It can easily be argued that Sideways changed the wine industry. I can tell you for a fact it’s changed visiting the Santa Ynez Valley. We began our road trip heading North through Santa Barbara. Our ultimate destination was the Napa Valley. We almost didn’t make it as far as Santa Barbara. Laura and I decided to visit Stafford Premium Wines in Camarillo. A road closure forced us to take a detour and “Lee”, our Australian Garmin guide, took us on a frontage road where we got stuck in the mud. Cool heads prevailed and I managed to rock our way out only to find there was no tasting room at the address we had been given.

Laura had heard about The Winehound, so we decided a visit was in order when we reached Santa Barbara. The Winehound is an amazing store with shelf after shelf stocked with every conceivable varietal of wine from all parts of the globe. They represent the Santa Ynez Valley magnificently. After a leisurely time browsing, we hopped back in the winemobile to our destination, Buellton. Our choice for dinner on the first night was a no-brainer. We were less than a mile from the Hitching Post, featured so prominently in Sideways. We were delighted that fame has not gone to the Hitching Post’s head. We had a delicious dinner, wonderful wine and a memorable experience. If you go, the grilled artichoke with magic dust is a must.

Our first appointment the following morning was at Foxen Winery. We found out soon enough that Foxen has two tasting rooms and we had arrived at the wrong one. The original Foxen tasting room, used in the movie, is still in operation, but our get together was at the newly completed tasting room just down the road. The new tasting room is drop dead gorgeous. At 7600 Foxen Canyon Road, they pour Rhônes and Burgundies. The new Foxen 7200 label pays homage to the original tasting room at 7200 Foxen Canyon Road and features Bordeaux and Cal-Ital varietals.

Co-owner Dick Dorée and I sat down in back of 7200 for a visit. He and his partner Bill Wathen met about a quarter of a century ago. Dick was a self-described “frustrated banker”. Bill was freshly graduated from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and he and Dick met at a party. Bill went to work at a winery near Paso Robles and when he returned told Dick they ought to check out the wine business, telling him it didn’t look that hard. Dick eventually went to work for Bill, training vines and driving tractor. Their first year together they produced four barrels of wine, punching it down by hand in old French Oak on Dick’s basketball court. They put the barrels in the back of a pickup truck and borrowed a press from Rancho Sisquoc Winery. The only problem was they had no way of getting the barrels out of the truck, so they wound up crushing the first harvest in the back of a pickup truck.

The first three years are always hard because you have no product. They did it all on a shoestring. They’ve been well rewarded though, with good press from folks like Robert Parker and Wine Spectator. They’ve never taken on a partner or gone beyond what the bank would loan them, so they answer to no one but themselves. Dorée says it affords them indepence and full control over their wine quality. “We don’t always make our wine in the most economical fashions. A lot of them don’t make sense to make for what we get for them, but they’re such good wines we continue to make them.” As to where the winery got its name? Benjamin Foxen was Dick’s great great grandfather.

Dick

Foxen 7200 - An Old Blacksmith Shop

Dick & Bill

We had passed the entrance to Rancho Sisquoc Winery on the way to Foxen and thought it looked intriguing. We had some time to spare, so we headed north and found that the winery is a bit off the beaten track. Just our kind of place! The building is charming and the wines and hospitality did not disappoint. I love their philosophy. 

We enjoyed nearly everything we tasted quite a bit and wound up sticking an assorted case in the back of the van. Chalk up another winner!

One of the neat things about the Santa Ynez Valley is that everything is relatively close together. From Santa Maria we drove South to Los Olivos. I spent my freshman year of high school at what was then the Dunn School For Boys. The campus is now coed and I hadn’t been back to the area in nearly 40 years. We had a delicious sandwich on the patio of the Los Olivos Grocery. The weather was idyllic and the food scrumptious. With full bellies we were back on the road and headed to our next stop: Fess Parker Winery.

Fess is still around and we hear he is a frequent visitor to the winery that bears his name. The tasting room is spacious, light and open and you see his signature coon skin cap everywhere. I do mean everywhere! The wine list is dominated by Pinot Noir and Syrah and we tasted several wines we found much to our liking.

