Last week, I wrote about the seminar that Karen and I attended at the latest Garagiste Festival in Glendale. Part 2 is about the other wines we tasted.
The grand tasting featured over 50 wineries from all over California, 23 of which also poured the previous evening at the Rare & Reserve kick-off party – shout out to Fired Up Chef Services for the great BBQ buffet dinner that accompanied this.
Here are the wineries that stood out to us. I’ve also added a few comments in brackets. We didn’t taste everything, so not being marked as a favorite isn’t a sign of disrespect. And in some cases we only tasted at a winery’s table during the Rare and Reserve tasting and if so that is indicated as well.
13th & Third Wines – Paso Robles
2018 Rose of Grenache
2017 Lily (blend of Grenache Blanc, Roussanne, Viognier, Picpoul)
2015 NMR (blend of Grenache, Syrah and Mourvedre)
[Hard to go wrong when the winemaker is Don Burns of Turtle Rock and Saxum.]
Aldina Vineyards – Sonoma
2015 Estate Cabernet Sauvignon
Angeleno Wine Co. – Los Angeles
2018 Super Bloom Verdejo, Clay Station
2018 Meadow Rose, Terra Alta
2017 Zanja Madre (Grenache, Tempranillo), Alonso Family Vineyard
2017 Syrah, Alonso Family Vineyard
[As I mentioned in the segment about the seminar and in a previous article, I’m a big fan of what this winery is doing in downtown LA.]
Ascension Cellars – Paso Robles
2015 Ascendance Cab/Merlot [from the R&R tasting]
Bevela Wines – Santa Barbara
2018 White Lotus Grenache Blanc [from the R&R tasting]
Bodega de Edgar – Paso Robles
2015 Gran Reserva Tempranillo [from the R&R tasting]
Byron Blatty Wines – Los Angeles
2016 Evenfall (Tempranillo, Petite Sirah and Merlot)
2015 Ghost Cat (Syrah, Cab Sauv, Cab Franc and Merlot)
[both from the R&R tasting]
Cavaletti Vineyards – Santa Barbara / Los Angeles
2018 Alicante Bouschet – Barrel Sample
2017 Vigneron Reserve Syrah/Cabernet
2018 The 109 Mile Rose (Tempranillo, Grenache)
2017 Sangiovese
2017 Rancho Baila Sol Field Blend
[So impressed with everything from this winery.]
Deno Wines – Paso Robles
2010 Two Bills Zin-Grenache
2009 Paso Robles GSM
2017 Arneis, El Pomar District
2016 Estate Grenache
2016 Estate GSM
2014 Estate GSM
[These tasted like old school Paso Robles to me. I don’t mean big over-the-top wines. They brought back memories – in a good way – of visiting before things got so crowded. They have a tasting room in Templeton now, which also reminds me of old school Paso.]
DeWitt Vineyard – Sierra Foothills
2016 Estate Syrah
2015 Estate Touriga
2016 Estate Tempranillo
[Really nice, fairly prices wines. Just disappointed their Barbera wasn’t ready!]
Dusty Nabor Wines – Central Coast
2014 Bolt To Wines Grenache
2016 Bolt To Wines Grenache Blanc [the richness of this wine was amazing.]
2017 Syrah – Ballard Canyon AVA
2017 Bolt To Wines Syrah
Ferguson Family Winery – Sierra Foothills
2016 The Phoenix Zinfandel
2016 Boomshakalaka Petite Sirah
Golden Star Vineyards – Central Coast
2015 Tempranillo, Paso Robles
2016 Syrah, Chavez Vineyard, Antelope Valley AVA
[I really am past due for a visit to this high-desert winery.]
Golden Triangle – Paso Robles
2015 Syrah, Willow Creek District
2015 Cab / Syrah, Willow Creek District
[Finally got to taste Garagiste Fesitval co-founder Stewart McLennan’s wines. And the good news is that he is opening a tasting room in Templeton.]
Hoi Polloi Wines – Central Coast
2017 Rose of Grenache, Adelaida District, Paso Robles [consistently Karen’s favorite Rose]
2016 “Blue Velvet” Syrah, Larner Vineyard, Ballard Canyon AVA [a consistently great Syrah from an iconic vineyard]
[From Garagiste Festival co-founder Doug Minnick and his partners; we are lucky to have this tasting room in the Santa Clarita Valley.]
MCV Wines – Paso Robles
2018 Pink Rose
2016 Petite Sirah, Rosewynn Vineyard
2016 1105 Blend
[I’ve been a fan of Matt Villard’s wines for a long time. Some big news coming from this winery so stay tuned.]
Oceans Churning Wines – Sonoma
2014 Chardonnay [from the R&R tasting]
Powicana Farm – Mendocino
2013 Petite Sirah [from the R&R tasting]
Record Family Wines – Paso Robles
2017 Estate Viognier
2017 Estate Grenache Rose
2016 Randy’s Red (Syrah, Grenache)
2016 Reserve Syrah
[The wines are made by Jeff Strekas of ONX, so of course they’re going to be delicious.]
Two Papas Wines – Santa Barbara
2017 Grenache Blanc, Saarloos Vineyard
2017 Grenache, Saarloos Vineyard
2017 Grenache, Thompson Vineyard
2017 Syrah, Thompson Vineyard
[I was eager to taste Santa Clarita local Rick Pratt’s wines and I was totally blown away by the quality.]
Two Shepherds – Sonoma
2018 Picpoul Blanc, Yolo County
2018 Rose of Carignan, Mendocino
2018 “Wiley” Carbonic Carignan, Mendocino
2016 Carigan, Mendocinao
[William Allen continues to make his delicious, convention-defying wines.]
Velvet Bee Wines – Santa Barbara
2018 Queen Bee (Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon) [from the R&R tasting]
Wandermust-Must Wines – Sonoma
2018 Verdelho [from the R&R tasting]
Zanoli Wines – Paso Robles
2017 Mourvedre, Glenrose Vineyard
2016 Syrah, Glenrose Vineyard
Congratulations to co-founders Doug Minnick and Stewart McLennan as well as Lisa Dinsmore (Event/Web Director) and Melanie Webber (Public Relations and Communications) for another great event. Their passion and hard work have really made the Garagiste Festival concept something special. We can’t wait for the next one.
Michael Perlis has been pursuing his passion for wine for more than 30 years. He has had the good fortune of having numerous mentors to show him the way, as well as a wonderful wife who encourages him and shares his interest. After a couple of decades of learning about wine, attending events, visiting wineries and vineyards, and tasting as much wine as he possibly could, he had the amazing luck to meet Eve Bushman. Now, as Contributing Editor for Eve’s Wine 101, he does his best to bring as much information as possible about wine to Eve’s Wine 101 faithful readers. Michael is also President of MCP Financial, which provides outsourced controller services. Michael can be contacted at michaelthezinfan@aol.com or mcpfinancial@aol.com.
