New Cameron Hughes Wines Deliver Half Price And Full Value

We scoffed when we were told these premium reds were half-price. Then we opened the bottles…

Cracking The Quality-Price Code

We’ve known Cameron Hughes for quite a few years. The brand never fails to surprise – in a good way.

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If you’re not familiar with Cameron Hughes Wine, the first thing to know is that Cameron Hughes is a négociant, not a winery or even a vineyard. A négociant is a merchant who buys and sells wine. This is a common thing in Europe, but is perhaps unfamiliar here in the States.

Cameron Hughes focuses on sourcing the very best wine and negotiating the most favorable price. The name of the source winery is undisclosed to protect the brand. As a result, Cameron Hughes Wine can obtain $100 Cabernet Sauvignon and sell it for a third of the price, or offer a $60 Pinot Noir for less than $20. Sounds like a great concept to me, an avid wine consumer.

We recently popped open three new releases, billed as half-price reds. That and the fact that they come from three of our favorite regions certainly piqued our interest.

A Lot Of Lots

Each of the wines is given a lot number, and the first lot we liked – a lot. That was Lot 730, the 2018 Zinfandel from Lodi. We enjoyed this on the patio after a socially-distant wine dinner with friends.

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Lodi is the epicenter of the Zinfandel world and, in our humble opinion, produces the very best Zinfandel wines. It also produces a lot of Zin, some of which is the grocery store variety. If you look carefully, you’ll find the specially crafted wine, like Lot 730.

This is fruity on the nose, but the palate reveals depth with layers of plum, raspberry and leather. This is a dry wine with a velvety texture and a very long finish. The wine was aged for a year in French oak.

The SRP is $13, half of what you would pay at the source winery. It’s a small release with 1,500 cases.

We love big Cabs and we cannot lie. Occasionally, though, we pine for something that’s not from Napa. We found our answer with Lot 735, a 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon from Santa Barbara. Santa Barbara is a unique California AVA in that it has both coastline and mountains. In addition, the mountains and valleys run east-west as opposed to north-south.

Lot 735 is an outstanding Cab value, priced at $16, and again this is half of winery price. Santa Barbara is known more for Chardonnay and Pinot Noir than Cabernet, but this is a shining example of mid-to-full-bodied Cab. The winemaker has French and American training and the grapes come from high-elevation vineyards.

A Pinot That Cuts Pricing, Not Corners

Russian River Valley is one of the world’s greatest Pinot Noir regions. Located in California’s Sonoma County, it gets maritime breezes and morning fog, ideal for Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.

We returned to our patio firepit and uncorked the bottle of Lot 729, a 2018 Pinot from RRV. This gem is also priced at $16, half the price of its cousins at the winery. From the first sip, we knew this was a winner.

There is a complex nose of earth and strawberries. On the palate there are layers of cranberry and savory flavors. A pinch of spice and playful acidity frame a balanced wine. The mouthfeel is velvety.

These latest releases from Cameron Hughes show that it is possible to find 90+ rated wines for less than $20. We hope that he continues to work his magic. Cameron Hughes wines can be found only online.

Full Disclosure: These wines were received as marketing samples.

Core 2007 Elevation Sensation, Alta Mesa Vineyard, Santa Barbara County

When the icy blasts of winter chill you to the bone, it is time to reach for a powerful red wine. Here we uncork an aged beauty from Santa Barbara County.

The California Wine Destination You Should Know

No one needs to tell you about Napa or Sonoma. Any wine lover worth his or her salt is familiar with California’s most famous wine regions. What if I could tell you about a California wine destination that isn’t overrun by tourists and shuttle buses and is producing outrageously great wine? That location is Santa Barbara County.

Check out our reports on more than 200 wineries

Located about 100 miles northwest of Los Angeles, Santa Barbara has long been a hideaway for movie stars. It’s also the home to incredible wine, some highlighted in the 2004 movie, Sideways. Pinot Noir and great Chardonnay are certainly front and center in Santa Barbara County, and Ballard Canyon is making a name for bold, expressive Syrah. There are more than 200 wineries in Santa Barbara County and we love the stunning beauty of the area and the friendly, slower-paced vibe.

Uncorking Some Aged Goodness

We’ve visited Santa Barbara County twice and at our last visit we were poured some wine from Core Winery. We were impressed and later bought two bottles of their 2007 Core Elevation Sensation through an online site. I’ve gotten into the habit of buying multiple bottles so that one can be enjoyed immediately (which we did) and the other can be laid down for aging. It was time to take the pulse of the second bottle.

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In North Carolina, we don’t get the harsh sub-zero temperatures we used to experience up north. However, a 30 degree day here can seem mighty cold – and really, we don’t need much of an excuse to open a bottle of big, bold red wine. So we did.

Tower Of Power

When we opened the first bottle four years ago, we were rocked by the sheer force of the wine. Big flavors and at 15.1% ABV, it was a bit on the “hot side.”

The 2007 version of Elevation Sensation is a 62% Grenache, 38% Mourvedre blend. There were 600 cases produced. The vines were planted in decomposed granite soil in the Alta Mesa Vineyard, which sits at 3,200 feet perched above the Cuyama Valley.

Mountain-grown vines tend to have grapes with more concentrated flavors. The wind and soils mean the vines struggle and yield fewer grapes – but each packed with intense flavors. Perhaps it is just mental imagery, but I can taste the breeze and intense sunlight in the glass.

Twelve years on from the vintage date, we can report that the Elevation Sensation is still going strong. Some wines become a mere shadow of their former self with a decade or so of aging. Not so with this offering from Core.

