Vintage Eve Circa 8/15: Tasting “Cairdean Whites in Flight”

October 9, 2018 by evebushman Leave a Comment

Cairdean is breaking from convention with an alternative summer “Whites in Flight” tasting, featuring five unique wines produced from an array of international grape varieties. Drawing inspiration from the grapes’ ancestral homes, these whites display an old world flair that will have you booking your next flight, before tasting your second sip.

Conceived by Edwin and Stacia Williams, Cairdean, meaning ‘friends’ in Scottish-Gaelic, reflects a vision for the way wine should be shared and enjoyed. This philosophy extends beyond simply producing quality wine, to a consideration of the experience of enjoying it. In other words, this flight does offer free Wi-Fi.

This “Whites in Flight” tasting passes over California wine country, with Napa Valley as its final destination. The wines include:

Cairdean Estate co-owner and winemaker Stacia Williams (Photo credit: Napa Valley Register.)

Here is where we, well just Eve at the moment, must interrupt. My taste buds were definitely whetted but to get through five whites at one time – and do tasting notes – I thought I better call in some bigger guns.

Joining me for “collective tasting notes” are Simon and Shannon Mee (Owners of Newhall Refinery and Egg Plantation), Bruce and Liz Pack (“Chef Liz” has penned a few recipes for our website) and Claudia Sheridan (Owner Small Business Breakthrough, and like myself, a Level 2 Certification from the Wine and Spirits Education Trust).

Collective Tasting

2014 Cairdean Estate Solano County Riesling (SRP $19.00)

13.1% alcohol, 100% stainless steel

Aroma

Brie, vanilla bean, jasmine and banana.

Flavor

Viscous, low acid, lemon; very opposite of the aroma which made it interesting. 89 Eve pts.

2014 Cairdean Estate Russian River Valley Gewürztraminer (SRP $24.00)

13.8% alcohol, 100% stainless steel

Aroma

Hard candy, lemon drops, elderflower and orange zest.

Flavor

Not as sweet as indicated by the nose, orange Pellegrino water and elderflower. 90 Eve pts.

2014 Cairdean Estate Napa Valley Picpoul Blanc (SRP $25.00)

13.4% alcohol, 100% stainless steel

Aroma

Buttered popcorn, cream, coconut, mango, honey and pear.

Flavor

Viscous, medium acid, Sauvignon Blanc-like, lemon-lime, pear and cream. 89 Eve pts.

2012 Cairdean Estate Napa Valley Roussanne (SRP $25.00)

14.1% alcohol, 30% new French oak

Aroma

Honeydew melon, hint of pineapple, lemon Starburst candy, sweet fried dough.

Flavor

Tropical fruit, tinny on the back palate, low acid, long finish, slight floral quality. 88 Eve pts.

2012 Cairdean Estate Napa Valley Fumé Blanc (SRP $32.00)

14.4% alcohol, 33% new French oak

Aroma

Marzipan, white peach, white pepper, lime, pear.

Flavor

Viscous, oak, lemon zest on the back palate, medium acid, crisp, herbal, lime. A favorite of Shannon’s. 89 Eve pts.

Eve Bushman has a Level Two Intermediate Certification from the Wine and Spirits Education Trust (WSET), a “certification in first globally-recognized course” as an American Wine Specialist ® from the North American Sommelier Association (NASA), Level 1 Sake Award from WSET, was the subject of a 60-minute Wine Immersion video (over 16k views), authored “Wine Etiquette for Everyone” and has served as a judge for the Long Beach Grand Cru and the Global Wine Awards. You can email Eve@EveWine101.com to ask a question about wine or spirits. You can also seek her marketing advice via Eve@EveBushmanConsulting.com

Vintage Eve Circa 7/2015: Garagiste in the Wiltern!

October 2, 2018 by evebushman Leave a Comment

There is nothing like a wine event held in a new venue to rev my engines/salivary glands, and The Garagiste Festival Urban Exposure held inside the Wiltern theater, with the auditorium seats moved over to the side to accommodate wine tables and guests, made for a grand showcase for so many grand wines!

Michael D Larner sharing his Larner Vineyard & Winery 2010 Reserve Syrah – OMG delicious.

We were offered an early tasting of the “Rare and Reserve” (R&R) wines and took full advantage of it. To the point that after selecting no less than 30 wines to taste, I took a break to abate palate fatigue…and still had difficulty going back to the tables to taste everyone’s full line-up. My conclusion had to be that if I loved their R&R I would most likely dig more!

