Here I go again (wasn’t that the name of a Whitesnake song…) touting another charming wine from our friends on the Iberian peninsula – Spain. This one is at a slightly higher price point than the Vega Sindoa, but it delivers a serious punch of raucous fruit and old world terrior.

The claim on the label is that the fruit used in production was “meticulously hand harvested clusters of fully matured Garnacha grapes selected from only the finest hillside vineyards located 3,000 ft. above sea level. These vineyards were first planted in the last decades of the nineteenth and the first decade of the twentieth centuries.” Based on what I could research, the vineyards appear to have been planted between 1924 and 1947, making the vines between 65 and 88 years old. While legally the term “old vines” has no meaning in Spain, arguably these vines would qualify as old. As such yields are very low, about one ton per acre, which is surprising given the price. The vineyards are located on steep, hillside terrain with a mix of slate and gravel soil, obviously contributing to the strong old world character.

The winery was founded in 2005 by Jorge Ordoñez and sits on 650 acres. I’m not sure how a wine of this caliber, with impressive pedigree (low yield, hillside site, old vines) can be produced at such a reasonable price, but I’m glad the Spanish can accomplish such a feat.

Of course Mr. Parker rated this wine a 94, which I was unaware of until I did some research. This will mean that the wine will be gobbled up, so make a bee-line to your favorite shop and buy what you can. In Mr. Parker’s words, this wine “may be the most amazing wine I have ever tasted at this price in over three decades.”

Wow… I’m not sure I can express the same sentiments, but I can tell you this wine is really pretty amazing…

My tasting note:

Ripe, juicy nose with black cherry – jammy, cedary hints. Full-bodied with moderate acidity and firm, dry tannin – good balance. Lush, dense palate – dark fruit core – tarry with black pepper and violet notes. Long finish – smooth and a bit tight. Great structure on the finish. Drinking well and should improve for another 3 to 5 years in bottle.

At an average bottle price of $15.99 before the discount, this wine is a very respectable value.

Cheers!

Costières de Nîmes is located in the southernmost part of the Rhône valley and has a very long wine making history going back nearly 2000 years, making it one of the oldest vineyards in Europe. The region was settled by veterans of Julius Caesar’s campaigns in Egypt, and some bottles of Costières de Nîmes bear the symbol of the Roman settlement at Nîmes, a crocodile chained to a palm tree. Local lore speaks of a chart in the kitchen of the Palais des Papes in Avignon, indicating that many of the towns in what is now the Costieres de Nîmes region were the main suppliers of wine to the Popes of that era.

The current region was formerly known as Costières du Gard, designated a VDQS level wine. In 1986 the wine was granted AOC status and was ultimately renamed Costières de Nîmes in 1989. Originally a part of the Languedoc department, in 1998 the local growers’ organization requested that the appellation be attached to the Rhône wine region, largely because the style of the Costières de Nîmes wines are more reflective of the typical characteristics of Rhône valley wines. The transition finally took effect on July 19, 2004.

The soil of the region is mostly a mixture of round pebbles (“galets”) similar to Châteauneuf-du-Pape, with sandy alluvial deposits and red shale throughout. The soil depth from 9 to 45 feet is largely responsible for the variations of style within the AOC. The climate is Mediterranean, similar to that of the Rhône valley, but is influenced strongly by its proximity to the coast and the accompanying sea breezes.

The wines are produced in selected parcels in the following 24 communes: Aubord, Beaucaire, Beauvoisin, Bellegarde, Bernis, Bezouce, Bouillargues, Le Cailar, Caissargues, Garons, Générac, Jonquières-Saint-Vincent, Lédenon, Manduel, Meynes, Milhaud, Nîmes, Redessan, Rodilhan, Saint-Gilles, Sernhac, Uchaud, Vauvert, and Vestric-et-Candiac.