I had expected Core Elevation to be meeker and milder, but it wasn’t. It is still a rambunctious sensation and needs some time to settle down in the glass. The wait is worth it. It is a big wine with briary, blueberry flavors mixed with dark fruit. There is a bit of tartness and a silky finish. This wine could benefit from 45 minutes to an hour of decanting.

The current vintage is 2012 and I see that the blend has changed with the addition of Carignan and Syrah. The cost is $35 and well worth the purchase. In fact, we recommend two!

Technorati Tags: Santa Barbara County,wine,wine tasting,Pinot Noir

Boutique Wine Sampler Set To Make Splash In California

Small Bottles, Big Idea

The Boutique Wine Sampler is small in size, but really, really big in concept. The product is targeted at wine lovers and is launching in Costco stores in California. It focuses on a collection of small production wines in a small format – and we predict the impact will be huge.

We had a chance to speak with Bob Sweeney, who co-founded the Boutique Wine Club with Tim Jones. Boutique Wine Club developed the product to fill an important need. “You have consumers who are seeking high quality wine and can’t get it,’ explains Sweeney. “You also have winemakers with no access to the market. They don’t have a tasting room and they aren’t in restaurants.”

Drawing on his experience in the wine industry as a leading tour operator, he decided that a sampler pack done right would allow small producers access to a wide market. Boutique Wine Club buys the wine from the wineries and packages it in 375 ml bottles, half the typical bottle size. The labels are identical to the full-sized bottles (okay, they are smaller) and are printed under a license with the wineries.

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We like the BWS for a number of reasons. First, we’ve tried other wine sampler packs that feature 50 ml bottles. Sorry, but that is a third of a glass of wine – not enough to get a decent taste and certainly not enough to share. The Boutique Wine Sampler bottles have two and a half glasses each – much better. Also, the Boutique Wine Sampler is focusing on fantastic wine regions, including two of our favorites for starters, Santa Barbara and Paso Robles. Five thousand units of each package were produced.

Sip Santa Barbara Then Pop Paso Robles

The Santa Barbara AVA collection includes the following wines and is now available in select Southern California Costco stores and some California Fresh Market stores:
•           2016 Stolpman Ballard Canyon Syrah
•           2017 Larner Rosé of Grenache
•           2016 D’Alfonso-Curran BADGE Pinot Noir
•           2015 Blair Fox Petit Sirah
•           2016 Carr Cabernet Franc
•           2016 Andrew Murray E11even Chenin Blanc

The Paso Robles AVA collection includes the following wines and will be available in select Northern California Costco stores in early December:
•           2015 Cass Winery Malbec
•           2014 Brian Benson Cellars Kandy Red (50% Zinfandel / 50% Grenache)
•           2017 Alta Colina Grenache Blanc
•           2014 Midnight Cellars Estate Zinfandel
•           2016 Bodega de Edgar Tempranillo
•           2016 San Marcos Creek Rosé of Grenache

Why We Like It

During his time as wine tour operator, Sweeney tried to figure out the players in the winemaking business. His network enabled him to pull together a great group of wines. “We are looking for winemaking giants playing small or up and coming winemakers,” he said.

Ballard Canyon is a dynamic Santa Barbara AVA that is making amazing Syrah. Stolpman Syrah is superb. We featured a Midnight Cellars red blend at an event we organized and it was a crowd favorite. Knowing that these two wineries were included is an indicator of the collection quality and sold me on this project.

How can you not love sampler packs that include Tempranillo, Grenache Blanc, Cab Franc, Petit Sirah and Chenin Blanc? The website BoutiqueWineBox.com features interviews with the winemakers accessible via a QR code, so you can watch the videos when buying the wine or hosting a tasting party.

The suggested retail price for the Boutique Wine Samplers is $69.99, but Costco agreed to reduce their margin in order to make it available for $49.99. It’s a great bargain for consumers and also a sweet deal for wineries trying to gain new customers.

“When you consider that each box will have two to 12 people tasting it, you have a chance to have 50,000 people taste your wine,” said Sweeney. He noted for comparison that a top tasting room might get 1,000 people a week.

Plans for sampler packs aren’t limited to Santa Barbara and Paso Robles. Napa and Sonoma are ripe for their own collections, said Sweeney. From there a thrust northwards to Oregon and Washington is possible.

As the sampler packs grow in numbers, you can mix and match bottles from different regions. A nationwide push with a four pack is also a possibility.

Tercero Wines Delivery Artistry With Rhone Grape Varieties

Rhone style wines have a firmly planted home in California’s Santa Barbara County. Tercero Wines is one of the leaders of the pack.

Rhones Crafted With Care

After years of working in the educational and trade publishing industry, Larry Schaffer decided it was time for a change. After delving into winemaking and spending a stint as enologist for Fess Parker Winery, Larry launched Tercero Wines in the Santa Ynez Valley.

Larry has a passion for grapes from the Rhone region in France. Santa Barbara County may be the best place in the US to grown Rhone varieties and his artistry shines through in each bottle. The Tercero wines we recently sampled offered refined flavors, great balance and an artistic style.

A Tasting With Tapas

For the trio of Tercero wines, Green Dragon prepared a four-course tapas style meal. The first wine of the evening was the 2013 Tercero Grenache Blanc paired crab cakes.

Although the white Grenache variety isn’t as widely planted as the red, its vines are plentiful in Spain and France. It’s also a popular white wine choice in Santa Barbara County.

