Rhône Fever Hits Los Angeles

Rhône fever is hitting Los Angeles on Saturday, August 7th when the Rhône Rangers roll into town.  There's no better way to quench your summer thirst than with the finest Rhône wines at the Rhône Rangers Los Angeles Tasting at Pier 59 Studios West in Santa Monica.

This widely attended event will feature over 40 wineries pouring single-varietal and Rhône blend wines from renowned wine producing regions in California, including Paso Robles and Santa Barbara County.

Last year's tasting featured a tantalizing collection of wines from a great group of Central Coast wineries including Tercero Wines, Vines on the Marycrest, Écluse Wines, Anglim Winery, Tablas Creek, Edward Sellers Vineyards & Wines, Cass Winery and many others.  This year's event will feature new members of the Rhône Rangers, who are sure to score big with Rhône enthusiasts in Los Angeles.

Participating wineries include: Adelaida, Alta Colina, Andrew Murray, Anglim, Bonny Doon, Calcareous, Caliza, Clavo, Conway Family Wines, Cornerstone Cellars, Curtis Winery, Cypher, Derby Wine Estates, Donelan, Eberle, Ecluse, Edward Sellers, Epiphany, Fess Parker, Frick, Halter Ranch, Holly's Hills, J. Lohr, Jada, JK Wine Co-Katin & Arada, Kaleidos, Maison Bleue, Michael-David, Nine Wine Estates, Ortman Family Vineyards, Pomar Junction, Qupe, Stolpman, Tablas Creek, Tercero, Treana, Venteux Vineyards, Vina Robles, Waterbrook, Wind Gap, Zaca Mesa.

So, enjoy a little of Hollywood and savor California's Central Coast at the Rhône Rangers Los Angeles Tasting on August 7, 2011 at Pier 59 Studios West.

Rhône Rangers Los Angeles Tasting
Sunday, August 7, 2011
Pier 59 Studios West, 2415 Michigan Ave., Santa Monica
2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. General Admission, $45
12:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. VIP Admission, $75

Going for Gold at the Central Coast Wine Competition

Let the judging begin! Over a dozen judges from the wine industry assembled inside the Paso Robles Event Center on June 16th to swirl, smell, sip and spit nearly 600 wines in 37 divisions and classes from boutique wineries and major wine producers within the Central Coast AVA, including Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties. The Central Coast Wine Competition is the largest wine evaluation event that recognizes wines produced exclusively from the wine producing regions of California's Central Coast. Few get the opportunity to judge the dozens of regional, statewide, national and international wine competitions that take place annually. So it was with great surprise that I received an email a couple months ago from Chief Judge Bob Foster inviting me to participate in the Central Coast Wine Competition as a guest judge.

Wine competitions enable wineries to submit their wines to a reputable competition where a panel judges score the wines blindly and award various medals (i.e. Sweepstakes Winner, Best of Class, Gold, Silver and Bronze). Wineries pin their hopes of winning gold on the palates of a small panel of judges. On the upside, wineries can benefit from the marketing potential of winning a Gold Medal or Best of Class for their wines from a notable wine competition. These wines are marketed to consumers as "award winning wines" through various marketing materials, tasting notes and social media. On the downside, a winery may submit all of their wines and receive no medals. Yet, small wineries have an incentive to submit their wines in the competition in order to create buzz among consumers and critics if their wines are selected as premier wines in their class.

At the Central Coast Wine Competition, judges were divided into five panels of 3-4 panelists plus a guest judge. Our panel featured three judges with years of experience judging many prestigious wine competitions. The panel was responsible for judging 120 wines in the following wine classes: Zinfandel, Syrah Based Blends, Grenache Based Blends, Sangiovese Based Blends, Pink, Pinot Gris/Pinot Grigio, No Oak Chardonnay, Vioginer and Gewurztraminer. Each wine was identified by an entry number to reference on the final judging sheet. Before the judges started with their flight, one judge on our panel swirled and smelled each pour to determine if any wines were corked and required a re-pour. Our panel encountered one or more corked/flawed wines in almost each flight.

