PERLIS PICKS: The Week That Wasn’t – Part Two

October 21, 2017 by Michael Perlis Leave a Comment

Karen’s knee injury meant that we had to head home. We did get to spend one night at one of our favorite hotels anywhere. Vintners Inn in Santa Rosa offers a great wine country experience with outstanding rooms, excellent dining and an on-site vineyard to stroll through. We had to skip the vineyard stroll and our dining was limited to the room-service burgers we ordered [which were excellent by the way]. Hotel staff was caring and accommodating; and we were very grateful under the circumstances to be able to switch from an upstairs room to a downstairs one with no trouble at all.

VINTNERS INN As we sadly had to hit the road the next morning, we were already planning our next, hopefully extended, stay.

This week, I want to share with you the places we had planned on visiting. We had done a lot of research and planning, so we know these places will be on our list for our next trip back up to Northern California.

In Santa Rosa, we were planning on spending a few days at Vintners Inn. While there, we had a few winery visits planned.

In the Dry Creek Valley, my favorite wines from Mauritson Wines are Clay Mauritson’s outstanding Zinfandels and Petite Sirahs. Bella Vineyards was on our list as well for its great Zins.

During our last trip to Sonoma County, we visited Jake Bilbro’s Limerick Lane winery. Jake has two brothers who also make wine. Sam Bilbro’s Idlewild specializes in Italian varietals while the winery that started it all in the Bilbro family, Marietta Cellars is now under the care of Scot Bilbro.

While in the area, we were looking forward to return dining experiences at Healdsburg SHED and Café Lucia.

Heading south to San Francisco, we had booked our stay at Hotel Diva, great looking hotel within walking distance to Chinatown and couple of restaurants we wanted to check out: La Marsa and Bota.

The last leg of our trip was going to be on the Monterey Peninsula. We were really looking forward to our stay at the Monterey Bay Inn.

White Monterey County is known for Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, we had planned on visiting two wineries that did not fall into these categories.

Pierce Ranch Vineyards is known for Portuguese and Spanish varietals, along with Cabernet Sauvignon, Petite Sirah, Zinfandel and Rhones.

In addition, we had not visited Boete Winery in many years and were really looking forward to their Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc.

There are lots of great dining choices on the Peninsula. Fifi’s Bistro Café in Pacific Grove is an old favorite, Passionfish is legendary and we were excited to try a new find for us – Jeninni. Not to mention the grilled oysters at Monterey’s Fish House.

We’re looking forward to Karen healing from her injury and heading back up to really report on all of this for our Eve’s Wine 101 readers. At least this time we won’t have to do a lot of advance research.

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: The Week That Wasn’t – Part One

October 14, 2017 by Michael Perlis Leave a Comment

Maybe I should have realized things were going to go south.

It all started innocently enough. We had planned a trip to Northern California, meticulously researching wineries, hotels and restaurants in Sonoma County, San Francisco and the Monterey Peninsula that we wanted to write about for Eve’s Wine 101 readers.

Things got thrown a little askew initially when something good happened – we got invited to attend a tasting party at the Napa home of one of our favorite winemakers – Abe Schoener of The Scholium Project, whose 4-part story you had the pleasure of reading on our site just recently.

As the party was the day before our planned trip, it was an easy decision to head up to Nor Cal a day early.

At some point, we realized we had missed the email that the party had been canceled due to harvest considerations. No problem, we were still in Nor Cal a day early, specifically in Napa.

The only problem was it was a busy Sunday evening and we did not have dinner reservations anywhere. After driving through downtown Napa and seeing lines outside of every restaurant we had an interest in, we decided our best approach would be to head over to the Oxbow Public Market, which is home to a variety of eating and drinking places. It was also busy there and by that point, we were really looking for somewhere to sit down and be taken care of.

Sharing the parking lot with Oxbow is the CIA at Copia.

The Copia property has an interesting history. Founded in 2001 as a wine and food educational project between Robert and Margrit Mondavi and other notables such as Julia Child, it closed in 2008. The Culinary Institute of America acquired the property in 2015 as a home for its Food Business School. They also offer classes, winetasting and other experiences, as well as having a restaurant.

We’ve dined at the CIA at Greystone before and have had marvelous meals there. Assuming that this place was similar, we weren’t sure we wanted something that upscale, nor were we particularly dressed for it. I said: “Let’s just check it out. We don’t have to stay.”

I was glad we did. The dining room was comfortably casual and the menu was reasonably priced. The food was delicious and service was excellent. My hanger steak was cooked perfectly [rare, just as I like it]. The restaurant wasn’t very busy and I think it doesn’t get nearly enough attention.

