Perlis Picks: Turley Wine Cellars Again

September 22, 2018 by Michael Perlis Leave a Comment

Turley Wine Cellars has always had a very significant presence in our personal wine cellar and I don’t see that ever changing. While our wine interests have broadened, Turley continues to be on a very short list of wineries we absolutely can’t do without.

But when we bumped into Turley Tasting Room Manager Malani Anderson a few months ago while attending a seminar at the Hospice du Rhone event, we realized that we had not actually visited Turley’s Paso Robles’ winery and tasting room in quite some time. Obviously, we needed to rectify this.

Our connection to Turley Wine Cellars started in 2000, when they acquired the Pesenti winery and vineyard in Templeton. Of course we knew of Turley before that, having latched onto Zinfandel as a favorite varietal several years earlier. We were also very familiar with Pesenti and had visited them many times, usually to start a day of tasting [they opened at 9 AM!].

Larry Turley had founded Turley Wine Cellars in 1993 and quickly became what is known as a “cult” winery specializing in Zinfandel and Petite Syrah [yes, that’s how Larry spells it]. Acquiring Pesenti in 2000 not only gave Larry access to a great historic vineyard but, in my opinion, helped to bring additional legitimacy to an area that was starting to explode.

Of course, changes were made to the tasting room to give visitors a great Turley experience. We’ve visited many times over the year for pick-up parties, seminars and, of course, just to taste the great Turley wines. But, as I said, we hadn’t stopped by in a while so we were extremely pleased to be able to correct this by visiting with Paso Robles tasting room assistant manager and educator Steve O’Brien.

Steve took us on a quick visit to the Pesenti Vineyard before the day got too hot. He explained that the rains of 2016 and 2017 really provided much needed benefit to the vines, which had been suffering a great deal from the drought; these vines are traditionally dry-farmed. 2018 has seemed to have returned to the “normal” drier conditions. On the plus side, Steve said that the timing of harvest seemed like it was going to be a little later than the past few years had been, also being a little more like normal conditions.

When we first signed up for Turley’s mailing list in 2000, when they acquired this amazing property, we were able to pretty much select everything Turley had to offer. At that time, I’m guessing that Turley made, perhaps, twenty wines, mostly Zinfandel. Now, they make almost 50 different wines, mostly vineyard designated Zinfandel and Petite Syrahs. Although it’s now become impossible to take everything Turley offers, the work of picking and choosing is a lot of fun.

We’ve always admired Larry Turley and director of winemaking Tegan Passalacqua [and everyone else at Turley for that matter] for the focus on preserving California’s heritage vineyards. We’ve also held a special place in our heart for the ones in Paso Robles, so we were excited when Turley added yet another Paso vineyard to the portfolio – the Amadeo Martinelli Vineyard. The bottling is called “Amadeo’s” in the Turley lineup [they can’t really call it Martinelli, can they?] and is another great example of what Paso’s old vineyards can do. The vineyard, on the west side of Templeton, was planted in the 1920s and the Amadeo Martinelli winery operated up until the 1960s.

We had the opportunity to barrel taste with Steve O’Brien all of their Paso 2017 Zinfandels – Dusi, Pesenti, Ueberroth and Amadeo’s – as well as the Pesenti 2017 Petite Syrah. Now, barrel tasting can be dicey; often the wines are not ready to drink and just offer a glimpse of what is to come. These wines were delicious, even the Petite which can often take some time in the bottle to come around. I’m not sure I could have told them apart blind – although I think I could have picked out the Dusi for its always distinct [to me] brambly notes – but I can tell you this much though: I am going to have some tough choices when they show up on the allocation letters. [Not the Amadeo’s though, at least as of now it is only available in the Paso Robles tasting room.]

Finishing our visit in the Tasting Room, we started with the 2016 White Coat blend of Roussanne, Grenache Blanc and Vermentino. Always one of our go-to whites [when available] it is named after Larry Turley’s days as an ER physician.

We followed that with a real treat, the 2017 Cinsault from the Bechthold Vineyard in Lodi. This vineyard was planted in 1886 [wow] and is the oldest Cinsault vineyard in the US.

Then we had a side-by-side tasting of two 2016 Zinfandels – Duarte and Rattlesnake Ridge. The Duarte Zinfandel is named after grape grower Joe Duarte who introduced Larry to the vineyard of Contra Costa County; this is a blend from three of those which were planted between 1890 and 1930. The sandy soils help to create a very soft style of Zin. The Rattlesnake Ridge on the other hand is Howell Mountain at its finest – big and bold. Trying these side by side really showed the differences imparted by the growing regions.

We couldn’t leave without trying the 2016 Amadeo’s Zinfandel. This is really another great addition to Turley’s portfolio. And we couldn’t leave without buying because it doesn’t make it to the mailing list!

Ditto for the 2016 Tecolote blend of Grenache and Carignane from the Pesenti Vineyard. These two varietals seems to go together naturally and the old vines add to the complexity.

Steve reminded us that when Turley Wine Cellars first started, people commented that the wines were pretty expensive…for Zinfandel. Now that Zinfandel is recognized as a quality wine grape [in no small part due to Larry Turley’s efforts], the price of high-end Zinfandel has gone up substantially – except for Turley. I don’t think I’ve seen an increase since we’ve been on the allocation list. As Malani told me: “We know there are many wines to choose from out there, but we want to be a no brainer for high quality and fair pricing and I think that makes us unique.”