Fess Parker Tasting Room

From there we made a stop at Sunstone Winery for a visit with winemaker Brittany Rice. Laura will share that visit on Women On Wine. Sunstone is in a lovely setting and has a charming and intimate tasting room. Brittany’s parents Fred & Linda started the winery in 1989 and their son Bion is the President. There grapes meet all California Certifed Organic Farmer standards.

Brittany Rice

Sunstone

Our last stop of the day was a visit to Teri Love, the owner and winemaker for Gioia Wines. I met Teri earlier this year at the Stars of Santa Barbara event. I shared the story of how she lost her son in a motorcycle accident. She devotes her life to his memory and makes wine in his memory. Her newly released Zinfandel is delicate and delicious. A portion of the sales from each bottle goes to the Tyler Love Foundation. She went to her garden, picked some fresh mint, put it in a glass with ice and added Zinfandel and voila! A Zinjito! The afternoon sun was very warm and this was very refreshing. Laura and Teri had a good visit and she’ll write about soon on Women On Wine.

Teri Love & Laura Plant

We had a fabulous dinner at Grappolo in Santa Ynez and called it a night. We had a few stops to make before we continued our journey Northward. We drove to Lompoc for a stop at Palmina Winery. Lompoc is a lovely coastal town and Palmina is a delightful place to visit. Jeanna welcomed us in, sat us down and served us wine, cheese, bread and olive oil. Steve Clifton founded the winery in 1995, naming it as a tribute to his grandmother and dear friend Paula who succumbed to breast cancer. After her death he learned her name at birth was Palmina. He met his wife Chrystal in 2000 when he was looking for someone who was fluent in Italian for a group of visitors from Italy. His focus is on Italian varietals and his wines are magnificent. Among his whites we loved his Malvasia Bianca, Traminer and Tocai Friulano. His also produces stunning reds, including his Undici Sangiovese, his Barbera and his Nebbiolo. Undici is Italian for 11, and is a tip of the hat to the movie This Is Spinal Tap. He played in a band called Secret Service that once opened for Oingo Boingo. Who knew? He has respect for Italian wines, and the methods the winemakers use, but he wants to make them his way. He says he wants his wines to make you hungry. His dream is to become a Nebbiolo house.

Jeanna

Palmina Tasting Room

Palmina Barrel (and party) Room

We had lunch in Solvang at Panino, enjoying an incredibly delicious sandwich al fresco. We stopped in Los Olivos again after several people told us we couldn’t miss Carhartt. I’m glad we didn’t. Carhartt Winery has without a doubt the smallest tasting room I have ever seen. We had a great visit with Rhea and visited with folks at the tasting bar while enjoying their wines. If you’re in the area, I highly recommend you check it out.

Carhartt

We had wanted to visit Blackjack, but read it was closed on Tuesday. When we drove past it, however, the sign read “OPEN”. We pulled in and found it was indeed open. When we entered were were told they just felt like opening. Blackjack is getting maximum mileage from their 15 minutes of fame from Sideways. The wines were excellent, especially the Maximus Syrah, but we were put off by little things like selling their corks and labels. Most wineries are happy to give them to folks who ask. There are momentos from the movie all around the tasting room. I found it just a bit too much.

Our last stop was at Kenneth Volk Vineyards in Santa Maria. The scenery as we drove through the countryside was spectacular. It was near the close of business and we were the only visitors. Ken founded Wild Horse Winery and gained a great reputation there. His Chardonnay is stellar and his Cab and Merlot are also worthy of tasting. Our first visit to Santa Barbara’s wine country had come to an end. We were off to our favorite wine destination, Paso Robles, with Napa in our sights at the end of the journey.

