On Saturday morning, Laura and I joined our new friend DeAnna Morrison for breakfast at the Cowgirl Cafe downtown. We had a full day of wine tasting ahead of us, so a hearty breakfast was in order.

We had our handy bible with us, so while we were enjoying our breakfast, we mapped out our day. We decided the first stop would be at Brian Benson Cellars. As his blurb states “I’m the only employee, I’ll be there to enjoy them with you”. Sure enough, Brian was behind the counter and we had a nice visit while tasting his phenomenal wines. His ‘05 rated a WOW from me, and the ‘06 Zin got an OMG. His total production is less than 1,000 cases a year. By the way, Brian is 26 on has been making wine since he was a little boy. His folks, who have Dark Star Cellars next door, gave all their children little barrels at an early age and had them try their hand at making wine. Brian took right to it and actually had to wait until he turned 21 to open the doors and release his first vintage.

This also gave us an opportunity to make good use of our Wine Country Outings Journals. DeAnna came up with this clever idea, which gives you entry spots for 32 “outings” with room to make notes of which wineries you visited, which wines you drank and what you thought of them. You can also get them stamped like passports at participating wineries who also offer free tastings with the journal, so it’s a great investment at $19.99.

Our next stop was simple. We walked through the door into the tasting room of Dark Star Cellars. Norm and Susan Benson are Brian’s parents. They produce around 3,000 cases annually. Norm is the winemaker and he produces Bordeaux and Rhone blends and stand alone varietals. The ‘06 Zin and ‘05 Merlot got high marks for me and I thought the ‘05 Ricordati (Cab Sauv, Merlot, Cab Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot) was outstanding. Ricordati is Italian for “always remember” and is dedicated to the memory of those who have left our lives. Norm learned the business by working in wineries and is a hands on winemaker.

We stayed on the west side of 101 on went just a bit down to road to Caliza Winery. Carl Bowker is the winemaker and I have to say he flat out makes one of the finest Syrahs I have ever tasted. The ‘06 is simply a masterpiece. We also thoroughly enjoyed his ‘06 Azimuth blend. Carl says his wines are like his children and it’s hard for him to pick a favorite.

DeAnna had never been to Fratelli Perata, so it was our turn to show her one of our favorite places. When you visit Fratelli Perata, odds are pretty good you’ll find Carol Perata behind the tasting counter. Carol is a delight. She’s as low key and down to earth as they come and she pours one outstanding wine after the next. We tasted eight wines on our visit, loving the Super Tuscan “Bambino Grande” and the ‘05 Sangiovese. Their just released ‘07 Zin has hints of nutmeg and is delicious.

If the name Terry Hoage rings a bell with you, you may remember him from his years as a safety in the NFL, where he spent time with the 49ers, Oilers and Cardinals. Nowadays, Terry and his wife Jennifer are the hands on winemakers and owners of Terry Hoage Vineyards. Terry developed a taste for fine wine during his time on the road and he and Jennifer are making some very tasty wines of their own. They have 17 1/2 acres and everything is estate grown. The ‘08 “Bam Bam” rose is full of strawberries and we enjoyed the ‘06 “The Hedge” Syrah and ‘06 “5 Blocks” blend as well. The wines all bear names that reference Terry’s playing days.

It was nearing 4:00 and it was definitely time for a bite of food. We headed south to the Templeton Market & Deli and had some of their scrumptious deli sandwiches. From there it was east to Creston where our first stop was August Ridge Vineyards. The Templeton and Creston areas are magnificent, with plenty of open land. As you head up the driveway to August Ridge, you’re struck by its austere beauty. In the tasting room we met owner and winemaker John Backer. Wife Jill was tending to a sick child. The tasting room has been open for two years and is very comfortable. Arneis is a white varietal you don’t often see and we found the ‘08 vintage to be a tasty and complex wine. He also poured the ‘06 Nebbiolo, a classic Italian varietal and the ‘06 Sangiovese. We were impressed by both. At that point, John pulled out his thief and we did some barrel tasting: ‘07 Sangiovese (needs more time in the barrel) and the ‘07 Cab (shaping up very nicely). We also fell in love with the ‘06 Barbera and ‘05 Sangiovese.