We’ve enjoyed being part of the Turley family for almost 20 years. Thank you to Malani for setting this up and to Steve for being such a great host. And don’t forget to visit your favorite wineries – there just might be something great that didn’t make it onto the mailing list!

Turley Wine Cellars

Paso Robles Tasting Room

2900 Vineyard Drive,
Templeton, CA 93465
Tel: (805) 434-1030

Amador County Tasting Room

10851 Shenandoah Road,
Plymouth, CA 95669
Tel: (209) 245-3938

Michael Perlis has been pursuing his passion for wine for more than 25 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 Vice President of Eve Bushman Consulting (fka Eve’s Wine 101 Consulting) http://evebushmanconsulting.com/ and President of MCP Financial. Michael can be contacted at michaelthezinfan@aol.com or michael@evebushmanconsulting.com.

The Passing of Kent Rosenblum

September 15, 2018 by Michael Perlis 3 Comments

Kent Rosenblum passed away on September 5^th, 2018.

Before there were the current big three of Turley, Carlisle and Bedrock [or whoever your favorite Zinfandel producers might currently be], there were the three Rs of Zinfandel: Rosenblum, Ravenswood and Ridge.

Kent Rosenblum of Rosenblum Cellars, Joel Peterson of Ravenswood and Paul Draper of Ridge Vineyards pretty much created the category of Zinfandel as an artisan wine. They paved the way for the quality and variety of amazing Zins that we now get to enjoy on a regular basis.

Karen and I have had the great pleasure of meeting one of the Rs, Joel Peterson of Ravenswood and also now Once and Future Wine Company, a few times.

Sadly, we never got to meet Kent Rosenblum and our lives are poorer for that. There are many moving tributes online and I encourage you to seek those out.

Being a great pioneering winemaker was only part of who he was. He was clearly a good friend to many as well as, most importantly, being a wonderful husband, father and grandfather.

We’ve been fortunate to meet Kent’s daughter Shauna Rosenblum of Rock Wall Wine Company as she carries on the family tradition. Our condolences go out to her and to the rest of Kent’s family and friends.

More from ZAP [Zinfandel Advocates & Producers] – used with permission, including the photo:

A bright light has gone out in the Zinfandel community. Beloved husband, father, grandfather and Zinfandel pioneer, Kent Rosenblum died unexpectedly at his home in Alameda early September 5. He was 74 years old.

A founding board member of ZAP, Kent served continuously on the board since the organization started in 1991 and was president in 1997. Throughout the years, Kent was an enthusiastic champion of ZAP’s mission. He was a tireless advocate, always dreaming up new ideas and generously hosting ZAP events (remember Good Eats & Zin!). Most recently, he was working on a new membership passport initiative that will be unveiled this fall. There is so much more to say about Kent’s contributions. He was a leader by example and his was a life well lived.

Heartfelt wishes and remembrances are flowing in by the hundreds and hundreds from all over. Kent touched countless people, not only with his winemaking, but his charming wit, compassion and exuberance were infectious. He created a lasting legacy in the Zinfandel world that lives on with his winemaker daughter, Shauna at Rock Wall Wine Company.

We are deeply saddened by his passing and extend our sincerest condolences to Kent’s wife, Kathy, daughters Shauna and Kristen, his brother Roger, sister Pamela and his granddaughter, Skylar. He was a devoted friend and will be missed dearly.

Rebecca Robinson
Executive Director

Perlis Picks: Hoyt Family Vineyards

September 1, 2018 by Michael Perlis Leave a Comment

Have you heard of tiny houses? There’ve been a few television shows about them. My wife Karen occasionally watches them and I’ll sometimes lift my head up from wine-related Facebook conversations to see what’s up.

Basically, people downsize to a minimum level of possessions and space requirements in order to live in very small residences, simplifying their lives in the process. Now what that minimum level is varies from family to family depending on their own situation. The whole idea has never really appealed to me; for one thing, what to do with the wine?

But, to stay in a tiny house in a vineyard on the west side of Paso Robles? Heck yes, that is very appealing.

The first episode of DIY Network’s “Cabin Brothers” featured the development and construction of two tiny homes on the vineyard property of Hoyt Family Vineyards. The “brothers” are twins John and Ron Daniels [formerly of the show “Redwood Kings”] and their company Daniels Wood Land is conveniently based in Tin City just south of downtown Paso Robles.

The cabins/homes have all the amenities – two bedrooms [one is a master with a queen size bed and the other is smaller with bunk beds], a shower and full kitchen. Our vineyard view cabin gave us a full frontal view of the beautiful vineyard – just be careful not to give a full frontal view to the vineyard workers; this is a working winery, after all. In case you’re wondering, you also have satellite TV and Wi-Fi.

But all this would mean nothing to me if the wines didn’t measure up.

For a little bit about how that started, we have to begin in…Malibu.

Carol and Stephen Hoyt moved to Malibu and planted their Chardonnay vineyard on their property in 2001. Carol, a self-taught winemaker, made her first wine with purchased Cabernet fruit while waiting for the first Chardonnay grapes to be ready to harvest in 2004. Since that time, Hoyt Family Vineyards became known for producing delicious Chardonnay from Malibu.