kenneth Volk Vineyards

For the most part I’m going to let the pictures do the talking. This past Saturday and Sunday, 25 Temecula Valley wineries opened their doors for guests to taste from the barrels and enjoy a bite or two of food. I was pleased to see folks like Bill Wilson from Wilson Creek (literally running trays of food from the kitchen) and serving barrel samples of late harvest Zinfandel, South Coast Winery owner Jim Carter and Executive Winemaker Jon MacPherson pouring wine, Thornton Executive Winemaker Don Reha pouring barrel samples of ‘07 Syrah, Joe Hart cooking and his family serving wine and food, Marcello and Damian Doffo pouring barrel samples and serving delicious food cooked by the fire in their brick oven, Dorian Linkogle at Briar Rose serving Les’ Zinfandel/Barbera blend, Mike and Mindy Calabro offering their olive oil and barrel samples of the Super Tuscan and Nick and Cindy Palumbo serving homemade tacos and pouring wine. Meeting Audrey Cilurzo, one of the pioneers of the Temecula Wine industry, was a real treat.  I was equally disappointed by some of the owners who did not put in an appearance. Hope you enjoy the pictorial story of a great weekend.

Don Reha

Callaway Winery

Stuart Cellars

Dorian Linkogle & Disney Pianist Rod Miller

Maurice Car'rie

La Cereza

Hart Family

Joe Hart

Jon MacPherson & Jim Carter

Wiens

Cindy Palumbo

Palumbo Vineyards

Nick Palumbo

Bill Wilson

Crispin Courtenay

Audrey Cilurzo

Mike Calabro

Villa Di Calbro

Marcello Doffo

Foote Print

Dean Foote

Doffo Brick Oven

Cheers!

Greg Cropper

Every time we visit Paso Robles, we discover at least one new treasure. This past visit was no exception. Carmody McKnight was one of the first wineries we stopped at on our first visit to Paso last year. We have developed a nice friendship with winemaker Greg Cropper, and when we read they we doing their Cork ‘n Pork again, that was reason enough for us to hit the road. It was a picture perfect Autumn day with plenty of sunshine and temperatures in  the 80s. We arrived at Carmody McKnight, Greg welcomed the attendees and supervised pulling the three sows from their underground pit.

The pork was simply delicious, and we had a chance to meet some new friends and visit over lunch and Carmody McKnight Pinot Noir. Harvest Festival is a busy time and we were on a tight schedule, so it was time to move on.

Our next stop was at Dubost Ranch, a small winery we discovered and fell in love with last year. Kate Dubost is more often than not manning the tasting counter. Her son Jacob Raines is one of the “young guns” producing exceptional wines in Paso Robles. At Dubost, you’ll find wonderful blends like their Homestead Red and unique varietals like Negrette. It’s a stop you don’t want to miss the next time you’re in Paso.

Kate Dubost

We decided to head to Starr Ranch to visit renowned grower and winemaker Judy Starr, but a sign on the way caught our eyes – “Kukkula Winery – Pouring Today”. It wasn’t a name we hadn’t heard before, so we drove through the gates and up a long driveway, soaking up incredible panoramic views as we climbed the driveway. When we got to the top, we were convinced we had missed a turn. Clearly we were in front of someone’s home. There was a basketball hoop and no sign of any winery. I peeked around and decided we were in the wrong place, so we turned around and headed back on our way to Starr Ranch.

Harvest Festival weekend is a busy time, and there was a good sized crowd waiting for us. The drive to the winery is beautiful, especially this time of year with the Autumn colors at their most glorious and Judy’s persimmon trees lining the road. We ran into Phil Stevens who produces one of the most fruit forward Zins I’ve ever tasted under the Del Real label. We had tasted his 2005 vintage previously. This time we had our first taste of the ‘07 vintage which promises to be a worthy successor. We met with Judy briefly and made an appointment to see her a few days later so Laura could visit with her for an upcoming feature on her Women on Wine column.

Starr Ranch

The View From Kukkula

While we were visiting Starr Ranch, we asked if anyone had been to Kukkula. We told our story of how we thought we’d taken a wrong turn, and they said no, that was it. We hopped back in the winemobile, drove back to Kukkula, looked around and walked into their den/tasting room. Kevin and Paula Jussila are delightful people and they’re making excellent wines. We tasted through their list and enjoyed everything we tried. That’s not always the case. Kevin told us they hope to have their tasting room open sometime next year. You might be fortunate enough to catch them open by chance on a weekend before then.