When the judging commenced, each judge completed their flight at a moderate pace with few revisits unless there was a disagreement within the panel about whether a particular wine exhibited certain qualities so as to shift one judge's individual award to the consensus position among the other members of the panel. When the judges are finished judging each wine, they will call out the wine number to tally the votes. Judges offered votes ranging from gold to no medal. So let's say one judge awarded a wine with a bronze medal, while the other two awarded the wine with silver medals. The group would award the wine a silver medal.

When all three judges awarded different medals (i.e. gold, silver and bronze), the group would revisit the wine to determine if a judge would score the wine higher for the purposes of coming to consensus on a single medal. The judges would tradeoff on medals based on another judge's inclination to move from Bronze+ to Silver or Silver+ to Gold. Ultimately, the panel of judges focused not only on a criteria based on the positive varietal characteristics, but also on the interests of the consumer. While the judges were tallying their scores, I was keeping my own tally and comments on each wine to compare notes with each judge. Even though my recommendations did not factor into the group award, I found myself disagreeing with the individual and group awards in every class. In some cases, however, one judge would award one wine a gold medal while another would award the same wine no medal. This is the best example of how our individual palates and personal preferences play into the competition. When all is said and done, three to four judges decide which wines make the cut for the prestigious medals from the Central Coast Wine Competition - but they judge these wines blindly as opposed to other critical reviews. Still, judges can be influenced by one another based on their feedback during the flight tally.

On the day after the competition, wineries were invited to attend the Industry Tasting at the Paso Robles Event Center to find out who won gold and to taste the broad selection of wines that were entered into the competition. The wines were divided into their classes on rows of tables, while all the gold medal winners were assembled on a separate table. With my list in hand, I tasted a few of the wines in the classes that our group was responsible for judging. In some instances, it was surprising to see what was or wasn't awarded a medal simply by label.  It is quite remarkable how much of a difference it makes when you taste blind and have few if any details about the wine other than an entry number, vintage, varietal and blend. It would be far more interesting if some of the most notable wineries in the region entered their wines into these competitions or if someone threw in a few ringers. Would the judges award these 90+ point wines gold medals?

One final note: After perusing through recent scores for two wine competitions from this past week, it was intriguing to see that one particular wine received a gold medal in the San Francisco International Wine Competition and no medal in the Central Coast Wine Competition. What was so different about this wine for the panel of judges in each competition? It just goes to show that even the most refined palates can be the most discriminate. To find out the how your favorite wineries performed, go to the Central Coast Wine Competition for the full results.

So what do you think?

1. Do wine competitions provide any meaningful benefit to wineries in marketing their wines to consumers? 
2. Although these competitions are judged blindly by a diverse panel of judges, how are the judges influenced by factors other than the label when awarding medals?
3. Is there more prestige or merit to judging a competition blindly versus a critical review from Wine Spectator, Wine Enthusiast, The Wine Advocate or International Wine Cellars?
4. What factors contribute to two panels of judges in two separate competitions awarding no medal and a gold medal for the same wine?

I would like to thank Chief Judge, Bob Foster, Robin Nagele and all the other organizers and volunteers for giving me a unique opportunity to experience and participate in the Central Coast Wine Competition 2011. I would also like to thank my panel of judges - Robert Whitley, William Bloxsom-Carter and Ann Littlefield - for their insight and commentary on judging a wine competition. Check out some clips of the judging from this year's competition in the video below.

Rolling Out the Barrels in the Happiest Place in the USA

I would like to think that any Wine Country destination is the "Happiest Place in the USA," but the good folks at USA Today and The Oprah Winfrey Show proclaimed the quaint Central Coast town of San Luis Obispo to be the number one place to visit and live in the nation.  Who am I to disagree?!

From June 23-26, 2011, the San Luis Obispo Vintners Association will host the 21st Annual Roll Out the Barrels Weekend in SLO Wine Country, which is comprised of three viticultural areas: the Edna Valley, Arroyo Grande Valley and the Avila Valley.  There are approximately two dozen wineries in the region that hand-craft bottlings of Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Syrah, Zinfandel and other varietals.  These wineries will swing their doors open and roll out the barrels for a weekend of wine, food and friends.

There is a unbridled charm associated with this historic and growing wine enclave in the Central Coast.  From the shoreline of the Pacific Ocean to the Edna Valley, there are countless award-winning wineries, restaurants and activities that feed the indulgence to "Savor the SLO Life."