Costières de Nîmes produces mostly red wines (59%), with a blend of Syrah, Mourvèdre, Grenache, Carignan and Cinsault.  White wine production accounts for about 4% of the AOC production and are made from the Bourboulenc, Clairette Blanc, Grenache Blanc, Maccabéo, Rolle, Roussanne and Ugni Blanc varieties. The whites must be blended from a minimum of two of the listed varieties. Rosé wine production accounts for approximately 37% of the total production, made from the same blends of red and white grapes previously mentioned.

The Château d’Or is a gutsy wine made from equal parts Syrah, Grenache and Carignan and is a classic expression of southern Rhône wine. If you like hearty, full-bodied reds, then this wine will put a smile on your face.

My tasting note:

Ripe, juicy nose with black cherry, cedar and anise hints. Full-bodied with moderate acidity and firm, dry tannin – good balance. Dark fruit core with blackberry, black currant and tarry notes. Moderate length – tight with traces of floral and dried herbs. Needs time – should improve with another 3 to 5 years in the bottle.

At an average bottle price of $14.99 before the discount, this wine is a very respectable value.

Cheers!

There is nothing as pleasing as really good Riesling, especially really good German Riesling. For many, German Riesling is an untapped treasure, largely a result of having had too many bottles of Blue Nun or Black Tower Liebfraumilchs. Ouch.

To me, German Riesling is all about balance and subtly. The interplay between acidity and fruit with hints of lemon, floral and stone are what make German Riesling so alluring. Weingut Leitz is a small, family run winery located in Germany’s Rheingau region. The winery’s website (http://www.leitz-wein.de) claims a link back to winemaking in 1744, although the current operation dates back to 1985 when Johannes Leitz took over the winery. Johannes is credited with being German winemaker of the year in 2011 and his Dragonstone Riesling clearly showcases his talent.

My tasting note:

Citrus nose with slate, beeswax and petrol hints. Medium-bodied with firm acidity – well balanced. Lemon, apple and honeysuckle on the palate. Classic profile. Moderate length – crisp and refreshing finish – lovely. Drinking well now – not for aging.

At an average bottle price of $17.99 before the discount, this wine is a respectable value.

Cheers!

I have to just nod my head… This wine comes from Spain, which is about 3,400 miles from Boston… Across an ocean…

It has a sturdy bottle, cork closure and an attractive label… The wine itself is quaffable, not meant for aging, but instead should be easily consumed with a nice strong Manchego cheese and paper thin slices of Serrano ham… Pepper and spice tease the palate and a vibrant core of red fruit evokes a sun-splashed Mediterranean shore line…

All this for a measly $6.99 per bottle before discount… I received 10% off when I picked up my case, bringing the per bottle price to $6.29… I checked in the Beverage Journal and the quantity wholesale price (3 cases minimum) was $64 per case, or $5.33 per bottle. So the retailer made $1 per bottle… Not sure what Winebow (the distributor) paid, but assuming they marked it up 50%, then they paid somewhere around $3.6 per bottle. Factoring in maritime shipping costs, glass and labeling costs, the wine maker, Bodegas Nekeas probably sold the wine for somewhere around $1.20 per bottle. And it’s Estate Bottled…

That is just outrageous – and not in a bad way. I keep telling anyone who will listen that as long as Spain (and parts of France and Italy) can produce little gems like the Vega Sindoa for such criminally cheap prices, there is absolutely no need to buy domestic. I will be putting this wine in a tasting, blind against a number of other wines from Europe and America. My guess is that folks will like it, but they won’t love it… probably too youthful… but when they get wind of the price, they will buy at least a case to put on table this summer with all kinds of BBQ fare.

If you’re at our house this summer, you will now know what you will be drinking… among other things…

My tasting note:

Earthy nose with cherry, eucalyptus and banana chip hints. Medium-bodied with firm acidity and moderate tannin – good balance. Youthful, vibrant with bright cherry and raspberry notes. Moderate length. Smooth with pepper and cinnamon on the aftertaste. Drinking well – not for aging.