Earlier in the day we met David Hardee of Carina Cellars. He invited us to stop by the tasting room and then join us at his home for wine, hors d’oeuvres and a spectacular view. After tasting his wines, we drove up to his home. Perched atop a hillside with sweeping valley views, it was simply gorgeous. David urged me to go up to the top of the hill. I’m sure glad I did.

Carina Cellars View

Howell Mountain With Fiona In The Middle

After some wine and a bite, we called it a night. Sunday morning we made arrangements to meet our friend and partner in crime Deanna Morrison of Wine Country Outings. DeDee met us at Hoover’s Beef Palace in Templeton, where I savored their Chile Verde omelette with biscuits and gravy. A hearty breakfast for a full day of wine tasting. DeDee is a Templeton native and we couldn’t have asked for a better guide. Our first stop was at her parents’ home, also headquarters for Howell Mountain Winery, not to be confused with Howell Mountain Vineyards in Napa Valley. Howard and Linda Howell welcomed us and then took us to their cellar where we met Fiona, the guardian of the wine and barrel tasted Howard’s Cabs and Zins. His estate Zin is already incredible at just a few weeks old.

We paid a visit to Kiamie Cellars in downtown Paso. Sophia Stevens welcomed us for our second visit to this newcomer to the Paso Robles wine landscape. The team of owner Aram Deirmenjian, winemaker Steve Glossner and retail specialist Greg Johnson are doing a masterful job of producing quality wines from the westside hills of the region. The tasting room is charming and their wines are definitely worth a visit.

Laura & DeDee at Kiamie

Linne Calado

Linne Calado was our next destination. The newly opened tasting room is drop dead gorgeous, the wines very tasty, but in my opinion overpriced, and all in all, the place left me cold. If I don’t get a warm and fuzzy feeling, I’m not likely to pay a return visit. I may check back in the future, but I think the overall experience in visiting a winery is nearly as important as the quality of the product they offer. Lucky for us, they are plenty of places that we do feel at home in. Caliza Cellars is one of them.

We met Carl Bowker in June. He is producing some of the finest Syrahs I have tasted in the Paso region. He’s a great host and his wife Pam was serving fresh soft tacos on the patio. His Pink rose and Azimuth blend are also exceptional. We also got to taste the ’07s which are yet to be released. You’re in for a treat.

Our next stop was at Hearthstone Winery. Their tasting room just opened in June of this year. Co-owner Hoy Buell stopped by and gave us the opportunity to taste his Zinfandel. Very, very nice. Winemaker Paul Ayers is a friend of DeDee’s, so after a quick tasting, we hit the road again. Charlie Poallilo has been a fixture on the Paso Robles wine scene for decades. Following a successful career in photography, much of it on the Red Carpet at the Oscars, Charlie and his wife Joyce moved to Paso Robles in the ’70s. Now in their 80s, Charlie and Joyce are both as sharp as tacks. His wines, particularly his Cabs and Zins, are exceptional.

Paul, Laura, DeDee and I said our goodbyes and stopped by Denner Vineyards, where Paul makes his Hearthstone wines. The production facility at Denner is immense. Paul let us sample from several barrels and I’m here to tell you there are some magnificent wines down the road. We met Amy Butler, winemaker for Edward Sellers, who was appropriately purple. We decided to wind down with a taste at Club Comus, the Denner wine club’s private facility for its members. Denner opened the doors to their current facility in 2005 and it is truly stunning. They also produce some magnificent wines.

