Foote Print Winery

There really aren’t that many wineries in the Temecula Valley (though the number is growing) so it’s always a treat for me to visit a winery here I haven’t been to before. I called Deane Foote a few days ago and he invited me to come visit his small winery. When I arrived, he and his son-in-law were working, building a new horse barn. We sat down to visit and he told me about how Foote Print got started and where they’re headed.

Deane Foote

Deane began making wine for his family and friends and then he says it “kind of exploded”. He got his winery license in 2005 and now makes about 800 cases of wine a year. About 30% of the grapes in his wines are from his vineyards and he purchases the rest. As the vineyards mature, he plans to add more of his grapes. His farm is certified organic and he sells citrus in the tasting room. It’s literally a mom and pop outfit. He and his wife Christine do everything, from picking the grapes to bottling the wine.

Organic Fruit

Deane has a blend called Footeage (Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc), another called Krazy Foote (Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Syrah, Petit Verdot and Malbec) as well as Red Foote (Merlot, Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon). In 2010 he will release his Left Foote, which is literally a blend of all the juice that’s left over. His belief is that “throwing things together” adds complexity. His wines spend a minimum of two years in the barrel before he bottles them. As a small winery, he says he can spend more time with his wine than the “big guys”.

I tasted three of his wines and he makes a quality product. His Petit Verdot has a deep violet color, a beautiful nose and a smooth finish. It’s unusual to see Petit Verdot on its own. If you get the opportunity, I recommend you try some. I also enjoyed his Krazy Foote blend and the 2007 Zinfandel was a Zin lover’s dream. Classic Zin nose and chewy fruit.

When all the permits are approved, the winery will be renamed Foot Path. Whatever you call it, when you want to go off the beaten path, Foote Print is well worth a visit.

Barrels At Entrance

Open For Tasting

Tasting Room

Vineyard

Mailbox

Alessio

Laura and I fell in love with Francesca’s the first time we went there. Francesca and Alessio DiSabatini are charming and fun and their food is out of this world. They’re also passionate about wine, and there’s always a bottle on the table. Their wine list is excellent.

Each month, Alessio hosts a cooking class. We’ve only missed a few. Not only do you learn how to cook delicious Italian food, you get to eat it and the wine is always “on Alessio”. Last night we started with a Caesar Salad, followed by Cappelini with Meatballs for the entree and Cannoncini (canon balls) for dessert. He served Robert Renzoni’s 2006 Sangiovese made with Paso Robles grapes. The wine is simple and smooth, light in color with big strawberry notes and a clean finish.

Caesar Salad is not Italian. It originated in Tijuana, Mexico. Alessio told us you probably won’t find it in any restaurant in Italy. His dressing is quite different, made without eggs and with red wine, tabasco and caper juice. Topped with freshly grated parmesan cheese, it was delicious.

Next up, he made the Cappelini with Meatballs and recruited Richie Wallstreet as his sous chef. His meatball recipe incorporates ground beef, garlic, Parmesan, eggs, basil and a few other goodies. His marinara sauce is exquisite. Look at the color.

Cappelini

Richie's Creation

On to dessert. The Cannoncini are quite similar to Cannoli, but they’re made with strips of puff pastry wrapped in a spiral around a tube. The shells are baked, then filled with Chantilly Cream. Served with sprinkled powdered sugar and sliced fresh strawberries, they were divine.

Alessio’s birthday is this Thursday, the 14th. I wish him a very happy one. We’ll be back next week for a special wine dinner featuring the wines of Tasca D’Almerita with special guest Lilly LoCascio from the winery. We’ll report back on that event. Ciao!

Cannoncini

Francesca

No promises, but I hope to add some video a bit later.

Maurice Car'rie Winery

Our friends Roger and Kathy asked us to join them for Music In The Vineyard, starting with wine tasting at Maurice Car’rie Winery and ending up at La Cereza Winery and Gallery. We tasted at Maurice Car’rie, enjoying the Cabernet Sauvignon and Sangiovese best. Laura really loved the pineapple champagne.

