This bud break's for you and tasting at Curtis

Bud break is upon us in Santa Barbara County, most notably to the north in Santa Maria Valley, where early-budding Chardonnay is already greening up the vineyards. The Kendall-Jackson Chardonnay vineyards along 101 just north of Los Alamos are almost fully green.

Bud break at Bien Nacido, late-March 2013 

Further down Foxen Canyon Road in the Santa Ynez Valley, Rhône varietals at Curtis Winery are just starting to break.

Bud break at Curtis, late-March 2013

While at Curtis I tasted through a nice lineup of balanced and bright Rhône varietal wines. Most impressive to me were the 2011 Curtis Heritage Blanc, Santa Barbara County, with richly layered tropical and citrus notes along with honey and spice nuances. Among the reds the 2009 Curtis Rock Hollow Vineyard Syrah, Santa Ynez Valley is aged for 18 months in 40% new French oak and comes from their estate vineyard in Ballard Canyon. It shows an alluring complexity of spice, tea, earth, cracked pepper and brambly fruit that streamlines into blueberry and violet with subtle depth on the palate, finishing with firm polished structure and good length. Really a beautiful wine. Also the 2010 Curtis Reserve "GSM", Santa Ynez Valley (50% Grenache, 25% Syrah, 25% Mourvedre) showed an epic blend of meaty cassis, spice and blood orange fruit - layered, juicy and bright on the palate finishing with hints of clove and vanilla, firm silky tannins and good length - an outstanding wine. Click here for tasting notes on the current lineup at Curtis.

Tasting highlights- Garagiste Festival, Southern Exposure

Southern Exposure, the Garagiste Festival previewed last month, was an exciting and eclectic mix of Santa Barbara County wineries. Ranging from the small and well-known to the smaller and more obscure, the festival grand tasting provided a one-stop shop opportunity for exposure to new Santa Barbara wineries and vineyards.

Among the new and interesting favorites were Altman Winery. The winery is so small that the website is a Wordpress blog and I had to manually input the wines on Cellartracker. Proprietor Mike Altman produces a pleasant and inexpensive Santa Ynez Valley Chardonnay and Rosé, but what really shined was a pair of Petite Sirahs from the Sunset Ridge vineyard in Paso Robles. Both the 2008 and 2009 Altman Petite Sirah Sunset Ridge showed bright wild blue fruit, violet, and tangy mineral notes - with the 2009 adding firm complexity to the structure.

Baehner Fournier Vineyards is located in the eastern hills of the Santa Ynez Valley. The Baehners decided to plant Bordeaux varietals on their property and are now bottling quality Santa Ynez Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Petit Verdot from hillside fruit. Their 2010 Baehner Fournier Estate Merlot is grown in gravely clay on sloping northeast-facing blocks. The wine is cold-soaked and fermented in small open-top fermenters with aging for 19 months in 20% new French oak. It's got a pleasing leathery cedary blueberry nose, with balance and layers of flavor, and lingering polish on the finish.

Living near the Sta. Rita Hills AVA, I often drive by the Kessler-Haak vineyard. Planted in 2005 and next to Clos Pepe, it's an organically farmed vineyard on rolling hillsides and sandy loam soils. I had yet to try their wines, but it's a no-brainer that the Pinot Noirs and Chardonnay would be as good as they were. I enjoyed the entire lineup, with the highlight being the 2010 Kessler-Haak Vineyards Pinot Noir Clone 2a. It towed the line between brooding dark fruit & earth, with brighter mineral and floral notes building tension and complexity- a very nice wine. With the vineyard at only 8 years of age, it will be fun to watch these Pinot Noirs develop complexities in future vintages.

