Wine Each Week ~ Chemistry Rose’ of Pinot Noir Bubbles

Chemistry best describes interaction between two properties, as in this wine which was a collaborative effort between two Oregon wineries, Chehalem Winery and Stoller Family Estate, both of which produce estate wines in the Willamette Valley. This light, effervescent bubbly non-vintage Pinot Noir rose’ celebrates the beauty of a summer morning in the Willamette Valley. It offers light strawberry, watermelon and lemon lime citrus notes. The carbonation is nicely balanced, not aggressive so you still get some of that beautiful Pinot noir fruit.  Simple yet effective.

3,800 cases

ORIGIN: Willamette Valley, Oregon

ALCOHOL: 12.5%

PRICE: $20 (750ML)

SCORE: 90 POINTS

Chemistry Wines

Wine Each Week ~ Siduri 2018 Willamette Valley Pinot Noir

The marvelous thing about Pinot Noir is that it has the most diverse expressions of any other grape. What this 2018 Siduri represents is what the Willamette Valley in Oregon does so well – the earthy tobacco-ish, old leather sort of vibe. It shuns the typical bright red fruits of California Pinot in favor of something dramatically different, darker and earthier. There are also notes of black cherry, mild cola, blackberry, lingonberry, boysenberry and sweet earth. A mix of six vineyard sites, eight Pinot Noir clones, and 10 months of aging (with just 30% new French oak) really allows this fruit to express itself.

ORIGIN: Willamette Valley, Oregon

ALCOHOL: 14.2%

PRICE: $35 (750ML)

SCORE: 91 POINTS

SIDURI

Wine Each Week – 2019 Lucy Rosé of Pinot Noir

It’s not that the names Santa Lucia Highlands and Pisoni are synonymous, but it’s really close. Gary Pisoni began planting grapes back in 1972 when few vineyards even existed in Monterey County. Now they are one of the leaders of quality wines from this region.

The 2019 Lucy is a Rosé made from Pinot Noir from several of their vineyard sites. There are light notes of strawberry, guava, orange peel, rose water, a very muted lemon-lime quality and white peach. There’s a moderate acidity and an ethereal sense of fresh air and salt water from the Monterey Bay, nearby. Though this wine has been around for a decade, it’s not been promoted much, and also less known is that for each bottle purchase $1 goes to breast cancer research.

1,215 cases

ORIGIN: Monterey, California

ALCOHOL: 13.9%

PRICE: $19 (750ML)

SCORE: 90 POINTS

LUCYWINES

Wine Each Week – 2017 Anaba Pinot Noir, Sonoma Coast

I don’t know much about wind. For example, I didn’t know that winds driven up slope, like those along the Sonoma Coast and those off the San Pablo Bay in Carneros, are called anabatic winds, from which Anaba takes its name. However I have been in those winds and I understand how they help Pinot grow. The 2017 Pinot benefits from these pummeling winds to create a wine with notes of raspberry, strawberry, green tea, herbal and earthy overtones, plum, and cranberry.  It offers a great balance between fruit, acidity and from the land upon which it is grown. Aged 20 months in French oak, 30% of that was new wood. Using six diverse clones of Pinot, and five different Vineyard locations allows this to express the breadth of Sonoma’s intriguing coastal growing region.

1,394 cases

ORIGIN: Sonoma Coast, California

ALCOHOL: 13.9%

PRICE: $48 (750ML)

SCORE: 90 POINTS

Anaba

Wine Each Week – 2017 Veramonte Pinot Noir

I love being surprised by a wine. This Veramonte was on a bottom shelf of my samples cabinet, tucked in between pricey Napa wines. This is what truly excites me – finding a wine that delivers on quality and taste and is under 11 bucks. The 2017 is all lively raspberry, black cherry, blueberry, pepper spice, vanilla, sweet charred wood, and vibrant acidity. It spent just eight months of aging in neutral oak barrels so the oak influence is quite minimal. To be sure it is less nuanced than more expensive Pinot Noirs however this allows any wine lover to get their hands on an excellent quality wine, and for those from whom I hear all the time, “I can’t find a Pinot I like that I can afford,” their query has been answered.

