Discovering Camins 2 Dreams in Lompoc

August 14, 2020 by evebushman

Was recently invited by fellow wine writer and organizer of the #LAWineWriters group, Cori Solomon, for a road trip to Lompoc. It had been awhile since our group had met but Cori found a winery she liked that was most willing to set up for us outside and socially distanced for a tasting. The winery is Camins2Dreams and this is their story.

“Wife and wife” winemakers Tara Gomez and Mireia Taribo Tena share the Camins 2 Dreams winery. Some of us had already tasted wines made by Gomez, as she is also the winemaker at Kita. The pair make wines, starting with their flagship Gruner Veltliner and Syrah, only in a natural style. Cori hinted that “Tara and Mireia have a good story.”

We quickly learned that the pair has years of winemaking experience between them. Gomez got her Enology degree and began making wine at J Lohr (where the two met) and Fess Parker before starting Kalawashaq’ Wine Cellars (the winery name is the same as the village her Chumash forefathers lived in). Fast forward to taking some time away to make wine in Spain, specifically at Castell d’Encus, where Tena was the winemaker. Tena also has an Enology degree, and went back to school to earn a Masters in Enology, Viticulture and Marketing of Wine.

The pair started Camins 2 Dreams in 2017, making wines from Sta. Rita Hills vineyards that focus on 100% natural bottling, not filtered or fined, all foot stomped, no new oak barrels (their new standard) and only add SO2 (a wine preservative) just before bottling. Their first production was a mere three barrels.

“We have to adjust for each vintage…it’s difficult to be consistent. So the focus is on the vineyard,” the pair shared. They “respect the land and want (their) vineyards to be SIP certified.” Look for newcomers Grenache and Graciano in their lineup.

Tasting (Notes on aromas and flavors were provided, I will only comment on those that I noted as remarkable.)

We started with a 2019 Gruner Veltliner that was a big hit with the group. Noted: pear, green apple, freshness, acidity and it worked as the perfect palate cleanser for the tasting. At the end of the tasting we were treated to a refreshing Pet Nat of their Gruner Veltliner which is described by Wine Enthusiast as “Pét-nat, or Méthode Ancestrale, is a method of sparkling wine production used all over the world. … After a period of rest that can be as short as a couple of months…”

After the white wine we moved over to their pink, a 2019 Rose of Syrah that had been made in the saignee method with nearly zero skin contact and completely fermented in stainless steel. We notes strawberries, Rainier cherries, pomegranate with a crisp finish that I thought would lend itself well to a nice picnic with cold fried chicken.

Then we started on their many Syrah wines: 2017 Zotovich Vineyard, which was their first, which had a lovely blueberry nose, tannins and long finish – my favorite of the Syrahs. A 2018 Zotovich had a lovely balance and a bit lighter to me than the 2017. The 2018 Spear Vineyards had a medium body, black fruit and a decent amount of acidity that I felt was due to its youth.

We finished for with a 2018 JSB (from the John Sebastiano Vineyard) that had been bottled just two weeks prior, and a red table wine that was a combination of both 2018 and 2019 Syrah from all three vineyards: JSB, Pear and Zotovich.

My takeaway: If you seek natural wines Camins 2 Dreams is not to be missed.

Camins 2 Dreams

313 North F St, Lompoc, CA.

805-741-7047

https://camins2dreams.com

https://www.facebook.com/camins2dreams/

https://www.instagram.com/camins2dreams/

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.

Paso: Visiting Linne Calodo and Denner Vineyards

December 28, 2018 by evebushman

Both Linne Calodo and Denner had been recommended to us over the years to visit, but if you’ve been paying any attention to the growth in Paso Robles you know that there are now hundreds of wineries to choose to visit. In my earlier article on Parrish Family, as well as this one, it was the first time in all of our visits to the area we were not seeing any wineries we had visited before. Everyone has their favorites, and I myself felt guilty about not seeing some of mine on this trip, but I do it all for you, dear reader, so that you can explore something new as well.

So on a cool Saturday morning we set out to both for predominant Rhône blends and both by appointment only.

View from Denner patio.