Josh Klapper's La Fenêtre Wines come from multiple vineyard sites throughout Santa Barbara County. The specialty is bright and elegant Burgundian Varietals, along with Syrah. Josh's Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Syrah from Santa Maria Valley were shining on this day. The 2010 La Fenêtre Chardonnay Bien Nacido shows beautifully bright lime and slate notes that counter a subtle toastiness. The 2010 La Fenêtre Pinot Noir Presqu'ile shows depth with rich dark fruit notes complimenting the floral earth and cherry elegance. One of the biggest and baddest Syrahs that I tasted at the event was the 2009 La Fenêtre Syrah Z Block Bien Nacido, showing wet-earth, sandalwood, cured meat and black currant, highlighted a bright mineral-acid streak and stitched together with huge structure- epic stuff.

Long a key vineyard in the new Ballard Canyon AVA, Larner Vineyard began producing its namesake wines in 2009. Ballard Canyon is known primarily for richly elegant Syrah and other Rhone varietals grown in the moderately cool hillside slopes in the center of the Santa Ynez Valley. The 2009 Larner Vineyard Elemental, a Grenache/Syrah blend, is hugely deep and expressive with mint, cherry, blueberry, earth and spice notes - quite a beautiful wine. The 2009 Larner Vineyard Syrah shows beautiful mineral, earth and floral notes that compliment the spice laden dark fruit. 

These aforementioned highlights capped off an enjoyable day of new Santa Barbara wine discoveries. Click here for a full list of 33 wines tasted at the event.

Just released- 2011 Tensley Syrah

A quick tasting stop this weekend in Los Olivos netted nice results, as a few of the newly released 2011 Tensley Syrah wines were available in their tasting room. These are low production and very well regarded – in other words you try them and buy them while you can.

Joey Tensley began producing his wines starting with the 1998 vintage. The original idea was to produce site-expressive Syrah from unique vineyard sights in Santa Barbara County. Most are made in a similar fashion with partial whole-cluster fermentation and using mostly seasoned French oak for about an 11 month elevage on lees. The single vineyard wines are generally released about a year after harvest. Production has grown to 4,000 cases with other Rhone varietals being produced as well as Pinot Noir from Jennifer Tensley under the Lea label.

The tasting featured the 2011 Santa Barbara County Syrah, the 2011 Thompson Vineyard Syrah and the 2011 Colson Canyon Vineyard Syrah. All show a common style of bold balanced fruit with secondary savory depth and hints of rusticity and old-world Syrah character.

The Santa Barbara County bottling comes from five sites from throughout the county, blending both warm and cool sites as well as a variety of soil types. It features nice forward brambly fruit with subtle spice and mineral accents, finely structured with good depth and length. It’s an attractive price point too at $25.

The 2011 Tensley Thompson Vineyard Syrah comes from the moderate climate Los Alamos Valley. The vineyard’s south-facing slopes ensure ripeness while the depleted soils keep yields low. I noted lots of blueberry, dried herb and peppercorn aromas and flavors that added rocky notes and brown spice through the palate. It was full and rich, yet balanced with gripping tannins and nice length and an underlying rusticity. Really nice but still so young, it’s a little unfocused at this point but should take shape nicely. 155 cases produced, $38.

 Lastly the 2011 Tensley Colson Canyon Vineyard Syrah comes from volcanic soils set high in the foothills above the Santa Maria Valley. It’s warmer than the valley floor due to its elevation above the fog line. The Colson Canyon is the only of Tensley’s single vineyard Syrahs to receive any new oak aging. Here I noted striking aromas- tea leaf, tobacco, spice, currant. It was layered and complex with subtle meaty notes through the palate. Round and polished throughout with firm structure and a full finish. It was the most distinctive at this point while still showing the potential to tie up the loose ends. Excellent. 1620 cases produced, $38.

I also tasted the 2011 Santa Barbara Grenache and the 2011 Lea Pinot Noir. Click here for the full lineup of notes. 

A couple of palate refreshers

Last month I wrote about the new Dirty & Rowdy Family Wines project, and profiled the 2011 Yountville Semillon. As a follow up I’d like to give a couple of impressions on their 2010 Santa Barbara Highlands Vineyard Mourvedré.

The mourvedré is grown at high altitudes in the arid eastern mountains of Santa Barbara County (far away from the idyllic Santa Ynez Valley). Dirty and Rowdy produce it with whole cluster fermentation, native yeast, no temperature control during fermentation, and with light foot-treading. Aging takes place in neutral French oak.  