But we all know that there is more to wine than Chardonnay, yummy as it is, and in 2011 the Hoyts purchased 86 acres on the west side of Paso Robles in the very highly regarded Willow Creek District, with neighbors like Booker, Tablas Creek and most recently Clos Solene [in other words, a pretty darn good neighborhood], to expand the estate offerings of Hoyt Family Vineyards. After much work [some still ongoing] on the vineyards, which now consist of two adjacent properties totaling 140 acres with 30 acres planted, they now also produce Tempranillo, Cabernet Sauvignon, Viognier, Grenache and Petit Verdot.

Tastings are available by appointment at the vineyard property, which is especially convenient if you are staying there. But we wanted to check out the new tasting room in downtown Paso Robles. Located just north of the busy park square, the Hoyt Family Vineyards tasting room is a wonderful addition to the downtown tasting room scene. It is now literally possible to spend a day (or more) tasting wine strolling around without ever needing to drive into the surrounding countryside, should you so choose.

We went through the whole lineup of wines, which I am pleased share with you here, including the winery’s notes:

White

Hoyt2Hoyt Sparkling Wine: Our newest addition, a sophisticated Methode Champignon sourced from Sonoma County. Light, crisp and refreshing. Perfect for a celebration or a Sunday morning. Dry, with notes of pear and apple, delicately tickles your fancy.

2015 Chardonnay: Our newest release! We have taken our Malibu estate grown Chardonnay through 100% malolactic and aged it in new and used French Oak. This is the wine that put us on the map! Crisp, with hints of oak and butter this Chardonnay’s acid is well balanced on your palate and could look forward to it aging beautifully, if you can wait, but we don’t think you will want to! It is our classic “Drink it all day Chardonnay”! Case Production 325

Muscat: For those of you who expect this wine to be overly sweet, we have a surprise for you! Made with no residual sugar, this Muscat presents itself as beautifully dry with a fragrant nose of citrus, clean and crisp. This is a onetime wine from our estate with a small production, get it before it’s gone! Case Production 30

Rosé

2017 Pinot Noir Rose: Sophisticated and elegant, best describes our estate Grown Pinot Noir Rose. This Rose, already turning heads and making a splash, claimed 99 points, double gold and best of class from the California State Fair. Notes of strawberry, and citrus make this perfect for the summer or for that matter anytime.

Red

“Dylema” Our fun red blend. Originally created for the Malibu Chili cook off, this has become a house favorite. A Cab based blend with a little bit of everything else thrown in. Smooth and easy on the palate, we were hard pressed as what to call it, so we named it after our kids, Dylan and Emma. Enjoy our “Dylema”. GOLD Medal Winner

Grenache: Our first Grenache! And we are delighted with its lovely gardenia and soft smokey pepper and burnt Cherry undertones. Case Production 80

2012 Tempranillo: Fruit forward, well balanced. The velvet feel rolls in your mouth, with magical notes of black currant, blackberries, blueberry, vanilla and cooking spices. Very limited production of this hand picked estate fruit. Case Production 55

2013 Petite Sirah: Our 2013 Petite Sirah is totally amazing. Big bold fruit, beautiful legs, rounded mouth feel, we think it’s like “sex in a bottle”. Very limited production, and we feel it will be winning Gold Medals- we expect nothing less!

2012 Cabernet Sauvignon: Already winning Best of Class by the San Francisco Wine Chronicle, this is our favorite Cab yet. It’s unbelievable round mouth feel, is chewy, fruit forward, leggy and lovely. A sophisticated Cab, very limited production, this wine won’t last! Case Production 96

These are very well made wines. The awards they are getting, such as the one from the Chronicle, are about as legit as they get. The Rose really knocked us out and the Petite Sirah is aptly described as amazing. As you can see, production is tiny on many of these so blink and they might be gone. But whatever they are pouring next will be sure to please.

Thank you to Nancy Hoffman of Hoyt Family Vineyards for hosting us at the property and at the tasting room, as well as giving us a whirlwind vineyard tour and pointing out the best places to enjoy a glass of wine at sunset. She is a joy to work with – don’t believe just me; check out the reviews on Airbnb. https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/23712572

So, am I ready to give it all up and move into a tiny house? Probably not. But I would definitely stay again in a tiny cabin in a beautiful vineyard, especially this vineyard and this winery: Hoyt Family Vineyards. You should too.

Hoyt Family Vineyards

Tasting room:

1322 Park Street, Paso Robles, Ca. 93446

Vineyard:

2015 Township Rd, Paso Robles, Ca. 93446

Cabins:

2110 Township Rd, Paso Robles, Ca. 93446

PERLIS PICKS: THE GARAGISTE FESTIVAL [Part Two]

August 11, 2018 by Michael Perlis Leave a Comment

Last week I gave you an introduction to the latest Garagiste Festival held in Santa Monica. Here now are some comments about the wines Karen and I enjoyed.

Ascension Cellars – winemaker Erick Allen continues to make consistently high quality wines from Paso Robles grapes. Primarily Rhone varietals, my favorites were the 2017 Siren Rose, the 2016 Enchantress Rhone White blend and the 2014 Trinity GSM blend.