Linne Calodo is on the corner of 46 West and Vineyard Avenue, so it’s extremely easy to find. A short drive up the hill and you’ll find a medium-sized tasting room for guests that would like to either sit or stand through a flight.

Greeted with a menu of what we would be tasting – we knew it was ours as our name was printed on it – and a trio of red wine glasses.

We were expertly taken care of by Meghan Ball – Meghan is a new mom so she has taken a short break in her duties as assistant winemaker this year to take over as the Director of Sales. Meghan explained that guests were welcome to bring food to have for an outdoor tasting, there is sometimes live music upstairs that is enjoyed by tasters downstairs, couches and sitting areas are often used by members – as club members have always been the wineries exclusive buyers.

In fact when the tasting room opened in 2009 – they reached the maximum for wine club members. It was not until January of this year that they had re-opened the wine club for new members, and re-opened the tasting room for walk in guests. Had they not acquired more acreage they would still be closed for new tasters and members.

Linne Calodo owner and winemaker, Matt Trevisan, had switched his interests from airplanes to biochemistry – and started out with Justin Winery in 1995, the same vintage year that Wine Spectator awarded Justin Isosceles with a 100 point score. 1998 was Trevisan’s first vintage for Linne Calodo. Beginning with a 500 case production they are now at 5,000 cases. The vineyards are primarily dry farmed, all estate, they make eight to ten blends a year with four or five released twice per year, with an additional white and rose.

This struck me, Megan said that all of the wines are unfiltered and unfined, and that “through blending we create balance.” We agreed as we meandered our way through: 2016 “Rising Tides” with 77% Grenache, 14% Mourvedre an 9% Syrah; 2016 “Nemesis” with 87% Syrah, 9% Mourvedre and 4% Grenache; 2016 Outsider with 82% Zinfandel, 7% Syrah, 7% Mourvedre and 4% Graciano.

(I have no tasting notes on these wines as we were too busy chatting with Meghan all about the winery. I enjoyed everything, with a special nod to the 2016 Nemesis that had been opened 24 hour earlier. Meghan commented that the “first and last glass” of this particular wine “is a totally different experience”.)

Linne Calodo www.linnecalodo.com 3030 Vineyard Dr. Paso Robles, CA 93446 (805) 227-0797

Denner, just up Vineyard Avenue about ten minutes from Linne Calodo, has a large parking lot and several welcoming areas to taste both inside and out, a bocce court, trees, flower gardens and vineyards are all within view. We were told to take any seating area and chose a nice tall table outside to take in the sights.

Our entertaining and educational sommelier Yule from the Ukraine presented us with six wines to taste, and allowed us time with each before returning with a new wine. What we learned and tasted:

We began with a 2016 100% Viognier that I thought had perfect fresh fruit with a medium acidity. I also agreed with the provided tasting notes that described notes of orange and lime. Yule explained that this wine, and some of the others, had spent their months aging in large “cigar” barrels. I was familiar with these for their odd shape compared to the standard shaped barrel. Yule also explained that they allowed for less oxygen to reach the wine, and I presumed the large shape would also provide less oak notes in the nose and flavor.

Next we tried the 2016 Grenache with 81% Grenache, 9% Mourvedre, 9% Syrah and 1% Roussane. While our tasting notes described the wine as having aromas of cherry and raspberry I also found chocolate. The wine is all estate fruit, fairly dry, well balanced, and left me with hints of cherry cola on the palate.

Ron Denner, the owner of the property, started out being told that he wouldn’t amount to much by his father as his grades in his early school years were lacking. Between his college years, military service and owning more than one business – two involving moving dirt (the latter being the winery) Denner more than proved his father wrong. The wine named Ditch Digger is a shout out to that memory. The wine we tasted, the 2016 vintage, again an all estate wine was 50% Grenache, 25% Mourvedre, 5% Counoise and 5% Cinsault. While the tasting notes mentioned black licorice, strawberry, botanicals and spice my own palate found it to have also notes of crushed cherry on the nose and darker fruit on the palate. This wine had spent 16 months in neutral 500L and 600L oak puncheons – three times bigger than a standard barrel – allowing for less oak on the flavor.

