not so small fee. I am not a fan of wasting this wonderful beverage, so unless it is really not to your liking, I say swallow!! However, after the first 4 wineries on the first day and 5 on the second day we were both incredibly ill. Think of the worst hangover you have ever had drinking the worst well-mix tequila, now add a stomach full of grape juice and you just start to get the picture. If you want to be able to avoid that image in the mirror try splitting a tasting with your traveling companion. The wineries will actually applaud your level-headed approach and will see it as a sign of wine-maturity as, in addition to not getting the hangover, you will save you taste buds just a little longer and be able to truly appreciate the wine.
As I dont want to overwhelm anyone right out of the gate, I am going to pick one of the list that really stood out to talk about. For this posting I am going to talk about Rancho Sisquoc in Paso Robles.
You really have to want to visit the wineries back on Foxen Canyon Road. A series of twisting paths off of Hwy 101 will get you there, passing some very ominous signs on the way (seems there is a chemical plant of some sort tucked in the mountains). Right as you miss the bend in the road you will skid through the front gate onto the 2+ mile driveway back to the RS tasting room. Once inside, the little room you start to realize that this is truly a hidden gem offering a great variety of both reds and whites to suit any palette. Here is a link to check this winery out: http://www.ranchosisquoc.com/.
While I can say I was impressed with all of their wines, the one that jumped out to me was the bargain of the century, the 2006 Wine Club #5. As the name indicates, this wine was made for the members of the RS wine club and never sold to the public other than in the tasting room. Sad for everyone else!! This 100% Pinot Noir was delicious. It was full of fruit, a mild taste of caramel and cola, followed by a soft finish and just a subtle taste of oak. The depth and body of this Pinot rivalled many of the top Russian River Pinots and the finish was almost as smooth as some of the Carneros varieties. We bought two bottles.... Of course we couldn't possibly have said no when we heard the price. The retail price on this wine was about $30 per bottle. The club members were getting it for $22. The tasting room was discounting the little bit that was left by 50%!! That's right, $11 each!!!
If you are in California, or even in a state that will allow you to order some of this, get on the phone now!! Last we checked, there were only about 5 cases left. If you are not sure you will like it, just invite me over to share and I promise it wont go to waste.
The wineries we visited on this trip were as follows and in this order:
Carr -- Santa Barbara
Foley -- Santa Maria
Hitching Post -- Solvang
Kalyra -- Solvang
Rusak -- Buellton
Foxen -- Paso Robles
Rancho Sisquoc -- Paso Robles
Tobin James -- Paso Robles
Tin Barn -- Sonoma
Iron Horse -- Healdsburg
Gary Farrell -- Healdsburg
KAZ -- Kenwood
Schug -- Sonoma
Macrostie -- Sonoma
BR Kohn -- Kenwood
Chateau St Jean -- Kenwood
Family Wineries -- (actually 5 wineries, all in Kenwood)
Eric Ross -- Glen Ellen
Needless to say, we like wine a lot!! This is about 1/3 the number we hit on our first trip...
During our first trip, and actually the first two days, we learned a great trick. Many wineries will give you free tastings, some will charge a small fee, some a not so small fee. I am not a fan of wasting this wonderful beverage, so unless it is really not to your liking, I say swallow!! However, after the first 4 wineries on the first day and 5 on the second day we were both incredibly ill. Think of the worst hangover you have ever had drinking the worst well-mix tequila, now add a stomach full of grape juice and you just start to get the picture. If you want to be able to avoid that image in the mirror try splitting a tasting with your traveling companion. The wineries will actually applaud your level-headed approach and will see it as a sign of wine-maturity as, in addition to not getting the hangover, you will save you taste buds just a little longer and be able to truly appreciate the wine.
As I dont want to overwhelm anyone right out of the gate, I am going to pick one of the list that really stood out to talk about. For this posting I am going to talk about Rancho Sisquoc in Paso Robles.
You really have to want to visit the wineries back on Foxen Canyon Road. A series of twisting paths off of Hwy 101 will get you there, passing some very ominous signs on the way (seems there is a chemical plant of some sort tucked in the mountains). Right as you miss the bend in the road you will skid through the front gate onto the 2+ mile driveway back to the RS tasting room. Once inside, the little room you start to realize that this is truly a hidden gem offering a great variety of both reds and whites to suit any palette. Here is a link to check this winery out: http://www.ranchosisquoc.com/.