Byron Blatty Wines – committed to making wines sourced from Los Angeles County vineyards, owners Mark & Jenny Blatty along with winemakers Steve Lemley & Nate Hasper (more on them below) are making some remarkable wines. The two wines listed in the program were poured recently at the Wine On The Roof event in Santa Clarita, so I didn’t taste those this time. But the other two that Mark Blatty poured were excellent as well –the 2016 Agenda (primarily Syrah with a little Tannat) and the 2016 Pragmatic (Malbec with small amounts of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot).

Caliza Winery – Carl Bowker has been making his small production Rhones in Paso Robles for about ten years now and he has certainly got it down. I tasted his wines recently at Hospice du Rhone but I did try his two 2017 bottlings this time, the Pink GSM and the Kissin’ Cousins White Rhone Blend. Both were delicious, as was my revisit of the 2013 Estate Grenache.

Domane Kreger – this winery is based in Lancaster, CA and sources grapes from Santa Barbara County and Paso Robles. I really liked their 2014 Syrah and 2013 Tempranillo.

Dusty Nabor Wines – Dusty not only gets my vote for coolest winemaker name but is making excellent wines in Westlake Village from Central Coast grapes. He was pouring several wines but my favorite was his 2016 Grenache from Paso Robles.

Hoi Polloi Wines – Doug Minnick is not only one of the founders of the Garagiste Festivals but is one of the owners/winemakers of this winery with a tasting room in downtown Newhall. They have the distinction of making Karen’s all-time favorite Rose and the rest of the wines are pretty great too. The 2016 “Blue Velvet” Syrah from the iconic Larner Vineyard was a standout for me.

Leverage Wines – Paso Robles gets a lot of love at Garagiste and here is another one, focusing on Rhones [which always works for me]. Excellent 2017 Grenache Rose and 2015 Trajectory GSM.

Marin’s Vineyard – This Monterey County winery specializes in Syrah and Viognier. They do a pretty nice Malbec too. We’re talking Southern Monterey County, so think Paso as opposed to cool weather styles.

Mastro Scheidt – sourcing grapes from Sonoma and Mendocino counties, owner/winemaker David Scheidt makes delicious Zinfandel, Cabernet Franc as well as a Super Tuscan blend of Sangiovese and Cabernet Sauvignon. And his Cabernet Sauvignons are pretty tasty too.

Monochrome Wines – I’m just going to say it: It takes balls to make only white wine in red wine country. Since I was focusing primarily on reds I almost skipped it. Fortunately, Karen insisted I try the wines. As usual…um, always…she was right. Especially loved the 2016 blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Marsanne as well as the 2016 blend of Marsanne and Chardonnay. They are pouring in Paso’s Tin City now and I highly recommend you check them out. We intend to.

Pulchella Winery – the men, the myths, the legends. Winemakers Steve Lemley and Nate Hasper put the Santa Clarita Valley wine scene on the map. Not ones to rest on their laurels, they just keep getting better, especially for me the 2015 Tannat.

Record Family Wines – with wines now being made by Jeff Strekas [of Onx] this Paso Robles winery is poised to break out big. The 2017 Grenache Rose was my favorite, but the others showed the capabilities of the family’s vineyard as well.

Stolo Family Vineyards – based in Cambria, this coastal winery produces wines more similar to Sonoma Coast’s style as opposed to nearby Paso Robles. The 2016 Estate Syrah and the 2015 Estate Hillside Reserve Syrah were both great examples of cool climate wines.

Sweetzer Cellars – An excellent example of consumers turned winemakers and named after the street they lived on in West Hollywood, I really enjoyed the 2017 Rose of Grenache as well as the 2016 Grenache from the Central Coast.

TLO Wines – good news for Bakersfield residents and those not far from there: TLO is opening a tasting room just for you. I especially liked the 2016 blend of Tempranillo, Syrah and Mourvedre as well as the 2014 Reserve Syrah.

TW Fermentation Co. – I’m admittedly more of a Rhone and Zin guy, but this Paso Robles winery is selling me on Paso Cab with the 2012-2014 vertical of Straight Cab as well as their 2014 Bordeaux blend.

Wildwood Oak Winery – it was nice to see some Lodi representation. Anita and Tony Matlock source their grapes from there; the winery is in Redlands. I enjoyed the 2016 “Dancing Queen” Syrah from the Abba Vineyard [get it?].

As I mentioned above, there were almost 50 wineries pouring so I if I didn’t mention a winery I probably didn’t get to it this time.

To bring this article full circle [see Part One], I haven’t read anywhere as to whether Jonathan Gold had an opinion about The Garagiste Festival. I like to think he would have approved. Not sure what he’d think of this article though. He was once quoted [tongue in cheek?] as saying: “Wine writing is what food writers do when their knees start to go.”

PERLIS PICKS THE GARAGISTE FESTIVAL: URBAN EXPOSURE [Part One]

August 4, 2018 by Michael Perlis Leave a Comment

Saturday, July 21^st was a great day that ended on a very sad note.

Karen and I had a wonderful time at the latest incarnation of The Garagiste Festival: Urban Exposure in Santa Monica and followed that with an early dinner at one of our new favorite restaurants, Lunetta, also in Santa Monica.

By the time we got home though, social media was blowing up with the sad news of the passing of Pulitzer Prize winning food critic Jonathan Gold.