Ken Denner

This really turned into one of our favorite visits to one of our favorite spots. The next morning we visited with Judy Starr. Laura is working on a story for her Women on Wine column and it will be available soon. We met Neil Roberts of Clavo Cellars for lunch at Ian McPhees’ Grill in Templeton. Clavo is Spanish for nail, and years ago, some of the Mexican-Americans he worked with gave him the nickname as a sort of play on words on his first name. Now his winery bears the name. Neil’s a busy guy. Neil’s been involved in every aspect of the wine business for more than 20 years. He settled on his Templeton location because of its proximity to Paso Robles. For now, his is the only tasting room in town, but he hopes to eventually get some company. He believes, correctly, that you can’t make good wine without good fruit, and devotes a lot of care into growing the best grapes he possibly can. His tasting room, elegantly decorated by his girlfriend Julie, is warm and inviting. Julie prepared a selection of cheeses, chocolates and desserts to pair with our wines and her touch was perfect. His Reckless Moment Syrah is named after one of his grandfather’s race horses. As a kid, he made silks for the riders. He says deciding to enter the wine industry was a reckless moment in his life. Don’t visit the Paso Robles area without a visit to Clavo. It’s a great find.

Neil Roberts

Our final stop was at Sculpterra. The first thing that hits you when you pay a visit to Sculpterra is the dramatic artwork that greets you as you enter. Towering sculptures by John Jagger of horses, elephants, pumas and more are breathtaking. Inside, winemaker Paul Frankel was behind the tasting bar. Paul is another of the area’s young winemakers and he is honing his craft well. We enjoyed every wine we tasted, especially his blends. Our timing was perfect as artist John Jagger stopped by to drop off a mock up miniature of his elephant sculpture. We’ve already planned a return visit to Paso for March’s Zinfandel Festival. I wouldn’t be surprised if we manage to sneak in another visit before then.

John Jagger

Edward Sellers' Winemaker Amy Butler

Buzz and Kimberly Olson wanted to build a bed and breakfast in Temecula Wine Country. They still do. Life has a funny way of putting a few detours in your path, and those detours have landed Buzz and Kimberly in Old Town Temecula with Tesoro Winery’s tasting room. In 2002, the Olsons sold their house in Torrance and purchased property on Rancho California Road with the intention of building their B & B. Some of the early backers they had on board wound up backing out. In the meantime, Buzz had been growing grapes and after a few years he began producing wine from the grapes he was growing. He had a decision to make – keep his wines in a warehouse or open a tasting room. They didn’t have the funds to build on their property, so they began exploring other options. When they found an available building in Old Town Temecula, they decided it was the right place at the right time. Peter Poole from Mt. Palomar had tried without success years before, but they believed that people’s perception of Old Town was changing. It was fairly close to wine country and was zoned for a wine tasting room. They opened the tasting room in March of 2008 and started their wine club “almost out of desperation”.

With winemaker Etienne Cowper guiding his grapes, Buzz was confident he had a quality product. They were the only winery with a tasting room in Old Town for nearly a year. Now there are six with more to come. Buzz and Kimberly have led the way with the Old Town Wine & Dine Walk, two different packages that include a custom logo glass and discounts at various Old Town businesses.

Kimberly and Buzz are devout Catholics. That’s not a detail I would normally include, but their faith plays a huge role in their business. They are active church members and belong to church groups. At the Fall Wine Classic in Yorba Linda, a woman member of their church group told them she wanted to invest with them. She has helped bring them that much closer to their dream of a wine country tasting room and bed & breakfast a reality. They even hope to build a small chapel on the grounds and have it consecrated by a Catholic Bishop so they can hold wedding ceremonies there. They also met football legend Vince Ferragamo through a church member and have not only developed a close relationship with him, but they carry his Libeccio wines in their tasting room. Tesoro, by the way means treasure in Italian. And in Spanish. And in Portuguese. And in Tagalog.

Buzz told me has was looking through some notes he jotted down in high school and in them read he wanted to open a winery and a bed and breakfast. Some dreams do come true. Kimberly tasted me through several of their wines and I was thoroughly impressed by the ‘07 Riesling, the ‘06 Sangiovese, the ‘06 Petite Sirah and their Tribordo non vintage Syrah Port. They have clearly found the right man in Etienne Cowper. God has blessed the Olsons. Recent legislation will alllow them to sell full glasses of wine beginning January 1st, whereas now they are only able to offer tastings. Future plans include expanding their patio. They hope to have the Rancho California Road facility open by the ened of next year. Buzz’ focus is on remaining small, keeping his production under 10,000 cases a year, enough to support their wine club, tasting room and a few restaurants. He wants to provide “the best possible wines grown and produced in Temecula Valley.” More importantly, they’re making new friends every day. I hope you get a chance to experience their hospitality. Follow Tesoro Wines on twitter.