So this is what I noted for you thirsty readers:

Rare and Reserve (R&R) Note: Wines denoted with the acronym GSM are a Rhone blend of Grenache, Syrah and Mourvedre, but Grenache is not automatically predominant though listed first.

Alma Sol Winery: 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley – $60 – 50 cases.

Alta Colina Vineyards: 2011 Block 2 Bio Syrah – $55 – 110 cases.

Archium Cellars: 2012 Haven Grenache – $34 – 74 cases.

Artisan Uprising: Pre-release, 2013 Merlot – $32. (My husband loved their 2012 Malbec and the rest of their line-up.)

Bellissimo Cellars: Barrel sample, 2014 Chardonnay, Mount Eden. (I love winemaker Lora Marie Taylor’s current 2013 Chardonnay as well!)

Bon Niche Cellars: 2010 “Voutes” Bordeaux Blend – $50 – 97 cases.

Caliza Winery: Loved tasting the older 2006 Estate Syrah – $70 – 230 cases.

Cholame Vineyard: 2012 Grenache – $45 – 90 cases.

Cordon Wines: 2011 Highway 1 Blackbird Cuvee of Merlot and Cabernet Franc – $26 – 90 cases.

DENO Wines: 2010 Two Bill’s Zinfandel Grenache blend – $35.

Dilecta Wines: 2011 Tillers Grenache Syrah blend – $46 – 75 cases.

Halcon Vineyards: Loved them all: a Marsanne/Roussane blend, Pinot Noir, Grenache Mourvedre blend, Syrah and a Petite Sirah as well as the R&R 2011 Alturas Syrah – $70 – 180 cases.

Harrison Clarke Vineyards: 2012 Syrah Whole Cluster – $68 – 25 cases.

Imagine Wines: Another lovely older Syrah, the 2007 “Winged” Syrah, Paradise Mountain – $80 – 146 cases.

Incendium Wines: 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa – $32.50.

Kaleidos Winery: The entire line-up (Pinot Gris/Viognier blend, two GSMs and two Syrahs) including the 2012 Preying Mantis (Syrah) R&R – $55 – 24 cases.

Kessler-Haak Vineyards: 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon, Starlane Vineyard – $45 – 47 cases.

Larner Vineyards: 2010 Reserve Syrah – $72 – 106 cases. (I love all of Michael Larner’s wines!)

Mattina Fiore: 2012 Grenache, Murmur Vineyard – $60 – 312 cases.

Overland Wines: 2010 “Kick Ranch” Petite Sirah – $45 – 66 cases. (And I also enjoyed a very golden colored and honeyed 2011 late harvest Sauvignon Blanc.)

Powell Mountain Winery: 2011 Alta Montana blend of Tempranillo, Grenache and Mourvedre – $32 – 61 cases. (Another favorite table of my husband’s.)

Prizm Winery: 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon, barrel sample $60 – 175 cases.

Pulchella Winery: 2013 Block 6 Syrah Reserve, La Vista Vineyard, yet to be named. OMG can’t wait for this one!

Ser Winery: A low acid and low alcohol but incredibly tasty 2014 Dry Orange Muscat $16 – 45 cases.

Shai Cellars: 2009 Adome blend of Syrah and Grenache…I’m a long time fan of winemaker Shawn Shai Halahmy.

STANGER Vineyards: 2009 Pinot Noir, Library Reserve – $114 – Club Only. The only Pinot I’ve ever had that doesn’t taste like a Pinot! Deep, dark and spicy. A must try! Hubby loved their 2010 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon.

Tercero Wines: 2009 Les Deux Comtes Rhone blend – $45 – 88 cases.

The Central Coast Group Project (CCGP): 2013 Barrel sample.

Tlo Wines: 2012 Reserve Petite Sirah – $35 – 90 cases.

Vinemark Cellars: 2009 Primitivo – $32 – 1st Vintage.

Vines on the Marycrest: Sangiovese – $36 – 60 cases None available so instead I tasted and LOVED everything else Victor and Jennifer Abascal shared: 2014 Summertime GSM and Zinfandel blend, 2012 Zinfandel, 2010 Syrah and 2012 My Generation blend of Zinfandel, Syrah, Mourvedre and Petite Sirah.