At an average bottle price of $6.99 before the discount, this wine is a downright cheap summer quaffer.

Cheers!

I worry about the future of Malbec…

No, there is no great scourge awaiting this wonderful grape, prepared to wipe it from the earth, depriving all of us of its hearty pleasures. No, the threat is far more insidious… It is a threat that has hurt many grape varieties in the past, leaving their over cropped fruit hanging juicily on the vine, destined for that great vat of mass-produced jug wine… And what could this threat be?

I speak of, faddism… a fashion that is taken up with great enthusiasm for a brief period of time, a craze… Does the fate of Merlot and Pinot Noir jog your memory?

Malbec is perched on that slippery slope of becoming the next fad wine… or perhaps it is too late? Saving grace – while Argentina is hustling Malbec to market in every conceivable form, the French are doing what the French always do, shrug with a wily glint and walk away, letting you know that Malbec is their grape, originally, but not worth all the fuss. Bravo.

Actually, the Argentines are proceeding in a measured, if not somewhat zealous way, which bodes well. It may be that Malbec is just a little too edgy to actually become the next darling of the wine world. If Merlot and Pinot Noir have a certain smoothness and style that charms the palate, Malbec is the loud, boisterous college friend who is perpetually locked in frat party mode. Often full-bodied and unapologetic, Malbec is an in-your-face blast of black fruits and wild spices.

Another good sign… My Father-in Law eschews Malbec, despite my many attempts to convince him it is worthy of opening at table… Trend setter? No, but his taste in wine is classic and you can’t go wrong with the classics… He wears Brooks Brothers too… Need I say more?

But what about those youthful adventurers striving for the next great grape? Malbec isn’t sweet enough for their young palates… Have you noticed the sudden explosion of sweet reds on the market? Jellybean wines? Flip Flop wines? Yeah, Malbec is that scary guy in the leather jacket enjoying a few snake bites before a great game of darts… read “stay away…”

All of this makes me smile… Why? Because as long as Malbec stays just on the periphery of faddism, then wines like the 2010 Tikal Patriota are widely available at very reasonable prices. Tikal has a few different bottles of Malbec to choose from, but I think I like the Patriota the best. A blend of 60% Malbec and 40% Bonarda, the two grapes work together to create a pleasingly balanced wine with dark, inky fruit layered with exotic spices. I sipped it over two evenings and the wine held up impressively even without my usual Vineyard Fresh squirt in the bottle.

My tasting note:

Jammy nose with dark, blackberry and cedar hints. Full-bodied with moderate acidity and moderate tannin – good balance. Fruity with peppery, cherry and briarwood notes – mint and eucalyptus – youthful and vibrant. Moderate length with a smooth and layered finish – vanilla and allspice. Drinking well and should hold nicely for another 2 to 3 years.

At an average bottle price of $19.99 before the discount, this wine is a respectable value.

Cheers!

To me, Barbera always brings back memories of slices of steaming hot pizza, gooey with cheese, loaded with mushroom, sausage and maybe caramelized onion… Or, perhaps a nice slab of Lasagna Bolognese, sprinkled with Parmigiano-Reggiano and crushed red pepper… the point is, Barbera is about simple pleasures. For years I remember buying cases of sub-$10 Barbera and serving it as my house red – infinitely quaffable with no pretense except to please.

Well, it turns out that Barbera has, in a phrase, grown up. Somewhere along the way, Barbera producers got serious and decided they were going to produce wine for a more discerning palate. Giacomo Grimaldi is a small, family run winery in Langhe, Piedmont that, since 1930 has been producing some of the finest the region has to offer. Known for holding their wines for extended periods, Grimaldi’s Barolo wines are among the best. Similar care is taken with the Barbera wines from Grimaldi.