This Grenache Blanc shows a brightness with solid acidity. It is balanced and offers notes of citrus. It’s not a fruit bomb and there’s no noticeable oak.

“When I taste wines with too much oak, I often wonder what they are hiding,” said Larry. He adds that he doesn’t want to hide anything.

Grenache Goodness

Grenache (along with Syrah) is the key to the Rhone-style wines loved by aficionados. Would the 2010 Tercero Larner Vineyard Grenache be able to “hang” with high quality French wines?

The answer was a gratifying “yes.” The Grenache accompanied the next dish:  roasted carrots and shallots with oil-cured olives and Gremolata.

The Larner Vineyard is the southernmost vineyard in Ballard Canyon, which recently because its own AVA. The vineyard also produces grapes for Jaffurs, which is one of our favorites.

This wine is what Grenache is all about. Sorry about this, Cab lovers, but Grenache can display finesse rarely approached by Cabernet Sauvignon. The Tercero Grenache is bright and balanced with light, ripe berry flavor.

Our next tapas arrived (the Green Dragon was outdoing herself!). We enjoyed sautéed chorizo with Grenache sauce while making the transition from Grenache to our final wine.

Cuvée Does the Loco-Motion

We had been decanting the 2010 Cuvée Loco for more than an hour and it was time to taste the goods. The Cuvée is also from the Larner Vineyard and is a blend of 50% Grenache, 25% Mourvedre and 25% Syrah.

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While I was still reveling in the Grenache, the Green Dragon and our friend Maria proclaimed Cuvée Loco as the best wine of the evening. Our final course was a NY strip steak with southwestern peppers and chorizo butter. No doubt the pairing was sensational.

The Tercero GSM was velvety on the tongue and offered a berry-driven lushness. Cuvée Loco also has a degree of heartiness beyond the Grenache alone, courtesy of the Syrah, which adds earthiness.

Our wine dinner concluded a month-long “tour” of the wines of Santa Barbara County. The Tercero tasting room in quaint and funky Los Olivos is certainly on our list for our next visit there. The wines tasted are affordable ($25 for the white, $35 for the reds) gems we can heartily recommend for your dinner table.

Full Disclosure: These wines were provided as marketing samples.

LaMontagne Winery Producing Mountains Of Small Production Gems

The focus of LaMontagne Winery and winemaker/owner Kim Smith is wines of exceptional quality that represent the vintage and the place in which they were grown.

Climbing The Mountain

The name “LaMontagne” means the mountain. This Santa Barbara County winery has been on a quest to reach the mountain top of quality.

Winemaker/owner Kim Smith produced her first vintage in 2010 and each year since then her work has been rewarded with gold medals.

Of course, the proof is in the bottle. Her focus is keeping the wine in the barrel until it “sings.” We had the opportunity to sample the 2014 LaMontagne Marshall Vineyard Malvasia and the 2013 LaMontagne Sta. Rita Hills Kessler-Haak Vineyard Pinot Noir.

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Ancient Grape, Modern Taste

Malvasia has been around for about 2,000 years and is thought to originate in the area around the Aegean Sea. Malvasia is primarily a white wine grape, but has many subvarieties.

It has been used to great success in sweet and fortified wines, such as Madeira. Perhaps because I had not sought these other wines out, my experience is strictly with the dry Malvasia wine.

For our tasting we had the LaMontagne Malvasia with garlicky parmesan shrimp. The Malvasia has a perfumy, floral bouquet, but in the glass it doesn’t overwhelm the senses. It is delicate with white flower notes, apricot and a slight nuttiness. The aroma is similar to Gewürztraminer, but not as intense.

This is an enjoyable, elegant white wine. It’s very well suited for those who want something different from their whites. Only 100 cases of this were made. It retails for $30.

Serene Sta. Rita Pinot Noir

From our visits to Santa Barbara County, we know that Sta. Rita Hills is home to knockout Pinot Noir. In the hands of Kim Smith, that is an understatement.
The 2013 LaMontagne Kessler-Haak Vineyard Pinot Noir is a dreamy glass of Pinot Noir. Smith says that Sta. Rita Hills being a dead sea bed means so much more is going on in the bottle. We certainly found that to be the case. 

We paired the Pinot Noir with a pineapple, mushroom and ham pizza. To be honest, the Green Dragon makes great homemade pizza, but my focus was entirely on the Pinot Noir.

This is a superlative Pinot Noir that could age for several more years and become even more stellar – like an ingot of gold growing in value! In the glass the Pinot Noir shimmers with flavor notes of strawberry and rhubarb. An undercurrent of minerality is part of the package.

The Kessler-Haak Vineyard Pinot has a SRP of $55. There were 98 cases produced and each bottle is worth seeking out. LaMontagne produced four Pinot Noir in the 2013 vintage, using different vineyards or grape clones. It would be a delightful experiment to sample each against each other. We suspect there would be many arguments about which is the finest – but no losers in the end.

LaMontagne is a landmark mountain worth visiting time and again!

Technorati Tags: Santa Barbara County,wine,Pinot Noir

Kessler-Haak Vineyard Chardonnay And Pinot Noir A Harmonious Duo

Kessler-Haak Vineyard & Wines craft wines in the Santa Rita Hills region of California’s Santa Barbara County. Their wines are food friendly and speak of place and time.

Laissez Le Bon Temps Roulez!

If we can’t be in New Orleans celebrating Mardi Gras, the next best thing is to crank up a celebration at home with some good wine. We did just that with some N’Awlins-style food and a pair of standout wines from Santa Barbara County.