When your grandfather’s name is Gershon Bachus, you have to give serious consideration to entering the wine business. Ken Falik and his wife Christina Lesch decided to do just that, although they took a few detours getting there. They have a marketing company that specializes in creating loyalty programs for businesses as well as brand marketing for luxury products. In 2001 they paid a visit to the Temecula Valley with their staff for a retreat at the Temecula Creek Inn. It was their first visit to Temecula’s wine country and it was love at first sight. They were in awe of how beautiful it was and how much it reminded them of Tuscany where they had been frequent visitors.

They visited every winery they could find. At that point they weren’t sure what they wanted to do, but they knew they wanted to do something here. Several weeks later they found a hillside property on De Portola Road and purchased it, still unsure of what they were going to do with it. They began designing an Italian Villa and had to decide whether they wanted to be farmers, ranchers or winemakers. I think you know how the story turns out. When they made the decision to enter the wine business, they turned to renowned winemaker Mike Tingley for advice and assistance. The first thing they did was name the vineyard after Ken’s grandfather. They then took out trademarks on the name Gershon Bachus as well as ten other Gods, Goddesses and muses to name their varietals and blends. Gershon’s dream was to have a winery. They are now realizing that dream for him.

Christina, Oscar Meyer & Ken

The Faliks received their wine education “one bottle at a time”. They joined “every wine club known to man” in the Napa Valley, buying and drinking $50 – $60 bottles of Cab to figure out what it was they liked and wanted to produce. It took several years from the thought phase to actual execution. What they envisioned was producing a great quality wine out of a region that wasn’t necessarily known for having 90 point wines. They weren’t even sure at the beginning what a 90 point wine was or what it should taste like. Their first release was 2005 Acquilo Cabernet Sauvignon. People thought they were nuts charging $65 for it, but it is a magnificent wine.

Then came more decisions. How often should they open? What should they charge for tastings? At the beginning GBV was an appointment only winery, limited to groups of at least eight people with a high ticket wine tasting. They brought on Joe Vizcaino as apprentice to Mike Tingley and tasting room director. Joe has enrolled in the American Sommelier Association and has his sights set on attaining second level Sommelier status. He convinced Ken and Christina to open the tasting room doors on weekends, and on most Saturdays and Sundays, they are. The exceptions are when they are hosting a wedding or corporate event, or if they just don’t feel like coming in.

Tasting at GBV is a unique experience. It’s one of few “sit down” tasting rooms in the valley. Christina admits to being nosey and wants to engage you in conversation, as does Ken. You could ask him about his car collection. You’ll probably see the purple Prowler or the Bentley if you stop by. Christina would love nothing better then to have a “topic of the day” and have people come in for a lively discussion. The Faliks are proud of their wines and excited about the upcoming estate releases on the near horizon. Their hope is to get all of the wineries in the valley to join them in raising the bar. Each year they choose a charity and pledge a percentage of their proceeds to that charity. This year’s recipient is the American Cancer Society.

Before opening the doors to Gershon Bachus Vintners, Ken and Christina had nothing that was truly theirs from beginning to end. “What more than to plant, grow, market and ultimately sell your dream?” says Christina. You can follow GBV on Facebook and twitter. Make sure you say hi to Oscar Meyer.

“We are in a perfect place to grow grapes. We’ve got sunshine, we’ve got hillsides, proximity to the ocean, the cool breezes and fog and we’ve got low yields.” Ira Gourvitz has plenty to be happy about. It’s harvest time and the fruit is exceptional. His 2007 Sleepy Hollow Vineyard Chardonnay has been awarded the Gold Medal for Best of Region and Best of Class at the California State Fair. His Fallbrook Winery 33° BDX (the barrel code for Bordeaux Blend) is getting rave reviews. His team of winemakers, Duncan Williams and Vernon Kindred are producing exceptional wines.

