Cougar Vineyard & Winery is not on the main Rancho California road where most of the Temecula wineries are located. You have to look for this winery driving on the more rural De Portola Road (the local vineyards here call it the De Portola Wine Trail). You really can’t miss driving past this vineyard, though, because the sign has huge cougar paw prints on it.
Not being sure what to expect from a vineyard called Cougar, we decided to find out. We drove up a long paved driveway lined with beautiful grape vines to a metal warehouse-looking building. This was it; Cougar Vineyard & Winery. Well, we were here (and there were quite a few cars in the parking lot), so we opened the door and entered.
Inside, we were immediately greeted with, “Hello…welcome…Come on in!” The voice came from behind the bar which took us a minute to find because the interior is cavernous with wine barrels separating the tasting room from the actual wine making facility. There was laughter coming from the bar and the visitors already tasting wine seemed to be enjoying themselves. Then, we were greeted by a couple of mild mannered dogs (oh yes…we were going to like this place). We felt comfortable. This was going to be fun and interesting…we could just tell.
This is a young, small production wine making facility with a hint of fine grape varietals and a large dose of wit. Not that the wines aren’t serious. Winemaker/Owners Rick and Jennifer Buffington are dedicated to planting the best Italian varietal grapes and nearly all the wines produced are estate grown. That says a lot about one of the newer Temecula vineyards and we were favorably impressed by many of the wines.
The 2009 Vermentino is 100% estate grown. It is a wine to drink soon and has hints of green apple and lime flavors. We would enjoy a bottle of this wine on a warm summer evening served chilled with seafood or vegetables.
Other wines that we tasted and enjoyed were the 2007 Sangiovese and the 2007 The Full Monte ™ which is a smooth red and is limited to a production of 100 cases per year.
The owners have also invested their time training their pourers on each type of wine that is produced so that a visitor will feel that they have learned something about the wines that are being tasted. Training is an investment of time that can reap excellent returns. Go on a few wine tastings to other vineyards and you’ll soon realize that some pourers have no training (or enthusiasm) and don’t know much more than how to pour wine.
Why was this winery fun? The people there made it fun. They were engaging, informative, casual, and friendly. Jaime was our pourer. Not only did she know all about the wines, she was excited and passionate about them and made our wine tasting experience all the more enjoyable! And if you’re curious as to why the owners named their vineyard Cougar, the answer is that they once owned a home that was at the top of Cougar Mountain.
If you’re looking for a refined wine tasting experience, don’t come here. This is too much fun for stuffiness. But, if you enjoy good estate wines nicely priced and an atmosphere that shouts “we’re glad you’re here” then Cougar Vineyard & Winery is just the place to begin (or end) your Temecula Valley wine tour!
Submitted by Carol Wilcox, Southwest Wine Guide www.SouthwestWineGuide.com
Cougar Vineyards www.CougarVineyards.com