Grimaldi’s Barbera grapes are sourced from three vineyards located in Monteforte d’Alba, Barolo and Novello. The soils are primarily calcareous clay, which promotes a strong minerality in the wine. Vinification is in stainless steel with an extended maceration of 5 to 6 days, giving the wine a dark, deep ruby hue. Temperature control preserves the more delicate floral notes of the varietal and Malolactic fermentation softens the wine’s structure. The wine is aged in stainless steel for 9 months before bottling – no use of oak gives the wine a clean, fruit-forward style.

Make no mistake, this is serious Barbera, but it is youthful and fun as well. I tasted the wine over two days, with nothing but a cork in place over night and it was magnificent. I actually enjoyed the wine more on day two – it had shed some of its reticence and blossomed into quite the seductress.

My tasting note:

Bright, cherry nose with rose petal, mineral and anise hints. Medium-bodied with firm acidity and moderate, dry tannin – good balance. Sour cherry, tart with tarry, herbaceous notes. The wine really evolves with some time, showing a nice dark core of fruit and some bittersweet chocolate flavors. Moderate length, starts out tight but shows real potential as the wine breathed. Drinking well now and should improve over the next 3 to 5 years.

At an average bottle price of $23.99 before the discount, this wine is not exactly cheap, but it is very respectable Barbera with serious pedigree!

Cheers!

White wine in the middle of winter? Sure! Especially when the white wine is lush, structured and filled with complexity.

The Masseria Li Veli is a winery located on an ancient Messapian site, dominating the fertile and sunny Salento plain. The Salento region, also known as the “heel of the boot” (of Italy), is situated in the southern part of Apulia, between the Ionic and Adriatic seas. In the First century B.C. it was the land of the Messapi, whose name meant “people between two seas”.

The property was originally founded by the Marquis Antonio de Viti de Marco (1858 – 1943), an internationally known Italian economist, university professor and Radical Party Deputy of the Reign of Italy. The Marquis had wanted to transform Masseria into a model cellar for the entire south of Italy. Although this did not happen in his lifetime, the Falvo family, owners of the property since 1999, has taken 40 years of experience in the wine business to rejuvenate the property as well as the dream of the Marquis.

The climate of this area is ideal for the cultivation of the vine with mild winters and hot and dry summers. The strong diurnal weather pattern makes this peninsula the perfect place to ripen grapes.

The soil of Masseria Li Veli is karstic, mainly calcareous and clayey with gravel and tuff. The color is reddish and sandy, highly-permeable, and rich in sub-moisture from the large underground water strata present in the area that builds up during the winter. These soil conditions allow the vine roots to access water and get through the driest summers without stress.

The vineyards of Masseria Li Veli cover a total area of 33 hectares (80 acres), mainly cultivated with native alberello trained (goblet pruned without trellising) vines, with three two-bud spurs, at a high density planting (5120 plants per hectare). The layout is the settonce or “seven twelfths pattern,” whereby each vine finds itself in the center of a hexagon. This pattern was invented by Roman military engineers who for a long time used the Latin square layout, later adopting the quinconce (diamond pattern) and finally the settonce (ordo septuncialis). Today according to Li Veli, the settonce layout with the alberello training system offers, more than any other system, an ideal combination of beneficial effects: high planting density, maximum soil exploitation by the vine roots, maximum exposure of foliage to the sun, good circulation of air, vines forming rows in all directions making cultivation easier, maximum equilibrium of plant growth (all plants have the same space, both externally and below ground).

Vinification at Masseria Li Veli involves hand-picked grapes that are then refrigerated to preserve the delicate aromas of the varietal. The grapes are pressed and then macerated on the skins for a very short period, once again under refrigeration, which promotes extraction of maximum aromatic potential, which clearly shows in the final product. Fermentation is cool and slow, which not only preserves varietal character, but also impedes Malolactic fermentation.