ORIGIN: Casablanca Valley, Chile

ALCOHOL: 14%

PRICE: $10.99/ 750ML

SCORE: 92 POINTS

Veramonte

Wine Each Week – Lucien Albrecht Brut Rose Crémant

That this winery began in 1698 telegraphs that they probably know what they’re doing by this time. And here’s why… Coming from the Alsace region in France Lucien Albrecht ‘s Brut Rose’ is made of 100% Pinot Noir, free run juice, so they say. This Crémant is a light and delicate sparkler with minimal carbonation and a slight sweetness (as a side note, Crémant is a sparkling wine not made in the Champagne region, therefore it cannot be called Champagne, even though it’s made the same way. Rules are rules!). This bottle offers notes of pomegranate, currant, mild strawberry, red delicious apple, wild cherry and black cherry. This avoids many of the common yeasty and baked bread notes that some people find uninteresting in the world of sparkling wines, therefore there is no bitterness or tightness but a soft enjoyable fruit at a reasonable price.

ORIGIN: Alsace, France

ALCOHOL: 12%

PRICE: $23 (750ML)

SCORE: 91 POINTS

Lucien Albrecht

Wine Each Week – 2017 Wrath Swan/828 Pinot Noir

Monterey Country excels at Pinot Noir. This fact is indisputable. Exactly what type of Pinot you prefer is another matter. And that’s because there are more clones of Pinot Noir than of any other wine grape variety, and, not surprisingly, most are from France. At present nearly 100 Pinot Noir clones are registered in California. Wrath has chosen wisely. This bottling of half Swan clone and half clone 828, results in bright expressive notes of black cherry, blueberry, boysenberry, with back notes of rose water, pomegranate, cola and Bing cherry compote. It is the Swan that provides the floral component, which is one of the reasons Swan can be so compelling as it is here, offering a richness in the mid palate. They used French oak - 40% of that was new – and the wine was aged for 11 months, then bottle aged another year. Truly an astounding price for a wine of this quality, I highly recommend this. Just 500 cases were produced.

ORIGIN: Monterey, California

ALCOHOL: 14.3%

PRICE: $35/ 750ML

SCORE: 94 POINTS

WRATH

Wine Each Week – Canned Oregon

Canned wine might seem tedious. After all, wine has been sold in cans since before anyone reading this was born. And who wants the soda-pop sound of a can of wine being opened during your romantic dinner? Though trending, it’s nothing new. The first canned wines began appearing in the mid-1930s, then intermittently disappeared and reappeared again over the decades. The problem was one of acidity eating away at the metal, and the can imparting a metallic taste to the wine, which was cheap bulk quality to begin with. Canning fine wine didn’t take off until the inner linings of cans stopped transferring off-flavors.

Phil Markert, a fellow wine judge, and liquor sales manager for Vons, Albertsons and Pavilions, in Pasadena told me: “This is a trend that is happening in both alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages. The biggest driver is a younger consumer who wants packaging that’s more environmentally friendly but also wants convenience.” Faith Armstrong Foster, owner and winemaker at Sonoma-based Onward and Farmstrong Wines told me: “It had become apparent to me that people wanted to be able to include consciously made wines in more areas of their life where bottles are a limiting factor. “The wines she sells in cans are the same exact vintages she puts in bottles. She expanded into canning when she recognized the need for a more portable package, for beach days, hiking, camping, poolside, picnics, movie theaters, etc. “However, this is also offered as my small format, so really anyone who wants a half-bottle option has one. They are light, portable, chill down fast and make wine drinking more accessible,” she says.

Over the last few years I’ve had many canned wines and the quality is dramatically improving. One of my favorites is Canned Oregon.

White Bubbles: Soft carbonation gives way to lemon-limes notes, almond and mild pineapple, with a slight tartness of the finish.

Pinot Gris: Terrific wine with notes of guava, melon, papaya and lime kefir.

Pinot Noir: A lively Pinot complete with black cherry, strawberry notes with back notes of earth and rhubarb.

ORIGIN: Oregon

ALCOHOL: 12.5 – 13.5%

PRICE: $4.99/Can (375ML)

SCORE: 90 POINTS

Wine Each Week – 2017 Cherry Pie Tri-County Pinot Noir

In spite of the name, this is not some innocuous sweet Pinot Noir that doubles as dessert. The name in fact was based on the imagery of the label, taken from an oil painting. Cherry Pie is a companion brand to Layer Cake, which also successfully used imagery to build its brand. Fortunately, this wine works. There is mild red raspberry, strawberry, Bing cherry, fairly integrated oak (30% was new wood), soft tannin and finishing with a hint of sweet tobacco. The majority of the fruit is from Monterey, with 21% from Santa Barbara, and 16% from Napa. The blend varies from year to year, the 2016 iteration for example had Sonoma Coast fruit – it also sold for $28. The growing field of terrific Pinot Noir under $25 is quickly growing and the competition is a very good thing for the consumer. Cherry Pie helps raise that bar and this is more than worth its retail price.