The next wine, the 2016 Dirt Worshipper, had a great story for its namesake, and proved to be our favorite wine in the line-up. Lets start with the brief story: Yule got down on bended knee to show us what it looked like when the workers were planting the grapes that would eventually make up Dirt Worshipper, and you probably may have guessed it, yep, they looked like they were praying. The 2016 vintage was 97% Syrah, 2% Roussanne and 1% Viognier – and why use a white wine in a red blend? And why so little of it, would it make any kind of difference? Yule explained that the small percentage of white Rhônes would act as a stabilizer for their Syrah to maintain its color. Cool. I agreed with the tasting notes that showed white pepper and blackberries on the nose, and espresso and blueberries in the palate, I also found it very creamy. I also wrote down what I overheard another guest say, “If this is ditch digging we can agree he struck gold.”

The 2012 Syrah, with it’s gold ribbon on the bottle, was considered more of a library wine that can age longer due to more tannins. With notes of violets, blueberries, and white pepper on the nose and with the addition of espresso on the palate – we were in agreement with the tasting notes on our menu.

A final wine added to the lineup was the 2016 Sacred Burro of 100% Carignan. In this wine, Yule explained, the vineyard had been head trained, and since the grapes are susceptible to mold up to 80% of the fruit was cut off to allow only 20% for wine. In comparison, if left alone there would be 20 tons of Carignan harvested to an average of five tons for Cabernet Sauvignon. He further explained that without the head training, the mold could takeover other parts of the vineyard. As we went in for our taste – the wine was described as having rose petal and raspberry notes (I also found dark cherry) it would be easier to discern these aromas if we rolled our glasses, and then see if we could sniff the raspberry or cherry on the near side, and the rose botanical on the far end. It seemed to work. Something to try at home!

Note: I didn’t explain the time in oak for all of these wines, share their Vinous scores or the pricing. You can email me if you want further details: Eve@EveWine101.com or peruse their Facebook or website pages:

https://www.facebook.com/DennerVineyards/

http://www.dennervineyards.com/

To see the photo grids from all of our Paso winery visits from this trip click this.

Garagiste Wine Festival Turns ‘21’: Showcases Over 60 Artisan Winemakers

September 27, 2018 by evebushman

PASO ROBLES, Calif. (PRWEB) – The Garagiste Wine Festival marks its 21st festival, and 8th anniversary, at its home base in Paso Robles, November 9th through the 11th, with three days of events, including a Grand Tasting that showcases over 60 micro production winemakers, 20% of whom are pouring at the festival for the first time. Tickets are on sale now at http://californiagaragistes.com/buy-tickets/.

In addition to its signature range of over 200 wines, over 20 different grape varieties and new and iconoclastic blends, this year’s festival pays tribute to the increasing influence of Spanish grape varieties in California. This includes a Rare and Reserve tasting matched with Paella and a seminar dedicated to Spanish varieties – from Albarino to Graciano – and how today’s artisan winemakers, including Enrique Torres of Diablo Paso, Louisa Sawyer Lindquist of Verdad and Jeremy Leffert of Croma Vera Wines, are crafting trail-blazing wines from them.

“We are turning ‘21!’ This doesn’t necessarily mean crossing into adulthood (we’ll never grow up!); but it does mean we’ve hit on something that both dedicated wine drinkers and the growing micro-winery community find valuable,” said Garagiste Festival Co-founder Doug Minnick. “It feels great to have helped so many wineries find their audience, while helping new audiences find exciting new winemakers. We’re like a matchmaking service where everyone ends up getting married!”

Dubbed “tasting nirvana” ‘strange and wondrous’, and “one not to miss” by the LA Times, the Garagiste Festival is renowned for its renegade spirit, passionate winemakers, handcrafted wines and rules-breaking, ‘no snobs allowed’ ethos. Launched in Paso Robles in 2011, the festival features the wines of commercial garagiste* winemakers who make under 1500 cases at festivals across California, including Solvang, Sonoma, Los Angeles and Paso Robles. Over 350 different wineries have poured over 3,000 wines for over 10,000 wine lovers at Garagiste Festivals since inception.