Story in photos: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10206033352380288.1073741922.1455706632&type=1&l=b35921aa8d

Credits

Thanks must go out to the fabulous planning team that includes founders Doug Minnick and Steward McLennan, event director Lisa Dinsmore, great PR from Melanie Webber and a wonderful group of winemakers, wine reps, food vendors and knowledgeable volunteer sommeliers.

If you missed this Garagiste Festival event sign up for their newsletter to keep track of the next one: http://garagistefestival.com

Wine List

Alma Fria Winery, Alma Sol Winery, Alta Colina Vineyards, Archium Cellars, Artisan Uprising, Ascension Cellars, Bellissimo Cellars, Blair Estate, Bon Niche Cellars, Caliza Winery, Carucci Wines, Casa Dumetz, Cholame Vineyard, Cloak & Dagger Wines, Coda Wines, Cordon Wines, Cutruzzola Vineyards, DENO Wines, Diablo Paso, Dilecta Wines, El Lugar, Falcone Family Vineyards, Frequency, Graef Wines, Halcon Vineyards, Harrison Clarke Vineyards, Imagine Wines, Incendium Wines, Kaleidos Winery, Kessler-Haak Vineyards, Larner Vineyards, Last Light Wine Co., Levo Wines, Maidenstoen Wines, Mattina Fiore, MCV Wines, Moonwalker Cellars, C. Nagy Wines, Overland Wines, Pace Family Wines, Powell Mountain Winery, Prizm Winery, Pulchella Winery, Rendarrio Wines, Ryan Cochrane Wines, Ser Winery, Shai Cellars, STANGER Vineyards, Tercero Wines, The Central Coast Group Project, The Farm Winery, Theopolis Vineyards, Tlo Wines, Travieso Winery, Turiya Wines, Two Shepherds Wines, Valley Floor Vineyard, Vinemark Cellars, Vines on the Marycrest and Weatherborne.

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.

Vintage Eve 5/2015: Cabs of Distinction = Dinner at Opolo and The Quaff Report Panel

July 17, 2018 by evebushman Leave a Comment

Dinner at Opolo Vineyards after our first day learning and tasting at the Paso Robles Cab Collective Cabs of Distinction was a special treat booked for us by the public relations company marketing the event, Parker Sanpei. Starting with an after hours tasting in their tasting room – their Zin and Sangio stood out uppermost in my mind the next day – we also took a brief tour.

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Dinner at Opolo Vineyards!

The winery now houses not one but two copper stills in which chief distiller and vineyard manager Paul Quinn has been making a freaking outstanding grappa, and just that day, had completed distilling a pear brandy. Come to find that several Paso wineries are getting their license to distill alcohol from fruit and sell from their tasting rooms. I told Paul that since Opolo is SIP certified this is a natural following, to use up every scrap…for our pleasure.

We then toured the grounds. We visited a large welcoming grassy area that is used for the 8,000-strong club member parties, the rooms for overnight guests and a main house with plenty of windows for vineyard views set up for our dinner.

Starting with a lovely fruit-forward Roussanne we dined on a spinach salad with dried cranberries, apple slices, walnuts and then buttery scallops over Parmesan risotto. The owner, Rick Quinn, who had already wowed us with his smoked pork salami and smoked pork loin as appetizers, had created a meaty Goulash with grilled artichoke which I believe they served with their reserve Zinfandel. For dessert, our only store bought item, was a light cheesecake covered in berries and compote.

If you haven’t been to Opolo and like big friendly wines paired with friendly people, don’t miss them on your next trip to Paso.

The Quaff Report Panel Discussion

On day two of our visit we were invited back to the Paso Robles Inn Ballroom for a sommelier led seminar.

While the panelists got ready Meredith May, publisher of Tasting Panel and SOMM Journal, announced that she will soon be unveiling a chef-focused cannabis magazine coming in the fall, contact info@TheCleverRoot.com if you want to learn more. This was news!

Then it was time for the panel.

Okay, right off the bat, this is my first experience watching others – as the audience wasn’t participating – taste and comment on wine. One thing I did learn came from sommelier Mike Madrigale, the moderator, who discussed helping restaurant staffs by blind tasting wines and discussing them on their merits.

Then he asked his fellow panelists to taste and only comment on any remarkable attributes found in the wines poured out in front of them.

