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 growth in U.S. exports reflects continued consumer appreciation of the Albariño white wines of D.O. Rías Baixas. The results are particularly noteworthy given the lasting impact of U.S. tariffs over the past year, as well as challenges in the hospitality sector related to COVID and supply chain delays.
The SLO Coast Wine Collective’s annual Roll Out The Barrels celebration, which has drawn thousands of wine lovers to San Luis Obispo’s wine country since 1990, returns this year with an all-new format: A series of exclusive events held at member wineries throughout the Central Coast, and for the first time, an auction of rare bottles curated by the winemakers. 
Medals were awarded to those wines that meet very specific judging criteria, with a goal of identifying wines that should become additions to restaurant wine lists. Wines will be judged by Food Parability, Typicity, Value, Quality, and Package.
Starting with Ampelos we met with Matt, a “cellar rat” at the winery and tasting room staffer. We went through their current lineup of wines to taste, but only after first noting the unique tasting notes done by their marketing director. Instead of the usual aromas and flavors, these tasting notes also called up more memories, or visions, of where each wine could take you. For example, the 2019 Santa Barbara County Viognier was described as, “The click clack of rails, puffs of jasmine glinted steam, the sneaky smile of a Mandarin orange sun. Teak wood bar, juicy pineapple rings, shaved coconut flesh, the sway of palm trees passing quickly by. A new day swaggers through the lounge car with unlimited possibilities while I ride alongside ‘phi’ the ‘golden girl’ of my dreams.” These kind of tasting notes, albeit not for everyone, makes the writer in me want to strive much harder. It’s boring to read, “jasmine, orange, teak, pineapple” alone. Now, moving on and back to the tasting, and my tasting notes, I found the fruit in the Viognier to be fresh with a lovely mouthfeel. A great start to our tasting.
We began with the 2018 “Zoto” Chardonnay that Jason said had “marginally less oak” than their Estate Chardonnay. I found it slightly acidic, akin to a Sauvignon Blanc, with both tart and buttery notes. Then we tried three more Chards, all very good. We preferred the 2017 Estate Chardonnay for its notes of Meyer lemon, white peach, pear and a hint of strawberry in a delicate balance, for only $28 a bottle. We liked the 2017 Reserve Chardonnay, from the 809 clone, and 50% new French oak, with tropical fruit including pineapple, papaya and a floral nose. The last white we tried was the 2018 Estate Viognier. The wine called up memories of lemon-lime soda, stone fruit, wet stones with a nice low acidity.
Lucky me again when fellow wine writer, Carl Kanowsky, invited me to join him for a tasting with store manager Brian Ilvento and Wine Specialist Doug Characky a few weeks ago. They promised to expose us – and our readers – to some of their broad selection, and specifically to lesser known wines that they carry.
There are over 200 years of wine history in the area, with the first grapes, table grapes, being planted before the 16th century. Jesuit priests reactivated winemaking in the Tijuana area in 1791. In the 1800s the Dominicans came in, the Jesuits were out, and planting began north of Ensenada. By the 1900s Russian Molokans fled Russia and they too settled in Baja.
The group’s trademark “strolls” are held about 4 times a year, each with a slightly different twist. The Winter Stroll, with 16 participating tasting rooms, is unique in that attendees will experience a special wine and food pairing at each tasting room they visit. Pairings have not yet been decided, but recent stroll offerings included Butternut Squash Ravioli with Roasted Chestnuts, artisanal cheeses and sausages, crab cakes and Steak Ciabatta Sliders. Tasters will enjoy a diverse selection of award winning wines as they sip, savor and stroll from tasting room to tasting room – everything from Albariño to Zinfandel – something for every palate. Tickets are and can be purchased at my805tix.