We had a wonderful dinner and I thought that the week was starting off great.

Wrong.

The next day we headed to Santa Rosa to begin the main part of the trip we had planned. Since we had essentially arrived a day earlier than planned for our winery appointments, Karen suggested visiting the Armstrong Redwoods for some enjoyment of nature. Well, some tangled roots and a day in the ER left Karen with the diagnosis of a fractured knee and that was pretty much “all she wrote”.

To be continued…

Perlis Picks: IN VINO DUPLICITAS by Peter Hellman

October 7, 2017 by Michael Perlis Leave a Comment

Let me make this clear, the new book IN VINO DUPLICITAS is not a rehashing of the wine fraud documented in THE BILLIONAIRE’S VINEGAR by Benjamin Wallace. I am bringing this up at the beginning of this review because I have seen some confusion out there about this. That book covered the exploits of wine fraudster Hardy Rodenstock and is also definitely worth your time reading.

IN VINO This book, IN VINO DUPLICITAS [The Rise and Fall of a Wine Forger Extraordinaire] by Peter Hellman, tells the tale of Rudy Kurniawan, a young immigrant from Indonesia who managed to worm his way into the hearts [and wallets] of wealthy wine aficionados, ultimately bilking them out of millions of dollars before being caught, arrested, tried and convicted. He is currently serving his 10-year prison sentence at Taft Correctional Institution in California.

[And there was a connection to the aforementioned Hardy Rodenstock, as some of the same investors were duped by both con men.]

Mr. Hellman reported on the Kurniawan story for Wine Spectator over a span of eight years and his expertise and writing talent definitely show. He brings a lot of details to the story that only one who has done an extreme amount of research and is this close to the sources could.

Those details are fascinating, as we read about how Rudy Kurniawan seemed to come out of nowhere and quickly achieve a position of very trusted status within the high end wine community, and to then take advantage of that trust. It was a nice touch to include the crime scene photos of Rudy’s home-based wine counterfeiting operation. Also helpful was the look into Rudy’s interesting family history.

Equally fascinating to me was the inside look at the world of high end wine acquisitions. Whether through auction or direct purchase from Rudy, the amount spent on these rare bottles bordered on the astronomical, sometimes tens of thousands of dollars or more.

Now, there is no doubt that I’m a wine lover. There is also no doubt that my net worth is nowhere near that of those participants in the high-end wine markets. If it was, would I have been as apt to have been deceived by Rudy’s practices? Who knows? Some of his wealthy victims were hugely successful business people who would not be readily duped in their own professions yet fell victim to the counterfeit wine being sold to them. I found it very interesting how the business acumen that contributed to their success did not seem to apply to the decision making in their passion for wine.

You may be familiar with the expression In Vino Veritas – “in wine, truth.” Not in this case. Read this book and you’ll learn what questions were answered about how Rudy did it and which ones are still maddeningly unresolved.

In Vino Duplicitas

The Rise and Fall of a Wine Forger Extraordinaire

by Peter Hellman

Published by: The Experiment

Perlis Picks – Stillman Wines

September 2, 2017 by Michael Perlis Leave a Comment

I don’t know about you, but most of the time it seems that vintage doesn’t matter with California wines. Yes, there are slight variations but the overall high quality grapes and good winemaking tend to result in great wine every year.

The deal goes down with Stillman in the La Quinta parking lot — photo by Mike Ortiz

2011 has seemed to be an exception. As I work my way through the wines we have from this vintage, I’ve found fewer wines than usual to get excited about. Not that they aren’t there, but it was the kind of year that separated the good from the great and resulted in my canceling some club memberships that I was borderline about.

That being said, there are still some wonderful wines from 2011. The 2011 J Dusi Zinfandel, which I originally had concerns over, has turned into a wonderful wine. And the wines from faves like Bedrock, Carlisle and Turley definitely met my expectations.

But the wine of the vintage for me was the 2011 Colossus Syrah from Stillman Wines. Fortunately, I happened to buy several bottles of this wine, and it continues to amaze everyone I share it with. No one believes the 16.5% alcohol on the bottle or that it comes from Paso Robles. The wine is just gulp-ably delicious. Sadly, I think we finally finished our last bottle of this wine.

I’m not sure what I can write about Stillman Brown [or Swilly Idle as he is sometimes known]. He makes great wines, most of them for other people. Those relationships, while not huge secrets, are also really not widely publicized and I will respect that.

So, when Karen and I met with Stillman at [REDACTED] winery and tasted through some barrel samples, I’ll tell you they were excellent but that’s about all I can tell you.