Now, this article is not intended to be a tribute to Mr. Gold. Far better writers than I am, many who knew him personally, have penned heartfelt remembrances that you should seek out; his influence on the Los Angeles restaurant scene is incalculable and he will be sorely missed.

But it got me thinking that some of the traits that Jonathan praised in the restaurants he wrote about are also ones Karen and I look for in wineries: authenticity, creativity, risk-taking, passion. And nobody exemplifies these attributes better than the Garagistes.

The Garagiste Festival started in 2011 with its first event in Paso Robles, focusing entirely on the little guys – “the ultra- premium, hard to find, micro-wineries”. Since then, it has expanded to annual events in Solvang, Los Angeles and most recently, just prior to the latest L.A. event, an inaugural event in Sonoma County.

These wineries make less than 1500 cases per year, many much less. This means that in most cases, you won’t find them pouring in a tasting room. But where you can find them is at the Garagiste Festivals, where you will find the winemakers and winery owners pouring their own wines and telling their own stories. You’ll be able to sign up for their mailing lists and even order their wines at the events. Keep in mind that the productions are small and usually not available retail.

Each winery and winemaker has its own journey; some started as consumers, some as grape-growers, some are second generation in the wine business now doing their own thing. What they all share is that passion to make wine the best way they know how.

You should definitely sign up on The Garagiste Festival website for updates as well as follow our reporting.

Which brings us back to the most recent event held in L.A., specifically at the Santa Monica Bay Woman’s Club, with almost 50 California wineries pouring:

Alma Sol

Ann Albert

Ascension Cellars

Bellante Family Winery

Betwixt Wines

Brophy Clark

Byron Blatty

Caliza Vineyards

Cavelletti Vineyards

Cloak & Dagger

Cutruzzola Vineyards

Domaine Kreger

El Lugar Wines

Frisco Cellars

Golden Triangle

Gordenker Wines

Hoi Polloi

In Vino Musicas

Kaleidos Wines

Kitson Wines

LA Wine Project

Lavender Oak Ranch

Magna Vita Cellars

Malibu Ridge

Marin’s Vineyard

Mastro Scheidt

Metrick Wines

Monochrome Wines

Murder Ridge

On Your Left

Pulchella Winery

Record Family Wines

Siela Wines

Stolo Family Winery

Sweezter Cellars

Sycamore Ranch

The Blending Lab

Tlo Winery

Torch Wines

TW Fermentations

Vinemark Cellars

Volatus Wine

Wildwood Oak Winery

Next week’s article will report on the wines we enjoyed most this time around.

Michael Perlis has been pursuing his passion for wine for more than 25 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 Vice President of Eve Bushman Consulting (fka Eve’s Wine 101 Consulting) http://evebushmanconsulting.com/ and President of MCP Financial. Michael can be contacted at michaelthezinfan@aol.com or michael@evebushmanconsulting.com.

Perlis Picks: Lunetta Dining

July 21, 2018 by Michael Perlis Leave a Comment

It’s funny sometimes how things play out.

We were first exposed to Raphael Lunetta’s skills as a chef when Karen and I attended the Buick Discovery Tour at the Four Seasons Hotels in Westlake Village over five years ago.

At the time Chef Lunetta was helming his restaurant JiRaffe in Santa Monica. After meeting him at the Westlake Village event and trying his food, we vowed to make it in to his restaurant but sadly never did. Ultimately we heard that he had closed it after a very long run.

Then in 2017, we got word that he had opened Lunetta All Day in Santa Monica [in the space formerly occupied by Josie’s]. We had still not made it in to check it out when we received the invitation to the media tasting to introduce Lunetta Dining and The Moon Bar.

While Lunetta All Day is a fast-casual restaurant serving breakfast, lunch and dinner [yes, all day], right next door Lunetta Dining and The Moon Bar [together known as Lunetta At Night] hit all the right notes of “elevated cuisine”, “handcrafted cocktails”, “local ingredients” and “farm to table”. These are not just buzzwords here; that is evident.

At the media tasting, we got to sample a number of tasty treats, including beef carpaccio, avocado gazpacho, wood-grilled maitake, crab cakes, loup de mer and rack of lamb.

Sample cocktails were served as well, although we focused on the wine. Sommelier and Beverage Director Kristine Bocchino has put together a great wine list from which we got to try the Picpoul from Forlorn Hope [Calaveras County], the Mourvedre Rose from Liquid Farm [Happy Canyon], the Brut Sparkling Chardonnay from Ferrari [Trentino. Italy] as well as the Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Syrah blend from Perinet [Priorat, Spain]. But these just scratch the surface of this list that has a lot of gems on it at a variety of price points.

The media event exposed us to an amazing array of food and libations as well as to Lunetta’s great staff, but of course it was nothing like what a diner will experience upon going there. Karen and I enjoyed the food soooo much that we followed up with a dinner – Saturday nights are especially great for getting out of the Santa Clarita Valley and seeing what the rest of the LA area has to offer.

We shared the grilled nectarines [with manchego and prosciutto] and the wood-grilled Spanish octopus. Karen ordered the New Zealand John Dory. I couldn’t pass up the rack of lamb special.