ORIGIN: Monterey, Santa Barbara and Napa counties.

ALCOHOL: 14.2%

PRICE: $22.99/ 750ML

SCORE: 92 POINTS

Cherry Pie

Wine Each Week – Raeburn 2017 Pinot Noir

Russian River Valley Pinot Noir is a dime-a-dozen, so to speak. There are so many producers here because the geology, climate and soil are ideal for growing great Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Many of these wines will bust your wallet. But Raeburn’s doesn’t. At a mere $25, this is a terrific Pinot Noir, worthy of your cash.
There is a wonderful acidity from this Russian River Valley fruit that supports black cherry, blackberry, red raspberry, blueberry, light cranberry and a light-roasted hazelnut, and vanilla. Because this wine is so balanced in terms of fruit, wood and acidity, it will make great companionship with the foods on your table. Aged just 11 months in all French oak barrels, a quarter of which were new barrels, it was also fermented in small open top bins. This allows for more fruit structure to come through - and there were two punch downs daily (where the must on top is pressed down into the juice below extracting tannins, flavors and color – in essence mixing it all together). This ends up being a lovely wine that you can afford. The Raeburn is a Russian River Valley Pinot Noir that hits every note: flavor, structure, food-friendly, price, and makes you happy that you love wine.

ORIGIN: Russian River Valley, Sonoma, California

ALCOHOL: 14.5%

PRICE: $25/ 750ML

SCORE: 91 POINTS

Raeburn

Wine Each Week: Masut 2016 Estate Pinot Noir

Ben and Jake Fetzer come from a long line of wine; it was their grandfather who started the iconic Fetzer Vineyards in Mendocino. The brothers formed Masut in 2009 (releasing their first wines in 2011, to approach Pinot Noir from Mendocino County, north of Sonoma, and in fact their Eagle Peak Vineyard lies within the Eagle Peak AVA. Their 2016 Estate offers bright fruit, but a noticeable potent acidity, tingling the mouth and presenting dark bing cherry, raspberry, fermented strawberry, with back notes of black cherry, slight cola and an almost Dr. Pepper quality, but in a very good way. It retains its presences on the palate too, it lingers, stays around after each sip, enticing. Using five different clones (115 comprises 50% of the make-up) the 10-day fermentation in stainless steel preceded 12 months aging in new French Oak. The result is an earthy, rich (but not ripe) Pinot Noir that brings a redolent quality to California Pinot. The word "masut" is an old Indian word, generally meaning, deep, rich earth," of which this wine telegraphs beautifully. 3,100 cases

ORIGIN: Mendocino, California

ALCOHOL: 14.1%

PRICE: $40/ 750ML

SCORE: 91 POINTS

MASUT

Wine Each Week – McIntyre 2018 Rose’ of Pinot Noir

Imagine you have 12,000 acres of vines you are responsible for. For Steve McIntyre he has either planted for currently farms this massive amount of vineyards in Monterey, so as a viticulturist, he knows a thing or two. Oh, and he also makes his own wines – wine that typically presents a more restrained approach stylistically, rather than over the top fruit and oak. Case in point: his rose’ offers bright, fresh strawberry, guava, red cherry, lime, mango and lemon notes accompanied by a light, clean acidity. It avoids the RS (residual sugar) that is prevalent in so many California Rose’, and is really designed for food, not as a cocktail for warm summer days. Farmed according to SIP Certified standards (Sustainability in Practice) also makes this appealing. After all, farming anything consciously is simply being a good steward of the land, and Steve has a lot of land under his purview.

ORIGIN: Santa Lucia Highlands, Monterey, California

ALCOHOL: 13.1%

PRICE: $24/ 750ML

SCORE: 90 POINTS 

McIntyreVineyards

Wine Each Week: Scott Family Estate 2017 Arroyo Seco Pinot Noir, Monterey

I am always impressed when I can find an outstanding Pinot Noir at $25 or less, and this little gem is a great surprise. Not only is this truly indicative of its Monterey roots but it also has a great viscosity. Coming from a cooler portion of Monterey this offers up what you want in your Pinot, namely strawberry, red raspberry, black cherry, with back notes of pomegranate, plum, lavender and slight sweet vanilla. The acidity and tannins are in line and what you get is a wonderfully drinkable wine that can showcase itself with a variety of foods. It also has that lively balance between great fruit and something a little deeper in terms of structure. If you are a fan of Pinot, as I am, you know that the majority of them are pricey to absurdly expensive. This is really a Pinot for the people one that is within reach budget wise yet still offers classic Pinot power. Aged with a combination of French and American oak for just 10 months, this captures the essence of Monterey Pinot Noir.