You’re in luck though. The wines Stillman makes for others he also makes for his own label [and others too], with a stylistic tweak here and there. The best way to get your hands [lips] on those is to sign up for his email list. You’ll get some entertaining emails and an opportunity to buy some delicious well-priced wines.

Here are some excerpts from some of his emails…

“Friends, family, fans and stalkers, this ZEPPELIN ATTACK WARNING is not from the Royal Flying Corps – which rather sounds like Elvis after he popped too many pills – but is instead notification of the imminent launch of one of the most unique, intense, and succulent wines we’ve made. (Succulent is not usually applied to the dominant variety here, but Tannat’s reputation for biting tannins is largely a product of the idiosyncratic fermentation regimes of its homeland in southwestern France and its often slavish mimicry in the New World, as well the similarity of the words themselves.)…”

Here’s another…

“Behold the multitasking mystery here: the title of the painting [referencing the wine label with the title The Effect Of Wine On The Human Spirit] is also the name of the wine, and the multivintage declaration doubles as the alcohol approximation. As complex as an intoxicated argument between Bertrand Russell and Ludwig Wittgenstein: lightly roasted ripe Nantucket cranberry and Cohabitation Canyon (Fruita, UT) cherry and mulberry, and spicy pink peppercorn and spearmint…”

And just one more…

“Ladies, gentlemen and fruit flies, I know that releasing a white wine in the icy dead of winter may seem odd, but it is not: by the time warmer weather comes there might not be any left to ship; it’s popular around here. The 2016 Red Zeppelin Vermentino sports an awesome new label, but there are no other changes excepting the addition of 9% Viognier from the same block; it’s much more like the ’15 than the ’14. The acidity is relatively high, the alcohol a mere 13.4%, but it’s not a ‘light’ wine: it has all the characteristic spice of the variety, but far more flavor and mouthfeel due to the low yields at the Hill of Graceland.”

Some wines are the Stillman Wines label, others are Zeppelin Wines. Regardless, Stillman’s wines are worth seeking out.

Send him an email at stillmanb@aol.com.

Stillman is much more than a pretty face in a gold suit and perfect pedicure. He’s been my go-to for technical questions, parking lot purchases and visits to wineries-under-construction. I want to find out more of his bio but he’s already told me if I reveal too much he’d have to ki….

Perlis Picks: ONX

August 26, 2017 by Michael Perlis Leave a Comment

The last time Karen and I visited ONX it was at the winery/vineyard in Templeton, just a short distance from Turley Wine Cellars. I took away a few cool things from that visit.

The vineyard tour is cool. You think you might be in a residential area, and suddenly there’s a vineyard – Templeton is funny that way. Riding around on a four-wheel mule with various stops along the way, with wine included at each stop, is pretty cool too.

Associate Winemaker Jeffrey Strekas is also cool. One half of the “gun show” winemaking team along with Winemaker Brian Brown, Jeffrey’s winemaking skills along with his wry sense of humor add up to a great wine tasting experience.

Finally, ONX’s wines are very cool. Known for their “untraditional” blends, they taste familiar and unfamiliar to me at the same time — always high quality and deliciously fruit forward.

Now that the winery has moved to Tin City and has opened a real tasting room, one might be tempted not to check out the vineyard tour. I urge you not to pass that up, as it is a lot of fun and very informative.

That being said, our last visit to ONX was to visit Jeffrey Strekas at the new winery and tasting room, which is as stylish as the wines.

In talking with Jeffrey, we learned that the new winery had enabled them to increase their capacity to about 3,500 cases annually, which is really helpful to them since not only are their own wines very popular but they also now make wine for other wineries. [I’m not sure I’m allowed to name any.]

A case in point is their 2016 Indie, a crazy good rose of Tempranillo that is also a crazy steal at just $19 per bottle. It is no wonder they sell all they make of this wine and production of this alone was 852 cases.

Another really delicious wine is their 2015 L’autre Femme, an unusual [of course] blend of Viognier and Sauvignon Blanc. The Sauvignon Blanc is readily apparent on the nose with the richness of the Viognier smoothing out the acidity.

I also really liked the 2016 Field Day blend of Sauvignon Blanc, Viognier and Grenache Blanc.

This is where things got a little hazy.

Jeffrey ominously muttered “When you come to ONX, there has to be a reckoning.”