The festival takes place at the Paso Robles Fairgrounds and other area locations and includes Thursday’s Industry Night, featuring the Garagiste’s annual Winemaker Shootdown; Friday night’s ‘Rare and Reserve’ event, and Saturday’s seminars and epic Grand Tasting, followed by the Keep It Rockin’After Party, featuring special 8th Anniversary guest, Stephen Rowe and the Lonely Loners, who played at the very first Garagiste Festival in 2011. On Sunday, Garagiste Paso Passport Day returns, which offers festival attendees discounts and events at garagiste wineries throughout the area.

Saturday morning’s VIP tasting seminar on Spanish varieties, ‘The Rise of Spanish Varieties: Classic Grapes find a home in California,’ is moderated by Garagiste Festival co-founder, KRUSH radio host and Golden Triangle Wines winemaker, Stewart McLennan.

Said McLennan: “The festival is a Paso wine-tasting tradition. Big, bold and badass. So if you’ve never been to our Paso festival, you need to come join the fun.”

“And it is all for a good cause – the festivals have raised over $125,000 for The Garagiste Scholarship at Cal Poly. So, as you broaden your exposure to some of the most innovative winemaking in California, you are also supporting winemaking’s future generations,” concluded Minnick.

The Garagiste Festival was the first event to define, and shine a spotlight on, the American “garagiste*” wine movement and has introduced outstanding California artisan winemakers to thousands of passionate wine consumers, members of the trade and media, helping to ignite the awareness, business and reputations of hundreds of artisan winemakers.

For full schedule details, go to http://californiagaragistes.com/2018-paso-fest/

Among the over 60 winemakers already scheduled to pour are:
Adron Wines*, Alta Colina, Armitage Wines*, Artisan Uprising, Ascension Cellars, Bevela Wines, Bolshoi Family Wines*, Caldera Cuvee, Caliza Winery, Circle B Vineyards, Cloak & Dagger Wines, Copia Vineyards, Corner Cellars*, Cutruzzola Vineyards, Decroux Wines*, DENO Wines, DeWitt Vineyard*, Diablo Paso, Dusty Nabor Wines, Gary Kramer Guitar Cellars*, Golden Triangle, Hoi Polloi Winery, Hoyt Family Vineyards, Jardesca*, Kitson Wines*, Last Light Wine Co, Leverage Wines, Lost Blues, MagnaVita Cellars*, Marin’s Vineyard, Mastro Scheidt*, MCV Wines, Merisi Wines*, Montage Russe, On Your Left Wine Co., Powell Mountain Cellars, Saint K Wines, Seven Angels Cellars, Seven Oxen Estate Wines, Sea Shell Cellars, T. Berkley Wines*, Tlo Wines, TOP Winery, Torch Cellars, Transmission Wine Co.*, TW Fermentations, Ultima Tulie, Vandella Vineyards*, Vigo Cellars*, Vinemark Cellars, Vino Vargas, Volatus Wines, and Willow Creek Wine Group*.

*First time pouring at the Paso Festival.

Tickets: To preserve an intimate experience with one-on-one interaction with winemakers, tickets are very limited for the Garagiste Festivals and always sell out. Tickets are available at http://californiagaragistes.com/buy-tickets/. For special discounts and updates on Garagiste Festival events and news, sign up for The Dirt at http://garagistefestival.com/sign-up/, or follow us on Twitter (@GaragisteFest) or Facebook (http://on.fb.me/1rgBC80).

Sponsors include: Travel Paso Robles Association, ETS Laboratories, Farm Credit, G3, Glenn Burdette, Hanover Insurance, mWEBB Communications, Digital Dogma, Laffort USA, WiVi Central Coast, The Oaks Hotel, La Quinta Inn and Suites. House Copper

For sponsorship info, email info(at)garagistefestival(dot)com.

*Garagistes (garage-east) is a term originally used in the Bordeaux region of France to denigrate renegade small-lot wine makers, sometimes working in their “garages” (anything considered not a chateau), who refused to follow the “rules,” and is now a full-fledged movement responsible for making some of the best wine in the world. The Garagiste Festivals were the first to shine a light on the American garagiste winemaker in 2011.