Preparation and service were superb. This was one of the best meals I’ve had in a long time. Everything was delicious. Hard to pick highlights but here are a few: The nectarines and prosciutto were both generous portions and neither ingredient overshadowed the other. And the octopus – I consider myself somewhat of an octopus aficionado and this was possibly the best I have ever had; extremely tender but not mushy at all, great flavor without being overtly charred. The rack was amazing, again one of the best representations that I have had of that classic as well.

The open kitchen is a nice touch. Not obtrusive but there if you wanted to watch Chef Lunetta and his team in action, or even better – snag a seat at the Chef’s Counter. Somehow, the chef managed to spend time in the dining room as well, making his guests feel welcome. This place is definitely in our rotation; it should be in yours as well.

Lunetta Dining & The Moon Bar

2424 Pico Boulevard

Santa Monica, CA 90405

310.581.9888

www.LunettaSM.com

PERLIS PICKS: Angeleno Wine Company dinner at Crossings

July 14, 2018 by Michael Perlis Leave a Comment

In 2016, reporting on the Los Angeles edition of the Garagiste Festival, I singled out Rhythm Wines as a “winery to watch”, especially enjoying the 2015 Tannat from the local Alonso Family Vineyard.

Then, I lost track of them.

Then, in early 2017 by my recollection, the manager of the short-lived and greatly missed Maré Restaurant in Silver Lake tasted us on a Rosé made by a local winemaker who was focusing on Los Angeles County grapes. But I didn’t make the connection, until…

Eve received an invitation to attend a winemaker dinner at Crossings restaurant in South Pasadena featuring the wines of Angeleno Wine Company. Eve was busy partying – um, I mean researching – in New Orleans, so her loss was our gain.

Karen and I were delighted to take her place but I was unfamiliar with the winery. A quick internet search followed and I was soon looking at the faces of Jasper Dickson and Amy Luftig Viste from that 2016 Garagiste Festival. With the focus now primarily on the Alonso Vineyard, they are working on opening their winery and tasting room in Downtown Los Angeles.

My plan is to devote a full article to Angeleno in the near future. In the meantime, back to the dinner…

Established in 2013, Crossings occupies the historic [built in 1908] Edwards and Faw building in South Pasadena. With dining rooms on two floors and the wine loft in between them as well as a patio, Crossing is visually stunning. The only question was: would the food match?

We were about to find out.

Hosted by Crossings’ Proprietor Patrick Kirchen, Chef Kevin Malone and Wine Ambassador Chris Sweeney along with Angeleno’s Winemaker Jasper Dickson, the challenge to create perfect pairings was not only met but exceeded. With Angeleno’s focus on LA County’s wine history, Chef Kevin developed a Latin-inspired menu that not only paid homage to the heritage of Los Angeles but also to Juan Alonso’s and his vineyard’s Spanish roots.

The first course, a ceviche with compressed melon and roe, also had habanero powder sprinkled on it. The heat from the habanero was cut by the balanced acidity of the Angeleno 2017 White Field Blend of mostly Spanish varietals from Alonso Family Vineyard.

Next came the monk fish with passion fruit and dwarf banana. This was paired with the 2017 “The Meadow” Rosé. This was the only wine not from LA County grapes, instead it was a blend of Graciano and Garnacha from a vineyard farmed by Markus Bokisch in Lodi. This dish and wine pairing had everybody asking for more. As Winemaker Jasper said: “Rosé all day – in LA!”

Next up, quail with mole, yolk and herb salad. This dish was not only delicious but ingenious as well, with the quail and quail egg in the same dish [raising the chicken and egg question in its own way]. The richness of the mole went perfectly with the 2016 Grenache from the Alonso Family Vineyard.

The final course [before dessert] was pork belly [yum!] with tamarind, jicama and hibiscus. Pork belly, of course, is very rich. The jicama cut through that perfectly. This was naturally paired with the heaviest wine of the evening, an excellent Tempranillo and Garnacha blend called “Bike Path”, also a 2016 from the Alonso Vineyard.

Dessert was a churro with queso Oaxaca, guanabana and honey. Pairing the cheese with the sweet dessert provided great contrast and the dish was all brought together with the 2016 “Superbloom” blend of Albarino, Riesling and Chenin Blanc, for the perfect ending to a fabulous meal.

Crossings does special events frequently. But you don’t have to wait for an event to check out Chef Kevin’s food or the killer wine list that Chris has put together. Check out the Crossings website for details.

And stay tuned for more information on Angeleno Wine Company.

Crossings 1010 Mission St, South Pasadena, CA 91030

Angeleno Wine Company Los Angeles, CA

Perlis Picks: Taste The World

July 7, 2018 by Michael Perlis Leave a Comment

Every two years, trade and media has the opportunity to “taste the world” with distributor and importer Henry Wine Group. In a large ballroom at the Westin Bonaventure filled with wine and a small section devoted to spirits [covered by Eve in a recent article] we got to sample literally hundreds [if one were so inclined] of offerings from a wide variety of domestic and international producers.

Upon entering the event, we were provided with a wine tasting glass and a 158 page book – I told you there were a lot of wines to taste! Here were some of my favorites…

Ancient Peaks – I always love the Renegade and the Oyster Ridge blends, and the 2015 and 2014 of these, respectively, were both excellent.