My notes are incomplete, but I did buy…

2013 Crux [Syrah, Grenache, Mourvedre, Alicante Bouschet]

2014 Black Orchid [100% Petite Sirah – one of the few single varietals made by ONX]

2014 Caliber [Cabernet Sauvigon, Malbec]

2014 Level 22 [Petite Sirah, Syrah, Mourvedre, Grenache]

2014 Mad Crush [Grenache, Tempranillo, Malbec, Mourvedre, Zinfandel]

Oh, now I get it. Jeffrey said “When you come to ONX, there has to be a Reckoning.”

For me, Reckoning has always been ONX’s flagship wine. Jeffrey poured us a taste of the not-yet-released 2014 – a blend of Syrah, Malbec, Grenache and Petite Sirah. I highly recommend this wine as a one-bottle showcase of what Paso Robles can do. I did have a fairly technical tasting note on this one, which is unusual for me. I did the usual smell, swirl, smell again and then taste. Unbidden from my lips came forth perhaps the most profound comment I have ever made about a wine…

“Holy crap!”

Enough said.

ONX

tin city tasting room
open daily 10:00am – 4:00pm
vineyard tours available by appointment
friday + saturday 10:00am, 11:30am, 1:30pm, + 3:00pm
tour requests for thursday + sunday + monday accommodated when possible.

Perlis Picks: Clavo Cellars

August 19, 2017 by Michael Perlis Leave a Comment

Full disclosure – Karen and I consider Neil Roberts a good friend and a visit to Paso Robles isn’t complete without spending some time with Neil in his Clavo Cellars tasting room in Templeton. Neil isn’t always around, as he does have his vineyard management company to run, but when he is, it is always a treat.

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Photo from Clavo Cellars Facebook page

Clavo Cellars [Neil named the winery after the nickname he was given by the vineyard workers – Clavo means “nail” in Spanish] wines are not your typical Paso Robles style wines. Neil is able to cherry-pick [I guess “grape-pick” would be a better term] his grapes from the vineyards he manages and makes wines that are somewhat old-world in style. He also releases them a little later than most wineries in the area, ensuring they are ready to drink at their peak.

Having made his wines for a long time at Midnight Cellars [where we once had a memorable barrel tasting with Neil], Clavo Cellars will soon be moving its winemaking operations to its own dedicated winery. The tasting room, long a fixture on Main Street in Templeton, will remain.

Clavo Cellars often has events at the tasting room, generally tied to what is going on in the community. For example…

We happened to visit during Girl Scout Cookie season and wouldn’t you know that Neil was offering cookie pairings with the wine tasting, complete with tasting notes…

Shortbread [delicate-tasting shortbread that is delightfully simple and satisfying] paired with “Corazon” Sparkling Grenache Blanc [fresh aromas of honeysuckle, eucalyptus leaves, dried stone fruit and lavender; along with crushed rock and herbs de province on the nose. Leading into a long minerality finish].

S’mores [a crispy graham cookie double dipped in yummy crème icing and finished with a scrumptious chocolatey coating] paired with “Voluptuous” Vermentino [a lively fragrant blend of pineapple, ripe banana and pear aromas. The inviting tropical fruit flavors draw you into this well-balanced wine. A creamy richness and harmonious texture end with lingering acidity.].

Peanut Butter Patties [a layer of peanut butter with a rich chocolatey coating] paired with 2011 “Desperado” Zinfandel [a diverse selection of red fruits, strawberries, red currents, and hints of bing cherries. The oak showcases the affinity this grape has for added structure.]

Thin mints [round, mint-flavored cookies with a delicious chocolatey coating] paired with 2011 “Reckless Moment” Syrah […blackberries and raspberries dominate the nose. There is a slight suggestion of fresh purple lilac buds and cloves. The palate is coated with crushed black peppers and chocolate shavings.].

Carmel deLights [caramel and toasted coconut-covered cookies] paired with 2011 “Dreamer” Petite Sirah [aroma of dark chocolate and black currants. Hints of ripe blackberries and blueberries are noted. The soft open tannins help create a round texture that is enhanced by the bright acidity.]

When hanging out with Neil, what’s on the tasting list is never enough.

We tasted a couple of wines from the II Moons label he collaborates on with John Gleason:

2012 “Elan” Chenin Blanc

2012 “Angst” blend of Grenache, Mourvedre and Syrah

And then hit a “few” other wines, including some library wines…

2011 “Fedora” Malbec

2007 “Enigma” blend of Syrah, Petit Verdot and Cabernet Sauvignon

2008 “Reckless Moment” Syrah

2008 “Desperado” Zinfandel

2009 Pinot Noir

As I mentioned, the Clavo Cellars wines are more of an old-world style than is stereotypically Paso, definitely lower alcohol. No risk of alcohol heat coming out on these wines, especially as they age and show off more nuances.