Like a silent movie, with no music as an accompaniment, we waited for what seemed like several minutes for ANYTHING to happen. May took the opportunity to talk about the reach, 90k readers, of the Tasting Panel. She then explained that she had offered to take over the Sommelier Journal when it was about to fold, revamped it as the Somm Journal and offered it up for free to trade – and now up to 60k are reading it.

That time spent allowed our panel of Somms and wine directors to come up with some ideas of what was in their glasses. Savory, dusty, no oak…was it a Cabernet Franc or straight Cab? Across the board they had differing opinions other than what we already knew: all are Bordeaux, the only questions is new or old world?

The MS at Giada at the Cromwell Hotel, Darius Allyn said for us, as he believed that many lay people were in he audience, that they have to look at cost and how the wines offered up to pair with their cuisine.

Madrigale commented that the first wine, once revealed was a $200ish Bordeaux, wholesale would be about $125 and then about $300 on a wine list – for a wine that needs age, he wouldn’t buy this for a restaurant. He gets better deals looking for this and others at auction.

Allyn mentioned that he is given a budget by the restaurant, and he can’t speed up time on a bottle that needs age.

Both commented that Burgundy may triple in value with time, while current Bordeaux would not, and the price of Bordeaux is somewhat inflated. Which was another reason they routinely chose not to invest money in them for their wine lists.

As they worked their way through the remaining wines, we tweeted along with them, but there was more discussion about if the blind wines were new or old world and less about things I could get into, like what their customers would think, what would they pay, if it was unexpected would a customer send it back. In conclusion: if you want us to watch while you drink you better engage us. Oh well.

Story in photos: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10205508500739325.1073741916.1455706632&type=1&l=dbb4543053

Eve Bushman has been reading, writing, taking coursework and tasting wine for over 20 years. She has obtained a Level Two Intermediate Certification from the Wine and Spirits Education Trust, has been the subject of a 60-minute Wine Immersion video, authored “Wine Etiquette for Everyone” and recently served as a guest judge for the L.A. International Wine Competition. You can email Eve@EveWine101.com to ask a question about wine or spirits that may be answered in a future column. You can also seek her marketing advice via Eve@EveBushmanConsulting.com

How Was Wine in the Pines 2018? Let Me Tell You!

June 22, 2018 by evebushman Leave a Comment

During the drive along an empty 5 freeway on a Saturday afternoon, up to the Frazier Park exit and then a few more miles to watch the terrain change from dry desert like conditions to lush green hills and pine trees, I got to try out all the great cornering my little Mini Cooper can make on the now winding road: Welcome to Wine in the Pines 2018 in the Pine Mountain Club slice of the Los Padres National Forest.

Me and my little sister “Charlotte” at Wine in the Pines 2018

I think this is the third year my husband has graciously given his ticket up to my baby sister “Charlotte” for sisterly bonding time. We’ve always taken full advantage of the hour drive up and back to get very caught up. This year she said it was the best year ever as she was getting a hang of this wine tasting thing…while I visited with friends and tasted just a bit – lots of tossing out – as I’m the designated driver on these trips.

So, enough meandering, let’s get to the heart of the matter, what did we love to taste this year? You can skip my commentary below and just look at these four photo grids if you like, if not, here you go:

Always a good time tasting and visiting with Arndt Cellars, Ascension Cellars, Cass Winery (Ted Plemons is always a favorite at this event, as are his namesake “Ted” wines), Charles Wine (no not a distributor, he makes these wines), Stephen Hemmert Wines (loved that Roussanne), the owners of Vinemark Cellars, Tobin James poured by two sweet wine lovers from Bakersfield, Hoi Polloi and Pagter Brothers (these latter two share the Double Trouble Wine Room in downtown Newhall) towards the front of the event.

We always end our tasting in that section with my friend Yoshi Murakami with JFC International for chilled sake, shochu (he served one aged in spent Jim Beam barrels – my favorite) and shochu-based cocktails! The first year Yoshi poured at the event many people had only experienced warm sake, now that they’ve discovered cold sake, and how refreshing it is on a sunny day in the pines, his table has grown in popularity!

As I made my way up the loop – I knew that organizers Mark and Debbie Bailey always try to put the same winemakers in the same spots so their fans can find them – I knew I would meet up with Sherrijon Gaspard with her refreshing Vina Sympatica sparklers (look for a new line of still wines coming soon) and I never miss time with Michel Ayer of Workman Ayer (my all-time favorite white and red blends).

