Mention the name "Wine Country" to most Californians and they immediately envision the area just north of San Francisco comprised of the three counties of Napa, Sonoma and Mendocino. Without a doubt, this area has been the epicenter of California's emergence as a world-class producer of outstanding wine for the past 40 years.
But, It would be a grievous error to assume that this is the ONLY "Wine Country" in California. There is another notable area which has been producing award-winning wines for several generations that is only now coming into its own and is gaining the respect of wine drinkers everywhere...Temecula Valley.
Temecula Valley is it's own AVA or "American Viticulture Appellation" and is in the Southwestern corner of Riverside County, located 500 miles South of San Francisco and is equidistant to San Diego and Orange County.
Temecula Valley is part of what is known as "The Inland Empire" and is at an elevation of 1,400 feet above sea level on a plateau between peaks of the Coastal Mountain Range. Although the average rainfall is low and the days during growing season are very warm, the nights are cooler because of the ocean breeze drawn through "The Rainbow Gap" and "The Santa Margarita Gap".
These low passes in the Coastal Mountain Range are perfect conduits for cool air from the sea, air that lingers throughout the night and into the morning which quality vinifera" loves. It's all about microclimates and Temecula Valley makes the most of what it has been blessed with.
Wines from here are made from vines that find near perfect drainage in the decomposed granite that makes up the valley floor. Even higher up on the adjacent hillsides, the soil is perfect for grape varieties that need "dry feet".
I traveled to this very accessible wine country the past weekend with my special someone and sampled some of the best that the Temecula Valley wineries have to offer. We were fortunate as a guide for the experience, Peter Poole, former owner of Mount Palomar Winery and currently a much sought after consultant to new and existing ventures in the area.
Peter and I have known each other longer than either one of us will readily admit too. I've watched him over the year's take a small winery that his father had begun in the 60's and turn into one of the most prestigious, award winning operations in the State
Peter was one of an early group of California winemakers to plant Italian varieties in their vineyards, such as Cortese (Piedmont's very best white wine, also known as Cortese di Gavi) and Sangiovese, a Tuscan favorite This grape is the main component of Chianti and is also used to produce the exquisite Brunello di Montalcino
These "Cal-Italia" grapes produce some outstanding wines that both pay homage to the land from whence they came as well as being very much a part of the New World where production techniques are as modern as modern can be.
The climate of Temecula Valley is ideally suited for these and grape varieties found in the Rhone Valley of France such as Syrah and Viognier, the former being a full and intense red and the latter being a steely and refreshing white.
Peter had decided that we should inspect a representative group of wineries that spanned the economic breadth of Temecula Valley operations. We would visit a high-end, high dollar winery, a moderate, family owned one and a modest winery where the colorful character of the owner permeated every nook and cranny.
South Coast Winery, Resort and Spa is an impressive structure that houses a first class restaurant, a full service spa and individual "villa's" that are richly appointed and offer the weary vinophile luxurious respite after a hard days tasting. The winery itself is a fully functioning, large-scale facility that has been turning out some impressive wines.
We purchased the requisite "5 tastes" package which include glassware for $10. It was a very busy Saturday and the staff behind the counter were scurrying to service the large volume of visitors to the tasting room. We started with whites and I led with the Viognier. This is NOT one of my favorite varietals. Too many Viogniers that I have tasted recently have a finish reminiscent of the white "pith" of a grapefruit. This sourness does not fit my ideal of a wine as a food companion.
I must acknowledge that the variety has become quite popular with those expanding their wine vocabularies and I know I should respect it's Old World heritage. I just don't find a usefulness to the wine when there are so many others that I find more desirable.
We also sampled both of the currently available Chardonnays as well. One was the 2005 Barrel Select Chardonnay, which spent 10 months in new French oak barrels and the other was the 2006 Chardonnay sans Chene which was fermented in stainless steel and has never seen even a splinter of wood.
The obvious purpose of the two disparate production methods is to show off the skills of the winemaker and to highlight both the quality of the raw product, (the grapes) and the ways in which the same ingredients can be so different in taste when aged in oak or not.
The pendulum swing between overly oaked California Chardonnays of the recent past and the steely, under oaked Chardonnays more aligned with classical Burgundian standards and now more in vogue is very telling.