Kessler-Haak Vineyard & Wines is situated in the northwest corner of the Santa Rita Hills appellation. Fog rolls across the hills in the morning followed by crisp Pacific breezes and bright afternoon sunshine. Conditions are ideal to produce cool-climate style Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.

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Zydeco Sets The Stage

The joie de vivre is strong in New Orleans. There is a pulse of people, culture and energy. There is great jazz and blues and our favorite: Zydeco. The music is a Cajun blend of accordion, washboard and lively singing.

With the Kessler-Haak 2014 Estate Chardonnay chilling, we put on “Don’t Mess with My Toot Toot” by Rockin’ Sidney and Green Dragon started whipping up her shrimp Jambalaya.

For our meal we also had spicy Red Beans and Rice and finished it with a New Orleans style King Cake.

Cool Climate Chardonnay Rules

I poured glasses of both the Chardonnay and the Kessler-Haak 2012 Ohana Pinot Noir as the salad course came out. I began sipping the Chard and declared, “This is one of the best Chardonnays I’ve had in years.”

We’re not fans of buttery and overly oaked Chardonnay. I guess there is a time and place for it, but we’re fans of more restrained and polished winemaking.

The apple, pear and slightly nutty flavor of the wine was sublime. There is a slight whiff of oak, but it only danced around the edges of the flavor profile. This was a beautiful pairing for our shrimp Jambalaya.

This is an impressive Sta. Rita Hills Chardonnay for only $29. It provided a perfect launch for our festive evening.

Pinot With A Great Pedigree

The Santa Rita Hills and Santa Barbara County have a reputation for superlative Pinot Noir. The film “Sideways” brought fame to the region even as it caused Merlot sales to plummet.

The Ohana Pinot was a winner right out of the bottle. The aroma of blackberry and briars was a signal that this would be a sensational wine. Ohana is a Hawaiian concept that means family – but beyond that it means that eveyone should remember they are family and need to cooperate.

We “cooperated” by serving up the Red Beans and Rice. The dishes we served were more driven by the occasion of Mardi Gras than us identifying the ideal pairing for Chardonnay and Pinot. But it worked!

Flavors of dark berries and juicy plum wrapped with the Ohana’s smooth texture. This is a wine that makes any occasion special and has the flavor to bring a smile to your eyes. It retails for $40.

Kessler-Haak wines exemplify the adage that great wine is made in the vineyard. Each day staff is in the vineyard working to coax the best out of the grapes. Harvesting the grapes at just the right time is key to success. The winemaking process is minimalistic, intervening in the natural process only when necessary.

Santa Barbara County is a wine region to know. Kessler-Haak Vineyard and Wines produces exciting wines to help you let “the good times roll.”

Full disclosure: We received these wines as marketing samples.

Refugio Ranch 2012 Viognier, Santa Ynez Valley

A few years ago Viognier was supposed to be the “it” wine. You know, like Malbec was for several years. A vino that captures the imagination of the wine-buying public. It never quite happened. Maybe Moscato took its place. Whatever transgressed, Viognier remains a favorite of mine despite the fickle whims of the world.
There are three reasons I really appreciate Viognier. First, it is a wine that can be expressive and complex. Secondly, my trip to Virginia a couple years ago showed the wide spectrum of what can be done with Viognier (it is their state’s signature wine). On the third hand, the Green Dragon, my wife and tasting partner, is not a fan of Chardonnay – especially if it is oaked. That triggered a search for interesting white wines.
The Refugio Ranch Vineyards 2012 Viognier is an example of a deliciously different white wine. It comes from the Santa Ynez region of Santa Barbara County. Rhone grape varieties are shining stars in this part of California. A mile of the Santa Ynez River snakes through Refugio Ranch bringing with it sandy, alluvial soil, and a natural flow of cool air combined with ocean breezes to create an ideal climate for growing white Rhone varietals.
We served the RR Viognier while enjoying a beet salad with friends at home prior to heading out to the Final Cut restaurant at the Hollywood Casino. Our guests found the Viognier surprising.
The nose is a fragrance of a flower garden. The wine was partially fermented in stainless steel to keep the fresh fruit highlights, but partially in French oak to impart richness. On the palate there are flavors of oranges, peach and honeysuckle.
Refugio Ranch Viognier is a refreshing flavor ride. It will pair well with vegetable dishes or salmon. There were only 250 cases produced. I happened to snap this up at only $18 online, which is about $10 less than SRP.
Meanwhile, back at the Ranch, you can find a delicious bottle of Viognier.

Technorati Tags: wine,Santa Barbara County,viognier

Rating: 3 of 5 Value: 4 of 5

CORE 2007 Elevation Sensation, Alta Mesa Vineyard, Santa Barbara

This spirited wine from CORE Wine Company grabbed me from my very first sip. That was last summer in Santa Barbara at the annual Wine Bloggers Conference.
There was a special tasting event at the Sunstone Winery villa. During the sun dappled early evening, winemaker Dave Corey was pouring Elevation Sensation. The elegant wine put a stamp of perfection on a the scene featuring blue sky, golden hills, great food and new friends.
Elevation Sensation comes from a vineyard high atop Santa Barbera County. It is a Rhone-style blend of 62% Grenache and 38% Mourvedre. The Grenache means it’s ready to drink now, while the Mourvedre gives it aging capability.
I opened this after returning home with friends following dinner at Social gastropub. The meal was wonderful, but filled with the crazy energy and chatter of a hundred or so diners launching their weekend.
We were able to kick back afterward with the Elevation Sensation. Tasting Team member Cabinator noted the very deep flavor notes and said, “it is elevated all the way through.” Indeed, this has heavy accents of cola and raisin polished with some punchy fruit. Relaxed, yet powerful, this is a sensation you will not soon forget.
I purchased a pair of bottles online at $29.99 each. It’s a small price for the memories of last summer – and the creation of some new sensations too. I wasn’t surprised when the online offer quickly sold out.
The funky style of Santa Barbara wines is something I truly appreciate. They deliver Rhone-style wines with a California twist. CORE Winery is one to watch – and you can begin your experience with Elevation Sensation.
Rating: 4 of 5  Value: 4 of 5