The result is a wine that runs contrary to how one might think of mourvedré. It’s dark in color, but with clarity that brings levity to the appearance. Think elegance rather than concentration – with aromas of lavender & herb, blue fruit and spice melding through into the palate. Vibrant floral fruit flavors accompany subtle underbrush and spice. With a silky and fine structure – it’s very pinot noir-like in feel; finishing with lingering peppery fruit. The acid is good and the wine has plenty of ripeness given a very modest ABV of 12.8%.

Not only is it an excellent wine, it’s interesting. Like the Semillon, it’s a definitely something different. I served it with baked salmon – the elegance, good acidity, and pure fragrant fruit flavors made it a great match.

It’s too late to buy this wine from the winery, so you might have to do some digging around for it. The retail is around $36.

Another winner is the 2011 Schloss Gobelsburg Riesling (Kamptal, Austria). This wine is a Terry Theise selection, from an ancient estate undergoing qualitative changes and offering good overall values.

This dry riesling is grown in Kamptal’s sandstone, slate and gravel soils. It’s light gold in the glass; with an expressive slate, citrus zest and lilac nose. It has vibrancy on the palate with appealing front-palate acid. There’s ripe citrus with mineral and spice depth, along with hints of black pepper. The palate presence is there throughout with good weight. The finish is tangy and juicy - very enjoyable. The price is nice as well at around $18.

Tasting the heavyweights in Paso Robles

This past weekend was a good time to get to Paso Robles to sample wines from several of its acclaimed producers. I visited tasting rooms of four wineries, all coming off glowing reviews in the recently released edition of the Wine Advocate. And fortunately all had releases to show, as the top end of Paso Robles wine can sometimes be in short supply.

Tablas Creek Vineyard

The Westside of Paso Robles is home to some of the foremost producers of Rhône varietal blends in California. The region is anchored by the esteemed Tablas Creek Vineyard tucked away deep in the hills of Westside Paso. A partnership of the Perrin family of Chateau Beaucastel in Chateauneuf Du Pape and their American importers the Haas family, it can be fairly stated that Tablas Creek is Paso Robles’ truest version of Southern Rhône-style wines. The vineyard was planted on limestone soil familiar to the Southern Rhône Valley, and their resulting red blends are aged in large traditional French oak foudres.

Also emerging on Paso’s Westside have been a number of noteworthy producers such as Saxum, where Justin Smith’s limited production and high scores have rendered them as the “cult winery” of Paso Robles. Names such as L'Aventure, Denner, Booker, Villa Creek, Linne Calodo & Terry Hoage have been similarly lauded. These wineries are making rich and robust wines from mostly Rhône varietals in the bucolic hillsides of Westside Paso Robles around the Templeton Gap. The rocky calcareous soils, hot days with cool nights, and long growing season produces powerful and concentrated wines that have as much in common with Priorat as they do with the Rhône Valley. My visits took me to Terry Hoage Vineyards, Booker Vineyard, Villa Creek Cellars, and Linne Calodo.

Terry Hoage Vineyards

The winery and tasting room at Terry Hoage Vineyards sits atop a hillside overlooking the vineyards. The wines I tasted were all made from estate-grown Rhône varietals ranging from the lively 2011 Picpoul Blanc to several red blends. The reds are named from Hoage’s college and NFL football career. A pair of these so-named 2009’s were my favorites. The 2009 The 46 Grenache/Syrah (named for coach Buddy Ryan’s 46 defense from Hoage’s days with the Philadelphia Eagles) showed nice lavender and mineral notes to balance out the powerful fruit. The 2009 The Hedge Syrah (named for The Hedges at University of Georgia’s Sanford Stadium- where Hoage played in college) showed powerful savory depth and length. Choose this link for reviews of all of the wines tasted.