However you plan your itinerary for the 21st Annual Roll Out the Barrels Weekend, be sure to visit these wineries from the recent article at Central Coast Uncorked, Savoring the SLO Life in the Edna Valley.  Enjoy the weekend in San Luis Obispo!  Cheers!

21st Annual Roll Out the Barrels Weekend
June 23-26, 2011
SLO Wine Country (Map)

June 23 - Barrels in the Plaza ($30)
June 24 - Friday Night Dinners and Social Events
June 25-26 - Saturday and Sunday Passport to SLO Wine Country

The San Luis Obispo Vintners Association produced this video to highlight the festivities at the upcoming Roll Out the Barrels Weekend in SLO Wine Country.

In the Rhône at Hospice du Rhône 2011

Could you ask for any more perfect wine weather?!  From April 28-30, Rhône fans from distances close and far converged on the Paso Robles Event Center to participate in the "world's largest international celebration of Rhone variety wines" - Hospice du Rhône.  For three days, hundreds of Rhône wine enthusiasts experienced a variety of seminars, tastings and offline events inspired by Rhône varietal wines produced by the world's most renowned wineries and winemakers.

Every year, people from across the world embark on a pilgrimage to various sites of religious importance.  The same can be said about Hospice du Rhône for those people who are inspired by the twenty-two Rhône varieties.  It should be no surprise then that Hospice du Rhône is one of the most iconic wine tasting events in the world.

In 2011, Hospice du Rhône featured an à la carte offering of wine seminars with highly acclaimed winemakers, as well as the Friday Soiree.  The Friday Rhône Rendezvous Tasting and Saturday Grand Tasting provided the backdrop for these world-class wine producers to share new and old vintages of their award-winning wines.  HdR also released a helpful app to add tasting notes and share tweets during the seminars and tastings.

I was fortunate enough this year to participate in the Saturday Grand Tasting.  For three hours, hundreds of Rhônely Hearts tipped their glasses for a pour of Syrah, Grenache, Mourvèdre, Viognier, Roussanne and other Rhône varietal wines and blends.  Even three hours wasn't long enough to savor a fraction of the hundreds of wines being poured by the some of the most talented winemakers in the world.

Because interest in Rhône varietal wines remains a niche market, it is going to take more time and education to highlight the remarkable expressions of the Rhône wines being produced by Central Coast wineries, as well those from Northern California.  There were also some superb French Rhône producers whose wines continue to garner acclaim by the world's leading wine critics and regular wine drinkers.

Stay tuned for information about other HdR events later this year such as #Syrah Day and #Grenache Day, as well as next year's theme and the schedule for Hospice du Rhône 2012 (April 26-28).  You won't want to miss this Rhônetastic event!

Justin Smith, Saxum

Ecluse Wines

Alta Colina Vineyard & Winery

Full of Life Flatbread, Los Alamos, CA

"In the Ghetto"

"In the Ghetto" was made famous by Elvis Presley in 1969.  Nearly thirty years later, Rick Longoria moved his winery operation to an industrial complex at the eastern edge of Lompoc (pronounced "Lom-Poke"), which years later became affectionately known as the "Lompoc Wine Ghetto."

Neatly tucked behind the Home Depot and Lompoc Valley Medical Center at the corner of Ocean Avenue and Highway 1 lies a nondescript collection of single-story, corrugated metal buildings that has been transformed into a growing wine destination in Santa Barbara County. There's no shortage of wineries and wine tasting rooms in this renowned grape growing and wine producing region in California's Central Coast. On the flip side, you have to travel miles from one winery to another in order to experience the depth of wines being produced throughout Santa Barbara County. So, what if you could park your car and taste award-winning wines from a dozen wineries all within walking distance?

Pinot Noir. Chardonnay. Syrah. Viognier. It's all here at the Lompoc Wine Ghetto. For years, many Sta. Rita Hills wineries quietly crafted their wines with little fanfare in this industrial complex at the western edge of the Sta. Rita Hills in the historic agricultural town of Lompoc. With the surge of interest in Santa Barbara County wines, wineries have raced to open new tasting rooms in their production facilities to pour their highly acclaimed wines for Central Coast wine enthusiasts. Compared to the ornate wineries and tasting rooms lining Highway 246 and other major wine trails, the Lompoc Wine Ghetto is the equivalent of a dive bar "where everyone knows your name" and the places feels like a throwback to the past when the wine region was in its infancy.