About The Garagiste Wine Festivals
The Garagiste Wine Festivals (http://www.garagistefestival.com) are the first and only wine festivals dedicated to the undiscovered and under-recognized American artisan ‘garagiste’ producers who are making some of the best, most exciting, handcrafted small-lot production wines in the world. Founded by fellow garagistes Stewart McLennan and Douglas Minnick, the Garagiste Festivals are committed to discovering the best and most innovative limited-production winemakers and promoting and showcasing them to a broad audience of discerning wine consumers. In addition to its flagship annual festival in Paso Robles, CA, the Garagiste Festival line-up includes Garagiste Festival: Southern Exposure, featuring Santa Ynez Valley garagistes; the Garagiste Festival: Urban Exposure, in Los Angeles; the Garagiste Festival, Northern Exposure, in Sonoma; winemaker dinners, a newsletter, garagiste profiles and more.

The festivals were named one of the ‘Top Nine Incredible Epicurean Vacations’ in the world by ABC News, * “one of the premier wine events of the year,” by the LA Times and “Best Festival” by Sunset Magazine’s ‘Best of the West.’ The festivals are produced by Garagiste Events, a non-profit dedicated to furthering the education of future winemakers and those training for employment within the wine industry. Proceeds from the festivals support the Garagiste Festival Scholarship fund of the California Polytechnic State University at San Luis Obispo Wine and Viticulture Department.

Tasting Through Turtle Rock at Napa Valley Grille

August 31, 2018 by evebushman

It isn’t a secret that I love Rhônes, whites and reds alike, so reading the wine list for a recent tasting with Turtle Rock Vineyards already whet my palate. Paired with another multi-course lunch created by Chef Kenny Spost of the Napa Valley Grille in Westwood for the #LAWineWriters group I’m in, the table was proverbially set. But first, we learn about and taste the wines.

From Turtle Rock owner, Claudia Burns, I quickly discovered that her husband Don Burns came from a caliber of winemakers to respect: He was and continues to be the assistant winemaker for Saxum Vineyards – obtaining many of his wine grapes from the same vineyards – and he works on both wines simultaneously in the Saxum caves. If it’s punch down day for Saxum it’s also punch down day for Turtle Rock.

There is no estate fruit in any of the Turtle Rock wines, however, they “control all of the farming” in the “handful of vineyards” they purchase their grapes from according to Claudia. It takes two years from grape to glass. Claudia herself “does everything else” other than winemaking at Turtle Rock, but she did tease us with the idea that she might like to try her hand at winemaking as well. (See more about the vineyards in the From the Winery section below.)

The Burns’ also co-own the Wine Shine distillery I visited a few years back. Both Turtle Rock and Wine Shine have tasting rooms in Tin City, Paso Robles.

(From our very own Contributing Editor Michael Perlis I learned that Don is Justin Smith’s childhood friend. He wrote about them here: evewine101.com/2012/08/04/michael-perlis-discovers-westberg-cellars/ and here: http://evewine101.com/2014/05/24/paso-robles-trip-part-one-paso-underground/ along with mentions in other articles in Eve’s Wine 101.)

If you are salivating already, check out the two photo grids here.

Tasting (Yep, I loved them all)

2016 Willow White

63% Grenache Blanc, 28% Roussanne, 5% Picpoul, 4% Viognier

On the nose I got lemonade, popcorn kernel, unsalted butter and toasted oak. The taste gave way to flavors of lemon, peach, apricot, kiwi, green apple with a mild acidity allowing for a lingering finish.

2016 Plum Orchard

68% Grenache, 32% Mourvedre

2015 was their first vintage from Plum Orchard, and the sandy soils allow for a “filtration system, a leaner wine…” they then added “stem tannins (to) accentuate the spice.” Aromas of black cherry, black pepper, plum, dark chocolate, forest floor, leaves and sage. On the mouth I got fresh dark fruit, killer spice notes, pepper, very rich.