ORIGIN: Arroyo Seco, Monterey, California

ALCOHOL: 14.7%

PRICE: $25/ 750ML

SCORE: 90 POINTS

RUTHERFORD WINECOMPANY

Wine Each Week: Eighty Four Wines 2017 Gamay Noir

Gamay Noir is a lightweight. Typically this wine (it’s not Pinot Noir) is used for Beaujolais Nouveau a much lighter style of red wine. Gamay Noir is like the stepbrother to Pinot Noir, often more affordable, more fruit driven with softer tannins and acidity and less “Pinot” than Pinot Noir. But in the hands of Doug Shafer and Elias Fernandez of Napa’s iconic Shafer Vineyards, it blossoms into a deeper-lighter red wine. Adding to that - this is the first vintage they made. Pretty damn impressive for a first effort. Just 180 cases were made, a mere 2,160 bottles (minus one for me), so this will disappear soon and if you adore Pinot, then Gamay should be your next consideration. This offers notes of red raspberry, mild strawberry, pomegranate, black cherry, with subtle notes of rose hips, floral accents and what I can only describe as a garden full of wild flowers, supported by delicate sweet vanilla. It’s a lighter, brighter Pinot just in time for your summer red wine drinking.

ORIGIN: Carneros District, Napa Valley, California

ALCOHOL: 14.9%

PRICE: $35/ 750ML

SCORE: 90 POINTS

Eighty Four Wines

Wine Each Week: District 7

In the 2009 movie, District 9, aliens invade the earth and…well, I’m sure you can figure the rest out. There’s no mention if said aliens liked wine, however if they did, they might have been attracted to District 7, two districts away. 

From Scheid Vineyards in Monterey County comes a line-up of wines named after an actual California growing region – AKA Monterey - rather than sub-aliens, District 7. The region’s wine growing dates back to commercial plantings of Chenin Blanc in 1919, but with historic roots of vineyards (pun intended) dating to the time of the Spanish Missions in the late 1700s. District 7 also fosters an attractive price point with these wines not exceeding $20, therefore Scheid has seamlessly blended quality and value. The portfolio includes Cabernet Sauvignon, Rose’, Sauvignon Blanc and the Pinot and Chard listed below. All their estate vineyards and winery are officially certified by the California Sustainable Winegrowing Alliance a statewide certification program that provides third-party verification of a winery’s commitment to sustainable winegrowing practices. As they state, “Driving our efforts at District 7 is a core belief that the best wines come from vineyards and ecosystems that are in balance.” I like that.

2017 Pinot Noir

The Pinot presents lots of red raspberry, black cherry, boysenberry and cranberry with a mild acidity running through it. The minimal oak (a mere 10 months of aging with just 30% new French wood) supports the bright fruit, pulling it down a bit and balancing it out, adding depth to the wine. In doing this it creates a deeper Pinot, not an esoteric version as some Pinots can be, but a more earthy deep red fruit type.

ORIGIN: Monterey, California

PRICE: $20/ 750ML

ALCOHOL: 13.5%

2017 Chardonnay

Conversely, the D7 Chardonnay aims for a more typical Chardonnay with lemon, lime kefir, guava, white peach, red Delicious apple, honeysuckle and vanilla. This reminds you why Chardonnay is still the number one wine in the world; creamy, food-friendly, able to play well with others, its why we love California Chardonnay.

ORIGIN: Monterey, California

PRICE: $17.99/ 750ML

ALCOHOL: 13.5%

The original 1919 Chenin Blanc Vines located in Chalone

Wine Each Week: 2016 Ranch 32 Pinot Noir

Coming out of Monterey, California on the Western side of the Salinas Valley, this Pinot Noir, named for the ranch it’s grown on in the Arroyo Seco AVA is a terrific value priced Pinot Noir at $19.99. It offers red raspberry, pomegranate, strawberry, black pepper, Bing cherry with back notes of lavender and sweet vanilla. Aged 12 months in nothing nut French oak barrels (a mere 35% of those barrels were new), it reflects an earthy, mineral quality without giving into an abundance of oak. Straightforward with softer tannins and a bright acidity, it’s one of those $20 Pinot's that’s actually worth it.