Andrew Murray Vineyards – Another old favorite, one of the wineries that first got me into Rhones. The 2016 Enchante did it for me today.

Dashe Cellars – They’ve expanded their fun carbonic maceration line and continue to make great Zinfandels, including my usual favorite Todd Brothers Ranch (2015 this time).

Elizabeth Spencer Winery – I wasn’t really familiar with this Mendocino based winery but getting introduced to their delicious 2016 Grenache solved that problem.

Joullian Vineyards – One might not expect great Zinfandel and Cabernet Sauvignon from the Monterey Peninsula, but this winery in the Carmel Valley belies that notion with their 2013 ‘Sias Cuvee’ Zin and 2014 Estate Cab.

Mettler Family Vineyards – I liked all three of the wines this Lodi winery was pouring – the Estate Cabernet, the “Epicenter” Old Vine Zinfandel and especially the Estate Petite Sirah, all from the 2015 vintage.

Mundovino – This importer had a whopping 10 tables at the event. Admittedly, I tend to focus on domestic producers but I wanted to try some Argentinean Malbec. I tasted some very impressive wines from Catena at all price points, especially the 2014 Catena Zapata Alta Malbec and the 2015 Catena Zapata Argentino Malbec.

Pestoni Family Estate Winery – Another new to me winery, I enjoyed everything they poured – 2016 Rutherford Sauvignon Blanc, 2015 “1892” Field Blend and the 2013 and 2014 Howell Mtn Cabernet Sauvignons.

Saucelito Canyon Vineyards – Great Zinfandel from the Arroyo Grande Valley? You better believe it. Their 2015 Estate Zinfandel comes from a vineyard that was originally planted in 1880.

Shafer Vineyards – Shafer’s Cabernet Sauvignons are legendary and I wasn’t going to pass up a chance to taste them. Loved both the 2015 One Point Five Stag’s Leap and of course the 2013 Hillside Select Stag’s Leap as well.

Sinor-Lavallee – Bringing this list full circle, this is Ancient Peaks’ Director of Winemaking Mike Sinor’s own project. The Pinot Noirs were great but I was admittedly here for the Syrahs – the 2013 White Label – Bassi Vineyard, 2015 SLO/Estate and 2014 Black Label – Bassi Vineyard were all outstanding.

There was obviously a lot more I could have tasted [158 pages, after all] but I probably spent too much time catching up with various members of the trade who I’ve known over the years. My biggest takeaway from all this is that Henry Wine Group represents some excellent wineries. If you see their name on the label as distributor or importer, you can be assured you are getting quality, regardless of the price point.

Perlis Picks: Elevating Zinfandel

June 30, 2018 by Michael Perlis 2 Comments

You may ask…why does Zinfandel need to be “elevated”?

It wasn’t that long ago that Zinfandel was thought of either as a sweet pink wine made for mass consumption or as a highly alcoholic monster meant to get you where you want to go as quickly as possible.

Neither version was taken very seriously.

But in more recent years, Zinfandel has been produced as a serious wine, producing wines equal to or better than those made from the historically “noble grapes”. With wonderful wines made in a variety of styles, Zinfandel has certainly found its place in the wine world, which makes this “zin fan” very happy.

Still, there is some prejudice, as was evidenced by a seminar I attended several months ago wherein the speaker, discussing the wines coming from a particular region, expressed delight over the reduced reliance on Zinfandel, the clear message, at least to me, was to imply that it was of lesser quality.

The struggle is real.

As I mentioned above, Zinfandel wines can vary quite a bit, due to terroir, winemaker decisions both in the vineyard and the winery, as well as whether the wine is 100% Zinfandel versus including other varieties. My own observation is that Zinfandel vineyards, perhaps more so than those planted with other grapes, tend to be inter-planted with other varietals, especially when looking at the historic vineyards that were planted several decades ago.

This is all a build-up to an annual event that is very near and dear to my heart, WineLA’s annual Elevating Zinfandel tasting, this year held at the Montage in Beverly Hills. Karen and I had the pleasure of attending.

As usual, Ian Blackburn assembled a veritable “who’s who” of many of the great Zinfandel producers, mostly from Northern California:

Rafanelli Winery

Bedrock Wine Co.

Beekeeper Cellars

Bella Vineyards and Wine Caves

Brown Estate Napa Valley

Gamba Vineyards and Winery

Grgich Hills Estate

Hendry Winery

Kreck Wines

Lamborn Family Vineyards

Mauritson Wines

Quivera Vineyards

Rock Wall Wine Company

Seghesio Family Vineyards

T-Vine Winery

Turley Wine Cellars

Williams Selyem

Wonderment Wines

Each winery had a winery representative [winemaker or owner in most cases] pouring multiple wines, including special selections for VIP attendees.

[I’ll say it again – spring for VIP tickets for events when you can. Get in early, taste the special stuff, enjoy the food and beat the crowds.]

No duds in this list at all. Some of the standouts for me were…

Bedrock Wine Co. – This winery is on our must-have list for our personal cellar. It was fun to taste the 2012 Bedrock Heritage Wine against the 2016 Bedrock Heritage Wine. This is one of those field blends I was referring to above, with the Bedrock vineyard actually planted to 27 varieties, about 50% being Zinfandel.