2015 Willow’s Cuvee

45% Grenache, 34% Syrah, 15% Mourvedre, 5% Carignon

Stewed fruit, plums again, creamy milk chocolate, white pepper and toasted oak on the nose, followed by flavors of ripe berries, spice and cracked black pepper.

2016 G2 Syrah

90% Syrah, 6% Grenache, 4% Mourvedre

A wonderfully balanced nose of both fruit and spice. Also felt a velvety quality, blue to black fruit, tri-color pepper, char, sweet chocolate candy, oak and a whiff of cigar wafting through it all. Tasting the wine, knowing from the nose I would love it, I found that it was filled with bold dark fruit, had a dusty quality, lots of spice and again, with a great balance.

Surprise Wine: 2016 “Maturin” (The name is an ode to a Stephen King horror series that references a turtle). 50% Syrah, 32% Graciano*, 18% Grenache. Wine Club Only. Aromas of blackberry, rich earth, mint and cream. On the mouth I loved the dry, richly layered qualities that also included lots of pepper and spice, dark fruit and tannin that allowed for no end to the finish. Seriously, the fruit and the spice just went on and on. That’s what I call a welcoming wine.

* Graciano was FKA Mourvedre in many Paso Robles vineyards until very recent. It shook things up a bit. This is just one article about it.

NAPA VALLEY GRILLE PAIRING MENU BY EXECUTIVE CHEF KENNY SPOST

For the Willow White: Harvest Salad, roasted butternut squash, green dragon apple, glazed walnuts, baby kale, feta cheese, maple-olive dressing. I couldn’t get enough of this salad. Every bite had so many enticing flavors. The wine was the perfect accompaniment; both had those notes of green apple. One of the other writers commented “good start” and I had to agree.

For the Plum Orchard: Cast iron seared Branzino, toy box summer squash, red plum jam, fennel-arugula salad. Loved the plum in the dish that matched up perfectly with the plum I had found in the nose of the wine.

For the Willow’s Cuvee: Oven roasted Duck Breast, roasted cauliflower, port wine glaze. Again the flavors Chef added – specifically the glaze – was perfect with predominately Grenache driven blend.

For the G2 Syrah: Petit filet, Bing cherry red wine demi glace, truffle mashed potatoes, fat rendered breadcrumbs. Oh boy, saving the biggest wine for the steak was, of course, perfect for my palate.

FROM THE WINERY

2016 Willow White:  Aged in 20% new French oak to give a touch of creaminess. The remainder was aged in 40/40 stainless and neutral French barrels to preserve the minerality and crispness. The nose gives way to fresh stone fruit, lemongrass and flower petals while the palate is of Granny Smith apple and dried kiwi. Cases produced 106. Drink now to 2022. Wine Advocate– 93 points G2 Vineyard, Plum Orchard, Windrock.

2016 Plum Orchard: The Plum Orchard vineyard is in the Templeton Gap District and is made up of sandy soils. It sits near a creek bed which provides minerality, spice, and purity of fruit. We did 50% whole cluster fermentation for added weight and complexity and aged for 22 months in neutral French 400L barrels. It’s a gorgeous wine with a silky texture, bright red fruit and a bit of white pepper and herbaceousness. Cases produced 104. Enjoy now until 2028. Plum Orchard Vineyard.

2015 Willow’s Cuvee: We added just a touch of Carignon for tannin and structure to our usual blend of Grenache, Syrah, and Mourvedre. We did 20% whole cluster fermentation on the Syrah and co-fermented the Grenache and Mourvedre in concrete. All was aged for 22 months in 50% new French and 50% neutral French barrels. This wine is soft with notes of blackberry jam and violets that are truly fresh and balanced. Cases produced 183. Enjoy now until 2028. Wine Advocate– 94 points James Berry, Kruse Vineyard.

2016 G2 Syrah: This vintage is beautiful and very deep in color. We did 30% whole cluster fermentation and aged for 22 months in new French oak which gives complexity and structure. Black and blue fruit coupled with smoked meats. There are lively herbal notes accented with warm spice. This unfiltered wine has great tannin, intensity, and a long finish. Cases produced 312. Enjoy now until 2032. G2 Vineyard.