Recently, the Lompoc Wine Ghetto launched a new website and Facebook page to promote the dozen wineries that pour award-winning wines from Santa Barbara County. The Lompoc Wine Ghetto has also produced a helpful map to help guide visitors through the maze of tasting rooms. There are future plans to bring eateries to the Ghetto since there are few if any restaurants in the area. With the newfound interest in the Lompoc Wine Ghetto, as well as the recent launching of multiple online and social media tools to promote this newly discovered wine destination, it appears that the rising stars in Santa Barbara Wine Country are making a name for themselves "In the Ghetto."

GHETTO WINERIES

Ampelos Cellars
312 N. 9th Street, Lompoc.  (805) 736-9957
Thursday-Sunday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.  Tasting Fee: $10
Wines: Pinot Noir, Syrah, Rhône blends

Evening Land Vineyard
1712-C Industrial Way, Lompoc.  (805) 736-9656
Friday-Sunday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.  Tasting Fee: $10
Wines: Chardonnay, Pinot Noir

Fiddlehead Cellars
1597 E. Chestnut Avenue, Lompoc.  (805) 742-0204
Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. 
Wines: Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Noir

Flying Goat Cellars
1520 E. Chestnut Court, Unit A, Lompoc. (805) 736-9032
Thursday-Sunday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.  Tasting Fee: $10
Wines: Pinot Gris, Pinot Noir

Jalama Wines/Joseph Blair
308 N. 9th Street, Unit C, Lompoc.  (805) 735-8937
Friday-Sunday, 12 p.m. to 5 p.m.  Tasting Fee: $10
Wines: Pinot Noir, Syrah, Rhône blends

La Vie Vineyards
308 N. 9th Street, Unit D, Lompoc.  (805) 291-2111
Friday-Sunday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Wines: Riesling, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir

Longoria Wines
1700 Industrial Way, Unit A, Lompoc.  (805) 688-0305
Saturday-Sunday, 11:00 a..m. to 4:30 p.m.  Tasting Fee: $10-$15
Wines: Pinot Grigio, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Syrah, Albarino, Tempranillo

Loring Wine Company
1591 E. Chestnut Avenue, Lompoc.  (805) 742-0478
Friday-Sunday 12 p.m. to 5 p.m.  Tasting Fee: $10
Wines: Pinot Noir

New Vineland/Piedrasassi
1501 E. Chestnut Avenue, Lompoc.  (805) 736-6784
Friday-Sunday, 12 p.m. to 5 p.m.  Tasting Fee: $10
Wines: Sauvignon Blanc, Viognier, Syrah

Palmina
1520 E. Chestnut Court, Lompoc.  (805) 735-2030
Thursday-Sunday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sunday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.  Tasting Fee: $10
Wines: Italian varietals

Samsara
1500 E. Chestnut Court, Unit A, Lompoc.  (805) 331-2292
Friday-Sunday, 12 p.m. to 4 p.m.  Tasting Fee: $10
Wines: Pinot Noir, Syrah

Taste of Sta. Rita Hills
1505 E. Chestnut Avenue, Lompoc.  (805) 735-8774
Thursday-Sunday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Wines: Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, Pinot Noir

Zotovich Cellars
1500 East Chestnut Court, Suite D, Lompoc.  (805) 736-1600
Thursday-Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.  Tasting Fee: $10
Wines: Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Syrah, Viognier

Zotovich Cellars

Jalama Wines

Ampelos Cellars

New Vineland/Piedrasassi

Flying Goat Cellars

Bottling Day 2011, Jaffurs Wine Cellars

Under relatively clear skies and with a cool ocean breeze to their backs, the team at Jaffurs Wine Cellars, along with dedicated wine club members and volunteers, got to work bottling hundreds of cases of Santa Barbara County Syrah, Grenache and Pinot Noir.