Booker Vineyard

The tasting room at Booker Vineyard is similarly located amongst the winery and vineyards. Eric Jensen’s wines are powerful yet complicated and at times perplexing. The simply named 2010 Booker White is an unfined/unfiltered Roussanne/Viognier blend with partial fermentation on the skins. It's a rich and profound wine that I can’t stop thinking about. The 2010 Booker Oublie Extended Age 22 Months is a blend of Syrah, Mourvedre, Counoise and Grenache. It's another cerebrally powerful wine with pinpoint concentration of crushed stone, red fruit, spice and mineral complexity. Choose the link for all of the wines tasted.

Villa Creek Cellars

A visit to Villa Creek Cellars takes you along quiet Peachy Canyon Road back toward downtown Paso Robles. You’re likely to pass wild turkeys along the side of the road while heading out so keep your eyes peeled! A pair of wines from the cool 2009 vintage stood out here. Adding Tempranillo into the mix, the 2009 Mas de Maha (Tempranillo/Grenache/Mourvedre/Carignan) threw down earth and clove with deep black fruit. The 2009 Damas Noir Mourvedre was filled with the long grip of smoke, pepper, anise and black fruit. What I liked at Villa Creek was the liveliness and structure of the wines. Choose the link for all of the wines tasted.

Wild turkeys along Peachy Canyon Road

The Mothership at Linne Calodo

Last stop was through the gates to the impressive cedar-built winery at Linne Calodo. The tasting was limited to three wines, so I counted the excellent 2010 Martyr (a Mourvedre/Syrah/Tannat/ Grenache blend) as two! Here I got layers of wild berries, dried lavender and crushed stone through a polished firm structure. Very nice indeed. Choose the link for all of the wines tasted.

From the best sites and in the right hands, this opulent style of wines in Paso’s Westside show the right touches of balance, several of which left an indelible mark in my memory. I’m interested to see how these wines age and/or hold in the bottle. Both the earliest examples of the more modern style of Saxum, and the more traditional style of Tablas Creek appear to be drinking well at 12 years of age according to recent CellarTracker notes. Some of the wines I tasted this weekend appear to be a worthy bet. 

Day 2- A Sunday in Northern Sonoma

Day 2 of my Napa/Sonoma weekend junket saw me in Northern Sonoma tasting a variety of wines from a variety of appellations. 

Sunday ended up as a trip from Siduri's Santa Rosa winery, throughout the Middle Reach area of the Russian River Valley at Copain and Porter Creek, and up to Ridge-Lytton Springs in the Dry Creek Valley. Aside from plenty of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, it was a great day to taste varietals ranging from Viognier & Pinot Noir Blanc to Zinfandel, Syrah & Carignane.

Siduri is located in an industrial complex in Santa Rosa- a large open warehouse space filled with fermentation tanks, barrels and cases- with a tasting area carved out within and plenty of variety to be had. Their Novy Family wines featured Chardonnay, a white Pinot Noir, Nebbiolo, Syrah, Zinfandel and a late-harvest Viognier- most of which were single vineyard. Overall the Novy wines were distinctive and terroir-driven with good value. Among the Siduri Pinot Noirs were four new 2010 releases including three single vineyards- 2010 Chehalem Mountains Willamette Valley, 2010 Sonatera Sonoma Coast, 2010 Ewald Russian River Valley & 2010 Cargasacchi Sta. Rita Hills. The Sonatera and Cargasacchi were highlights for me.

Copain was a magical and lustrous spot perched up on a hill along Eastside Road. The winery and tasting room overlooks their estate vineyard on one side, and the greater expanse of valley floor vineyards on the other. It's a nice showcase for the wines, which were pure and focused with deft balance and elegance. Tasted were current release "Tous Ensemble" and "Les Voisins" wines from Anderson Valley (Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Syrah) as well as a single vineyard Pinot Noir- 2009 "En Bas" Kiser from Anderson Valley. Overall a beautiful assortment of wines. 