Tasting Room

From there we headed up the road to the sister winery, La Cereza. Both wineries are now owned by Buddy and Cheri Linn. We started in the members tasting room. The award winning Viognier really impressed me. Big apricot, honeysuckle and peach on the nose and crisp and refreshing to drink. I also enjoyed their Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah. We finished our tasting and went down the driveway to Hemingway’s Wine and Cigar Bar. Temperatures were in the 80s, there was great music from The Routine, and we grabbed a bottle of Pinot Grigio and sat down to enjoy the afternoon.

Roger and Kathy brought their son Joe along, and he asked me to go into the vineyards with him to take some pictures. He shows an early passion for photography and an excellent eye. It’s so exciting to see young people get enthused.

I had a chance to visit with Buddy and look forward to returning for a visit with him and a more in depth look at both wineries. The Cuban influence at Hemingway’s is unmistakable and with the smell of cigar smoke in  the air you almost feel like you’re in Havana. If you’re in the Temecula Valley, I highly recommend a visit to the two wineries. They’re doing a great job.

La Cereza

Hemingways

Viognier

Barrel Flowers

The Routine

Tendrils

Aspiring Photographer Joe

Tom & Kristi Yamaguchi

You may be wondering why there’s a picture of me with Kristi Yamaguchi on a wine blog. Here’s the story. Laura and I were in San Jose for a trade show. Kristi was there to promote her Always Dream foundation in the booth next door. It’s not every day you get to meet an Olympic Gold Medalist, so, there you have it.

Last Monday we drove from San Jose to Paso Robles. We love the area and we’re crazy about the wine there. We stayed in the winemaker’s suite at Zenaida Cellars.

Zenaida Cellars vineyards

This was our 5th or 6th visit to Paso in less than a year, and the first time we had visited when it wasn’t a weekend or during a wine festival. Such a difference. We were able to spend quality time at each winery and had a good chance to visit with the people who work there. Tuesday’s first stop was at Martin & Weyrich. Friends of ours had raved to us about it and we wanted to check it out. Among the whites we enjoyed the Pinot Grigio and Sauvignon Blanc. On the red side, their Pinot Noir, Nebbiolo, Sangiovese and Zinfandel were all exquisite.

Martin & Weyrich

The woman who was pouring suggested we visit a new winery on Union Road called Pear Valley Vineyards. We owe her a debt of gratitude. The winery itself is lovely, with great view and a bright and open tasting room. The wines were excellent, a blend called Distraction wound up being our favorite. We became one of the first 100 members of their wine club and now look forward to a return visit in June for a private party for that elite group.

Pear Valley Vineyards

We struck pay dirt when I called RN Estate Wines to set up an appointment. Owner/winemaker Roger Nicolas told me he normally doesn’t do tastings for just two, but he happened to have an appointment with a writer and would have wine open we could taste. We met him at two. His tasting room is in his home, a mile and a half down a driveway on North River Road. The views are breathtaking.

RN View

We went inside with Roger and his beautiful dog, Diego. Roger is originally from France, but came to the states in his 20s and got into the restaurant business, working at places like La Grenouille in New York City, The Lodge at Pebble Beach and L’Etoile in San Francisco. He founded the Home Hill country inn and restaurant in New Hampshire and then decided to pursue his dream of making wine and settled in Paso Robles. His Pinot Noirs are among the finest I have ever tasted. He has a Mourvedre that is exceptional and three blends that are equally tasty. Our luck got even better when he asked us if we’d like to join him the following day at PRWS for a barrel tasting.

The facilty itself is awe-inspiring. About fifty wineries in the area use this place to crush their grapes and produce their wine. Roger had three other guests, an importer from Los Angeles and two visitors from France. What amazed us was how entirely different the same wine can taste from different barrels. We tasted several Pinot Noirs, some Cabernet Sauvignon and Zinfandel, which he describes as light and delicate, something you don’t normally associate with Zin.

Other highlights of the trip were stops at Carmody McKnight and Fratelli Perata. Those stories we’ll share with you another day. Salut!

Welcome to WINEormous, a joint effort of Tom Plant and Laura McCoy. We will share our passion for all things wine, including travel (Paso Robles is our favorite destination thus far), photographs, wines we like and some we don’t. Thanks for visiting and please feel free to contribute.

Cheers!