It’s always a lot of fun going to Clavo Cellars. If Neil isn’t there when you visit, no worries; he always hires great people. But, it can’t hurt to see if he can come out to play. If you see him, tell him Hi from Karen and Michael.

Clavo Cellars

315 S. Main Street, Templeton, CA

Perlis Picks – Paso Robles Wine Country Grand Tasting Tour: Part Two

August 12, 2017 by Michael Perlis Leave a Comment

Last week, I shared with you about the seminar provided for trade and media to kick off the Paso Robles Wine Country Grand Tasting Tour held at the Newport Beach Marriott.

This week, I’ll tell you our favorites of the wines we tasted at the Grant Tasting…

Alta Colina Vineyard

2016 Grenache Blanc [95% Grenache Blanc, 5% Roussanne]

2013 Old 900 Syrah [97% Syrah, 3% Viognier]

Ancient Peaks Winery

2015 Renegade [55% Syrah, 27% Zinfandel, 13% Petite Sirah, 5% Petit Verdot]

2013 Oyster Ridge [75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Syrah, 5% Malbec, 5% Petite Sirah]

Barr Estate Winery

2014 Albarino

2013 Dane Head [51% Malbec, 18% Petite Sirah, 18% Petit Verdot, 13% Cabernet Sauvignon]

Calcareous Vineyard

2013 Tres Violet [37% Grenache, 35% Syrah, 28% Mourvedre]

2013 Signature Cabernet Sauvignon [91% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Malbec, 3% Cabernet Franc]

Caliza Winery

2016 Pink [Grenache, Mourvedre, Syrah]

2013 Sympatico [76% Tempranillo, 24% Grenache]

Cass Winery

2015 Viognier

2015 Mourvedre

2014 Vintage Ted [70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Mourvedre, 3% Merlot, 2% Petit Verdot]

Daou Vineyards

2015 Pessimist [37% Syrah, 31% Petite Sirah, 27% Zinfandel, 5% Tannat]

2014 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon [75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14% Petit Verdot, 5% Cabernet Franc, 6% Merlot]

Gray Wolf Cellars & Barton Family Wines

2015 Jackal [100% Zinfandel]

2015 Big Bad [90% Zinfandel, 10% Petite Sirah]

MCV Wines

2016 Pink [Petite Sirah, Syrah, Grenache, Tannat]

2014 1105 [60% Petite Sirah, 21% Syrah, 7% Grenache, 6% Petit Verdot, 5% Tannat, 1% Viognier]

Niner Wine Estates

2014 Malbec [91% Malbec, 5% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Cabernet Franc]

2014 Cabernet Sauvignon [85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Malbec, 3% Merlot, 2% Carmenere]

ONX Wines

2016 Indie [Rose of Tempranillo]

2016 Indie Noir [Red Blend]

2014 Level 22 [45% Petite Sirah, 33% Syrah, 12% Mourvedre, 10% Grenache]

A few comments…

We didn’t taste at every table. These were are our favorites of the ones we tasted.

We didn’t taste everything at MCV or ONX. We probably would have more of their wines on this list if we had. But, we just reported on our visit to MCV and our article on ONX is coming up soon.

Minor rant…really minor…

We started going to Paso Robles about 20 years ago. At that time, Zinfandel was king. Don’t get me wrong, we love the Rhones coming out of Paso, and Cab is definitely making a name for itself. Wineries like Turley, Tobin James, J Dusi and others still carry on the Zin tradition, but sometimes I think it doesn’t get the attention it deserves.

So, for this reason and also because the wines were totally kick-ass, my wines of the day were the two Gray Wolf & Barton Family Wines Zinfandels – Jackal and Big Bad.

From the Gray Wolf & Barton Family Wines website:

Joe and Shirlene Barton established Grey Wolf Cellars in August 1994. Since then, the Bartons have made their winery a family-run business. Joe Senior had a vision and a dream to create great wine and do so with his family. He put on his wine labels, “A family is a circle of caring, strong and eternal.” He succeeded because he always put 100% into everything he did. Joe Senior left our pack in the Winter of 1998, but his dream and passion lives on through his family and the spirit of Grey Wolf.

I actually met Joe Junior soon after his father had passed, when the tasting room was still on Paso’s east side, at what is now Penman Springs. Joe has done amazing things with the winery and you should definitely pay them a visit.

Paso Robles has certainly made its mark on the world wine stage. I can’t help but feel that the best is yet to come.