We weren’t done yet. Our next to last stop was at Cass Winery. We found Steve and son Bryan Cass sitting at a table on the patio and we joined them for a tasting and a visit. Steve’s tasting room is incredible. There’s a full kitchen and the entrance into the barrel room is made to the exact proportions of a wine barrel. On a visit to South Africa, Steve was struck by the quality of the wines he tasted, and he wound up hiring a South African winemaker, Lood Kotze. Chef Jacob Lovejoy prepares lunch from noon to four and is on hand to cater special events. All of the wines at Cass are 100% estate grown. We tasted the ‘08 Viognier, Roussane and Oasis Rose as well as the ‘06 Syrah, thge ‘06 Rockin’ One Syrah, Mourvedre, Petite Sirah and Grenache blend and the ‘06 Cab Franc and Cab Sauv. Lood makes some very tasty wines and you can’t beat the setting at Cass.

From there it was time to head back to Paso for Pear Valley’s charter member wine club party. Tom & Kathleen Maas opened Pear Valley Vineyards earlier this year and they have done a sensational job. The tasting room is elegant, contemporary, spacious and light. They are producing fine wines, with their first vintages of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and their “Distraction” blend showing tremendous potential. There was a good sized group on hand and we all enjoyed the wines accompanied by a delicious dinner. Add Pear Valley to your list of Paso place to see on your next visit. Coming up, the last day of our unforgettable visit.

Beginning yesterday and running every 3rd Saturday through September is Fallbrook’s Wine & “A Bite” Art Walk. Fallbrook is a short and easy drive from Temecula and its downtown is absolutely charming. There were five stops with art on display, food from local restaurants and Fallbrook Winery wines.

First up was Brandon Gallery, where we saw magnificent work from local artists while we drank Fallbrook Merlot and ate Chicken Cilantro from La Caseta. What fascinated us was the “art by the inch”. Several area artists contributed to an enormous mural that is being sold in pieces for $1 an inch. Choose from different sized mattes, select the piece you want to buy and then come back for the “cutting” on June 27th. It’s an innovative method the gallery has created to raise funds.

Next stop was the Fallbrook School of the Arts, with a chance to see students at work. The sculpture studio next door was also open with artists on hand talking about their work. We were both astounded by the number of artists in Fallbrook and by how good their work is. We nibbled on shrimp ceviche and beef flautas from Rio Rico and drank Fallbrook Winery’s Cabernet Sauvignon. Laura was so impressed she’s going to be signing up for classes.

We walked back down to the Village Square and enjoyed sushi from Pala Mesa Resort and pizza and cannoli from the Sweet Sicilian Bakery, the latter served in adorable little pizza boxes, paired with Sauvignon Blanc from Fallbrook Winery. Artist Jan Lee Lumkin demonstrated her oil painting techniques.

We crossed the street and walked down to the Pinnell Gallery. Artist Richard Stergultz was painting a portrait from a photograph. I overheard someone asking him who his subject was and he replied that he didn’t know. He just saw his face on the internet. One of the sous chefs from  Pala Casino Resort & Spa was serving prime rib with lobster medallions, crab claws and shrimp, which was paired with Fallbrook’s Chardonnay.

Our final stop (thank goodness, we were getting stuffed from the “bites” and we had dinner reservations) was at the Fallbrook Art Center. The 13th Annual Gourd and Fiber Fine Art Show was underway, and the work was magnificent. Several artists were on hand working on projects and answering questions from visitors. The Lace Apron served pulled pork sliders with mac ‘n cheese bites. With that we drank Fallbrook’s White Zinfandel.

It was an excellent event and we look forward to return visits throughout the summer. If you haven’t discovered Fallbrook yet, stop by. I think you’ll love it.

Old Town Temecula is fast becoming a wine destination all its own. The newest face on the landscape belongs to Temecula Hills at Villa di Calabro, a collaboration between friends a long time in the making. Steve and Valerie Andrews started Temecula Hills Winery in 1996. They are longtime friends of Mike and Mindy Calabro and for years have wanted to do a joint venture. Last year, the dream became a reality when they found the location for their tasting room, a beautiful 1927 era building in Old Town Temecula. Steve’s sister, Cathy McClain, was selling real estate in Arizona, heard about the opportunity and stepped in to “save the day”. You feel as if you’ve stepped back in time when you enter. The main room features the wine tasting bar and a lounge area. In back is the olive oil tasting bar. Out back is a lovely and spacious patio.