In the Pine Mountain Club Village Gazebo’s version of the Lompoc Wine Ghetto we enjoyed the live music, watching people dance and wine tastes from Flying Goat (Bubbles and Rose Bubbles), Fiddlehead Cellars, La Montagne (a new Pinot Noir) and Turiya.

Then after rounding the back bend I expectantly looked for Lee and Helen Williams of Golden Star Vineyards in their bright tie-dyed shirts, an ode to their flagship wine “Purple Haze” making new wine friends, and greeting us old wine friends too.

We loved the food that was supplied from the local restaurants like La Lena Mexican Restaurant, as well as yummy plates from our very own Wolf Creek Restaurant and Brewery. Would’ve enjoyed the Stella Artois Blood Orange beer our friends had, but I had to skip it, was getting time to get back on my favorite road!

Proceeds from Wine in the Pines benefit the American Cancer Society. Find Wine in the Pines on Facebook too.

Eve Bushman has a Level Two Intermediate Certification from the Wine and Spirits Education Trust (WSET), a “certification in first globally-recognized course” as an American Wine Specialist ® from the North American Sommelier Association (NASA), Level 1 Sake Award from WSET, was the subject of a 60-minute Wine Immersion video, authored “Wine Etiquette for Everyone” and has served as a judge for the Long Beach Grand Cru. You can email Eve@EveWine101.com to ask a question about wine or spirits. You can also seek her marketing advice via Eve@EveBushmanConsulting.com

Perlis Picks: Epic Times at Epoch Estate Wines

June 2, 2018 by Michael Perlis Leave a Comment

In my last article, I mentioned that I’d next be writing about who went into the old Clos Solene spot at Tin City. Well, some technical difficulties have delayed that report, so this week you get…

Photo from Epoch Facebook page.

One of the benefits of living in Southern California, as do most of our Eve Wine 101 readers, is proximity to various wine regions. Santa Barbara wine country is just a couple of hours away, Paso Robles a little farther and a few more hours gets you to Napa, Sonoma and beyond.

Inevitably, once you do start visiting wineries, you’ll be presented with opportunities to join winery clubs. With so many wineries offering great wines, it is easy to get overwhelmed. How do you decide which clubs to join? For us, it is often, in addition to the wine quality, it is the feeling that we have a personal relationship with the people involved.

Epoch Estate Wines in Paso Robles is a great case in point. Karen and I first tasted the Epoch wines in 2010 when they were still being made at Denner. We had the good fortune to meet Kristen Darnell (née Carrillo), now Epoch’s Vice President of Sales and Personnel as well as newly hired winemaker Jordan Fiorentini. The wines were great, Kristen and Jordan were too, and the fact that the owners had purchased the old York Mountain Winery site to develop their winery [a place we had first visited in the 1980s] was icing on the cake. We were hooked.

A perk of being in a wine club is that members often get invited to special events. Recently, Epoch members were invited to the beautiful state of the art winery on York Mountain to attend not one but two events.

The first event, reserved for the top tier of Epoch members, started with a reception that included passed appetizers along with Epoch’s newly released white blend [Viognier, Grenache Blanc and Roussanne] and Rose [Mourvedre, Grenache and Syrah] wines. Both were excellent but the Rose is really something special. Just ask my wife Karen.

Then, we were treated to an elegant sit-down dinner in the winery, paired with the great Epoch wines.

The 2015 Sensibility [Grenache and Syrah] was paired with Manchego & Prosciutto. The 2015 Zinfandel [with a touch of Grenache] was matched with Grilled Quail and the 2015 Veracity [Grenache, Mourvedre and Syrah] with Wild Mushroom Risotto. Finally, the 2015 Estate Blend of Syrah, Mourvedre, Grenache, Tempranillo and Zinfandel was served with barbecued New York Strip with bone marrow butter and Roquefort whipped potatoes. The dessert table filled with petit fours and brownies topped off the evening, along with more wine to accompany them.

The next evening, open to all Epoch members, was a more casual affair with serving stations set up in the winery. The white blend and the Rose were available at the entry to the event along with various appetizers. The reds were paired as follows…

2015 Sensibility with two flatbreads – one wild mushroom and the other prosciutto and arugula.

2015 Zinfandel with bacon wrapped blue cheese stuffed dates.

2015 Veracity with Capicola and blue cheese skewers.

2015 Estate Blend with lamb sliders.

There was also Seafood and Chorizo Paella, which Karen really enjoyed with the Rose.