The Ridge tasting room at Lytton Springs is a great place to view 100+ year old Zinfandel vines as well as taste a full assortment from of Ridge wines- from the Monte Bello wines in the Santa Cruz Mountains to the Zinfandel and blends from Sonoma. Lastly, Porter Creek has a cool little tasting room along Westside Road overlooking their organic vineyards on one side and a MacMurray Ranch vineyard on the other. Their wines overall show bright fruit with balanced Russian River spice and earth along with a hint of rusticity.

Below are my favorite wines from the day (click the link for price and tech info as available).

Siduri 2010 Pinot Noir Sonatera, Sonoma Coast-

Compact aromas of spice, sagebrush, sandalwood and fig. Interesting red notes on the palate- spice, dates, fig and sarsaparilla. Nicely weighted and smooth fine tannins. Full breathy finish. Very nice.

Siduri 2010 Pinot Noir Cargasacchi, Sta. Rita Hills- 

Dense all the way through. Aromas of sage, plum, mossy earth and violet. The palate featured densely layered red and dark fruit, eucalyptus, earth and mushroom. Smooth and lithe through the palate with fine tannins and a lengthy breathy finish. Very nice, needs a little time.

Novy Family 2009 Syrah Rosella's Vineyard, Santa Lucia Highlands-

Aromas of tea leaf, olive, black pepper, violet & bacon fat- with blue fruit and cassis on the palate accented violet and white pepper. Fine grainy tannins and full breathy finish. Very nice.

Novy Family 2010 Viognier Oley Late Harvest, Russian River Valley-

Aromas of slate, honey and apricot- shown with focused baking spice and gingerbread depth on the palate. Nicely balanced and intense. Full finish.

Copain 2010 Chardonnay "Tous Ensemble", Anderson Valley-

Bright aromas- Meyer lemon, riverstone and spice. Similar notes on the palate, very bright fruit with mineral accents and toasty lees. Rich and silky and bright throughout with a full finish. Very nice.

Copain 2009 Pinot Noir "LesVoisins", Anderson Valley-

Bouquet of clove, eastern spice, fig & sandalwood. Bright raspberry & fig with earthy spice depth on the palate. Elegant textures, fine tannins and a full plush finish. Very nice.

Copain 2009 Pinot Noir "En Bas" Kiser, Anderson Valley- 

Complex and dense bouquet- bright raspberry & fig paste with a myriad of spice and floral aromas. Beautifully layered and textured fruit with earth, spice and wood depth- woven and seamless and still tightly wound but very pretty. Fine smooth fleshy tannin with lingering depth on finish. Needs a few years. Outstanding.

Copain 2009 Syrah "Les Voisins", Yorkville Highlands- 

Plump aromas of black pepper, black olive, marinating beef, violet and plum. Pure fruit and savory depth on the palate- seamlessly woven with fleshy feel and fine firm tannins and full finish. Deft balance. Excellent.

Ridge 2010 Geyserville, Alexander Valley- 

Tasted at Lytton Springs. Aromas of black pepper, blue fruit and wild earth. Juicy and ripe fruit on the palate with savory like leather and spice. Roundly structured and an ample finish. Very good.

Ridge 2007 Syrah Lytton Estate, Dry Creek Valley-

Expressive aromas of anise, savory spice, blueberry and lavender. Peppery dark and red fruit on the palate with accents of blue flowers, licorice and cola. Round smooth tannins and a breathy juicy finish. Very nice.

Ridge 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate, Santa Cruz Mountains- 

Notes of cedar, tobacco, cassis, berry and leather. Layered and complex and elegant. Juicy with nice depth and feel. Fine firm tannins and a medium finish. Very nice.

Ridge 2007 Monte Bello, Santa Cruz Mountains-

Big savory notes on the bouquet- tobacco leaf, earth, shoebox leather; rich and deep with cassis and currant peeking through. Rich and fine on the palate with layered fruit and depth- still very dense and tightly wound. Fine tannins and lengthy finish.

Porter Creek 2010 Old Vine Chardonnay, Russian River Valley- 

Notes of slate, lemon and stone fruit. Rich and balanced on the palate with stone fruit, spice and traces of mineral notes. Medium finish with lingering spice.