Cathy McClain

Steve not only makes excellent wines, but he’s a skilled carpenter as well. You’ll see his handiwork throughout the tasting room. He built the bar and the cabinets and he and Mike did the entire renovation themselves. Cathy and Mindy are on hand to greet you most days and in  the evenings you’re likely to find Mike, Steve or Valerie or all of them there. Steve and Valerie’s entry into wine-making was in their blood. Valerie’s dad, Ed Snyder, switched from the grocery business to opening a chain of liquor stores in 1960. At that time, there were only thirty wineries in the entire state. When the demand for boutique wines began in the 70s, Ed did his homework and started stocking his stores with wines from wineries producing less than 10,000 cases annually. It’s was Ed’s enthusiasm for wine that prompted them to open their first winery and they honor his memory with their Ed’s Red blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Syrah.

You’ll find all of Steve’s Temecula Hill wines in the new tasting room: Viognier, Grenache Blanc, Muscat Canelli, Sangiovese, Cinsault, Estate Syrah, Ed’s Red, Tempranillo, Sparkling Raspberry Viognier and Port. Steve’s enthusiasm for his wines is infectious. As I was writing this story, I called to double check on what they were pouring. He convinced me to come taste the newly released 2006 Tempranillo and Sangiovese. Both bare a bit “tight” as they are freshly bottled, but it’s evident they will become superior wines in short order. Steve told me he thinks his new Tempranillo is better than the ‘04 which won two golds and a silver.

When I visited, Steve was still there, but had to take off for a wedding at Oak Mountain. I joined another couple for one of Mike’s olive oil and vinegar tastings. Mike was Wilson Creek’s winemaker for several years. A few years back, he “borrowed” Mindy’s credit card to buy an Italian olive oil press and while at Wilson Creek, he began making his own olive oil.Today, he offers several varieties, including flavored oils with real Meyer lemon, orange, lime, basil, rosemary, garlic and jalapeno. The tasting come with chunks of fresh bread and conclude with his vinegars: balsamic, fig, champagne, apple and pear. He also offers a Temecula Dipping Oil. All are delicious. Villa di Calabro is pouring three wines – Sparkling Muscat, Super Tuscan (my favorite) and Villa White. The skills he honed at Wilson Creek shine through.

When I visited with Cathy and Mindy, they emphasized how their focus is on their customers. They want people who walk in the door to feel as if they’re at a party at a friend’s house. As Cathy says “one team, one dream”. They all compliment each other. The tasting room is open seven days a week and in just under three months their traffic has quadrupled. Future plans include staying open later and offering live jazz. They’ll be opening a commercial kitchen and offering food soon. Check out Cathy’s nails…

Mindy

Laura and I went to San Diego last night to hear one of our favorite bands, the subdudes. Led by Tommy Malone and John Magnie, they’re a mix of cajun, soul, folk and rock. Do yourself a favor and go see them if you get the chance. Their instrumentation is unique, to say the least. They started with guitar, bass, accordion and two tambourines. At times the bass player switched to guitar while one of the percussionists played bass. At one point, there were two bass players. For their encore they came into the audience and performed without microphones. You could have heard a pin drop.

anthology is a wonderful venue for live music. There are videos playing of previous perfomances on multiple screens. The menu covers are made from Taylor Guitars’ wood. There’s an extensive wine list. The wine cellar goes literally from floor to ceiling in a stainless and glass enclosure. There’s a tall ladder handy to reach the upper shelves. If you’re looking for live music and great food and wine in San Diego, check out anthology.

Laura and I have visited Paso Robles seven times in just over a year. Each visit has been unique, and I have to say this was one of the best visits yet. The wineries we visited were superb, and we made a new friend, DeAnna Morrison.

On our first afternoon, we visited Villicana Winery for the first time. We tasted six wines, and as far as I know, it’s the only time we’ve purchased every wine we tasted at a winery. They were all that good. I made arrangements to come back and visit Alex Villicana the following day. The winery is owned and operated by Alex and his wife Monica. He’s been around the area for quite some time now. In 1993 he released his first vintage, 200 cases of Cabernet Sauvignon through Creston Winery, which was at the time owned by Alex Trebek of Jeopardy fame.

He commuted from Los Angeles for nine years and during that period did a lot of research, discovering what varieties did well in which regions. He grew fond of Adelaida Road, close enough to town, but with a very rural feel to it. They purchased the 71 acres on which they are now located and opened their tasting room in 2002. He has 13 acres in production growing Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Zinfandel, Mourvedre, Grenache, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Viognier.

The soil on Alex’s property is shale based as opposed to calcareous, giving the fruit a lower ph. He produces 2,00 cases annually, give or take, and has a yield of two to two and a half tons per acre. He buys from four different vineyards, complimenting his grapes. Alex tends the vineyards and makes the wine while Monica sees to the rest. Villicana is truly a mom and pop operation. He prides himself on small lot, handcrafted wines, and picks the barrels that go into each lot.