Although the events were markedly different from each other, they both really emphasized one thing to me. While the wines are delicious on their own, they really shine when they are paired expertly with the right dishes.

The other thing that always has struck me about Epoch is the amazingly nice people that work for them. Owners Bill and Liz Armstrong told me that this is the first requirement in their hiring process as almost anything else can be taught. Kudos on a job well done.

Perlis Picks: Clos Solene

May 12, 2018 by Michael Perlis Leave a Comment

It’s hard to believe that I’ve been writing about Guillaume Fabre, winemaker/owner of Clos Solene for almost nine years. Yet, he and his winery haven’t been the focal point of the article until now.

Karen and I first met Guillaume in 2009. In that article, I spent most of the time whining about events that provide tasting tickets as opposed to unlimited tastes of wine. In spite of that focus, we did taste some nice wines, including Clos Solene, about which I said: “An outstanding Roussane from Paso Robles.” [And yes, now I see the typo.]

My understanding is that this was the first wine released under the Clos Solene label. Guillaume had not yet made the full-time leap to his own winery, but was still working as assistant winemaker at L’Aventure in Paso Robles. Leaving his native France where he had grown up growing grapes and making wine with his family, Guillaume had come to Paso Robles to work with L’Aventure as an intern and fell in love with the Paso Robles area. Guillaume describes this as “un coup de foudre” – a bolt of lightning moment when he realized what the future in Paso Robles could be. This was the second such moment in his life, the first being when he met his future wife Solene, whom he convinced to join him in the New World.

My next article about Clos Solene was nearly five years later, in 2014, as part of a longer article about up-and-coming Paso wineries. My big takeaway about his wine was “in addition to the purity of the fruit being expressed, these wines were incredibly elegant.” At this point, Guillaume had just left the relative security of L’Aventure and was devoting himself full-time to Clos Solene, pouring at the collective tasting room in downtown Paso Robles known as Paso Underground.

Since that last visit, Guillaume has moved Clos Solene –twice!

Paso Underground is still there, of course, and definitely worth your time visiting, with four wineries pouring their wares along with all the other tasting rooms in downtown Paso Robles. But just a few miles south of downtown Paso is an area known as Tin City, with an ever-growing number of small wineries. Tin City is well on its way to becoming a day’s destination all on its own. And as Clos Solene’s popularity and production increased, having a private tasting room / winery made sense.

By the time we planned to visit him there, he had acquired the old Pipestone Vineyards property on Paso’s west side and was deep in the process of making changes to meet his vision of what Clos Solene needed to be. So we never did see him during that trip.

Although we did see Guillaume and taste the Clos Solene wines at a handful of events over the years, it took us another year [and about four years since our Paso Underground visit] to make the drive on a rainy Saturday morning into the hills and follow the long driveway to visit the property that Guillaume and Solene had acquired about a year before.

Sitting with Guillaume on the estate’s patio, as the rain stopped and the sky cleared, looking out over the property and sampling the current tasting room offerings, we got a chance to reflect on the last nine years and the plans for the future. As it turns out, everything has been in a state of evolution. That Roussanne we tasted nine years ago? That was the first wine under the Clos Solene label and it has evolved over time into Hommage Blanc, a blend of 80% Roussanne and 20% Viognier. The Rose has evolved as well, as Guillaume has focused on using grapes grown specifically for the Rose as opposed to bleed-off from grapes to be used for red wines. And then there are the reds. Every year, Guillaume has been perfecting these blends as well. One after another, these wines prove that Clos Solene represents the best of Paso. Some, like Harmonie, are pure expressions of Rhone varieties. Others, like Fleur de Solene, show what an artist like Guillaume can do without the restrictions of his native France, blending Rhone and Bordeaux varieties into true masterpieces.

Truthfully, we are fortunate to be able to taste a lot of really good wine on a regular basis, both as writers and as consumers. But, the quality of the Clos Solene wines is still the exception rather than the rule and it helps to remind us what drove us to this passion in the first place.

The future is exciting as well. Guillaume has always sourced fruit from outstanding vineyards, such as James Berry and Glenrose. But now with the new property, he’ll be able to produce wines from his own estate, controlling the process from beginning to end. It will be just like back home, but better. Production will continue to be very limited with some slight growth in production. Guillaume and Solene are working harder than ever, now with three little mouths to feed in addition to their own.