Porter Creek 2009 Pinot Noir Fiona Hill, Russian River Valley- 

High pitched spice and plum on the bouquet. The palate led with plum and cherry along with mulled spice and rocky mineral notes that were balanced and integrated. Nicely layered structure with fine tannins and a pleasing finish.

Porter Creek 2009 Zinfandel Old Vine, Sonoma Co- 

Blue fruit on the nose with subtle mulled spice. Red cherry and red currant notes on the palate that are jammy and juicy, along with notes of earth and cracked pepper. Juicy fleshy tannins and a nice long finish. Very nice.

Porter Creek 2009 Syrah Timbervine Ranch, Russian River Valley-

Huge Syrah nose of green olive, bacon fat, cracked pepper and black currant. On the palate is grainy black fruit with savory herb and pepper notes. Nice depth. Coarse tannins with a nice richness on the palate. Breathy finish. Very nice.

Chappellet Signature '07 vs '06 and notes from Tercero tasting

Retailing in the low $40 range, Chappellet's Signature Cabernet Sauvignon is a good place to look for ultra-premium value in Napa Valley Cabernet. The wine is estate grown in Chappellet's vineyards on Pritchard Hill- located in the Vaca Mountains just east of Rutherford.

It's a big wine with mountain tannins, full fruit and oaky depth. It's typically a blend of just over 75% Cabernet Sauvignon with the remaining portion split among the other Bordeaux varietals, with substantial new oak on the profile. At its best it adds extra focus with notes of mineral acidity and tertiary flavors like tobacco and herb, and can rival Chappellet's flagship Pritchard Hill Estate Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon at about a third of the price. The 2006 Signature Cab was such a wine and was very well recognized critically.

I recently opened a 2007 Signature Cab and found it to be structured and bold, but lacking the extra oomph of the 2006. To me the 2006 had the acid and mineral components to give balance to the huge fruit and oak, as well as giving the wine a sense of having a life ahead of it. It also had those leafy tobacco flavors that I love in a Cab. In contrast, the 2007 was just huge currant and oak flavors. It did have huge tannins and structure that could resolve and bring more into the picture, but I just didn't get the sense that there was much there beneath the surface. It was an enjoyable wine, but not quite memorable or distinctive at this time. Also interesting in the 2007 vs 2006 is the much higher percentage of Malbec in the blend in the 2007- in the 2006 the secondary component of the blend was Merlot.

~Notes on Chappellet 2007 Signature Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley- 3+ hour decant. Opaque garnet color with lightening edges. Notes of cassis, lavender, currant and cedar throughout. The fruit is ripe on the palate yet backwards. The oak notes expand with cedar, espresso and cocoa. There's a nice silky tea note throughout. It drinks polished and plush with fine tannins that are very firm. The finish is dry and with good length along with plenty more dark fruit and oak. It's enjoyable at this stage, but tight overall and centered around black fruit and oak. The depth and length is there, and I could see this maybe developing a little more with oak integration- give another couple of years. (rating- I like!)

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I also recently tasted through a lineup with Larry Schaffer of Tercero Wines here in Santa Barbara County. Larry makes balanced and elegant Rhône varietal wines from single vineyards in Santa Barbara County- mostly located in the Los Alamos area. The tasting room is in Los Olivos.

The wines are all about pure focused fruit with naturally balanced spice and savory notes. They are very judiciously oaked with just partial neutral on the whites and neutral oak only on the reds. There's a seriously high enjoyability factor on these wines, and they are very fairly priced.

Here's a link to my notes from many wines tasted with Larry.

Stumbling across some gems from Ampelos

My Sunday afternoon gig in the Lompoc Wine Ghetto at Arcadian begets fantastic opportunities to taste the latest and greatest of Sta. Rita Hills wines.