Ira says the difference between Fallbrook fruit and Temecula fruit is not only Fallbrook’s proximity to the ocean, but the decomposed granite soil that allows his vines to grow thirty feet down. Because of the cool nights and mornings his grapes have more natural acids and he can produce a wine that’s lower in alcohol, allowing the fruit to shine through. The hillside vineyards allow for excellent drainage. Fallbrook Winery is the largest winery in San Diego County. He has 20 of his 36 acres planted now with Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Petite Verdot, Malbec, Sangiovese, Syrah, Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc. There are plans to plant an additional five acres over the next five years.

He’s not afraid to invest money to continue producing a quality product. He recently installed a water monitoring system that has sensors at one, three and ten foot depths. By looking at a computer he can tell how long it takes the water to get to a certain depth. Ira uses both French and American oak barrels with an inventory of 500 barrels and another 200 on the way. At approximately $1,000 per barrel, well, you do the math.

Ira is a gentleman and a gracious host. He gave me a complete tour of the facility, showed me some of the wines they produce for other wineries and then guided me into the tasting room. His pride in the wines he is producing is evident. As he opens a bottle, he delights in telling you where the grapes came from and how the wine went from vine to bottle. His 2008 Rosato Sangiovese Rosée has an exquisite color that come from spending 14 hours on the skin. The nose and mouth feel are heavenly. It’s easy to see how the ‘07 Sleepy Hollow Vineyard Chardonnay fared so well in competition. Aged 14 months and 100% barrel fermented in French and American oak, it’s a wonderful, buttery Chard. The ‘08 Monterey County Sauvignon Blanc presents classic flavors of grapefruit and tangerine with a touch of passion fruit. The reds shine. His 33° series of wine refers to the 33rd parallel, roughly the south of France. These 100% estate grown wines are incredible, the ‘07 Sangiovese has intense flavors partially due to the fact that juice for the Rosato Rosée was taken out, leaving less liquid on the same amount of skins. He is especially pleased with the ‘07 Merlot, aged 21 months in French oak. It has intense color, a wonderful nose, great fruit and a lingering finish. The ‘07 Clone 4 Cabernet Sauvignon is a complex wine and promises to become more magnificent with age. The Syrah and BDX (Bordeaux blend) were also great examples of the varietals.

After tasting, we went upstairs to the fermentation room where the merlot was in tubs in the midst of the “punch down” process. Ira gets photo credit as he puts me to work. We visited with Vern and Duncan and did a bit of barrel tasting

Ira’s first granddaughter is named Gracie Hill, and one of his vineyards bears her name. His Taylor Ranch vineyards will soon be renamed Mela vineyards after his other granddaughter. After touring and tasting, Ira invited me to join him at his newly completed home for a sandwich and some wine. His home is magnificent with a panoramic view that includes his vineyards and winery. We had a relaxed visit and it’s been a pleasure getting to know this gentleman.

Fallbrook Vineyards is available by appointment. You can call them at (760) 728-0156. Don’t be surprised if Ira answers the phone.

Ira, Vern & Duncan

After spending nearly three hours with Bill Wilson, I have a much clearer understanding of how Wilson Creek grew to become the player it is today in the Temecula Valley. It’s a fascinating story. We sat in Bill’s office – a table outside near the tasting room on a beautiful autumn morning. He told me he was facing a mid-life crisis in the mid ’90s. He had spent 13+ years in the financial industry and it just wasn’t fulfilling. After trying a few other ventures that didn’t pan out, he asked his best friend what he should do and his friend advised him to open a winery. Having just returned from the Temecula Valley, his friend had met a winery owner who wanted out of the business and was willing to carry paper. Bill’s dad Gerry was getting ready to sell their home in Pasadena and move to Santa Barbara. After discussing things with Bill, he agreed Temecula was a better option. He then called his brother, an ordained minister in Sacramento and asked what he thought of the idea. His brother responded by reminding him what Jesus’ first miracle was. He saw no problem with the idea at all. When he approached his sister who lived in Solvang, she said that she traveled with a suitcase of wine glasses. Her only question was… why Temecula? After doing some research, Bill came up with five reasons:

1. There were only thirteen wineries at the time.
2. The land was affordable.
3. People were making good wine there.
4. The location was good, close to both San Diego and Los Angeles.
5. It offered more of a lifestyle change than an income opportunity.