Among the grapes cultivated at Masseria Li Veli are the Negroamaro, Primitivo, Susumaniello, Aleatico, and Verdeca. The wine under review is produced from 100% Verdeca, a white variety that has been cultivated for a many years exclusively in certain areas of Apulia, particularly in the Valle d’Itria. Because of its great resistance to disease and adaptability to different soils and conditions, for many years Verdeca was neglected and almost never used for varietal wines. Verdeca was almost always used for blending in dessert wines or in Vermouth, primarily for export. Masseria Li Veli started making varietal Verdeca in 2009 with the intent of showcasing the lovely and powerful characteristics of this historical local variety.

My tasting note:

Lush Nose with tropical fruit and chalky, mineral hints. Medium-bodied with firm acidity – good balance. Fruity with great structure and finesse – apple, apricot and pineapple notes with intense volcanic minerality. Long finish with evolving, layered complexity – very pretty – crisp and refreshing. Not for aging.

At an average bottle price of $17.99 before the discount, this wine is a superb alternative to every day whites!

Cheers!

I am not a wine snob. Actually, some folks have come to call me the “Will Rogers” of wine, in that I haven’t met a wine I didn’t like… Perhaps it is my devotion to judging wines not merely critiquing wines. So, in the spirit of fairness and equality, I will tell you about the Leese-Fitch Cabernet, a very inexpensive, very simple fruit bomb from the other coast (and as the label claims “from the other guys…”)

The 2010 Leese-Fitch Cabernet is a product of The Other Guys Winery, a subsidiary of the huge Sebastiani wine empire. The Leese-Fitch label is a value-conscience brand that strives to make high-quality, inexpensive wine that tastes at a price point $10 – $15 above its retail prices. Housed in the restored Leese-Fitch building located in Sonoma Square, the winery uses a mix of fruit from area growers, producing a Merlot, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon and Zinfandel. The building was originally built in 1836, and is an historical landmark in Sonoma Plaza, named after Jacob Leese and Henry Fitch, brothers-in-law to General Mariano Vallejo, the founder of the town of Sonoma.

I generally eschew these easy-drinking west coast wines, usually because the value proposition isn’t there. But with Leese-Fitch, the price point is low-enough to make the ratio work.

My tasting note:

Ripe, juicy nose with black cherry jam and cedar hints. Medium-bodied with moderate acidity and supple, approachable tannins. Good balance. Youthful and fruity with bright red berry notes. Classically west coast – gulpable and easy drinking. Smooth finish without a lot of complexity – not for aging, simply for quaffing.

At an average retail price of $10.99 per bottle before discount, this wine is a good value with no pretense!

Cheers!

It’s no lie – I love the wines of southern France. Whether it is the massively complex and age-worthy wine of Châteauneuf-du-Pape, or some lovely, quaffable rose from the Côtes de Provence, many of my desert island wines would hail from that part of France that lovingly hugs the Mediterranean Sea.

So it should come as no surprise to anyone that I would love the 2010 Château Coupe Roses from Minervois. Named for the French term for “fortified farm,” La Bastide is a youthful explosion of flavors with enough structure to give it some serious aging potential. Made from a blend of old-vine Carignan and Grenache, (and yes, in France old-vines actually means something) the wine is filled with all the great terrior elements that make southern French wines so appealing.

The winery and vineyards are situated north-east of Carcassonne, which is located in the heart of the Languedoc. The climate is classically Mediterranean with warm, dry sunlit days and cool, still nights and promotes slow, steady maturation of the fruit. The vineyards are influenced by altitude, planted on barren, stony hillsides at between 800 to 1,200 feet above sea-level.  The soils are composed largely of clay and chalk, which are perfect for retaining heat in the evening (chalk) and water during the day (clay). Large manganese deposits give the eponymous faded rose coloration to the top soil.

My tasting note:

Earthy nose with dried herb, black cherry and anise hints. Full-bodied with moderate acidity and firm, tight tannins. Good balance. Youthful with a nice dark fruit core. Gamey with briar patch, red berry and deep, cocoa notes. Needs time – very tight, but showing some nice complexity offering great potential. Should be really showing well in about 5 to 7 years, if you can wait…

At an average retail price of $14.99 per bottle before discount, this wine is a stunning value!