Perlis Picks – Paso Robles Wine Country Grand Tasting Tour: Part One

August 5, 2017 by Michael Perlis Leave a Comment

I realize that the drive from Santa Clarita to Newport Beach is a little daunting. In fact, on a weekday it took almost as long to get there as it does to get to Paso Robles. But once there, Karen and I were presented the opportunity to taste with representatives of 35 Paso Robles wineries…

Adelaida Vineyards & Winery

Alta Colina Vineyard & Winery

DAOU Vineyards & Winery

Eberle Winery

Grey Wolf & Barton Family Wines

Halter Ranch Vineyard

HammerSky Vineyards

HEARST RANCH Winery- San Simeon

Lohr Vineyards & Wines

JUSTIN Vineyards & Winery

Pomar Junction Vineyard & Winery

Robert Hall Winery

San Antonio Winery

San Marcos Creek Vineyard

Sextant Wines

Tablas Creek Vineyard

Thacher Winery

The Farm Winery

Treana and Hope Family Wines

Victor Hugo Winery

Vina Robles Vineyards & Winery

Wild Horse Winery & Vineyards

Maybe if you spent a week in Paso, you’d be able to visit all of these. Fortunately, the Paso Robles Wine Country Alliance has a traveling roadshow.

And admittedly, I did have another motive.

Prior to the start of the trade and media portion of the tasting, we were invited to attend a seminar on Paso Robles wine presented by Peter Neptune, MS. For me, this was enough to justify the schlep to Newport Beach even without the grand tasting afterwards.

Master Sommelier Peter Neptune is a world renowned wine expert and educator. I’ve often wanted to attend one of his seminars but never had the chance. I was not going to pass up this opportunity.

We tasted through six wines from wineries that are representative of Paso Robles Wine Country today. Mr. Neptune offered his thoughts on these wines, as well as how Paso has developed over the last couple of decades.

[Yes, I realize that I often bemoan the loss of “old” Paso, as recently as a couple of weeks ago. But I do understand that, overall, the wines are better for a host of reasons. Still, 20 years ago, the wines – and winemakers – were special enough to make us fall in love with the region.]

The wines we tasted during the seminar were [with some of Mr. Neptune’s comments noted as PN]…

We first tasted the 2014 Espirt de Tablas Blanc from Tablas Creek Vineyard. A blend of Roussanne, Grenache Blanc and Picpoul Blanc, PN said that that this is one of his favorite whites from Paso Robles.

Then, we moved on to the 2016 Indie Rose of Tempranillo from ONX. PN referred to the wine’s “sunset” color and that it reminded him of a “creamsicle” [in a good way].

Time for the reds, so we started with the 2013 Grenache, Mourvedre and Syrah blend from Alta Colina, which PN referred to as a “versatile” wine.

A Paso Robles tasting wouldn’t be complete without a Zinfandel in the mix, so we tasted the 2015 Zinfandel from Ancient Peaks, described with the highly technical word of “yummy” by PN.

Then we had the opportunity to taste two of Paso’s super-premium wines – the 2014 Soul of a Lion from Daou and the 2014 Estate Cuvee from L’Aventure. The Daou was a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, which PN referred to as “gorgeous” and the L’Aventure blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah and Petit Verdot was noted by PN to have “tremendous power and concentration”.

We also discussed the 11 Sub-AVAs within the Paso Robles AVA [American Viticultural Area] and how wineries were labeling their bottles with their specific AVA along with the trend toward estate wines and organic and biodynamic farming.

Peter Neptune’s passion for wine really showed up in the class. His speaking style made a fun seminar even better.

After the seminar we stayed around awhile to taste some of the wines being poured at the Grand Tasting before heading back up to the Santa Clarita Valley. Next week, I’ll let you know our favorites.

Perlis Picks: Double Trouble Wine Room

July 29, 2017 by Michael Perlis Leave a Comment

Downtown Newhall is fast becoming an all-in-one destination for the Santa Clarita Valley.

With a state of the art public library standing guard at the north end of Main Street and Newhall Refinery restaurant and Pulchella Winery tasting room near the southern end, along with everything else going on nearby and in-between, it is easy to see why this area’s popularity is only going to increase.

Recently, Karen and I had the opportunity to visit the Double Trouble Wine Room on Main Street, a joint project of Hoi Polloi Winery and Pagter Brothers Winery. Both wineries make their wines locally at SCV Custom Crush Services, sourcing grapes primarily from vineyards on California’s Central Coast.

PAGTER BROTHERS WINERY

For some years, I’ve enjoyed the wines made by Scott Pagter of Pagter Brothers Winery. I can’t remember all the details of when he shared the wine [under his previous wine label] with me at the much missed All Corked Up wine bar, but I do remember it being a pretty killer Grenache. [I also have very fond memories of Scott’s band Stupid Pony from those days. Fronted by excellent lead singer Sidney Iverson, I always looked forward to this band’s rare appearances.]