Arcadian 2007 Sleepy Hollow Pinot Noir, Santa Lucia Highlands

Arcadian is a winery based in Santa Barbara County with a tasting room in the famous Lompoc Wine Ghetto. While the name of the locale might give you second thoughts, some of the coolest California wineries are based there.
Rather than sinking their money into impressive grounds and winery buildings, they follow the “garagiste” method – selecting grapes from the best vineyards and vinting them in industrial-style buildings. Wineries of the Ghetto do have nice tasting rooms and beautiful wines.
That’s where we picked this bottle up a couple years ago. Virtuoso winemaker Joe Davis poured the wine and downloaded the knowledge during our visit.
When I was informed of a special online wine tasting of Santa Barbara County wines, I hastened to the cellar in search of SBC wines. Although I had bought near a case during my visit, the only one that remained was the Arcadian Sleepy Hollow Pinot. It was in the wine rack reserved for my “treasure” wines.

I popped it open. In one week I’ll be back in Santa Barbara County and can restock then.
Although Arcadian is Santa Barbara based, grapes are selected from prized vineyards around the state. Arcadian farms 10 acres of Sleepy Hollow Vineyard in the Santa Lucia bench in Monterey County. The grapes were handpicked, subjected to malolactic fermentation (for softness) and foot treaded three to five times a day. The wine was then aged for 27 months in French oak and then bottle aged for 10 months more.
Wow! That’s a lot of bottled love.
I decanted the wine for an hour. The aroma is full of ripened raspberries.
While the online chat was taking place, tweets were blasting back and forth in a hurried way, but sipping the Arcadian slowed things for me. I recalled Joe Davis, when I asked him about using an aerator saying he preferred not to “microwave” his wine. So, thinking of the relaxed time at the tasting room, I swirled and sipped.
On the tongue the Sleepy Hollow starts a bit hot, but then smoothens out nicely. The predominate flavor is sour cherry with undertones of earth and floral highlights. The tannins are very well mannered contributing to a balanced wine.
Arcadian is an elegant wine to be savored without cellphones or ticking clocks. It’s a handcrafted wine with complexity that deserves unhurried enjoyment.
Rating: 5 of 5  Value: 5 of 5 (based on $35 price at tasting room)

Technorati Tags: wine,Pinot Noir,Lompoc Wine Ghetto,Santa Barbara County wine

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Luke Donald Collection 2010 Viognier Sanford & Benedict Vineyard

First, I must confess, I have never heard of Luke Donald before. After I purchased this bottle (as part of a mystery half-case) I learned that he is a professional golfer and at one point in 2011 was ranked number one.
I’m a sports fanatic, but golf is one of the rare sports I just don’t care about. But I know that successful golfers can sometimes earn the scratch that results in successful winemaking – Greg Norman and Ernie Ells are examples.
Of more importance to me was the Viognier grape variety and the premier AVA of Santa Rita Hills in Santa Barbara County. That’s a combination for which I’d gladly put on plaid pants and become a golf fan.
Viognier is a delicate grape with floral notes and flavors of apricot and pears. It is a low yielding grape and is susceptible to disease, so it is a delicious surprise to find a bottle.
The LDC Viognier is a single vineyard wine and the grapes are whole cluster pressed, which imparts greater character and body. The wine is 100% Viognier and is fermented in stainless steel and French oak. Here’s where Luke Donald hit it into the rough.
The fermenting of the Luke Donald Viognier is half in stainless steel and half in French oak for a month. Then the wine was barrel aged for 18 months. Whoa! You don’t age graceful white wines in oak for a year-and-a-half! It overpowers and masks the flavors.
We found the wine to be crisp with good fruit, but with a totally unnecessary and pervasive oakiness. He gets high marks for the grape and the wine region, but gets a double-bogey for oaking.
Rating: 2 of 5  Value: 2.5 of 5 based on $19 paid

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Bridlewood 2007 “Six Gun” Syrah, Central Coast

Our hearts were captured by Bridlewood Estate Six Gun Syrah. It happened in their tasting room inside their picturesque Mission-style winery building.
This was our final stop on a whirlwind tour of Santa Barbara County wineries. We were on the verge of “palate fatigue” but were refreshed by the wonderful scenery and the rockin’ wines at Bridlewood.
We sampled a trio of outstanding estate Syrah. I lassoed a bottle of Six Gun as the finest of the three. It retails for $32, but is only available at the tasting room. This was a popular wine with special pricing for wine club members.
During a recent thaw in our winter weather, we decanted and enjoyed this bottle with tasting team members Glorious T and the Cabinator. It did not disappoint.
Perhaps because of images conjured up by the Six Gun name, this wine offered aromas of gunpowder and dusty leather saddles. On the palate this is full of dried fruit and toast with substantial tannins. It has bushels of dark fruit and a dash of pepper. Yeeehaw!
Six Gun offers nice Syrah complexity from a premier Santa Barbera County winery. The winery is one of the most picturesque in the country. If you can’t get there, do the next bet thing: sample a bottle of their Syrah.
I’ll be back at Bridlewood later this year during the Wine Bloggers Conference. There is a special catered lunch at Bridlewood to wrap up the conference. I intend to be there with Six Guns blazing!

