Paso Pleasures, Pics, and Updates!

Okay, Okay. Stop yelling. But you’ll still have to be patient!

Here are some teasers about my trip to Paso last week, and I had to share some of my adventures with you.

As I mentioned in last week’s entry, who knew it was Easter?!? Since the kids are grown and the grandkids live in California, I tend to be somewhat lax when it comes to keeping track of holidays. Oh well. My Sunday plans went awry, but that’s okay. My visits on Friday and Saturday more than made up for it!

Here’s an overview of what my trip was about:

The first stop on Friday was at Opolo. It was a necessity, because somehow, my Mountain Zin wasn’t packaged in my shipment. !!!!! For those of you who are fans of Opolo Mountain Zin, you know that’s an unforgivable sin (no pun intended)!

Their large and lovely wine tasting room had a few fans in there who were (surprise) tasting and buying wine. We met with Sherri who took us on a tour of the grounds. I took lots of pictures which will be on the website shortly. I can’t even begin to describe the magnificence of the view.

Our next stop was to Vines on the Marycrest, where, once again, we were taken on a tour of the vineyards by the winemaker and owner, Victor Abascal. The next time Victor comes into town and does a pouring, you have to come and meet him and enjoy his wonderful wines! He is personable, chatty, and very passionate about winemaking. Plus, he has a heck of a story behind his unusual winery name.

The next trip was to Villicana, where we met up with Alex. (Yes, Alex fans, he’s still as cute as ever!).

Read more

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Paso Robles! ‘Nuff Said!

Just when you think you have everything planned out well in advance, along comes something to upset those plans. It’s amazing how “real life” can do that.

First of all, I went to Paso Robles this past weekend. My plans were to visit the wineries with whom I’ve been communicating, and then to spend a day visiting new places and making new friends.

Who knew it was Easter. Wasn’t that supposed to be *next* week?? Oh well. Just about everything was closed on Sunday, of course.

I was also planning to take all of the notes and pictures I took and make a two-part Blog entry.

Wrong.

What can I say? This was a truly spectacular weekend, both in the weather and in the quality of the people. And the views, and the vineyard tours, and the wineries, and the wines!! I am still smiling at the fun that I had and am humbled at the generosity of spirit and the passion for their wines that the folks have up there. And as one of my small group indicated, they haven’t been “Napafied.”

And pictures. Lots and lots of pictures! The spectacular spring scenery in Paso was breathtaking. There were over 300 pictures taken, and most are phenomenal. Sort of in the category of “it’s hard to take a bad picture.” The bad pictures were just that … why in the world did I think an out-of-focus picture of my feet in Crocs was a good idea?!? At any rate, after weeding out the so-so pics, the best will be uploaded along with a description of each winery and blurbs from the interviews.

So this is what I decided to do. Each place I visited will have its own page on the website. It may take a couple of weeks to get everything up there, but if you’re a regular visitor to the site, you’ll see each page as it appears. I will also be adding to the Paso Robles slideshow page.

I visited Opolo, Villicana, Hug Cellars, Vines on the Marycrest, Midlife Crisis Winery, Tobin James, and a relative newcomer, Hidden Oak Winery. Without exception, they were open, warm welcoming, and generously shared their knowledge about their wines, plans for their future, and proudly showed our little group around.

So I’m still recovering from the long drive (six hours one way, about five if there’s no Highway Patrol around), but am already planning a summer trip for me and a Harvest tour for Vegas Wineaux(s)!

Stay tuned for upcoming information on the Winery Cruise with Vegas Wineaux. And it’s not what you may be thinking! This is a real surprise!

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Paso Robles! Friends, Me, and the 21st Century

If you’re on the newsletter mailing list, you are already aware that I did not fall of the face of the earth and am, in fact, still quite firmly attached to terra firma.

I am overloaded with stuff to tell you, and don’t know where to begin.

The Combatting Swirl Envy classes have been so much fun and gone so well. We’re churning out wine snobs by the truckload! There will be one class in April, but afterwards we’ll be on a temporary hiatus after that point as I recover from a medical “procedure” (yes, you can squirm), and finish updating the class to meet the requested needs of the students. We’ll have an even better CSE course and series of classes that will meet the needs of the neophyte Wineaux. Fun? You bet!

Thanks and shout outs to Valley Cheese and Wine and Khoury’s for allowing me to have space in their wonderful establishments. The students love the stores and have a hard time leaving without buying more wine!

Okay, here’s the embarrassing part. It’s time that I was brought kicking and screaming into the 21st century.

If you look to the right, you will see two sites that I’ve linked to. One is VinoLasVegas, which is the other Las Vegas-centric Blog, and the other is Classic Wines. Both sites are great in that they have video (!!!)

Of course the granddaddy of online video is my new favorite wine critic, Gary Vaynerchuk. He is a total nutcase, but certainly has the whole non-snobby wine thing figured out. What’s more, he has placed his own reviews of wine on the Internet and has – in the approximately year and a half since he started – become quite the global phenomenon. WineLibrarytv.com.