Scott and his brother Gib formed Pagter Brothers Winery in 2013 specializing in “big, bold reds.” That being said, the first wine we tried was the 2014 Chardonnay which was excellent, a fairly light wine but with a touch of oak on the finish to give it some body.

After that, though, we did move on to those big bold reds, tasting through a selection of wines from the 2014 vintage, mostly Rhone varietals with Syrah sourced from the White Hawk Vineyard in Santa Ynez and the Grenache from the Hoyt Vineyard in Paso Robles…

Notorious – blend of 75% Grenache and 25% Syrah, named after Gib’s day job as an attorney.

Melodious – a reverse of the Notorious, 75% Syrah and 25% Grenache, a tribute to Scott’s music/entertainment background.

Syrah – 100% from the White Hawk Vineyard. This was delicious, but we also got a sneak peek of the 2015 vintage which if anything was even better.

In addition, Pagter Brothers makes a Tempranillo. I think Tempranillo does very well in Paso and this 2014 was no exception.

Finally, another sneak peek – the 2015 Tannat. From Paso’s Adelaida district, this wine belied Tannat’s reputation as being monolithic and unapproachable. Definitely the opposite of that, drinking very well right after bottling and will only get better. My fave of the Pagter Brothers tasting.

Scott told me that their motto is to “make wine they like to drink…so if no one buys it they can drink it.” With these wines, they’re not going to be able to keep much for themselves.

HOI POLLOI WINERY

My relationship with Doug Minnick, one of the three owner/winemakers of Hoi Polloi Winery, goes back several years as well. Doug is also one of the co-founders of the Garagiste Festivals and he and I first met when I interviewed him for our Eve’s Wine 101 website about the inaugural event that was coming up.

So, it was a natural progression to want to make wine. The special focus is on Syrah and Doug says they will soon be able to do side-by-side single vineyard Syrah tastings from all four of their Syrah sources – Sebastiano Vineyard [Sta. Rita Hills], Alta Colina Vineyard [Paso Robles], Hoppe Kelly Vineyard [Russian River Valley] as well as the iconic Larner Vineyard in Ballard Canyon. If you know Syrah, you know that Doug et al have connected with some pretty outstanding vineyards. I feel that Syrah is one of the best varieties for showing off differences in terroir, so this is pretty exciting stuff.

But they do make other wines besides Syrah. We started our tasting with the newly released 2016 Grenache Rosé from Colburn Vineyards in Paso Robles – one of the best Rosés that I’ve had.

We then moved to the reds by first tasting the 2015 “Illicit” Pinot Noir from Santa Maria and the 2014 “Touch of Evil” Cabernet Sauvignon from the Cass Vineyard in Paso Robles. Both solid wines.

Now, time for the red Rhones!

We eased into them, starting with the 2015 Syrah / Grenache Blend called Tryst, so called because while the 34% Grenache is entirely from Paso Robles, the 66% Syrah is a combination of Paso and cool-climate Sonoma. Makes for a very tasty wine.

Not messing around now, we tasted the Sebastiano Vineyard Sta. from Rita Hills and the Alta Colina Vineyard from Paso Robles, both from the 2014 vintage. I had already tasted these wines from last year’s Garagiste Festival in LA and knew what to expect. I was not disappointed. [Not tasted this time but tasted at that same festival was the 2014 “Double Exposure” blend from both of these vineyards, which was actually one of my favorites that day.]

We got a sneak peek here as well – the 2015 Petite Sirah from the Loma Seca Vineyard in Paso Robles. Delicious now, this wine is going to be fun to watch develop.

The Double Trouble Wine Room is definitely worth your time. Gorgeous facility, now with a patio, along with great wines poured by nice people. I expect this is a place you may want to become a “regular” at before it becomes too popular.

DOUBLE TROUBLE WINE ROOM

24338 Main St.
Newhall, CA 91321

PERLIS PICKS: LAW ESTATE WINES

July 22, 2017 by Michael Perlis Leave a Comment

For most of my wine drinking life I’ve espoused the belief that my favorite wine experiences are one-on-one situations with the winemaker, often of a fairly low-budget operation sharing his or her creations with me, sometimes while standing at opposite ends of a barrel or out in a vineyard. I’ve tended to avoid the high end fancy facilities where I’ve worried [sometimes justifiably] that the money went into the architecture and not the wine.

From LAW Estate Facebook page.

Law Estate Wines continues to shatter that belief on a regular basis.