Karen and I joined the Clos Solene Wine Club to make sure we don’t wait four or five years for another visit.

[Are you wondering what happened to that Clos Solene tasting room in Tin City? Read about that in my next article.]

Vintage Eve 9/2014: Rhone Rangers Came Back to LA September 9

February 6, 2018 by evebushman Leave a Comment

Do you have a favorite wine? A certain varietal you always go for? From a specific wine-producing area? I don’t: I like to try everything and give every winemaker equal time on my palate. Last week it was Rhônes.

For my wine 101ers this is a wine from the Rhone region of France, or, lucky for us all, Rhone varietals made here in the good old USA. The most common Rhône grapes include Syrah, Grenache, Mourvedre, Petite Sirah, Viognier, Roussanne and Marsanne (Learn more here from the group that has helped put U.S. Rhônes on the map, Rhone Rangers: http://www.rhonerangers.org/grapes).

With that said, my glass was full when I arrived 30 minutes before our event was due to start and I got to taste some exceptional wines. And it was kept full throughout the day by these new favorites wines, though I was sorry I couldn’t visit more tables:

Alta Colina 2012 Viognier “12 O’Clock High” and 2010 Syrah “Old 900.”

Anglim 2011 Syrah, 2012 “Cerise” Red Blend of Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre (GSM) and a bit of Viognier and 2011 Mourvedre.

Bonny Doon 2012 Grenache “Cuvee R” and 2009 Syrah Bien Nacido.

Donelan Wines full lineup: 2012 “Venus” White Blend made up predominantly of Roussane with some Viognier, 2012 “Cuvee Christine” Syrah that was just released at the tasting, 2012 “Cuvee Moriah” Red GSM Blend, 2011 Obsidian Vineyard Syrah and a 2012 Pinot Noir that was hiding out on the table, as it’s not a Rhône grape!

Ecluse Wines 2010 “Prelude” White Blend of Viognier, Roussanne and Grenache Blanc.

Law Estate Wines had all their outstanding new releases. Three red blends: 2011 “Audacious”, 2011 “Beguiling” and 2011 “Sagacious.” The 2011 “Beguiling” Syrah was also very noteworthy.

Minassian-Young Vineyards 2012 Mourvedre and a 2012 Red Blend of Mourvedre and Grenache was incredibly balanced.

ONX Wines, who I had just visited at another tasting this summer, shared a couple of new releases that I dug: 2013 White Blend Field Day and 2012 Red Blend “Reckoning.”

Tercero Wines 2013 “Verbiage” Blanc Blend of Grenache Blanc and Viognier, “Verbiage” GSM Red Blend and 2010 Grenache Larner Vineyard.

Vina Robles 2013 Viognier Huerhuero Vineyard, 2013 Rose “Roseum” Huerhuero Vineyard and 2009 Syrah “Syree” blend of Syrah and Petite Sirah.

Zenaida Cellars 2012 Grenache and 2012 100% Petite Sirah “Knucklehead.”

Event photo album link: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10203835190747621.1073741879.1455706632&type=1&l=035969a52a

All of the Participating Wineries

Alta Colina
Anglim
Ascension Cellars
Bonny Doon Vineyard
Broken Earth Winery
Calcareous Vineyard
Campesino Cellars
Carica Wines
Cass Winery
Cellar 433
Chacewater
Clautiere Vineyard
Cornerstone Cellars
Crux Winery
Donelan Wines
Ecluse Wines
Epiphany Cellars
Fess Parker Winery & Vineyards
Guyomar Wine Cellars
Halter Ranch Vineyard
Kale Wines
Kaleidos
Kenneth Volk Vineyards
Kita Wines
Law Estate Wines
Martian Ranch & Vineyard
Mercer Estates
Meyer Family Cellars
Michael-David Winery
Minassian-Young Vineyards
Mira Winery
Mitchella Vineyard & Winery
Morgan Winery
Mounts Family Winery
ONX Wines
Petrichor Vineyards
Pomar Junction Vineyard & Winery
Proulx Wines
Quivira Vineyards & Winery
Qupe
Ridge Vineyards
Sculpterra Winery
Steinbeck Vineyards & Winery
Summerwood Winery
Tablas Creek Vineyard
Tercero Wines
Thacher Winery
Two Shepherds
Vina Robles
Vines on the Marycrest
Zaca Mesa Winery
Zenaida Cellars
Zinke Wine Company

Tasting the Hard To Find: TOP Winery

November 3, 2017 by evebushman Leave a Comment

Wasn’t sure if there really was a TOP Winery in Paso Robles as when I first heard about a luncheon with TOP my Google search came up with, you guessed it, pages of top wineries in Paso. I voiced my concern, and demanded more info…

That’s when I learned from fellow wine writer Don Sunderling that Top Winery just got some nice reviews from Jeb Dunnuck, their second release reportedly sold out in 24 hours, and production had only been about 200 or so cases. There was certainly a buzz now.