Cheers!

Back In December of 2007 I wrote about a then emerging AVA in the Central Coast area of California, the Santa Rita Hills. In that article we featured Alma Rosa as a wine to watch… Fast forward almost five years and on my most recent visit to California, I decided to check-in at a handful of Santa Rita Hills wineries and see how they were progressing. We circled through the area on a near-perfect summer day and stopped at five wineries. The following is a report on the findings:

First up we stopped in at Mosby Winery (www.mosbywines.com), a lovely property situated about one mile south of Buellton on Santa Rosa Road. The winery was started in 1976 by Bill Mosby, who is also the winemaker and currently has approximately 46 acres under vine, planted mostly to Italian varietals. The literature states that the property “provides a perfect growing site for the various vines due to a multitude of microclimates.”  Louise Smith, our perfectly gracious host in the tasting room was an absolute joy. We tasted through the current offerings of wine and Louise happily shared her passion and insight. The winery produces approximately 4,000 to 5,000 cases, almost all estate grown. While we were not able to taste any of the grappa and brandy produced at the winery due to legal issues, we were able to bring one back with us and it was simply lovely with layers of delicate fruit essence and a remarkably smooth finish. The good news for my fellow Massachusetts readers… Gilbert Distributors in Boylston, MA carries the wine – the bad news is that only the Lucca (not tasted), Pinot Grigio, Dolcetto and Sangiovese are in the Beverage Journal… worth a call to find out about the other wines…

2011 Cortese (Estate)
Floral, perfumed nose. Light bodied firm acidity. Citrus palate, crisp. Moderate length, clean and refreshing. $18/per bottle **

2010 Pinot Grigio (Estate)
Pretty, citrus nose. Light bodied with firm acidity. Minerally with citrus palate, hints of grass. Short, refreshing finish. $18/per bottle **

2010 Rosato Di Canonau (Estate)
Red berry nose, bright and floral. Medium bodied with firm acidity. Sour cherry, lightly floral. Crisp and refreshing. Very nice. $12.00/per bottle ***

2007 Sangiovese (Estate)
Lovely cherry nose, violets and vanilla, leather. Medium bodied with firm acidity and moderate tannin. Dark fruit core with cherry, anise and vanilla. Moderate length, complex. 2 to 3 years aging. $28/per bottle ***

2006 Primitivo (Paso Robles)
Spicy, lively nose. Bright red berry fruit with fresh herbaceous hints. Medium bodied with moderate acidity and moderate tannin. Bright red berry fruit with spice and vanilla notes. Moderate length with layered complexity. Very nice. $26/per bottle ***

2006 La Seduzione (Paso Robles Lagrein)
Dark fruit aromas. Black cherry and spice. Pretty. Full bodied with firm acidity and dry tannin. Dark fruit core with plummy fruit and spice and dried herb. Long finish. Nice. $28/per bottle ***

2007 Sagrantino (Estate) (4 acres – first in the state)
Bright lively nose, cherry, spicy very pretty. Medium to full bodied with moderate acidity and firm tannin. Dark fruit core with rose attar and allspice. Moderate length with layered complexity. Very nice. $28/per bottle ***

Sofia (20.5% alc)
Bright raspberry aroma, perfumed. Medium bodied with firm acidity. Sweet but not cloying. Lovely finish. $18/per bottle ***

 

Next up, we traveled further up Santa Rosa Road to Alma Rosa Winery (www.almarosawinery.com), the winery featured in our 2007 piece, owned by the lovely Richard and Thekla Sanford. I won’t go into all the gory details of the history behind the winery, for that you can read my original piece from 2007 (www.musingsonthevine.com/MusingsNewsletterV6_4.pdf). That said, the winery has a reverence that belies the humble, rustic surroundings. Chris Burroughs was our host in the tasting room – little did we know that we were amongst Hollywood royalty (the web site notes “Chris is of Sideways fame”) – Chris is down-to-earth and quietly passionate about the Alma Rosa wines… Our original love for the wines in 2007 continues forward into 2012 – you cannot visit the area without stopping in a trying these wines. To me they represent the great potential for Pinot Noir in the Santa Rita Hills, long ago originally envisioned by Richard Sanford himself…

