When money is not such an obstacle, finer wines are the choice. We have government sanctioned appellations here in the U.S. now, known as AVAs, just like La France's AOCs, and many of them are close to my home, notably those in Santa Barbara County and the Paso Robles AVA. My good friend and sometime workmate, Tony, e-mailed a recommendation for the Dornfelder from Huber Cellars , Lompoc, in the Santa Rita Hills Appelation, Santa Barbara County. He has a smart palette, I'll search that one out.
As it turns out I was just up in Lompoc on the way to San Luis Obispo, recently. It wasn't a wine tasting trip per se but I did visit Wild Horse in The Edna Valley Appelation (see pic) and came back with their famed Pinot Noir (2005), and a recent Zinfandel, a sentimental favorite, not least because the "California grape", as it has come to be known, originated in the Dalmatian province of Croatia, a land I am particularly fond of, and of their wines, particularly from the islands of Hvar and Korcula. On this Edna Valley stop I was tempted to leave with Iron Horse's good Mourvèdre, available only at the winery, but it was at that time , a little too tannic for my tastes. Probably a good buy for laying down but I'm not in that league, yet.Not a huge fan of true Rhône wines since they seem to stir my temperament up a bit, but I was interested in Iron Horse's Mourvèdre only because the grape has become my one to watch since tasting of Terre Rouge Easton Winery's superb and amazing take on this Rhône varietal. In fact, the wines of the Shenandoah Valley Fiddletown appellation in Amador County, up north in Gold Rush California, which lies between Sacramento and Lake Tahoe, are currently worth checking out thanks to the efforts of talented vintners such as Bill Easton, (never met him but the pic on the site makes him seem familiar). Plus, the countryside there is also fabulous, the setting for TV's Bonanza. I cannot commend Easton's wines enough. Picnicking en famille, at lunch under the vined ramada in October 2006, every wine we tasted or drank on site was dreamy, red or white. One always tastes in a kind of linear context on such a crawl, and we stopped there between visits to other wineries, but I must say their 2001 Terre Rouge Mourvèdre is my personal favorite, perfectly balanced, medium bodied red varietal wine of the last couple of years, French included, Pinot or Pin-yes. It tasted good at the winery in Fiddletown at lunch, and better still here, in LA at dinner a couple of months later, when the finish from the earlier bottle was only just barely wearing off in my mind! Can't describe its complexity offhand 'til I get another bottle and by that time it should taste even better. I have kept the empty bottle as a memory of that lunch and of the wine. Wish I could buy lots now and you can too!
Sadly, nationalistic oenological snobbery seems pervasive. It's true that I will always try to buy a California wine over any other to support the economy in which I live, but I'm not going to buy a syrupy California wine when a comparable foreign wine is less "jarred and canned" and more balanced and the price is more or less the same. Sadly the magnificent breadth and range of American winemaking is not available to those of us who want to spend less than ten dollars for a bottle. Like TV, Film and News marketers in our country, wine producers in that price range take us for sugar freaks seeking a universal mouthfeel and little, if any bouquet. And maybe most of us are good with that, but, include me out of the bunch.
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2 comments:
Where would you suggest one goes to wine taste for the first time?
Thanks, EKC
What a great question EKC. I'm assuming you have enjoyed wine at your own table and you're referring to the wineries that have tasting rooms. If you are near Paso Robles or one of the Central Coast AVAs dive in!
You could make a random self driven tour using the plentiful winery maps that these regions provide freely which could be great fun and full of discovery. You could take a driven tour which might be just as fun but avoid making a friend or a loved one the designated driver. After even a couple of wineries, if you swallow you swoon so watch out for that and in California you can't survive without a car!
Here are some tips but not rules -
Avoid wineries whose tasting rooms are slick, that have, say, a Tuscan theme or somesuch, seeming more like luxury hotel foyers. We are in So Cal and not Tuscany, and I for one am comfortable with our Hispanic heritage if we are going to imitate anything. These wineries often owe their impressive fronts to successful marketing or hidden ownership. Having said that you can't go by brand always. Chances are you might think Albertson's has better produce for you than Von's and its the same with wine, a label might be more consistent in quality than others but they all make duds. So you can still expect to taste a good wine at one of the grander wineries.
I generally prefer the smaller "boutique" wineries, which are sometimes not much more than barns. They often offer up wonderful treasures, and the discovery of a good wine in them puts a feather in your cap just like my experience at Easton.
At the end of the day it comes down to your developing your own taste. As you sip more wine you will know better what to avoid and what you like. Its about pleasing your mouth and nose!
Currently. I'd start out in the beautiful Santa Ynez Valley and go from there. A romantic weekend with your sweetheart? Leave the kids at home they'll have a much better time with Grandma or another caring person, and it will remind you what being in love is all about!
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