Wine Outlook

Rosenblum Cellars makes 200,000 cases of wine annually, buying grapes from almost 90 different growers all over California. While we do have one vineyard, it’s up in the Russian River Valley, far from the winery in Alameda. Situated on the water, next to a shipyard, it’s easy to forget about the agricultural aspect of the business. That’s why I think Grower Days are such a great idea. It gives production workers, tasting room staff, marketing gurus, and other employees the chance to tour the vineyards and talk to the growers, getting back to land and back to the basics.

A few weeks ago, I got the chance to go on the only overnight trip, which is down to Paso Robles. Having just been there, I already knew that I loved the area and the wines I’d had. But this time we weren’t going to any wineries, only walking among the vineyards, getting to see up close the oyster shells in the calcerous soil that BK was so interested in on our previous trip.

Of course, it being the Rosenblum gang, there was no shortage of alcohol. It began with having lunch on tables set up in the yard at Catherine’s Vineyard, with nearby coolers of beer and Rosenblum wine on ice. Later we would tour the oh-so-fun Margarita Vineyard, complete with a ride on an old Disney train and dinner under the stars and twinkling lights, a country band to serenade the meal with many more bottles of wine.
*I’m only thankful that the bar down from where we were staying was closed when a group of us trooped over to ride the mechanical bull, as I’m not sure anyone would have stayed on at that point…. The sad thing is, we were opening really good bottles, new releases of Syrah and such, late into the evening. And my friend Nathan was right when he said I’d need to increase my tolerance working at Rosenblum… I was out well before many of the others and was given quite a hard the next morning at our last stop at the Mondello Vineyard for how I felt and looked like I felt. (That’s me on the left.)

Final installment in the first excursion to Paso Robles:

Saturday morning of the trip found us first at Turley, which opens at 9 am, for those eager to get a super-early start. (Their website doesn’t have any information, so I won’t bother with a link.) It’s actually located in Templeton on Vineyard Drive. Now, I had heard mixed reviews about the Turley experience, but I wanted to see for myself. First off, this is a prime example of the overlapping webs in the wine world which fascinate me. In this case, brother and sister all over the map. Also, Turley is one of the big names in Zin, so it was good research—with my working at one of the other big names in Zin… As for the wine: I found the first three from Dry Creek, Napa, and Contra Costa to be very mild. The two which stood out the most for me were the 2005 Rattlesnake Ridge—it reminded me of a Reuben sandwich without sauerkraut (because that’s how I eat them)– and the 2004 Pesenti from Paso and on the edge of being jammy.

That picture is the view from the front door of L’Aventure. Based on a co-worker’s recommendation, BK drove us quite a ways down gravelly Live Oak Road. Similar to the creators of Tablas Creek, owner Stephan Asseo chose Paso Robles as the perfect location to put his French winemaking skills to use. The production is about 6,000 cases a year and 90% is estate grown. Drawn to the beauty and intricacy of blends, I fell in love with the 2005 L’Aventure Côte a Côte, made from Grenache, Syrah, and Mourvedre, though I had a problem with calling it unctuous, as was in the tasting notes. It bothered me for days because I wouldn’t consider that wine ingratiating or oily in any way. Just lovely chocolate, fig, blackberry and light floral notes. I also liked the 2005 Estate Cuvee, which reminded me of floating down the river in Missoula with teryaki beef jerky. (more…)

Paso Robles, Turley, L’Aventure, 2005 L’Aventure Côte a Côte

Round 2 of the first day in Paso Robles began with Garretson Wine Company. Of all the wineries, this had to be the one I was looking most forward to. (Already familiar with Mat ‘Mr. Viognier’ Garretson’s wines, I really enjoyed the Cornbread Nation Cuvee back in December and various other ones I’ve had in the past. I also appreciate his nod to Southern and Irish roots with his choice in names and the fact that he’s another southerner who moved out West to pursue a wine dream.) Though it was a little hard to find—tucked away in an industrial area—it was worth the wrong turn. From a 2005 Roussanne called “The Limóid Cior” which means lemon honeycomb and tasting of fig, honey, nutmeg, and lime to the 2005 Viognier which BK aptly described as tasting of sweet potatoes (with cinnamon and marshmellows, I added) and peaches and honey, the whites were tasting quite nice on a warm day. And especially the rose’ which I had to buy: “The Celeidh,” truly a cranberry and pomegranate celebration of Syrah, Grenache, and Mourvedre. Of course, the reds weren’t bad, either. Though the Mourvedre was light on fruit, it opened up into clove, coffee, and chocolate. I also had to take a bottle of the 2004 “The Luascáin” Syrah, as I was drawn to the olive, cherry, and mocha. Overall, it was quite an experience, and one that I’ll gladly repeat when/if the sommelier ever comes to visit.

The last two wine stops were quick ones, as the final hour approached. We saw that cave on the left there as we drove up to Eberle Winery. It had been recommended by a customer in the tasting room and rightly so. Producing about 30,000 cases, all Paso Robles fruit, my favorites were the 2005 Cass Vineyard Roussanne with its rose petals, toasted pinenuts, and cream, and the 2005 Sangiovese with cherry cola and vanilla. The 2004 Steinbeck Syrah was nice but needs more time. The final winery that day was Tobin James Cellars, which was packed even at the late hour. The picture on the right shows the fun front porch, and that attitude continues inside. It looks like an old saloon, and there are even video games for the kids. The staff is entertaining, passing out stickers with the Tobin James star emblem. At that point, I was suffering from palate fatigue, but I did call my good friend Val, who loves their Zin, only to find out she had been there the day before. Small world!

The day was complete with a delightful meal in downtown Paso Robles at Villa Creek and the need to rest up for more winetasting the next day…

Farley Walker

Paso Robles, Garretson Wine Company, Eberle Winery

I had such a wonderful time winetasting in Paso Robles— just as everyone said I would. The weather wasn’t too hot, the people were friendly, and the wine was good. What more can you ask for? We tasted at nine wineries in all and had one really nice meal. Arriving very late Thursday night, BK and I woke up early for an attempted hike on Friday and then the tasting extravaganza began.

The first stop was Peachy Canyon Winery. We actually went to the newer location, which was unintentional but a good thing because it’s not nearly as busy as the original, according to our very helpful tasting room associate. Only one other couple was there during our half hour, so we got plenty of attention and information. While I enjoyed the Viognier and some of the reds quite a bit, my favorite by far was the 2005 Westside Zinfandel. I was drawn to the very pretty strawberries, vanilla, and spice and could see why it’s their flagship. I usually try to purchase smaller production wines when visiting the source, but I couldn’t walk away from this bottle. After that, we went along to Justin , where we discovered there are guest quarters, and very nice ones from the looks of it. My mom would have loved the bathroom, with its rooster motif…. My wine pick here was Deborah’s Delight, which was a light dessert wine of 2/3 Viognier and 1/3 Orange Muscat. It displayed nice notes of honey, peach, and honeysuckle. (more…)

winetasting in Paso Robles, Peachy Canyon Winery, 2005 Westside Zinfandel, Justin, Deborah’s Delight