Technorati Tags: wine,Syrah,Santa Barbara County wine

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Buttonwood 2010 Zingy Sauvignon Blanc, Santa Ynez Valley

Buttonwood Farms Winery & Vineyard is a sustainably farmed gem in the midst of Santa Barbara County’s Santa Ynez Valley. Their flagship white is Sauvignon Blanc, which they produce in three styles.
We visited with winemaker Karen Steinwachs a couple years ago during our Santa Barbara trip. Green Dragon is a Sauvignon fiend, so she was in heaven tasting three different styles.
Each year the most aromatic and the purest essence of Sauvignon Blanc from the Buttonwood vineyard is selected for the Zingy label. We purchased this bottle at the tasting room and Green Dragon cracked it open recently.
She is a fan of the New Zealand style of Sauvignon Blanc, and that means she likes hers with zesty flavor and plenty of acidity. The Zingy outshines many California Sauvignon Blanc in those areas.
Just today I came across a descriptor that seems to fit. Zingy is nerveaux. What in blazes is that you might ask? Nerveaux is a French word meaning nervous, energetic and vigorous. That seems to capture the freshness and zing of this wine – plus, it’s cool.
Zingy is golden with green highlights. The wine has citrus notes with a taste that recalls a sea breeze.There is minerality and a liberal dose of acidity followed by a nice ending with lemon and pineapple.
This is a small production wine with only 403 cases produced. The cost was a super-reasonable $18 – almost a steal. Buttonwood also produces Devin, which is a Sauvignon Blanc – Semillon blend. Devin has a very different flavor profile, one that is full bodied and smooth.
All of Buttonwood’s wines deserve a taste. An ideal starting point is the nerveaux Zingy!
Rating: 3.5 of 5  Value: 4.5 of 5

Technorati Tags: Santa Barbara County wine,wine,Santa Ynez Valley wine

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Lincourt 2009 Pinot Blanc, Sta. Rita Hills

This arctic weather has me pining for sunshine and warmth. For a recent dinner with friends I pulled two bottles of wine, both from Santa Barbara County – hoping to capture some California golden rays.
Our fish fillet was paired with this smashing bottle of Lincourt Pinot Blanc. Lincourt is part of the sprawling Foley Family Wines, but the winery itself is quaint and has the air of a small producer. The focus is on luxury and ultra-premium wines.
Grapes for this Pinot Blanc came from the 500-acre Rancho Las Hermanas estate in the cool Santa Rita Hills. A quick check of the Lincourt website shows that this vintage is no longer available and, Pinot Blanc is not currently for sale.
I’m glad I snagged this bottle during our visit to the winery! The wine hits with a wave of freshness – a wisp of floral bouquet and a crisp, light body. It is more akin to Pinot Gris than a Chardonnay or Sauvignon Blanc (two other wines for which Lincourt is well known). There are flavor notes of green apple and lemon and no rough edges at all.
To keep that freshness, the wine is fermented in steel tanks and there is no malolactic fermentation (which is sometimes used to add creaminess or body to wines). Lincourt is focused on sustainable farming techniques and pure and natural notes reverberate through the wine glass.
The Lincourt Pinot Blanc is a pleasing dinner pairing for light dishes. It is also a good choice for an enjoyable pre-dinner drink with friends. For $27, it is an affordable luxury.

Technorati Tags: wine,Santa Barbara County wine

Rating: 4 of 5  Value: 4.5 of 5

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Palmina 2008 Undici Sangiovese, Santa Ynez Valley

Memories of beautiful Santa Barbara County in California came rushing out of this bottle when we uncorked it earlier this week. Martin Luther King Jr. Day was a perfect opportunity for an impromptu dinner with friends. While dinner was being prepared, the Cabinator and I relaxed with a glass of this great Sangiovese from Palmina.
Palmina is a totally cool winery with a tasting room located in the Lompoc Wine Ghetto in SBC. We visited there a couple years ago and did a whirlwind tour of area wineries with my cousin and her husband.
The focus of Palmina is Italian grape varieties grown in Santa Barbara County. To their credit, they don’t try to copy Italian versions of those wines, but instead translate the grapes to the unique growing conditions of SBC.
We were bowled over by the quality of wines we tasted there. This bottle of Undici, which means 11 in Italian, made the trip back to Ohio. Like an amplifier cranked to the maximum at 10 – this Sangiovese takes things a notch higher.
The wine is made with two Sangiovese clones – one for softness and the other for body and structure. Undici is aged for 30 months in neutral oak barrels and undergoes malolactic fermentation for added body.
That’s the technical side – but this is really a wine to experience emotionally. Undici is a lush wine with cascading layers of ripe red berries and plum. The wine has a bright flavor palette that coaxes images of a sun-dappled California hillside.
I paid $36 for this wine and it is a solid value at that price. The North American Wine Bloggers Conference is in Santa Barbara County this July – you can be sure I intend to restock my supply of Undici. Ciao!

