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!!