We haven’t written about our wine imbibing at home in a while so we thought we’d share some of our tasting notes. These wines were all delicious and they also brought back some great memories.
2022 Turley Wine Cellars “The White Coat” – for those who think of Turley as just a producer of great Zinfandels, this white Rhone-style blend might come as a surprise. Named after Larry Turley’s days as an ER doctor, the wine consists of Roussanne (Rattlesnake Ridge Vineyard/Howell Mountain AVA-Napa), Grenache Blanc (Pesenti Vineyard/Paso Robles AVA) and Vermentino (Cobb Vineyard/Amador AVA), all estate grown. The wine had an aroma of pink grapefruit, with sweet Meyer Lemon on the palate and a long fruity finish with balanced acidity. We paired it with Ahi poke bowls with mango wedges, avocado slices and a splash of soy sauce. While Turley’s homebase is in the Napa Valley, its only tasting room is in Paso Robles, which they’ve had since acquiring the old Pesenti property in 2000. We have fond memories of visiting the property many times back when it was under the Pesenti moniker as well as after it became part of Turley.
Turley Wine Cellars | California, Unfiltered
2024 Castoro Cellars Estate Rosé – primarily Grenache with just a touch of Carignane, this wine is SIP Certified as well as CCOF Certified Organic from Castoro’s Whale Rock Vineyard in the Paso Robles AVA. Pink and orange hue with a ripe peach nose and apricot on the lips. Very approachable and enjoyable and it went great with our selection of pork and chicken dim sum and steamed Bok toy. Castoro was the first winery we visited in Paso Robles back in the early 1990s. We were driving down the 101 from Northern California and needed a break. And, boy, were we happy we did!
Look at us now, we’re writing about wine!
2016 J Dusi Wines Fiorento – a very interesting and flavorful blend of 50% Zinfandel, 25% Carignane and 25% Petite Sirah, all from the Dante Dusi Vineyard in the Templeton Gap District, a sub-AVA within Paso Robles AVA. Blueberry, boysenberry notes, medium finish, nice length, great depth. Harmonious and delectable, we enjoyed it with our dinner of stuffed bell peppers. Winemaker Janell Dusi opened her tasting room in 2013, although her first vintage of J Dusi was in 2006. The family has a long history in the area; this vineyard was planted in 1945 and it’s not even the oldest Dusi family-owned property in the area – the Benito Dusi vineyard was planted in 1923! The picture used in this article was included with the email the winery sent out promoting the short film 91 Harvests a few years ago; Janell is third from the right. (This film and others are available on the Wine History Project’s website: Films | Wine History Project of San Luis Obispo County.) Before Janell opened the tasting room, we used to enjoy visiting her and her family at the Dante Dusi Vineyard. The tasting room is a great place to visit since it opened, and there are often plenty of Dusi family members on hand.
A Boutique Paso Robles Zinfandel Winery | J Dusi Wines
Interestingly, all three of the above wines are from Paso Robles – well, part of the Turley is, anyway. They definitely put us in the mood to pay a return visit to the area.
We need to start scheduling.
Karen and Michael Perlis have been pursuing their passion for wine for more than 30 years. They have had the good fortune of having numerous mentors to show them the way and after a couple of decades of learning about wine, attending events, visiting wineries and vineyards, and tasting as much wine as they possibly could, they had the amazing luck to meet Eve Bushman. Michael and Karen do their best to bring as much information as possible about wine to Eve’s Wine 101 faithful readers.