The Mission Bottling truck was set up in the driveway of the winery while volunteers were busy loading and packaging thousands of bottles of Jaffurs' reserve wines, including the 2009 vintage of the widely popular and award-winning Upslope, Thompson Vineyard Syrah, Bien Nacido Vineyard Syrah, Ampelos Vineyard Syrah and Santa Barbara County Grenache, as well as a Jaffurs side project from Dave Yates called "Mistress," which is exclusively Pinot Noir from Santa Barbara County.

Jaffurs Wine Cellars is one of the most acclaimed wineries and Rhône varietal wine producers in Santa Barbara County.  Under the helm of Craig Jaffurs, Dave Yates and Matt Brady, Jaffurs Wine Cellars continues to impress wine critics, wine enthusiasts and wine novices with their handcrafted wines using grapes from the finest vineyards in Santa Barbara County including Ampelos Vineyard, Thompson Vineyard, Bien Nacido Vineyard, and Larner Vineyard.  Jaffurs produces a range of single-varietal Rhône wines such as Viognier, Roussanne, Grenache Blanc, Syrah, Petite Sirah, Grenache and Mourvèdre.

Check out the video below for all the action that goes into bottling the 2009 vintage.  Thanks to Craig, Dave, and Matt for allowing me to film and photograph all the activities and to Phil C. for giving me a good excuse to visit Downtown Santa Barbara.  Cheers!

IF YOU GO

Jaffurs Wine Cellars
819 E. Montecito St., Santa Barbara (west of N. Milpas St.)
(805) 962-7003
Friday-Monday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. (Open daily during summer months).  Tasting Fee: $10
Facebook: Jaffurs Wine Cellars

Dave Yates loading bottles

Bottles lining up to be filled with the '09 Grenache

Jaffurs' volunteers hustling to load and package bottles

Matt Brady (left) and Craig Jaffurs (right) sampling the '09 Grenache

'09 Thompson Vineyard Syrah on the bottling line

Ultimate Paso Robles Boys Weekend

Move over ladies - Paso Robles is becoming the ultimate destination for the "Wine Country Mancation." Once thought of as an exclusive weekend getaway for girlfriends and wives or just the ladies, Paso Robles offers a relaxing destination for the boys to enjoy superbly handcrafted wines, explore the region's prized vineyards and learn firsthand about the winemaking process from famed winemakers.  

Located over 3 hours from Los Angeles and San Francisco, Paso Robles is producing world-class, award-winning wines and serving up some of the finest cuisine in the Central Coast, while maintaining the quaint and charming appeal that is attracting visitors from across California and the country. From the mule deer and wild turkeys on the rural roads of the Westside to the sprawling vineyards of the Eastside, Paso Robles provides the perfect backdrop for a memorable experience of award-winning wines and farm-to-table cuisine.

With recent headlines pronouncing Paso Robles as one the premier grape growing and wine producing regions in the world, wine enthusiasts are trekking to this bucolic town to savor California's Central Coast. Whether its hitting the wine trail, teeing off at Hunter Ranch Golf Course, checking out the Paso Robles Classic Car Weekend show or enjoying a Morrocan braised lamb shank at Villa Creek, Paso Robles is offering everything for the ultimate boys weekend without the Vegas hangover.  Roll the windows down, turn the radio up, and cruise the wine country trail.

Helpful Tips:
(1) Create an itinerary in advance but don't hesitate to deviate from the beaten path
(2) Bring water and snacks; there isn't much out there on the wine trail
(3) Call or email the wineries ahead of time if you have a large group
(4) Arrange for a vineyard tour and barrel sampling
(5) It's a wine tasting - not a wine drinking contest. Use the spittoon

Bud Break, Alta Colina Vineyard, Westside Paso Robles

WHERE TO TASTE

Alta Colina Vineyard & Winery
If you want to start or end your wine tasting trip on a high note, then plan on stopping by Alta Colina Vineyard & Winery on Adelaide Road in Westside Paso Robles. The tasting room is located at Villicana Winery on the second floor above the winery.  The vineyard entrance lies yards west of the winery and offers stunning views of the surrounding hillsides and valleys. Alta Colina produces superbly crafted single-varietal and Rhône blends including Claudia Cuvee, 12 O'Clock High, GSM, Toasted Slope Syrah, Old 900 Syrah and Ann's Petite Sirah.
2725 Adelaide Road, Paso Robles.  (805) 227-4191
Open Thursday-Sunday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.  Tasting Fee: $5