ORIGIN: Arroyo Seco, Monterey, California

PRICE: $19.99/ 750ML

ALCOHOL: 13.5%

www.ranch32wines.com

Summertime Rose’- The Livin’ and Drinkin’ is Easy

To borrow the above phrase from George Gershwin and tweak it a little, summer is ideal for rose’ however let me be clear, it’s for any night of any year (sorry about the rhyme, Mr. Gershwin seems to be floating in my ether right now).

So for your consideration, here are four rose’ wines to explore this summer.

The 2017 Tres Chic ($16.99) from Le Grand Courtage is light and summery, fresh cut strawberries, lemon-lime, red currants, guava and a balanced acidity. Made of Grenache Noir and Cinsault. The fruit is from Sud de France (South of France) in the Pays d’Oc region.

The Edna Valley Rose’ ($16/Tempranillo, Syrah, Grenache and Mourvèdre) takes the idea of the Tres Chic and puts a new world spin on it. It offers similar strawberry and lemon-lime notes, but with more minerality and deeper fruit flavors.

The 2017 Fleur de Mer Cotes de Provence Rose’ ($20) then accentuates the Edna Valley with a brighter acidity and strong minerality. The strawberry and lemon lime are quieted by the more floral notes of lavender and honeysuckle.

The culmination of all this finds its expression in the J Brut Rose’ ($45/Pinot Noir and Chardonnay), which combines all the best of the three wines listed above, but adds bubbles. What’s not to love? So check out any of these bottles and enjoy summertime livin’.

Flipping You The Bird: Improper Wines For Thanksgiving

There is this weirdly compulsive thing these days to pair wine with your food, as if searching for and experiencing the “perfect pairing” is tantamount to Indian Jones discovering the Covenant of the Ark. Yes, I admit I’ve written about that too (uh, the pairings, not the Ark), and certainly wine and food are crucially important – not to mention I’ve reviewed restaurants professionally for a decade. The point being…drink whatever the hell you want with whatever the hell you want to eat. No more elusive pairings and “ideal” wine for turkey day. Having said that…I would like to see these wines on your table.

2014 IL Tascante

Soft and quiet, this is not a loud wine; it’s understated and you’ve probably never had this grape before – Nerello Mascalase. Grown on volcanic soils on the north-east slope of the volcano Mt. Etna in Sicily, there is an earthiness, a mineral note, a chalkiness with this wine. There is muted raspberry, cranberry, and rhubarb with back notes of Bing cherry. Though aged in Slovenian oak barrels for 18 months, you hardly notice any oak at all, more a testament of the lithe but structured fruit. And it is this subtleness that makes this wine so compelling. Well, that and the fact the family has been doing the wine thing for two centuries. ($50)

2015 Sonoma-Loeb Pinot Noir Dutton Ranch

Out of the Russian River Valley the good folks at Sonoma-Loeb turn out a lot of great wine and this Pinot, from a well-established vineyard is part of a great lineage. All Pinot all the time this make-up of clones 667, 777 and 115 was fermented using native yeast and aged for just 11 months in French oak. 11 months is correct because you don’t want this beautiful fruit to get lost in some kind of cedar box. Black cherry, red currant, candied cranberry, star anise, cola and soft baking spices round out this rich, but pure iteration of Pinot. Great acidity and mild tannins make this work with damn near whatever you put on the table, or, better yet, get some cheese and have at it. ($40)

2016 Ritual Chardonnay

Chardonnay, again, really? Yes, really. This bright crisp Chardonnay from Chile is expressive, young, and fresh with a tanginess and food-worthy acidity. You’ll easily pick up on the lemon curd, kiwi, gooseberry, lime kefir, and green apple notes, and more subtly the hazelnut, mango and quince. The fruit hails from the Casablanca Valley, just 18 miles from the coast, and is whole cluster fermented in concrete eggs (which helps immensely with viscosity) and then gets a wee bit of oak time, so you’re left with a robust white wine that plays well with others. ($21.99)

2016 Steele Viognier

Viognier, the odd named grape most people mispronounce, is one of those, cool-if-it’s-done-right wines. And Jed Steele does it right. All the way from Lake County, this offers lychee, honeysuckle, Meyer lemon, lime curd and sugared almond. A beautiful viscosity and silkiness makes the floral components of this wine that much more provocative. It’s fermented in stainless steel so it retains a bright buoyancy but is not too heavy and flowery. A mere four month of oak time allows this wine to achieve a balance of fruit, acidity and wood. ($19)