Yesterday was a fantastic end-of-the-week barbecue put on by Jalama Wines featuring a broad assortment of BYO leftover wines from the various tasting rooms. And although I only was able to be there for a brief moment in time before personal duties called, I tasted these two gems from Ampelos-

Ampelos 2007 Pinot Noir Rho, Sta. Rita Hills Ampelos Vineyard- Aged for 24 months in 50% new French oak. Biodyamically farmed. The wine was impactful and bold yet subtle and alluring. Bold fruit, earth, floral and spice were all there but you couldn't really tell where one started and another one ended. Polished and fine in structure but still gritty and alive. This is Sta. Rita Hills Pinot Noir to love. (rating- I like++! - I love!) $42

Ampelos 2007 Grenache Delta, Sta. Rita Hills, Ampelos Vineyard- 31 months in barrel. Biodymanically farmed. Another wine with personality. This had a pleasing pungent "grapiness" and blackberry fruit throughout. Peppered with lively spice and earth flavors and firm juicy tannin along with a just a hint of Grenache heat on the finish, this left a mark. (rating- I like+!) $35

2011 Wine Travels- Paso Robles Top 10

Onward and upward. The same trip in May produced a wonderful afternoon strolling around the Westside hills of Paso Robles. If you've never taken a ride on Vineyard Dr, it's truly one of the great scenic wine country drives in California.

The day included stops at Turley, L'Aventure, Denner, Tablas Creek and Adelaida. Through the day I enjoyed a nice variety of Westside Paso wines and caught plenty of highlights of what the area does well- Syrah, Rhône blends, Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel- below were my 10 favorites:

Click the links for more info on the wines

2007 Adelaida Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve Viking Estate Vineyard, Paso Robles

Tasting room pour. Mineral, tea, floral, and red fruit on the nose. Additional red fruit, tea, lavender, and cedar notes on the palate. Well structured with good weight and feel, grainy tannins, and a long finish. (I really liked!)

2008 Adelaida Syrah Anna’s Vineyard, Paso Robles

Tasting room pour. Meaty, floral, and blue fruit notes on the nose. Plush fruit, floral, gamey flavors- with lush round tannins and long fruit notes to finish. (I really liked!)

2008 Tablas Creek Esprit de Beaucastel, Paso Robles

Tasting room pour. Cherry, fruitcake, herb, and spice notes on the nose. Beautiful silky feel on the palate with red fruit, mineral, and peppery notes. Firm-fine tannins and a long finish. A lot more to this than tasting room notes can indicate. Outstanding and should develop nicely. (I really liked!)

2010 Tablas Creek Rosé, Paso Robles

Tasting room pour. Rich red fruit and toffee on the nose. Strawberry and cherry fruit, rich and full, with a nice finish. Excellent rosé. (I really liked!)

2008 Tablas Creek Mourvedre, Paso Robles

Tasting room pour. Meaty, mineral, red & blue fruit on the notes. Notes of tea, red fruit, and light spice on the palate. Firm round/ripe tannins, and a lengthy finish. (I really liked!)

2009 Denner “The Ditch Digger”, Paso Robles

Tasting room pour. Tight aromas- mostly cherry and red currant. The palate gives black cherry and mineral notes with rich spice and round tannins. Finishes long. (I really liked!)

2010 Denner Theresa, Paso Robles

Tasting room pour. Stone fruit and floral nose. Leesy and rich fruit through the palate with a lengthy finish. Very nice. (I really liked!)

2008 L’Aventure Estate Cuvée, Paso Robles

Tasting room pour. Mineral, tea, black currant, and cherry notes in the bouquet. Full dark fruit along with mineral and toffee notes on the palate. Round firm tannins and good length. (I really liked!)

2005 L’Aventure Optimus, Paso Robles

Tasting room pour. Cracked pepper, cherry, and dried herbal notes on the nose, leading to darker currant, leather, and graphite notes on the palate. Great feel and structure. Gripping round tannins and a long finish. (I loved!)

2009 Turley Zinfandel Dusi Vineyard, Paso Robles

Tasting room pour. Blackberry, cherry cola, and spice on the nose. The palate shows additions of red fruit and black tea, with a nice satiny feel. Tannins and round and fine with spice and fruit lingering on the finish. (I really liked!)

Click for more Paso Robles pictures