2008 Sta Rita Hills
Bright floral nose with red raspberry fruit – pretty. Medium bodied with moderate acidity and moderate tannin. Red berry fruit. Moderate length. $32/per bottle **

2010 Sta Rita Hills
Soft nose with light floral hints. Medium bodied with moderate acidity and supple tannin. Jammy red fruit. Long finish. $32/per bottle ***

2009 La Encantada Vineyard (Clone 115)
Bright raspberry nose, violets. Medium bodied with firm acidity and dry tannin. Dark fruit core, floral and herbaceous. Long finish. $43/per bottle ***

2010 La Encantada Vineyard (Clone 115)
Dark, almost brooding fruit. Medium to full bodied with moderate acidity and dry tannin. Dark fruit core with anise. Long finish. $43/per bottle ***

2009 El Jabali Vineyard (Mt. Eden Clone)
Bright, red berry nose, some floral hints. Full to medium bodied with moderate acidity and dry tannin. Dark cherry with herbaceous notes. Long finish. $43/per bottle ***

 

Next we stopped a little further up Santa Rosa Road at LaFond Winery and Vineyards (www.lafondwinery.com). Lafond has a lot going on with a Bistro and Marketplace in Montecito, another winery in Santa Barbara proper, as well as connections to an Upstairs Art Gallery and a Clothing Line (Wendy Foster). Kathleen, our hostess in the Santa Rita Hills tasting room, a transplant originally from New Hampshire was friendly and congenial. The wines were nice and in Massachusetts they are distributed by Atlantic Importing Company, although the Beverage Journal only lists the 2008 SRH Pinot Noir.

2010 Sta Rita Hills Riesling
Citrus nose, perfumed. Light bodied with firm acidity. Lemony palate with minerality. Moderate length. $20/per bottle **

2009 Lafond Vineyard Chardonnay (33% new oak 100% ML) (Estate)
Tropical nose with creamy, vanilla hints. Medium bodied with moderate acidity. Citrus, apple apricot notes. Moderate length with cream and oak. $38/per bottle **

2009 Sta Rita Hills Pinot Noir
Red berry, floral and spicy. Medium bodied with moderate acidity and moderate tannin. Dark fruit core with mint and dried herb. Long finish. $27/per bottle ***

2007 Lafond Vineyard Pinot Noir
Dark fruit nose – black cherry and anise. Medium to full bodied with moderate acidity and moderate, dry tannin. Long finish. $38/per bottle ***

2010 Sta Rita Hills Syrah
Bright spicy, jammy black berry. Full bodied with moderate acidity and moderate tannin. Dark fruit core, herbaceous earthy. Moderate length. $23/bottle ***

2007 Lafond Vineyard Syrah
Spicy, peppery nose with black cherry. Full bodied with moderate acidity and firm tannin. Sour cherry with mint. Moderate length with pepper and allspice. $40/per bottle ***

 

We decided to head up towards Santa Maria where we planned on staying the night (I’ll be blogging about the historic Santa Maria Inn shortly…) and we stopped at Foley Estates Vineyard and Winery (www.foleywines.com) on Highway 246. The winery is situated on the beautiful Rancho Santa Rosa vineyard, featuring a thoroughly modern tasting room and events center that offers truly spectacular vistas of the neighboring mountain ranges, coastal oaks and contoured hillside vines. On our visit a lovely couple that was scoping out wedding venues tasted alongside us, captivated by the surroundings as much as the wine. Susan Pratt was our wonderful hostess, providing great information about the wines, as well as the surrounding area. Susan was such a warm and inviting ambassador. The winery actually precedes the establishment of the Santa Rita Hills AVA (2001), with two major vineyards (Rancho Santa Rosa and Rancho Las Hermanas) providing the grapes for all of their wines.