Anglim Winery
Located at the historic train depot in Downtown Paso Robles, Anglim Winery pours a range of Rhône, Burgundy and Bordeaux single-varietal and blend wines. The diverse selection of wines are sure to please even the most discriminating palate.
740 Pine Street, Paso Robles.  (805) 227-6813
Open Thursday-Monday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.  Tasting Fee: $10-$15

Caliza Winery
Caliza Winery is surrounded by some of the most prominent vineyards in Westside Paso Robles - Stephan Vineyards (L'Aventure Winery), Booker Vineyards and Torrin Vineyards. Winemaker Carl Bowker is making a name for himself in the Central Coast with award-winning Rhône varietal wines, including Azimuth and Kissin' Cousins.
2570 Anderson Road, Paso Robles.  (805) 237-1480
Open Friday-Saturday, 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.  Tasting Fee: $10

Ecluse Wines
Ecluse Wines is one of two Paso Robles wineries that produced the top winning red wine from the 2011 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition.  Located on Kiler Canyon Road close but far enough from Downtown Paso Robles, Ecluse Wines is producing some of the most well-rounded and highly acclaimed Bordeaux and Rhône varietal wines in the region, including the Estate Cabernet Sauvignon, Improv, Syrah and Rendition.
1520 Kiler Canyon Road, Paso Robles.  (805) 238-4998
Open Friday-Sunday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Thacher Winery
Located on scenic Vineyard Drive in the heart of Westside Paso Robles, Thacher Winery shared the 2011 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition Red Sweepstakes award for their 2008 Triumvirate Reserve Zinfandel. Thacher is a great place for the boys to unwind in between wineries while taking in the magnificent landscape.
8355 Vineyard Drive, Paso Robles.  (805) 237-0087
Open Friday-Monday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.  Tasting Fee: $7

Villa Creek Cellars
If you are looking for a detour from Vineyard Drive or a another route to Downtown Paso Robles, then head east on Peachy Canyon Road toward Villa Creek Cellars. Within a clearing lies the winery and tasting room, which offers a savory selection of Rhône varietal wines from the most acclaimed vineyards in Paso Robles. Favorites includes the Willow Creek Cuvée, Avenger and Mas de Maha.
5995 Peachy Canyon Road, Paso Robles.  (805) 238-7145
Open Friday-Sunday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.  Tasting Fee: $10

Vines on the Marycrest
Vines on the Marycrest is the epitome of a family-owned winery. Victor and Jennifer Abascal produce food-friendly, blended wines at their winery set at the base of their steep estate vineyard. The wines are named for famous Rock and Jazz songs including Summertime, Heart of Glass, Round Midnight, Satin Doll, and My Generation.
5076 Mustard Creek Road, Paso Robles.  (805) 237-0378
Open Friday-Saturday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sunday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.  Tasting Fee: $5

WHERE TO EAT

Amsterdam Coffee House
We all need a little caffeine jolt to begin another long journey on the wine trail, especially after an
evening of exquisite food and wine.
725 13th Street, Downtown Paso Robles.  (805) 239-7779
Open Monday-Friday, 6 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Saturday, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Sunday, 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Farmstand 46
Farmstand 46 offers gourmet sandwiches-on-the-go. Since there are no other eateries on the Westside, it's a good idea to grab a sandwich for the road or drop in between wineries.
3750 Highway 46 W, Templeton (east of Vineyard Dr.)
Hours: Monday-Sunday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Thomas Hill Organics
Owners Joe and Debbie Thomas and Chef Julie Simon are serving up an amazing farm-to-table menu that is constantly evolving and offering the clearest definition of "culinary creationism."
1305 Park Street, Downtown Paso Robles. (805) 226-5888
Hours: Sunday, Tuesday and Wednesday, 11 a.m to 8 p.m.; Thursday-Saturday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Villa Creek Restaurant
The Paso Robles in-crowd comes to Villa Creek for great cuisine and fine wines. Locals and out-of-towners assemble at the bar for small bites and libations, while the restaurant serves up tantalizing dishes like the Ahi Tuna Ceviche and Morrocan Braised Lamb Shank. There can be a fair share of eye candy to accompany dessert too.  It is a boys weekend...
1144 Pine Street, Downtown Paso Robles.  (805) 238-3000
Open 7 days a week for dinner, 5:30 p.m. to 10 p.m.  Bar/Tapas open daily at 4 p.m.

