There has
been so much to write about over the past few weeks there has been no time to
actually do the writing. The previous piece about upcoming CABs of Distinction,
Paso Robles Wine Fest and the International Chardonnay Symposium have all now
taken place and yours truly made them all.
I don't do frequent recaps of done deals but this particular
group is worthy of an after action report. Especially if you have not been
involved but might wish to consider attendance in the future. The CABs (Cabernet & Bordeaux) event
was a two part gathering. The first was a public tasting on the weekend and
then a trade and media section on three days the following week. Out of town, I
missed the big tasting and the kick off barrel sampling on day one. The
feedback on both was positive from a crowd of wine writers, sommeliers,
restaurant owners and hospitality types and bloggers with a wine focus. Hopefully
this will translate into getting the word out on the quality of Cabernet
Sauvignon and related Bordeaux varietals made in the Paso Robles area. SOMM JOURNAL magazine was a major backer
of this event (and Chardonnay Symposium below) and imported Court of Master
Sommeliers members from around the country. It was interesting to hear how wine
list determiners viewed offerings from the Paso region be they in NYC or LA.
Several of the two dozen wineries in the CABs group offered
various programs on the final day. I attended a blending at Brecon Estate (http://breconestate.com),
aimed at deciding the future bottlings of their Reserve Cabernet and Bordeaux
blend. Lucky for me, I was the only one who picked that session. Having done this
in the past, getting one on one time with owner/ winemaker Damian Grindley and
his wife Amanda, an untitled(?) but busy co-worker was a treat. Working with
several selected barrels of Cabernet from the estate and other local growers
including some York Mountain AVA juice, we first worked on the Reserve and then
added other grapes to the blend. I was especially fond of the Petite Verdot
which became a small but important addition to the final product. Great fun, as
was trying to decipher English as spoken by a Welshman.
Then it was off to Vina Robles for a comparison of wines
coming from the same grape but grown in various vineyards in the sub AVAs.
Three each of Cabernet and Petite Verdot, which gave me four different AVA
tastes of the later and five of Cabernet plus that from the stand alone York
Mountain AVA. Winemaker Kevin Willenborg led us through the comparison. One
interesting comment regarding the Petite
Verdot was how higher temperatures in the vineyards being used, vs. Bordeaux,
softened the tannins. This made the wine more approachable than the Euro
version and more useful for being a larger component of local Bordeaux blends.
Our group included retail, publishing and other sommeliers in the mix leading
to lively discussion and a nice final experience for CABs week. I look forward
to a similar gathering next year.
Next up,
the Paso Robles Wine Fest weekend.
This was the 33rd version of this Paso Robles Wine Country Alliance's major
annual event. With about 250 participating wineries, there was plenty to do,
spread all over the eleven sub-AVAs in the region. Wineries held many special
events with food and music to go with your wine. Winemaker dinners at both
downtown restaurants and the actual wineries, the Reserve & Grand tastings,
educational sessions and auctions were just some of the good times.
After a bit of an organization stumble dealing with crowd
control for the main tasting last year, the staff at PRWCA took hard look at
prior planning for 2015. I note that part of the issue last year was really
those in the crowd, many of whom got into the early entry line without the
proper ticket and became a hurdle. Job well done goes to the fix provided. The
security team vetted the tickets, did the purse search etc. whenever you
arrived and used a simple stamp instead of wrist bands. Versus the half hour it
took to gain entry to the park last year, the solution provided a five or fewer
minutes from gate to wine in a glass. Brilliant!
Other new and improved features were expansion of the space,
moving the music stage, food trucks inside the venue and a dedicated picnic
area. A huge hit was the pre-packed lunch offerings from several local
restaurants. For $10 you got a complete to go (each provider had a set item you
could review) and a souvenir "keep cool" carry bag. I was surprised
to see how many people took advantage of the idea and surveyed several of them.
Thumbs up from all. See you at the 34th next spring and hoping the weather
remains as perfect as this version.
Last in
this triple play were three days spread over the Five Cities area, along the
coast, south of San Luis Obispo. There was a tie in to local government who
helped make the event a showcase for various resorts and local chefs. The International Chardonnay Symposium
was also part of the SOMM JOURNAL relaunch
effort and brought in nearly twenty members of the Court of Master Sommeliers.
While most were from well known California operations, some diversity by way of
Montana and Colorado was also in the mix. They were put to work on panels,
judging and yeoman's efforts in controlling the wine service at the dining
events.
It is interesting that the Central Coast sandwiches the
Rhone, Zin and Cabernet climate of Paso Robles with the Chardonnay and Pinot
Noir of Monterey and Santa Barbara regions. And south San Luis Obispo County is
closer to Santa Barbara in that regard. Pardon my generalization. If you aren't
familiar with south Monterey County, it ends only about 15 miles north of Paso.
There are huge areas of vines from there north to King City, easily seen from Hwy.
101, especially on the Lockwood mesa. But no wineries until Greenfield. The
better known Monterey wines come from further north, along the River Road wine
trail and Carmel Valley. In terms of wineries, Monterey has far fewer than the
cousins to the south. But there is a lot of juice coming from the area,
including major players such as Lohr, Wente and Gallo for example.
The point of the above is that Chardonnay is the most
popular varietal grown and sold. It deserves to have a focused event. One that
isn't just about the area but inclusive for comparison. This event does that,
as does the World of Pinot held in Santa Barbara due to the growth of, and
interest in, wines from that grape. Paso's interest is also well represented by
the Rhone Rangers events, a strong garagiste presence in those wines and
representation at events like the Wine Fest discussed above. The fine
Zinfandels from the area have that showpiece as well. Adding the CABs group
also serves Paso's terroir well and will hopefully grow.
So, I see good things for the future of the Chardonnay
Symposium. It was well organized, despite the challenges of a moving feast of
locations and program options. Held in an area that is increasingly tourist
oriented, it adds a nice component to the mix of events. And it fits in well
with the Pebble Beach wine event to the north and Sunset Magazine's Savor
event. Both of which include the broader variety of wines from the region. Pebble Beach also goes into comparisons with
the best of Napa, Sonoma and others.
A nice mix of tastings, educational panels and a crowd size
that provided access to sixty Chardonnay producers, up close and personal,
split over two days of tastings. Plus after hours dinners and, in this case, a
lunch with the retrospective tasting of Mt. Eden & Hanzell made for an
experience I recommend you put on your wine calendar for 2016.