2009 Rancho Santa Rosa Chardonnay (75% ML) (16 months in oak 50% new/50% used)
Lightly fruity nose, creamy with oak hints. Medium bodied with firm acidity. Citrus, apple and apricot – tropical. Moderate length. $30/per bottle ***

2009 Barrel Select Chardonnay (75%ML) (21 months in oak 40% new/60% used)
Woody with smoky hints. Medium bodied with moderate acidity. Woody, some fruit. Creamy finish. $50/per bottle **

2009 Two Sisters Las Hermanas Chardonnay (50% ML) (20 months in oak 100% new)
Lightly fruity nose, lightly creamy. Medium bodied with moderate acidity. Woody with apple and lemon curd. Moderate length. $55/per bottle ***

2009 JA Ranch Pinot Noir (clone 115/113)
Bright red berry fruit. Spicy with floral hints. Medium bodied moderate acidity and moderate tannin. Fresh cherry and roasted game notes. Long finish. Nice. $45/per bottle ***

2009 Rancho Santa Rosa Pinot Noir
Lightly earthy, saddle with nice red fruits. Medium bodied with moderate acidity and moderate tannin. Dark fruit core with light roasted game notes. Long finish. $40/per bottle ***

2009 Two Sisters Las Hermanas Pinot Noir
Lightly fruity with elegance and restraint. Medium to full bodied with firm acidity and firm tannin. Dark fruit core with rose attar and cherry notes. Long finish, peppery with saddle. $75/per bottle ***

 

Our last stop for the day was Babcock Winery and Vineyards (www.babcockwinery.com ) located on a picturesque hill overlooking well-manicured rows of vines on highway 246. The vineyard property goes back to 1978, with the winery following in 1983. The web site boasts of selling fruit to well-known vintners Rick Longoria, Fred Brander and Jim Clendenen during the early days of growing. John was our affable host in the tasting room, taking us through their Terrior Tasting.

2010 Identity Crisis Syrah (Rose)
Strawberry, bright. Medium bodied with firm acidity. Fruit forward, red berry fruit. Short, clean, floral. Nice. $12/per bottle **

2009 Santa Barbara County Chardonnay (Wine Diamonds) (100% ML)
Tropical, apple nose. Lightly floral. Medium bodied with firm acidity. Apple, peach. Moderate length. (This was a wine that had the presence of tartaric acid crystals (i.e. wine diamonds) in the bottle, so they marked it down and are selling it off, hence the price) $9.75/per bottle **

2011 Sauvignon Blanc (Estate Grown)
Gooseberry, grassy, asparagus. Medium bodied with firm acidity. Grassy with flinty finish. White pepper and gun smoke. $20/per bottle ***

NV Red Table Wine
Spicy, peppery with red fruit. Medium bodied with firm acidity and supple tannin. Fruity. Not for aging. $9/per bottle *

2010 Sta Rita Hills Pinot Noir
Dark cherry fruit, floral. Medium bodied with moderate acidity and moderate tannin. Dark fruit core. Simple and supple. Not for aging. $20/per bottle **

2010 Precocious Pinot Noir El Camino Vineyard Santa Barbara County(187 cases)
Floral with red berry fruit. Gamey. Medium bodied with moderate acidity and supple tannin. Dark fruit core. Long finish. $60/per bottle ***

2010 Déjà Vu Pinot Noir Rabbit Ridge Vineyard Paso Robles (214)
Bright, red berry fruit. Medium bodied with moderate acidity and moderate tannin. Ripe red cherry fruit. Moderate length. $60/per bottle ***

2009 The Loin Cabernet Sauvignon Estellle Vineyard Santa Ynez Valley
Dark fruit aroma, black cherry vanilla – jammy. Dark fruit core. Black cherry. Long fruity finish. $50/per bottle ***

Cheers!