Artisan
Artisan is bringing new meaning to Central Coast cuisine and fine dining. It's that damn good! They've got it covered: lunch, brunch and dinner, plus winemaker dinners and Monday Night Suppers. Even the boys should clean up a bit for a nice sit down dinner to savor every dish served up by Executive Chef/Owner, Chris Kobayashi.
1401 Park Street, Downtown Paso Robles.  (805) 237-8084
Lunch, Brunch and Dinner

WHERE TO STAY

Adelaide Inn
1215 Ysabel Avenue, Paso Robles.  (800) 549-PASO (7276)

Paso Robles Inn
1103 Spring Street, Paso Robles.  (800) 676-1713

WHAT TO DO

Hunter Ranch Golf Course
"Small town charm...world class golf." The Hunter Ranch Golf Course is surrounded by oak studded hillsides and vineyards with sweeping vistas. It's going to be hard to keep your eye on the ball with this backdrop. Fore!
4041 Highway 46 East, Paso Robles.  (805) 237-7444

Villa Creek Cellars, Peachy Canyon Rd., Paso Robles

Winemaker Steve Anglim, Anglim Winery

Barrel Sampling with Winemaker Steve Lock, Ecluse Wines

Winemaker Carl Bowker, Caliza Winery

Lunch at Farmstand 46, Templeton

Vines on the Marycrest, Mustard Creek Road, Paso Robles

Parker Scores the Central Coast Rhône Rangers

On August 31, 2010, Robert M. Parker, Jr. released his much anticipated tasting notes and ratings for Rhône wines from California's Central Coast (plus scores for Pinot Noir and Chardonnay).  Parker tasted hundreds of wines over a period of two months, but only scored half of the total wines submitted by vintners for this edition of The Wine Advocate.

Not surprisingly, Parker offered some rather high scores and flattering comments for the usual suspects (i.e. Alban, Saxum, Sin Qua Non). Let's get the obvious out of the way; Parker has been in the wine business for approximately 35 years.  He has tasted tens of thousands of wines over this period.  Over time, his palate has honed into a particular style of wine - ripe, concentrated and fruit-forward. We drink and rave about what we like and so does Parker.  I doubt he is immune from any bias, especially after decades of tasting and scoring wines.

Unfortunately, Parker took it upon himself to offer some less than flattering comments about a few Santa Barbara County vintners and wines, while heaping praise upon others whose wines may or may not be widely accepted by most novice wine consumers, except for the fact that they scored 90+ points.  After carefully reviewing most of Parker's tasting notes and scores for the Central Coast Rhône Rangers, it was obvious to me that the current edition of The Wine Advocate lacked copy-editing (i.e. calling Craig Jaffurs, "Greg Jaffurs") and missed the mark on a few wines, which have been widely received by wine consumers and bloggers.  There is no reasonable explanation for Parker's critiques.  Here's one example:

In describing Tercero Wines, Parker notes that "these are all relatively straightforward, one dimensional efforts."  He fails to rate the 2007 Mourvèdre and calls it "without any ripeness" and "largely a failure."  Contrast this with comments from bloggers and wine consumers at the Rhône Rangers Los Angeles Tasting, as well as other posts online and you get a far different picture about this wine, but fail to grasp how Parker came to his own conclusion.  The point is that Tercero Wines received similar scores to other wines, but Parker took it upon himself to offer a rather scathing criticism of these wines.  On top of it, Wine Spectator offered a glowing score (91 points) for the 2007 Cuvée Christie, but Parker seemed disinterested in this wine too (80 points).