While I can say I was impressed with all of their wines, the one that jumped out to me was the bargain of the century, the 2006 Wine Club #5. As the name indicates, this wine was made for the members of the RS wine club and never sold to the public other than in the tasting room. Sad for everyone else!! This 100% Pinot Noir was delicious. It was full of fruit, a mild taste of caramel and cola, followed by a soft finish and just a subtle taste of oak. The depth and body of this Pinot rivalled many of the top Russian River Pinots and the finish was almost as smooth as some of the Carneros varieties. We bought two bottles.... Of course we couldn't possibly have said no when we heard the price. The retail price on this wine was about $30 per bottle. The club members were getting it for $22. The tasting room was discounting the little bit that was left by 50%!! That's right, $11 each!!!
If you are in California, or even in a state that will allow you to order some of this, get on the phone now!! Last we checked, there were only about 5 cases left. If you are not sure you will like it, just invite me over to share and I promise it wont go to waste.
Lets get it started in here.....
I walked into a wine store about 5 years ago, just needed a bottle of something crowd-pleasing to take to a family dinner at my then-girlfriend's house. And, as Im sure those who are reading this can relate, I was met by a very RUDE awakening. I was 24, dressed in casual clothing, wearing a baseball hat (go BoSox)... I asked one of the clerks to recommend a wine and he handed me a bottle of the $5.99 special white zinfandel. He then had the nerve to call it an enjoyable and decent wine. It was from that point on that I swore I would both never shop there again, and make sure I learned more about wine then he could possibly know.
I wont claim to have been fully successful at the latter half of that statement, but I have come a very long way. Thanks to the passion which I share with my now-Fiance, I have exposed myself to a lot of what this country, and a few others, offer the wine lovers in us all. I could certainly spend all the time on this blog talking about wines of the world and sharing how they are made, where they come from, what the names are all about....but I wont!
Lets face it, Wine is a scary topic to too many people who have faced situations like mine. I wont let my knowledge be used in such a way...this is for the unpretentious wine-loving community. I am going to concentrate on enjoying and drinking WINE, not swirling it around in a glass and spitting it out.
As this is the first post and I am just starting to invite people, I want to assure everyone who subscribes, posts, links, etc that only a love for fun and a passion for consuming wine will be needed. I will talk about the wines I like, the wines others I have met like, wines we all hate. I will talk about people I meet in the industry, tours of wineries in vineyards, the hidden jewels and the widely advertised. Any wine I mention will be accompanied by where it can be purchased (or if), where I found the best deals, and what some restaurants are marking it up to. I will even get into the occassional meal that went with the wine.
Having just come back from my second ever trip to Sonoma before starting this site, I am freshly full of recommendations. I will likely start posting them as soon as I start opening the bottles. Hope everyone enjoys this Blog.....
Salut, Lechayim, Cheers and all the rest!!
I wont claim to have been fully successful at the latter half of that statement, but I have come a very long way. Thanks to the passion which I share with my now-Fiance, I have exposed myself to a lot of what this country, and a few others, offer the wine lovers in us all. I could certainly spend all the time on this blog talking about wines of the world and sharing how they are made, where they come from, what the names are all about....but I wont!
Lets face it, Wine is a scary topic to too many people who have faced situations like mine. I wont let my knowledge be used in such a way...this is for the unpretentious wine-loving community. I am going to concentrate on enjoying and drinking WINE, not swirling it around in a glass and spitting it out.
As this is the first post and I am just starting to invite people, I want to assure everyone who subscribes, posts, links, etc that only a love for fun and a passion for consuming wine will be needed. I will talk about the wines I like, the wines others I have met like, wines we all hate. I will talk about people I meet in the industry, tours of wineries in vineyards, the hidden jewels and the widely advertised. Any wine I mention will be accompanied by where it can be purchased (or if), where I found the best deals, and what some restaurants are marking it up to. I will even get into the occassional meal that went with the wine.
Having just come back from my second ever trip to Sonoma before starting this site, I am freshly full of recommendations. I will likely start posting them as soon as I start opening the bottles. Hope everyone enjoys this Blog.....
Salut, Lechayim, Cheers and all the rest!!
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