Alex shared a funny story with me. They opened the tasting room the weekend after April 15th, 2002. A group of accountants scheduled a visit to the winery. He told the bus driver not to come up the driveway because the bus couldn’t make the turn. The bus driver didn’t believe him, went ahead and tried it and got stuck. He wound up with a tasting room full of very happy accountants for several hours. If you visit Paso Robles, do yourself a favor and pay a visit to Villicana Winery. It’s one of our new favorites.

The 26th Annual Temecula Valley Balloon & Wine Festival has come and gone. This event takes places the 1st weekend of June each year and seems to draw bigger crowds each time. The weather was ideal this year… not too hot and the fog lifted early enough for the balloons to get off the ground. Saturday and Sunday food and wine were showcased in the Food & Wine Pairing tent. Some of the best chefs the area has to offer, including Thornton Winery, D’Canters, and Raviolis showed off their stuff. Alex Prestifilippo from Gourmet Italia and chef Fabrizio prepared Saturday’s entree – thinly sliced sliced eggplant wrapped around cappelini in a marina sauce with crostini – and Alex was gracious enough to introduce WINEormous to the participants. If you haven’t been to the Balloon & Wine Festival yet, why not make plans to attend next year?

When people talk about Keyways Winery, you often hear mentioned that it’s the only woman owned winery in Southern California. That’s true, but there’s a lot more to Keyways than that. Keyways has been around since 1989 when Carl Key first opened the doors. Terri Pebley purchased the winery in 2004 and set out to leave her signature on it. The winery has undergone tremendous transformations inside and out. The tasting room is welcoming and very majestic, with a large fireplace and big easy chairs that invite you to make yourself comfortable.

One of the changes Terri made was to bring winemaker Mike Tingley aboard. Mike started his tenure at Keyways three years ago, but he’s no newcomer to making wine. Mike is self-taught. He started in the industry at Callaway Winery in 1980 and then moved to Cilurzo (now Bella Vista) in 1983. In 1986 he moved down the road to Maurice Car’rie and Van Roekel (now La Cereza) and spent the next 18 years there perfecting his craft. Mike has a clear love for making quality wine. He supervises the eight acres planted on the property: two each of Grenache, Tempranillo, Rousanne and Viognier and sets out to makes the finest possible wines he can.

Mike showed me around the property and we went into the barrel room and looked around his lab. I learned the only piece of equipment a California winery is required by law to have is an ebulliometer, which measures the amount of alcohol in the wine. He gives Carl Key a lot of credit. Not only does the winery bear his name, but he was one of the pioneers of the Temecula Valley wine-making effort. Mike shares the same philosophy as many winemakers I have visited with. The wines you produce are only as good as the grapes you have to work with. You can make a great wine out of great fruit, but you can’t make a good wine out of poor fruit. Mike thinks some winemakers take too much credit and he considers himself more of a “wine custodian” than a  wine maker. He feels it’s his job to guide the grapes as they become wine.  Mike told me you just need to try things, that some thing that might not work “on paper” work just fine in the real world. He believes this micro-climate is ideal for Zinfandel and Syrah, and he’d like to see more of those varietals planted here. He’d love to be involved a carefully chosen selection of Zinfandel and Syrah clones and then making a blend from the best of the grapes.

Mimi Halan is Keyways Operations Manager. You can see the fire in her eyes. She just plain loves her job. She started her career at South Coast Winery and came on board just over a year ago. She and Terri bonded immediately. Her vision for Keyways is to offer something you won’t find anywhere else. To that end she has launched Piano Bar Fridays with different local pianists, paired with wine and dinner available if you so desire. Brand new is the Kezza menu on the weekends with quick and easy pizzas, a live pasta station and salads that pair well with wines. In August she’s planning a Beach Party Bingo complete with beach babes and bums. She wants their wine club to offer value to its members. There’s not a set selection, instead, members get to choose the wines they receive. She and Terri both find it hard to justify charging customers more than they would pay at their local market, so most of Keyways’ wines are available at the winery only. Her hope is that you will enjoy the experience enough that you’ll want to stay around for a while. As far as hiring winery employees, she has one priority – you’ve got to have heart.

Terri wasn’t in the day I visited, so I arranged to visit with her a few days later. Terri’s a gracious woman, a terrific host who makes you feel right at home at her winery. She’s clearly proud of her accomplishments, but you won’t find her resting on her laurels. When you visit Keyways, there’s a very good chance you’ll find her there.