Rather than add to the speculation surrounding Parker's tasting notes and ratings, I would like to point out that Parker is one of many "wine critics" in the business.  While his opinion matters for some, wine consumers can find many more accurate and reliable alternatives to Parker and the other wine critics, by searching for tasting notes from fellow wine consumers at the highly-regarded CellarTracker.  Social media and blogs are offering many other alternatives to the traditional rating system and tasting notes. This is helping consumers make better informed decisions about tasting and purchasing wines, as well as helping wineries market their wines to a broader consumer base.

I am looking to forward to tasting many of the wines that Parker scored in the recent edition of The Wine Advocate to determine for myself if they deserve these scores or come close to the descriptions provided by Parker and his scribes.  Parker's scores should inspire wine consumers to seek out many of these wines and help people plan their next wine tasting vacation to Santa Barbara County, San Luis Obispo and Paso Robles.  If you interested in knowing about some of the scores, add your question in the comments section.

2010 Rhône Rangers Los Angeles Tasting

When the Rhône Rangers get together for a tasting, you better prepare your taste buds for a tantalizing experience of the finest wines from California's Central Coast (and those other wine regions in the north). And it certainly helps to bring a collection of wineries and winemakers together at home in Los Angeles, thus saving me a long drive north.

This year's tasting was held once again at Pier 59 Studios West in Santa Monica.  Nearly 40 wineries poured Rhône wines for over 200 wine tasters.  I'm sure it was a challenge for most of the wineries to maneuver their wines and decorations on 3 foot tables when the crowds descended on the event beginning at 2pm.  But like everything else in life, it all works out and people leave with piqued palates and purple tongues.

Sadly, I did not get a chance to taste every wine at the tasting (I left my Town Car and driver at home). You have to balance it out: try something you love or know or take a chance with a new wine/winery.  Why not try a little bit of both, especially since I had 3 hours to sample and savor as much wine as can possible be consumed.  More than a few wines stole the show at the LA tasting and helped to rekindle my romance with Rhône wines and reconnect with my favorite winemakers and friends.  Here are a few of recommendations:

Anglim
-- 2007 Viognier, Bien Nacido Vineyard: Lush mouthfeel, vibrant flavors of melon and green apples, crisp acidity and good minerality. 
-- 2006 Grenache, Paso Robles: Check out my previous tasting notes

Cass Winery
-- 2008 Syrah Dessert Wine: "Sinful goodness in a bottle"

Ecluse Wines
-- 2006 "Rendition" (59% Syrah, 22% Grenache, 13% Mourvedre): Dark, rich fruit, spicy mid-palate
-- 2007 "Improv" (69% Zinfandel, 31% Syrah): There's nothing "improvised" about this blend, which brings together rich fruit flavors, spice, smoke and smoothness.

Edward Sellers Vineyards & Wines
-- 2008 Viognier: Crisp acidity, hint of lime, and an excellent food pairing wine
-- 2008 Estate Blanc: Bright, crisp, refreshing and good minerality

Epiphany
-- 2006 "Gypsy," Santa Barbara: Quite frankly, one of the best bargain wines from Santa Barbara County - where you waiting for tasting notes?
-- 2007 "Revelation," Santa Barbara: Some people experience a "revelation" when they first taste this wine

L'Aventure
-- 2008 Côte à Côte: Sure, $85 is a lot of money for any wine (P.S. we're still in a recession), but there is a clear consensus out there that this is a great wine - a wine you hope someone else is buying so you can enjoy it thoroughly without thinking about the bill

Tercero Wines
-- 2007 Mourvedre, Camp 4 Vineyard: Larry never ceases to amaze me and this wine is another quintessential Larry Schaffer wine - complex dark fruit flavors, earthiness and well-balanced (not sure if the latter describes Larry)

Unti Vineyards

-- 2009 Rose Blend (77% Grenache, 23% Mourvedre): Drink, enjoy, repeat...

Vines on the Marycrest

-- 2009 Summertime Rose: This is the essential summertime sipping wine that always sells out - melon, pear, vibrant and refreshing

If you love wine, especially Rhône wines, and don't feel like driving to Santa Barbara County or Paso Robles, then add this event to your calendar for 2011. To learn more about the Rhône Rangers and Rhône varietals, as well as upcoming events, visit their website and plan a trip to California's Central Coast to experience the Rhône lifestyle for yourself.