With the family on board, they bought the property. At the time it was nothing but grapevines. There was no electricity, no buildings and the gardens below were used as an illegal dump site. Bill listed his qualifications for starting a winery. He liked wine and they knew how to throw a pretty good party. The path to getting the doors open was strewn with roadblocks. The Wilsons didn’t come from deep pockets and the wine industry is an expensive game. They did it on what Bill calls a “pauper’s nickel”. They borrowed money from friends and family, phone calls he says were the hardest they’ve ever had to make. “We did beg”. At that time, Bill says, “it was so bad that for lunch we had peanut butter sandwiches and for dinner we had the luxury of putting jelly on them.”  When they did finally open, that made them appreciate what they had that much more and made them willing to work that much harder to run a successful business. They didn’t just say to their first customers “come on in” they said “THANK YOU”. “We were real people starting something that real people don’t start. We were too stupid to know better, yet smart enough to get it to work out.”

As their grand opening approached on the Y2K New Year’s Eve, they wanted to come up with something different. Bill’s wife, Jennifer, wanted something “unusual and fantastic”. They asked a producer if they had anything unique. When they got the first samples, nothing jumped out at them. Again they asked for something different. The producer told them they were working on something they thought would be a winner and asked if they wanted to try it. Shortly afterward they received the first batch of Almond Champagne and fell in love with it. After tweaking the recipe, they ordered 10 cases thinking that would last them a while. It sold out in four hours. Bill’s reaction? “Holy #!@&!” They then ordered a palette. That lasted six days. Wilson Creek’s Almond Champagne put them on the map. Bill likes to say they took wine tasting off the snob shelf and made it fun again.

Wilson Creek’s growth has been meteoric; so much so that it’s made it very difficult to keep up with demand. They know they can’t compete on price with the big discounters, so what they offer is an experience you can’t get anywhere else. They make an effort to go the extra step. If you don’t see Bill, you’re likely to run into his mom and dad, Gerry and Rosie, or his wife, brother, sister, brother-in-law or sister-in-law. They all work at Wilson Creek. Bill knows it’s critical to have something that differentiates you from the rest of the field. In Wilson Creek’s case, the “it” factor is family.

Last year they opened The Creekside Grill. Bill said the kitchen wasn’t designed to be a restaurant kitchen, yet they keep putting out amazing food. He calls it the “little kitchen that could”. We had a delicious lunch and I mentioned how big the portions were. He said they’d rather spend a little more money and give you enough so you can take something home rather than risk having you be disappointed by a meager serving. The restaurant affords them flexibility and the opportunity to provide better events. They brought winemaker Etienne Couper on board in 2007 and he is overseeing his third harvest. With Couper making their wines, Bill says they’ve gone from hit or miss to a home run every time. His goal was to provide him with a facility worthy of his skills as a winemaker. Most of their wine comes from grapes grown on the estate: Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel, Merlot, Mourvedre, Viognier, Muscat, Syrah, Petite Sirah, Petit Verdot and Grenache. I tasted across the board and was duly impressed by by the overall quality of the wines. You’ll see Bill’s sense of humor, too, in their Pinot Noir/Mourvedre blend Pinot-Mour and their You Bet Shiraz. Say them out loud.

Bill feels confident that the key players are in place, but you won’t find him resting on his laurels. “When your name is on the marquee and you’re here, hearing it firsthand from customers that aren’t afraid to tell you good or bad, it takes a toll on you.” He never wants to lose the personal touch, but as the winery grows it becomes increasingly difficult. Bill is striving to find a balance, managing time spent at work, with family and his personal life. “I’m selling a product that provides enjoyment to people and as long as people are happy I want to be here to experience it along with them. I’m very blessed they pay me for that. We appreciate what we have here and and we want to share that with everybody – and have everybody appreciate it as much as we do. That’s the key to our success.”