Technorati Tags: wine,Santa Barbara County wine,Lompoc Wine Ghetto,Sangiovese

Rating: 4 of 5  Value: 3 of 5

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Clos Pepe 2009 Estate Pinot Noir, Santa Rita Hills

Clos Pepe Vineyard was purchased in 1994 as a horse farm. Today the focus is on cool-climate, small-production Pinot Noirs and Chardonnay. There’s no horsing around with the quality of its wine.
The winery is located in the Santa Rita Hills in Santa Barbara County. The area features wind, fog and low summer temperatures. The East-West valleys pull cold air off the Pacific Ocean.
For winemaker Wes Hagen, though, it really starts with the dirt. The vineyard features sea-bed soil, which limits the vigor of the plants. The smaller yield of the vines means smaller clusters and smaller berries with concentrated flavors.
The 2009 Estate Pinot Noir is a delight. The wine is a strawberry gem color and we let it decant for almost an hour. I’ve had a couple of Pinots recently that had a fruity, slightly sweet finish – they are certainly worlds apart from the Clos Pepe Pinot.
True to its cool-climate terroir, the full merit of this wine doesn’t emerge with first sip, but sneaks in on tip toes. It displays wonderful balance with dried cherry flavors and the promised earthiness and dirt. It’s a premium Pinot experience with the wine evolving as it is swirled and decanted.
Needless to say, this is an exceptional wine to enjoy now, but should be hitting its pinnacle in about three years. It retails for $62.
Wes’ winemaking philosophy favors wines that are like flowing jazz instead of ponderous heavy metal. He’s just laid down one crazy good riff with the 2009 Estate Pinot.

Technorati Tags: wine,Pinot Noir,Santa Rita Hills

Full disclosure: We received this wine as a marketing sample.

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Imagine Wine 2007 Winged Paradise Mountain Syrah

And now for something completely different! Last week we attended a virtual release of a new wine: The Imagine Wine 2007 Winged Paradise Mountain Syrah.
The wine comes from winemaker Ross Rankin, who formerly owned and operated several medical companies. Along with wife Dee and a number of partners, they opened Imagine Wine in 2004.
The winery is located in the Santa Ynez Valley of Santa Barbara County. It has extraordinary weather and unique soils.Not surprising, the 2007 Winged Syrah is a rare and unusual wine.
The wine has been aged for almost six years in oak and kept in cold storage during the process. That alone added an additional $12,000 in expenses. Only 246 cases were produced of this 100% Syrah.
We started with a gourmet dinner and the Imagine Wine 2007 Paso Robles Cabernet, which I’ll cover in another article. We decanted the wine and gathered around the roaring firepit counting down until the exact moment of release, which was 10:00 PM ET and coordinated with a live release party in California.
We allowed the wine to decant for an hour and were glad we did. After all that time in oak, it needs to breathe.
The first impression on the palate is that of blueberries and a rich, full body. The tannins are well integrated and don’t overwhelm the wine. The Winged Syrah is high in alcohol content at 16%, and started a bit “hot.” As our tasting continues, the wine relaxed and unwound in a good way. The complex flavors became more apparent including those of brambles and blackberry. It’s an elegant wine.
It’s recommended to be served 60-65 degrees F. That worked fine for us since we were sitting around a fire with some parts of our bodies roasting but the rest chilled by the night air.
This is a beauty of a wine that retails for $80. I’d be remiss if I didn’t comment on the stunning label, which features a painted reproduction of the “Winged Series 2” sculpture by Blake Rankin. Blake is Ross’ son. The sculpture is amazing and it elevates the wine to a great combination of style inside and outside the bottle.
The Winged Syrah has taken flight with its release. It’s a soaring success which we can highly recommend.

Technorati Tags: Syrah,Santa Barbara County wine,wine

Full disclosure. This wine was provided as a marketing sample.

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Foxen 7200 2009 Vogelzang Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc, Happy Valley of Santa Barbera

We picked up this 2009 Vogelzan Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc from Foxen 7200 during our visit last January. While our wives relaxed outside in the sun, Cleve and I were in the “shed” tasting some special wines including this one. I appreciated the uniqueness of the wine even more when I opened up this bottle at home.

The Vogelzan Vineyard is in the warmest part of Santa Barbara County in the Santa Ynez Valley which I believe imparts a unique quality. The wine is nice and crisp without the twang of a Marlborough Sauv Blanc. This is due to the barrel fermentation.

The Foxen 7200 is golden with glints of green in the glass. It opens with a nice crispness, but the apple and citrus flavors are shot through with savory notes. The medium body is heavier than you may be expecting. Sage and oak flavor notes make this wine distinctive.

A good wine to match with shellfish, chicken or fish, it costs about $23. I was digging it more on a hot day in Santa Barbara, but it’s still a fine wine in chilly Ohio.

Rating: 3 of 5  Value: 2.5 of 5

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The Wineries of Santa Barbara County: Breathtaking Scenery and Spectacular Wine

We have only one regret from our recent winery tour of Santa Barbara County – it was over way too soon! The cool wine country towns, leisurely country drives and friendly, knowledgeable tasting room staff made it a trip to remember. And the wine was as spectacular as the splashing Pacific coast.
One hundred and nine wineries and vineyards were listed in our Santa Barbara winery booklet. We barely scratched the surface, visiting 11. The 11 we visited though, were certainly memorable.
There are plenty of nice towns, like Los

Olivos, Solvang or Santa Barbara, to serve as base camp for your visit to SBC. The wineries are top tier affairs, but without the crowds and, dare I say, attitude of Napa.
Below are links to the 11 wineries we visited. We know we’ll be back again soon to visit. I also want to share an indispensible resource, the website of the Santa Barbara County Vintners’ Association. You’ll be able to scope out all the wineries in advance plus get the latest on wine country events, lodging and eats.
Santa Barbara County, we miss you already!

