A taste of Spain in the Central Coast with Verdad Wines

With the lion’s share of acreage and attention devoted to Burgundian and Rhône varietals in California’s southern Central Coast, producers such as Verdad Wines are going against the grain by producing wine from traditional Spanish grapes.

Verdad’s wines are made at the winemaking facility of Qupé Wine Cellars in Santa Maria Valley. It’s literally the spouse-label to Qupé, with wines being made by proprietor Louisa Lindquist. The vineyards include the biodynamically-farmed estate vineyard Sawyer Lindquist in Edna Valley, and the organically farmed Ibarra-Young Vineyard in Santa Ynez Valley. The vision of the wines is true varietal and site expression through balanced fruit and minimal handling in the cellar.

I visited the Qupé/Verdad/Ethan tasting room in Los Olivos and tasted two Verdad wines before buying a third to take home. All three were from the cooler of their two sites, Sawyer Lindquist in the Edna Valley AVA.

The 2011 Verdad Sawyer Lindquist Rosé is 100% Grenache (or Garnacha if you’re in Spain). It features bright fruit throughout with an underlying spice and earthiness, along with nice weight and feel. The earth element adds a nice dimension that you don’t always get in rosé. This is an enjoyable wine at $18.  

The Paragon Vineyard is a 30 acre section of Albariño within the larger Sawyer Lindquist property. It also happens to be the largest planting of Albariño in California. The 2011 Verdad Paragon Albariño shows bright citrus and tropical fruit along with a floral and white pepper depth. It has those whispers of the maritime flavors of Albariño along with a nice opulence. I’d love this with paella. This also sells for $18 with only 100 cases produced.

Verdad’s Tempranillo is grown in both of their sites. The warmer Ibarra-Young Vineyard in Santa Ynez Valley is planted with clones originating in Rioja, while the cooler Sawyer Lindquist Vineyard is planted with clones originating in Ribera Del Duero. The 2009 Verdad Sawyer Lindquist Tempranillo comes from the vineyard’s alluvial soils. Ageing takes place in Hungarian oak rather than the American oak traditionally used in Spain. There are small amounts of Grenache and Syrah in the blend.

Its profile is a mix of earthy, floral and bright cherry fruit with graphite and licorice accents on the palate. The California brightness is balanced with rustic grainy tannins before a lingering finish. Having recently tasted Tempranillo grown in Oregon that was short on varietal character, this was the opposite. It has that unmistakable musty earthy leathery thing going on in Tempranillo. I’d decant this and drink it with anything that says “braised” in the description. Retailing for $30, this is very nicely done.  

Verdad fits the bill if you’re looking for quality Central Coast wine outside the box. Even if you’re content with a steady diet of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Syrah, it’s plenty worth the time. Let’s see if a larger niche is carved as more Central Coast producers experiment with Spanish varietals.