Still Waters Vineyards is
about far SE as you can go and Paso Robles is still the address. There Paul and
Patty Hoover watch over 60 acres of vines planted to Bordeaux and Rhone
varieties. They sell much of the crop and, for the past decade, have produced a
few thousand cases for their own label. Paul is a self taught wine maker but no
novice to agriculture, having started farming and marketing his own produce at
age six! His Cal Poly SLO degree is an ag related business management degree. With
that sheepskin in hand he of course went off into the lodging business. While
running the San Luis Bay Inn, the restaurant was a Wine Spectator top 100 wine
list and Paul had an allowance for wine sampling in his budget. He decided not
to neglect that line item and developed his love of wine from the consumption
side.
His hotel/food & beverage career mirrors mine in some
respects and wine lists I've done for clients have also won awards from Spectator. In discussing this, we also
discovered a mutual love of golf - another business with which I've had some
acquaintance. Eventually, we got around to his wines. He was pouring Sauvignon
Blanc, a four grape white blend and Merlot which I enjoyed while he explained
his approach to winemaking.
Still Waters picks over a prolonged period, generally
exceeding a month's time. In part this is to return to the same blocks and
glean just the level of ripeness he is looking for, which vary significantly
even with close proximity. It also gives him a feel for where in the cycle the
grapes are at. He can communicate that to his fruit buyers to aid them in
getting what they want for their own style of wine.
Another difference is his use of all new French oak for all
his wines - not fermentation but a short time in barrel, around three months,
to round out the flavors. He then converts those gently used vessels into his
red wine production the following year - using extended time in wood that has
the edge of new taken off. At that point he starts over, selling off the
barrels. An interesting and not inexpensive approach that I think you will
appreciate.
If you stop by the winery, you will enjoy far reaching
vistas to the coastal range, gardens and picnic areas. For the Zin Fest weekend
they will be open from 11 - 5 each day. Friday will feature special case
pricing on Zinfandel, new release wines, tours, olive oil and barrel samplings.
Saturday will get you a bowl of White Lightning Chili with jalapeno corn bread
paired with a new Zin release and live music. Paul will host a blending party
on Sunday and you can join in a group and try for the winning blend. Tasting
and voting will happen after a BBQ lunch. Cost is $35 with wine club discounts
and does require an RSVP.
Darren and Angela Mitchell are the business team at Mitchella Vineyards & Winery , a lovely little property formerly
owned by his father, just off W46 on the east side of Paso Robles. Five years
ago they built a house among the vines to replace the mobile home they'd lived
in since planting the vineyard in 1997. Darren shares a trait with many winery
owners, a serious turn in the career path somewhere behind him. Headed for the
stock trade, he decided he didn't like sales. Now, that might not be ideal for
someone that ended up with a highly competitive product to sell but then, he
does have a marketing degree. I think, for you corporate types, there's an
inside joke here.
Originally from the area, Mitchell met Angela (with a pair
of degrees of her own) in the late 80s and they moved to Heritage Oaks after
getting married. None of their combined education involved the wine industry
but they were practical. When their taste in wine exceeded their budget they
became home winemakers. Even their friends thought it was tasty so they entered
a contest and won, two years running.
Then (and now) Darren ran a oil rig machinery company so it
makes perfect sense that, with a couple of homemade wine medals, he and she
should start a real winery. They have and under their theme, "Life's an
adventure, drink wine", it has been well received. They specialize in
small lots of estate wines including Zinfandel and a Malbec poured at the
event.
Mitchella will participate in the March Zin Weekend if you'd
like to try their version of the grape or the blends they produce from it,
paired with artisan cheeses. Open all three days from 10 - 5, new releases will
be featured as well as their red and white Port style wines. The outdoor door
pizza oven will be fired up for four gourmet styles of 'za and Sea Breeze
cupcakes are suggested with the ports. Mention seeing the winery in the
Festival brochure for a 10% discount on purchases. The tasting package is $10
or free to club members.
In terms of the Central Coast, there aren't many wineries
west of the coastal mountains. None that I'm aware of in Monterey County, a
handful around Cambria and a few more scattered down Highway 1 beach towns and
the little group of urban Santa Barbara (the city) producers. Most of them
source grapes from farther inland. Cayucos
Cellars is one of those
off the beaten wine trail.
There, on an old family ranch, Stuart and Laura Selkirk and
their additions to generations of the clan have made use of an old dairy barn
by turning it into a winery. That may have been a bit easier than for most.
Stuart is a general contractor by trade and winemaker by curiosity. In 1983 he saw
the neighbor with a load of grapes in his truck. "What are you
doing", he asked. "Making wine", the reply.
Why not? The guy next door was by way of a Swiss family
who'd made wine. If you want wine you can just make some Selkirk was told. Then
he was asked to help make some and got hooked. Learning how it was done by the
hands on method, he started making Zinfandel, then some Pinot Noir and next
came Cabernet. All done with native yeasts, which has remained his method ever
since. He recalls spending two or three thousand dollars in 1995, making five
barrels, most of which was given away. Growth has taken that production up
twenty times! Yet, at 500 barrels, it still qualifies for the garagiste level
in terms of quantity. But few of that group have a winery, let alone tasting
room, of their own.
Stuart claims his attachment to wild yeast is just the way
he learned and only later found out you could buy strains of yeast to use.
There are few others in the region that use the yeast already found on the
fruit for fermentation but those that do swear it makes a positive impact.
Selkirk has found he isn't that fond of what commercial yeasts bring to wines
he's tried and finds a fullness of flavor that he prefers in his method.
The wines at Cayucos Cellars are aged in neutral oak for
prolonged periods; whites are in wood for three years and reds get as much as
six. Holding your inventory for such aging is rare in the wine business. Stuart
finds this important to releasing wines with age but are ready to drink versus
wines that the consumer needs to lay down for years to see their potential. Of
the wines he offered at the Vino tasting,
I found they met his description. One was a Zin with nearly 17% alcohol. While
it still showed soft tannins, it had none of the heat that you might expect,
was fermented nearly bone dry but had very forward fruit flavors.
You may well enjoy the results of this approach to
winemaking. Consider combining a beach town run with a visit. They will be open
for Zinfandel Weekend fun from 11 - 5:30 all three days. Saturday will have
hours extended from 6 - 10 PM to host a Weekend Kickoff Party that includes a
vertical tasting of their Zinfandels, dinner, dancing and live music. Call them
at 805-995-3036 for pricing and reservations. The Cayucos and Morro Bay swim
programs will benefit from the proceeds. Friday through Sunday will include new
release tastings and special pricing if you mention "Corgi", the
secret word. BBQ'd oysters are on the Sunday menu, get your taste of Zin and slide
one down.
I should mention that all of these wineries have web sites,
just Google the name. Contact information and hours of operation can be found
there. Several are not open daily or the same hours shown for the festival
weekend. All but Ranchero are PRWA members, so that is another source for
details and links to individual sites. Festival specifics can also be found
there.
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