When California Chardonnays were all the rage, the French begrudgingly, started to copy the California style, foregoing the centuries of wine making techniques that wines such as Grand Cru Chablis are known for. But, there was a curve in the trend line and now as the French are giving more oak to their wines, Californians are seeking cleaner tastes where wood is not something you’re hit over the head with.
My own pronouncement on the two I sampled were that either could stand alone as a wine of substance and pedigree. I found them both interesting and both worthy of future investigation.
Next on the list was a 2005 Muscat Canelli. Italians have been cultivating this variety for thousands of years and its DNA can be found in every noble variety of the Old World. In Italy, it is known as Moscato di Canelli. We know of the grape primarily from its transformation into the sweet, sparkling Italian Asti Spumante. One other interesting bit of information about this “Mother of all Grapes” is that it is currently being grown and produced into wines in Texas, New Mexico, Colorado, California and Oregon as well as in many other countries around the world.
Peter directed us to another of his favorite spots for our next visit. This time we would stop in at Stuart Cellars. The owner/winemaker of this 36-acre vineyard is Marshal Stuart and he was present at the tasting room on this particular Saturday. Marshall has a viticulture degree From UC Davis and has put together a varietal palette that allows him to create wines that showcase their geographic largesse.
His whites include a Riesling, a Viognier, a Pinot Grigio, a Sauvignon Blanc, a Chardonnay and a Blanc de Noir, White Merlot. All of these varietals benefit from the microclimates around Temecula and Marshall Stuart works his land in a very intelligent way.
His Reds give a nod to Italy with an award winning Sangiovese. The remainder of his red wine production is split between the Bordeaux classics; Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Malbec. He bottles them in a blend called Tatria and he also offers them as stand-alones.
There is a Pinot Noir at his winery, but the grapes come from Santa Barbara and as much as I treasure this aristocratic grape, I was looking for a sense of Terroir. I chose only to drink from wines that had their genesis in the valley proper.
There is much to like about Stuart Cellars. The wines are very approachable and the scale of his operation, which includes his comfortable tasting room, made me want to visit again.
The last stop for the day was at one of the oldest wineries in the Valley and one that showed very little accommodation to being a 21st Century tourist destination...Hart Winery. Peter has spoken very highly of the owner of this rustic, no nonsense winery. The winemaking community throughout history and from all over the world has among it certain special breeds. These are the “characters”, the iconic personalities from which legends, myth and lore spring.
Perhaps Joe Hart is such a man. There is a sense of creative forces behind his image. He cannot be thought to be merely the same size as Life.
His tasting room is simply space adjacent to his production facilities. One step through the door and I knew I was at a winery. It was the smell of grapes and barrels and all the other things that make wine, wine. I was comfortable and at ease in a nanosecond.
His wines are mostly vineyard designated. I appreciated this. This trend of hyper explaining Place when making wine is enlightened. It also shows a craftsman’s pride in signing the completed work. If you understand that wine is so very connected to the soil and the sun that falls on that patch of earth, then considering the vineyards uniqueness predescribes the wine.
An example of Hart Winery is a 2003 “Old Vine” Zinfandel that originates from the Lopez Ranch in Cucamonga Valley. The vines are 84 years old and are very low producers. The vineyards are atop alluvial soils of rock and gravel which drains any water that falls on the vines naturally. There is no man-made irrigation.
Granted this particular wine does not originate from Temecula, but it shows where Hart’s head is. His other offerings are spread between classic Rhone-style wines like Syrah and Grenache, as well as a Spanish influenced Tempranillo, A Cal-Italia Sangiovese, and the Bordeaux triumvirate of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc.
When I go back to Temecula Valley, I know that I will pay a return visit to Hart Winery. I am also sure that I will again seek out the wines of Stuart Cellars. As much as I liked the wines at South Coast Winery, I felt way too much like I was just another “fresh of the chartered bus” tourista. The tasting room was too big, too impersonal, too much like Orange County and not enough like Temecula. I’ll drink their wines again, I’m sure. I just won’t subject myself to their visitor accommodations.
There are more trips for me to make to Temecula Valley, more wines to drink, more laughs to share with my old friend, Peter. I’m looking forward to the Fall and post crush celebrations. I will, of course being sharing with you the highlights of these visits.
And, finally some advice: Don’t ignore Southern California’s very own ‘Wine Country”. You’ll think you know about California wines, but you won’t really know.
-Gordonn Blue
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