Beekeeper Cellars – This is WineLA’s own Ian Blackburn’s winery. But, I don’t have to say I liked it if I didn’t. And I did, especially the 2015 Secret Stones from Rockpile. Rockpile is one of my favorite AVAs for Zinfandel, so no big surprise here.

Kreck Wines – A brand new winery based in Healdsburg. Both the 2016 Teldeschi Vineyard (Dry Creek Valley) and the Del Barba Vineyard (Contra Costa County) were excellent. Tiny production, so don’t snooze on this one.

Lamborn Family Vineyards – Napa Valley Zins are getting rare [the money’s in Cabernet] and Howell Mountain Zinfandel are perhaps even rarer. Lamborn does a great job and the 2010 Middle-Aged Vine bottling showed what a little bottle age on a Zin can do – good stuff!

Mauritson Wines – Speaking of Rockpile [see above], Clay Mauritson’s family has been a big part of pioneering the area. The 2015 Black Sheep from Rockpile was a great example.

Robert Biale Vineyards – another rare Napa Zinfandel specialist. Winemaker Tres Goetting continues to shine; the signature Black Chicken did it for me.

Rock Wall Wine Company – it had been a few years since we last saw Shauna Rosenblum and if anything her wines have just gotten better. Hard to pick a favorite here, but if pressed I’d go with the 2016 Alegria Vineyard from the Russian River Valley.

Turley Wine Cellars – Another winery that will always have a place in our cellar, Turley has possibly done more than any other winery to “elevate” Zinfandel. Christina Turley poured four different wines, but I have to give props to the 2016 Dusi Vineyard. Not only was this the only Zin from Paso Robles being poured, but it is typically our favorite of the Turley lineup.

Williams Selyem – Most people think of Pinot Noir when they think of this winery. But winemaker Mark Malpiede also makes great Zinfandel. Especially liked the 2016 Papera Vineyard [Russian River Valley].

As usual, we didn’t taste everything. If we had, we would have had more favorites, I’m sure.

Check out www.winela.com for other great events from WineLA.

Perlis Picks: Benom Wines

June 23, 2018 by Michael Perlis Leave a Comment

In a recent article, I wrote about Guillaume Fabre, who came from the South of France and created Clos Solene for his wife and fortunately for all of us as well.

BENOM As it turns out, Guillaume has a brother – Arnaud. And while Karen and I had initially met Guillaume at a wine festival, our introduction to Arnaud was indirectly related to one.

Back in 2013, we attended the Ojai Wine Festival for the first time. Karen came across a new winery that she insisted I try…Law Estate Wines. She was right, of course. The wines were great and we’ve been fans of Law ever since.

But that’s not when we met Arnaud.

A couple of years later, we were tasting at the new Law tasting room in Paso Robles where we met Arnaud for the first time when he conducted a tasting for us. Now, I’m no genius but even I could figure out when we met this tall young man from France with the last name Fabre, that he must be the brother of Clos Solene’s winemaker / owner Guillaume.

In my article about Clos Solene, I wrote about how Guillaume convinced the love of his life, Solene, to come to Paso Robles. Arnaud’s story is similar, as he found his soulmate once he joined Guillaume in Paso and met Chloe of L’Aventure Winery. His job as Sales and Marketing Manager of Law keeps him very busy, especially now that he and now-wife Chloe have a baby.

Busy as he is, the pull of making wine with his brother Guillaume has always been present. So, when Guillaume moved Clos Solene from its spot in Tin City to the new estate property, it was time for the brothers to see what they could do together.

Benom was born. Arnaud told us that focusing on Cabernet Sauvignon and Blends, they wanted to bridge their roots (Languedoc-Roussillon and Bordeaux) with Paso Robles, producing wine that reflects the style of a French wine with the richness and power of Paso Robles.

What does “benom” mean? Don’t try to look it up. It is the phonetic spelling of the French word “binôme”, meaning “a project together, a duo”. I’ve tried to allude to similarities and differences of the two Fabre brothers, such as how we met both of them and how they met their loves. The wines reflect this as well.

The 2017 Contrast is an almost 50/50 blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay, which is a very atypical blend. It is definitely not something you’d find in France or in many places, actually. It turns out that the natural acidity of the SB matches up perfectly with the richness of the Chardonnay.

Another blend is the 2017 L’Essor, 52% Grenache and 48% Cabernet Sauvignon. Did I mention this was a Rosé? When did you last or ever come across Cab in a Rosé? The Grenache was picked especially for this wine and the Cabernet is the bleed-off from their 100% Cabernet Sauvignon [more on this below]. This is an unusual blend that really works well.

Speaking of unusual blends, the 2015 Les Deux Frères is comprised of Grenache, Tempranillo and Cabernet Sauvignon. Even my very limited knowledge of French enabled me to translate this as The Two Brothers; and a fitting tribute to them it is as it was my favorite wine of our visit.

Finally, we tasted the 2015 Origin. This 100% Cabernet Sauvignon has everything the Cab lover could want – great fruit and aging structure. It is a beautiful nod to the Fabre brothers’ French roots with the power of Paso Robles. But, a sneak peek of the 2016 makes me think the best is yet to come.

It is going to be exciting to see what this project borne of brotherly love creates for the future.

Benom

3050 Limestone Way

Paso Robles, CA 93446