While my buds here aren’t quite at the global phenomenon stage yet, they do have great video that you have to check out.

The Vino Las Vegas Blog is run by two of my friends, Scott and Elaine Harris (Elaine is the cute one). Anyway, ever since they went to the World of Pinot Noir, I’m barely speaking to them, but I’ll recover and talk to them again some day. Maybe. (As you can probably guess, I DID NOT make it to the WoPN. Can you imagine? Me. The ultimate Pinot Ho. My motto: If you drink no Noir, you Pinot Noir. Dammit.)

But I digress.

Classic Wines is a little different. Matt Apsokardu has an incredible website dedicated to informing people about wines and he does enviable interviews with winemakers, tasters, etc. It’s easy to spend quite a bit of time at his site (ask me how I know), and you’ll learn a lot when you do. And spend money. But that’s a whole ‘nother discussion!

And I don’t want to leave out a new friend, TheWineryChannel.tv. That’s sort of where I met Victor Abascal, owner of Vines on the Marycrest. What a wonderful little site they have!

And now we get to me. I have recently spent wayyyy too much time looking for a battery for a 30-year-old camera before I remember that it’s really older than my kids and what the heck am I doing?!? So my goal for this Spring/Summer is to actually buy a little video cam so that I can look as cool as Scott and Elaine as they get these great interviews, blah blah blah. Grrr. Anybody have a flash bulb?

New stuff! My trip to Paso Robles will see new pictures on the website, interviews, tastings, and more. AND!! Keep your ears close by for news about the upcoming Vegas Wineaux at sea as we explore new wineries in places that would surprise you!

Sound mysterious enough? Stay tuned …

And thanks to Roger of The Winery Channel for granting permission for me to reprint the following little blurb from his newsletter. It’s so funny!

TOP TEN REASONS TO DRINK WINE

#10 - It’s mostly water… really good water.
#9 - Wine is easy. Comes in shades of two colors.
#8 - Wine is fruit juice and everyone know that fruit is really good for you.
#7 - The likelihood of a wine drinker strapping on a bomb
to blow up fellow wine shoppers at BevMo is virtually nil.
#6 - Wine is not explosive … mostly.
#5 - Wine bottles hold the perfect amount to seduce a willing lover.
#4 - Wine is an excellent excuse for having a wine cellar,
thus a place to hide from your spouse and kids.
#3 - Wine grows in the most beautiful places, so it’s obvious that God
wants you to visit there. Don’t make him any madder. Go now!
#2 - A moderate amount of wine improves
your appearance, intellect & wisdom…for a short time.

* (with a nod to Alfonso Bedoya - Treasure of Sierra Madre.)

#1 - Reasons? We ain’t got no reasons.
We don’t need no reasons.
I don’t have to show you any stinkin’ reasons!

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Vines on the Marycrest Tastes Vegas! and Event Reminder

You know how sometimes you meet certain people and just “click”? Well that happened a few weeks ago when Victor Abascal of Vines on the Marycrest winery contacted me when he learned about the Blog and what a Paso Robles fan I am.

Victor came to Las Vegas last week, and I had the opportunity (privilege, actually) to meet with him two days in a row. At 44, he looks far younger and has an engaging, friendly style. Victor is a Technical Engineer in the film business in Los Angeles, which makes for an interesting commute from his home in Paso Robles. Not only that, but his brother-in-law is Rick Baker of cinema special-effects fame!

He began his wine-making career by surreptitiously planting vines on the grounds of the Marycrest, a Catholic home for the aged, in his hometown of Culver City, California, and his winery’s namesake. Well, the nuns there freaked (can nuns freak?), and the police were called. Read more

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Long Winded! An Oopsie, Strip Event, a Tasting and the Power of Tasters!

I hope that this entry isn’t too long, but I have a lot to report. These items aren’t in chronological order, but here ya go:

For those of you who receive the Vegas Wineaux newsletter, you noticed that I did a little blurb on a car repair facility that I felt was absolutely miraculous (honest *and* reasonably priced). The newsletter said it was “$ & M Auto Service Systems.” Oops. Money on the mind, I guess. Well, it’s supposed to be “R & M Auto Service Systems.” Sheesh. Keyboard issues.

Wednesday night found me at Onda, the Wine Bar at the Mirage. I knew that they would be pouring wines from a new winery, but I had no idea. I ended up taking notes on an old envelope and scraps of paper, so you have to bear with me.

Daou Vineyards is owned by brothers Georges and Daniel Daou. Their vineyard is located on the West side of Paso Robles (yay). They have several lines of wines, and their La Capilla line was poured at Onda. They also have Lodi fruit as well.

At this time, they are making reds only, with a Viognier being planned for limited release later this year. Daniel spent some time at our table, talking about wine as a passion and how one day he decided that making wine was his life’s destiny.

