With the hot summer of 2022 at an end, we thought we’d share with our readers some of our favorite wines from the last few months.
2021 Clos Solene La Rose – a blend of 56% Grenache, 26% Mourvedre, 17% Cinsault and 10% Syrah, all from the Adelaida district of Paso Robles and all farmed specifically for rosé. Light and very refreshing with fragrant citrus notes and a medium to long finish. A vegetarian pizza topped with fresh bitter arugula made a great match on a hot summer night. The note on the label from winemaker Guillaume Fabre adds to the mood: “As if he was presenting her with a rose, my father would give my mother a glass of wine of his Rosé. He liked to look at her examining the color and smell. At each of the sips, his mind would start thinking, I love you a little, a lot, passionately…” www.clossolene.com
2021 Benom L’essor – another rosé made by Guillaume Fabre, this time at the Paso Robles winery he owns with his brother Arnaud. This unusual blend of 78% Grenache and 22% Cabernet Sauvignon is very light and fresh with Meyer Lemon notes and an impression of a slight sweetness on its long finish. A light dinner of a salad of arugula/tangerine/Boursin cheese with San Pasqual dressing (Italian balsamic vinaigrette champagne-style dressing made by Valencia’s Marston’s Restaurant) and chicken salad/celery/nuts/raisin spread on crostini was a very enjoyable combination.
2021 Idlewild Flora and Fauna Rosé – Sam Bilbro is the youngest of the Bilbro Brothers making wine in Sonoma County [the other two are Scot at Marietta Cellars and Jake at Limerick Lane] and he has chosen to focus on Italian varietals. This blend of 41% Nebbiolo, 30% Dolcetto, and 29% Barbera along with just a touch of Grignolino, primarily from Fox Hill Vineyard in Mendocino County, has plum notes and a slightly sweet and well-rounded finish. This paired perfectly with freshly made Tagliatelle Bolognese pasta with a slow braised pork ragu, basil and grated 18-month aged parmesan cheese.
2021 Bedrock Ode to Lulu Rosé – Bedrock’s annual homage to the late Lulu Peyraud of Bandol, this blend of Mataro/Mourvèdre from the historic Pato and Evangelho Vineyards in Contra Costa County along with Cinsault and Grenache from Sonoma County’s Dry Creek Valley may be Bedrock’s best rosé yet. With notes of peach and persimmon and a long, dry finish, this was a great pairing with chicken siu mai, pork potstickers, and baby bok toy with garlic.
2019 Bedrock Sauvignon Blanc Judge Family Vineyard – this might be our favorite SB we’ve had so far from Bedrock. Big, bright, ripe melon notes with a full mouth feel on the finish and a dinner of chicken thighs marinated in pureed eggplant/bell pepper/tomato sauce with haricot verts was delicious. www.bedrockwineco.com
2021 Keplinger Rosé – while superstar winemaker Helen Keplinger may be better known for her delicious reds, this 35% Grenache, 35% Mourvedre, 30% Syrah blend from the famed Shake Ridge Vineyard in Amador County is an outstanding rosé with tangerine notes, a medium finish and a big rounded mouth feel. A simple meal of a small Caesar salad, shrimp cocktail, followed by mangoes dipped in chocolate hummus was all we needed.www.keplingerwines.com
2021 Bodega Garzón Albariño Reserva – yes, we do drink wines from outside California, sometimes far outside. Uruguay’s Bodega Garzón has garnered so many accolades from respected critics and publications that it is impossible to count, including being named the 2018 New World Winery of the Year by Wine Enthusiast. From their website: “Located between Brazil and Argentina, Uruguay stands as one of the most prominent countries in the Latin American winegrowing world. Its location – on the same latitude as Argentina, Chile, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand, and its temperate climate favor growing grapevines throughout its territory.” We appreciated this wine’s Meyer lemon notes, full and intense mouthfeel and gentle, long finish and enjoyed it with roasted branzino with a panko and parsley crust and roasted brussel sprouts. www.bodegagarzon.com/en/
2013 Carlisle Syrah – finally, lest you think we have forsaken red wines entirely, we loved this 100% Syrah from Rosella’s Vineyard in the Santa Lucia Highlands of Monterey County. From an area known more for Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, Carlisle sources these grapes to make a delicious wine with plum and raisin notes with a long, luscious finish. It married well with a rare hanger steak and zucchini latkes. www.carlislewinery.com
Michael and Karen 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.
“The 2018 vintage of Soul of a Lion is nothing short of a tour de force that represents the richness, elegance and balance we strive for in the Adelaida district,” says Winemaker and Co-Proprietor Daniel Daou. “2018 was a remarkable vintage for Cabernet Sauvignon that showed our vine balance to perfection. A cooling trend at the end of summer prolonged the hang time and yielded the latest harvest ever recorded on DAOU Mountain. The result is a wine of depth in every way from the dark-purple color and striking flavors to the silky balance and well-integrated tannins on the finish. 2018 Soul of a Lion is a memorable wine that will inspire us with many years of enjoyment ahead.”
“We are excited to return to Paso Robles and Atascadero with what we believe will be our best festival ever,” said Doug Minnick, Garagiste Festival Co-founder. “We will celebrate the evolution of the Garagiste Festival – and how it has amplified garagiste winemakers and the garagiste movement – as well as the evolution of our birthplace and touchstone, Paso Robles, through a special seminar with Jason Haas of Paso’s Tablas Creek, the iconic winery that almost singlehandedly popularized Rhone varieties in America. But, most of all, we will celebrate reconnecting with our fantastic Garagiste Festival attendees as we introduce them to another exciting group of innovative, micro-production winemakers.”
Wine tasters can choose any one or combination of at least seven distinct winery trails, including downtown Paso Robles, or leave the day up to the knowledgeable drivers from Paradise Limousine Service to create a unique tasting and dining experience.
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.
The award – which highlights the wine and its new vintage-trailer campground located on a secluded hilltop in the winery’s estate vineyard – is featured, along with a photo, in the August 2017 issue, on newsstands now.
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.
“Paso Robles is really becoming a destination for wine, craft beer, and distillery lovers,” says Uncorked Wine Tours Owner Katie Hayward. “The wine offering in Paso is diverse – the vineyards here grow about 40 different varieties of grapes – so you really get to try a lot of wines during your tour, and meet some very interesting vintners.”
Family-run Oso Libre calls itself a winery and traditional San Luis Obispo cattle ranch, pasture-raising estate beef for a ‘whole farm’, sustainable family business. Family for Oso Libre is founding vintner/ranchers Chris and Linda Behr, who bought the initial 90 acres in 1996. Son Jeff Freeland and his family joined them in 2006 and the family released their initial vintage in 2009 after years of planting, study and winemaking experience.