Blind Man’s Bluff – The Consistency of Wine Writers

In blind tasting through a new vintage of Patz & Hall wines I came back to a specific Pinot Noir in their portfolio; one that seemed familiar and trustworthy. It was a Pinot Noir, but P&H make 8 different Pinot Noirs so how do I know this one was so recognizable? The Pinot Noir was made from Hyde Vineyard, located in Carneros. Patz & Hall makes single vineyard Chardonnay and Pinot Noir from Hyde and has been doing to since 1996. I’ve had many of their wines, but I knew this wine. I’ve tasted it many times before and it was stored in my memory bank. Now, I taste thousands of wines each year, as a professional wine judge, wine writer and wine buyer (Montecito Village Grocery), so why did this stick out? Well, this is what a wine writer actually does – gets to know wines across vintages, soil types and the influence of weather changes. Though I hadn’t seen the label, I was familiar with this wine – it was identifiable, it was from Hyde. “When the grapes come into our winery from Hyde,” says winemaker and co-founder James Hall, “It’s almost like we hear trumpets blare.” And co-founder Donald Patz added, “We just did a tasting of 12 vintages of our Hyde Vineyard Pinot dating back to 1996 and it’s amazing how poised and hauntingly delicate that debut vintage still is.” Of course, you might expect him to say something like that; after all it is his wine. But I have no vested interest in Patz & Hall wines. I’m just scouring the globe for great wines. And the 2014 Hyde Pinot from Patz & Hall is all blueberry, raspberry, strawberry, rich pomegranate, black cherry, cedar and a great acidity. As I have gone through notes that I have written about past vintages and compared those with current lines from the same producer I routinely see, as is true of many of my wine colleagues, is that our pallets are consistent. What's cool about the Patz & Hall Hyde Vineyard Pinot Noir is that too is consistent – it is one of those wines that’s a slam-dunk and you won’t go wrong. 1,050 cases were made, my friends. Yes, it’s about $75, and yes, I think it’s worth it. PATZ & HALL

ORIGIN: Carneros, California

PRICE: $75/ 750ML

ALCOHOL: 13%

BOOZEHOUNDZ SCORE:  91 POINTS

Garage Doors – Opening Unknown Wines

The French have a word for everything and we Americans adopt many of those terms in the wine world. I’m not sure why, but I guess tedious American words don’t have the same panache and sex appeal as French words. Anyhoo, Garagiste is one of those French words. It means, as the word implies, garage. Which brings us to the Garagiste Festival. The point of this wine festival is to showcase small wine producers (as in working out of their garage, though not literally), most without a tasting room, distribution or much exposure except what they have managed to cobble together on their own. Think of this as the Sundance Film Festival for independent wine.

Cloak & Dagger wine labels

It started in Paso Robles and I attended the first iteration, which has grown to include 300 wineries and has become immensely popular because we all want to be on the cusp of the next big thing. Why it’s important to showcase small, relatively unknown wineries should be obvious but especially for people like me, a wine writer and a wine buyer for an upscale market in Montecito, California, is that I can bring more attention to the little guy by way of articles and wines on a shelf.  Since the public can attend, you should consider going, especially if you’re a wine nerd.

For Garagiste Southern Exposure held in Solvang, standout wines included Alta Colina - who by now actually don’t fit the exact terms of Garagisite as they produce about 2,000 cases, but they were one of the founding members and now receive national press (including my article in The HollywoodReporter). Alta Colina showcases the best of Paso Robles and Rhone wines. Also noteworthy is Baehner Fournier from Santa Barbara and their 2013 Petite Verdot. And Larner whose Syrahs and Rhone wines coming from Ballard Canyon are exceptional. “There is Syrah planted in every AVA in Santa Barbara, but the reason it does well in Ballard is because we don’t have to work hard at it,” Michael Larner told me when I interviewed him for The Tasting Panel Magazine. “We have the Golidiocks syndrome - It’s not too hot, not too cold. Our Syrah has the pepper spice from cooler areas like Santa Rita Hills, it has the abundant fruit you get from Happy Canyon (Santa Barbara’s warmest growing area) solid tannins and acidity structure.” If you’ve not tried Larner wines, you need to check them out. 

I also found Small + Tall who is creating dynamic Pinot Noir from both the Santa Rita Hills and Santa Maria Valley in Santa Barbara. There are many other wines of course and I cannot list them all here, but consider any of the Garagiste Festivals and new wine doors will open for you.