Six wines were poured and I’m offering my tasting notes. YMMV.

2005 La Capilla Saveur (Lodi) – medium bodied Petit Sirah that offers smoke, berries, plums, chocolate and dust on the nose, with the same on the palate. It has an interesting fleshy component, soft, well-integrated tannins, nicely viscous without being “thick,” and a long, minerally finish. Not like the fruit bombs I’m used to, but has subtlety and class.

2005 La Capilla Melange (Paso Robles) – This is a Cabernet/Syrah blend (61%/39%) with plum, cassis, earth, espresso and a touch of cedar on the nose. On the palate, the taste reflects the nose, along with integrated tannins and a bit of pepper on the medium finish.

2006 La Capilla Old Vines Zinfandel (Lodi) – Jammy nose, lots of dark fruit, spice (can’t tell which), and a very clean, crisp palate. Surprisingly austere for Central Coast wnes, it has lots of earthy Zin flavor.

2006 La Capilla Old Vines Zinfandel Reserve (Lodi) – Very similar to the previous Zin, but earthier, with a rich dark fruit component, which adds to its complexity. Smoky for a Zin, and with an interesting herbal component (this is a good thing), and a long finish.

2006 La Capilla Syrah (Paso Robles) – Okay, this one was my favorite, hands down. Rich dark fruit, berries, ash, smoke, spice, and a rich, glass-coating viscosity. Varied berry flavors on the tongue, with a long, minerally finish. Rich tooth-stainer! Yum!

2006 La Capilla Cabernet Sauvignon (Paso Robles) – Bright fruit, cigar box, cocoa, cassis, plums, with firm, balanced tannins, good acid, and a long, fruity finish.

Daou Winery website is located at http://www.daouvineyards.com, and I encourage you to go take a look at their site.

By the way, Daniel indicated that they plan to return to Onda on March 12.

I hosted the Fritz & Tex’s Wine Club Thing at my home last Saturday night, and had a wonderful time doing so. The theme (which I picked) was all about single varietal wines. The wines were Zinfandel, Cabernet, Merlot, Syrah, Garnacha, and an Argentinean Tempranillo. All fabulous, all tasty.

When putting together the tasting notes, I realized that there were several wines that had apparently never been submitted to any of the Mega-Winemags for evaluation. In case you didn’t know, the tasters for these magazines don’t go running out to find the wines … the winemakers submit their wines for tasting analysis. Such a gamble can make or break a winemaker. If the wine is universally loved, the prices can skyrocket and the wine may achieve “cult” status. If the wine is universally panned, you may see it on the clearance shelf of the local Walgreen’s Pharmacy along with the bargain bottles of white zin.

Of course, those of us who love particular wines experience a special evil glee when a famed wine taster dislikes a wine. More for us!!! Especially since so many people slavishly follow the tasters’ recommendations and often do their shopping based on scores alone.

Another thing that people tend to forget is that just like the rest of us, tasters have their preferences. I would go so far to say that there is no absolutely neutral taster out there.

One of the most well-known and high profile wine tasters is Robert Parker. He has the ability to make or break winemakers based on his evaluations of wines. And people will take his word as gospel.

I’ve found that my palate does not usually agree with Mr. Parker’s. If he raves over a wine, you can be pretty sure that I will find it overdone, high-alcohol, and a little too much over the top. If he *likes* a wine and gives it a score in the mid to upper 80s, it’s almost a guarantee that I will love it. Mr. Parker’s palate apparently tends to prefer the more fruit-forward, very New World types, while I prefer true varietal character. To be sure, I like many of the wines that he likes, but I also know that we have our preferences and differences.

Last year Mr. Parker panned Kosta Browne’s releases. Woo hoo!! That meant that the prices didn’t skyrocket, and I was able to acquire more bottles. I’m a happy woman! I can only hope that Kosta Browne continues in its quest for true varietal character and doesn’t stoop to making wine for the critics instead of good, solid wine for the rest of us.

But I digress.

I ranted about all of that just to say that I found several tasters online who do a wonderful job of evaluating and critiquing wines, often in language that everyday folks like us can relate to. Just because they aren’t hired by a mega-wine magazine or are wine celebrities, doesn’t mean that there’s anything wrong with their assessments.

So I found a couple of wonderful, real-world wine reviews that I used in the notes for the blind tasting. One of these is the Ambassador of Wine (http://ambassadorofwine.blogspot.com) which is run by a Seattle-area steakhouse waiter. His insight and envy-provoking descriptions are fun to read.

The other is Nick On Wine, who, besides being one of my Friends on MySpace, also has a fabulous blog (http://nickonwine.blogspot.com). Not quite a “regular” person, Nick Anthony is Akronewsnow’s resident wine educator and columnist. Nevertheless, his reviews are unpretentious and easy to understand.

So there you have it. Get out there and drink some wine!

If you receive two notices of the Blog update, it’s only because I ‘m transitioning from one mail service to another. Thanks for your patience.

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