We first tasted the Law wines at the Ojai Wine Festival a few years ago. Winery General Manager Oliver Esparham was pouring their first vintage and we – especially Karen – fell in love with the Law Wines. I still remember Karen rushing up to me and telling me “You need to try Law – especially the GSM blend!” She was right; the wines were great. I had no idea what this winery had in the works though.

Not too long thereafter, we found ourselves meeting once again with Oliver, this time at the under-construction winery in the soon-to-be-named Adelaida district of Paso Robles. It had now become pretty clear that this was going to be one of those fancy wineries. Yet, I couldn’t really complain, as the wines were definitely awesome.

Let’s look at how they got that way.

Don and Susie Law followed their passion for Rhone wines from their home in Colorado to Paso Robles, which is known for producing some of the best American Rhones. As geologists, they knew the right soil when they found it, and they built the winery and tasting room to match what they knew were going to be extremely high quality grapes coming from their estate vineyards. Add to the mix a true superstar winemaker in Scott Hawley as well as a group of some of the best winery employees you’ll find anywhere, and the outcome is no surprise.

Earlier this year, we had occasion to visit the winery and taste some of their current releases. [Note that tastings are by appointment and there is a $20 charge for tasting. Also note that the $20 charge is waived if you join the Allocation – and why wouldn’t you?]

We tasted the following…

Beguiling 2012 [92% Grenache, 8% Syrah]

Intrepid 2013 [100% Syrah]

Sagacious 2013 [37% Grenache, 34% Mourvedre, 29% Syrah]

Beyond Category 2013 [50% Syrah, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Grenache, 15% Petite Sirah]

Never easy to pick a favorite here, as all the wines are truly delicious. Karen’s continues to be the Sagacious blend. I tend to lean toward the complex flavors of the Beyond Category but ultimately I’m a sucker for the Intrepid 100% Syrah.

A month or so later, we had the pleasure of attending LAW’s Black Label Release Dinner.

To explain a little, LAW has two sets of labels, White and Black. The White Label wines are released in the Fall and if you buy enough [12 bottles in total at least] you get the opportunity to purchase the Black Label wines when they are released early the next year. Now I haven’t noticed a huge qualitative difference between the two labels, at least for my palate; I’m just a big fan of all the LAW wines.

That is not to say you shouldn’t buy the Black Label wine too, as there is no reason not to buy all that Law has to offer. And, the perks are pretty good too, such as being able to attend this dinner [which filled up so quickly they had to add a second one].

Held in the barrel room, the menu for that evening was…

2013 The Nines [100% Grenache] paired with Porcini Mushroom Bisque [with Melted Leeks en Brioche, Dried Wild Blueberries, Chive Oil].

2013 Prima [100% Mourvedre] paired with Oak Grilled California Duck Breast [with Toasted Pearl Couscous, Fennel Confit, Hen of the Woods, Pomegranate Gastrique].

2013 First Tracks [40% Petit Verdot, 32% Syrah, 28% Cabernet Sauvignon] paired with Six Hour Braised Prime Beef Short Rib [with Truffle Polenta Gratin, Glazed Spinach, Heirloom Carrots, Syrah Bordelaise].

2013 Sagacious [57% Grenache, 34% Mourvedre, 29% Syrah] with Artisan Sheeps Milk Cheeses, Bacon Jam and Spiced Cherries.

Not surprisingly, everything was delicious and the wines and courses were perfectly paired to highlight the nuances of each. The big standout for me was the Prima with the duck, but that’s not really surprising given my fondness for both.

I almost forgot to mention that before dinner there was a social hour with appetizers and more great wine, including the debut of the 2015 Soph blend of Roussanne, Marsanne and Clairette Blanche.

Lots of happy people that evening. At this kind of event, attendees quickly become friends. And the gentleman next to me said: “This is the best wine event I’ve ever attended.” [He was also happy to be sitting next to the “other Michael Perlis”, but that’s a story for another day.]

And speaking of people, it would be very easy for the Law owners and staff to match the fanciness of the winery. But there were no “airs” evident. The Laws are gracious and approachable, as is Scott Hawley. Over the last few years, I’ve gotten to know the aforementioned GM OIiver Esparham as well as Tasting Room Manager Adelaida Pitts and Sales and Marketing Manager Arnaud Fabre. This visit we got to chat with Cellar Manager Pedro Vazquez, whose enthusiasm is infectious. Without them, and the rest of the Law team, being who they are, the wines would probably still be great but the experience wouldn’t be what it is.

Law Estate Wines

3885 Peachy Canyon Road

Paso Robles, CA 93446