Lori and I were just in California and visited wineries on the Central Coast. Here are some wineries we visited and wines we bought.
Paso Robles
- Turley
We liked the Juvenile and bought a bottle for a party we were going to. It blew us away. It was much better than when we sampled it.
- Juvenile 2006
- Old Vines 2006
- Terry Hoage
Terry Hoage was my favorite vineyard and I ended up buying 6 bottles there.
- L'Aventure
- Jada
Jada was Lori's favorite vineyard and my second favorite. Their specialty is a Rhone Valley wine: lots of syrah, mourvedre, and grenache. The Hell's Kitchen is fabulous.
- Jersey Girl 2005
- Hell's Kitchen 2006
- Denner
Mourvedre 2006 - Linne Calodo
San Luis Obispo
- Saucelito Canyon Vineyard
Zinfandel 2006, Arroyo Grande Valley - Piedra Creek
The Piedra Creek visit comes with a story. We had not intended to go there, but started to take recommendations from other vineyards, based on the description we provided of what we liked. The people at Saucelito Canyon recommended we call Piedra Creek for a tasting. We drove over and sat on their house's back porch where Margaret poured us samples. The atmosphere was very personal and pleasant. The owners have been making wine for 25 years and been married for 56, if I recall.
The Zin Santo is very sweet -- more of a dessert wine because of an accident in the sugar level. Highly recommended.
- San Floriano 2006
- Zin Santo 2005
- Domain Albert
Margarita Vineyards Syrah 2006
If you are visiting San Luis Obispo, you have to eat at Novo Restaurant. The food and wines are spectacular. The outdoor patio is set under broad trees on a deck beside a creek.
Update 2008-11-07: almost forgot a special purchase we made. We bought a case of Panza claret 2004 (sold out) from Quixote Winery in Napa.
I think the Central Coast doesn't get as much respect as it deserves as a wine producing region. Napa and Sonoma definitely deserve the attention, but the quality from the central coast is far superior to the overhyped stuff coming out of New York and elsewhere.