Come to find out, when I joined a few others in the #LAWineWriters group for a wine paired luncheon at Marina Del Rey’s Café Del Rey, that Top Winery is most definitely on social media: @TopWinery on Facebook, @TopWinery on Instagram and http://www.topwinery.com on the Internet. And they deserved to be considered a top winery too.

Here’s why YOU want to find them, aka my tasting notes

2015 “Poise” Roussanne, Adelaida District

100% Roussane, 30% new French Oak

Aromas of pineapple, dried apricot, peach, pear and wet stones were followed by flavors of a fresh fruit cocktail, with a low acid and a nice balance. Very drinkable and a fine first for the winery.

2014 “Precession” Grenache, Willow Creek District

100% Grenache, 25% new French Oak

Lovely Luxardo cherry, plum, fig and a bit of dust – think of it as tasting age – all on the nose. In the mouth I got notes of bright cherry to dark cherry, black plum, jam, black pepper and a nice dryness. This was one that Café Del Rey General Manager Brian Cousins said of the pairing with Pork Loin: that the two were “singing to each other.”

2014 “Lever” Mourvedre (This was a surprise addition, so I only had a chance to make some brief tasting notes.)

100% Mourvedre

I noted dark berry, green peppercorn, soft and velvety aromas followed by big, dark and spicy flavors.

2014 “Exert” Syrah, Willow Creek District

Syrah, Grenache, Mourvedre

50% new French Oak

Aromas of black fruit, black pepper and cinnamon were most welcoming. On the palate I got a mouthful of dark and brooding fruit, black pepper, that cinnamon again, tannic and a very long finish. I purchased three of these from the Martinez cellar as this wine, like most of the others we tasted, had already sold out. Better stay tuned to the next releases…

Lunch

Once again Café Del Rey impressed the entire group with their inspired dishes. The first course was Salt Spring Mussels in a smoked potato fennel broth paired with the freshness of the Roussanne. Our number two was a Tri-Peppered Pork Loin and a roasted winter squash with raisins, nuts and cous cous. For that dish we had the Grenache, see above where I noted what restaurant owner Brian Cousins loved about that pairing! For our third course we feasted on Grilled Venison Loin, a sundried tomato risotto with a cognac mushroom sauce; we had that delicious dish with the Syrah I bought. After this second meat I told Cousins that both the pork and venison were outstanding cuts. Our final course was a nice palate cleanser of fruit sorbets. They were perfect but I have to admit, I let them sit a bit while I revisited each and every TOP wine.

More About TOP Winery

Husband and wife, Stanley and Elena Martinez, met in high school, pursued their college degrees, then married, made a home for themselves in Sherman Oaks – and were bitten by the wine bug. Their first vintage was 2014.

Using fruit primarily from West Paso as that is where Elena proclaimed is where “our heart and our future is” they crafted their first white wine.

Currently they are busy with the “long growing year” and are still in harvest for what will be the 2017 vintage, which promises to provide over 1,000 cases.

Also, according to Sunderling, Stanley has been mentored by Nick Elliott of Nicora Wines.

Why the “TOP” branding? No, not to be seen as the top but because, as Elena eloquently states, because the spinning top “tries to maintain balance…and wine gives us that balance.”

Stanley, credited for cooking Elena’s food, is also credited for “making my wine.” A nice pairing indeed.

https://www.topwinery.com/

Eve Bushman has a Level Two Intermediate Certification from the Wine and Spirits Education Trust (WSET), a “certification in first globally-recognized course” as an American Wine Specialist ® from the North American Sommelier Association (NASA), Level 1 Sake Award from WSET, was the subject of a 60-minute Wine Immersion video, authored “Wine Etiquette for Everyone” and has served as a judge for the Long Beach Grand Cru. You can email Eve@EveWine101.com to ask a question about wine or spirits. You can also seek her marketing advice via Eve@EveBushmanConsulting.com

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.