• Arcadian Winery
• Buttonwood Farm Winery and Vineyard
• Bridlewood Estate Winery
• Foxen 7200
• Gainey Vineyard
• Koehler Winery
• Lincourt Vineyards
• Palmina Winery
• Rancho Sisquoc Winery
• Rideau Vineyard
• Zaca Mesa Winery & Vineyards

Technorati Tags: wine,Santa Barbara County wine

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Bridlewood Estate Winery: Santa Barbara County Winery Visit

All good things come to an end. And so it was with our trip visiting wineries in Santa Barbara County. But we would go out with a bang, visiting Bridlewood Estate Winery, a picturesque winery with rockin’ vino.
Two things put Bridlewood on our list. First is the wine. A couple years ago I bought a bottle of very intriguing Viognier. The complex layers of flavor stuck with me and gave me the idea Bridlewood is making some very interesting wines. Second is the beautiful Mission-style winery building. The building and grounds certainly have the “wow factor.”
After two days and a dozen wineries, we wanted to finish with a winery that had some panache. Everything about Bridlewood is first class. The tasting room oozes quality and style and beautifully landscaped grounds beckon just beyond the doors.
We opened our tasting with a 2010 stainless steel finished Chardonnay that whet our whistle, but didn’t amaze. It was on to the 2009 Santa Barbara County Viognier Reserve. This was fresh, fresh, fresh with striking minerality and honeysuckle threads.
The 2009 SBC Pinot Noir was had leather and dark berry flavors and the 2009 Estate Zinfandel had a touch of spice and sweetness. Here my tasting notes get a bit jumbled – it either would go well with octopus or has a nickname Octopus… Hmmm…

Bridlewood has an awesome lineup of Syrah, some not available outside of the winery or their wine club. We kicked off a trio by sampling the 2007 Syrah Reserve. Their Syrah Reserve is designed to show off the best grapes of a vintage. This wine has soft tannins laced with jammy blackberry and plum. There are oak accents that end in a round satisfying finish.
We were a bit worn out by this point of the day and were about to pack it in, but thanks to “wine angels” Kim and Daffnee, the best tastings were yet to happen.
The 2007 Syrah Dusty Trails is a bold wine aged in toasted oak barrels. There is an awesome smoky quality that rolls across the velvety wine. Roasted meat and dark fruit highlight this vino that winds up with a soft, tart finish. Three cheers!

A fine wine indeed is the 2007 Syrah Six Gun. It offers rounded, subtle flavor notes of toast, dark chocolate and even bacon. This is a wine to unwind with and spend the evening decoding. It retails for $32, but was being offered to their wine club for only $16. This is a case-worthy wine.
Bridlewood is an iconic wine destination. In fact, it served as the starting location for this season’s Amazing Race television program. It was interesting to see contestants dashing through the vineyards. Luckily they didn’t’ cause any damage to the grapes!
The Bridlewood wine is outstanding too. This is a Santa Barbara County winery that has it all.

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Koehler Winery: Santa Barbara County Winery Visit

Our rapid fire winery tour of Santa Barbara County was winding to a close. We had time for just two more stops. Of course, when you are on the Foxen Valley Wine Trail, you can hardly make a bad choice. It didn’t take long to realize that Koehler was an excellent one.
The 100-acre estate in the Santa Ynez Valley has some of the best grapes in the region. While the surrounding areas might have 15-year old vines, Koehler boasts vines that are 30 and 40 years old. From start to finish, Koehler offered perhaps the strongest lineups of wines we tasted on our trip in which we visited more than 10 wineries.
We opened with the 2010 Sauvignon Blanc, which we rated as great. It featured playful  citrus notes with racy acidity. The ‘09 Chardonnay was also a tasty wine and has won its share of awards. For us, the reds were the main attraction.
Leading the reds was the 2008 Grenache. It’s a rich, easy-drinking wine with aromas of red berries and a dash of oak. The Red Quartette is a blend of 50% Sangiovese, 26% Grenache, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon and a 4% dollop of Cabernet Franc. It’s a nice value at $22.
Perhaps the star of the afternoon was the 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon. Cleve, a member of our tasting troupe, said that he could spend the whole night with this wine. It is full-bodied with blackberry jam flavors.
We circled back for some more white, discovering their beautiful 2009 Viognier and a superb 2009 Chardonnay Reserve.
If we had no more wine, we would have been satisfied and considered Koehler an amazing boutique winery (they produce about 6,000 cases a year). But the vino kept coming and kept amazing our team.
The 2007 Magia Nera is a nice, rich blend of 65% Sangiovese and 35% Cabernet Sauvignon with sour cherry highlights.
The 2007 Estate Syrah is a statement wine: Look at what we can do!  This is a wine that could be cellared for a decade, but is ready to drink now with tasteful layers of plum, spice and earth. For only $30.
Rich, chocolaty and bold is how we describe the 2007 Cabernet Reserve, which sells for $55. With swirls of raspberry flavors, this is a wine that will satisfy for years to come.
The goal at Koehler is to produce premium wines at affordable prices and they are succeeding. In fact, these wines made such an impression on Cleve and cousin Mary that they joined the Koehler wine club.
As a wrap-up to a fine day of tasting, we toured the grounds of Koehler, which has picturesque picnic area and some happy goats in the surrounding fields.
Koehler was a highlight on our wine caravan and is certain to be a high point for you as well.

Technorati Tags: wine,Santa Barbara County wine

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