Steve & John Thornton

In my last post I reflected on the incredible events that have happened in the few months since we launched WINEormous. I had intended that to be an all-encompassing story, but what has happened to us in the Temecula Valley alone deserves its own focus. WINEormous began as a concept. It would be a blog with stories focusing on wineries and the people who make them run – owners, winemakers, pourers, folks on the bottling line, all of them. We are blessed that there is so much material in our own backyard. At last count there were more than thirty wineries in the valley with more on the way. I’ve written about seventeen of them, so I have my work cut out for me.

When you’re new, you start with a blank canvas. Getting your foot in the door can be a daunting proposition. Linda Kissam was instrumental in opening many, many doors for us. She now serves as executive director of the Fallbrook Area Visitor’s Bureau and is the former executive director of the Temecula Valley Winegrowers Association. When I first approached her about lining up interviews with some of her clients, she delivered in a big way. I thank Linda for setting up stories about Thornton, Orfila, Keyways, Oak Mountain, Temecula Hills, Villa di Calabro, Briar Rose, Ponte, Tesoro and Fallbrook Wineries for me. I have her to thank for putting me in touch with Vine Times magazine, a publication for which I now contribute. She arranged for me to attend a luncheon with members of the International Food Wine and Travel Writers Association of which I am now a member. I’ll be joining Linda this coming Saturday for Read more »

“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

It’s harvest time, the crush is on and life in the vineyards is extremely busy. I visited Thornton Winery for their first crush of the year last month. Crush at a large winery like Thornton is a big deal, involving several tons of grapes. Last week Laura and I were invited by some Fallbrook growers to help pick their Syrah grapes and join in  their harvest celebration. I become involved with this group when  I Met Bob Howard at Fallbrook Winery a few months ago, and they are a tight-knit group that are always there for each other.

Mike and Tricia Hoffman own Live Oak Vineyards and have three acres of Syrah grapes that they planted in 2006. We arrived at 7:00am, armed with gloves, clippers and hats. Mother Nature was kind enough to provide us with a cloud cover to keep it cool. We were done picking in just about an hour.

There was a bit of disappointment when the harvest weighed in at under 250 pounds, but that’s the hand fate deals you sometimes. The fruit was beautiful and the juice we tasted was nectar sweet. Friends and neighbors shared several bottles of locally hand crafted wine and some delicious food and looked ahead to next year’s crop.

Mrs. WINEormous (Laura)

Mike Hoffman

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.