So Cal

Bet Shalom Wine Club

Saturday April 5, 2025

WINES OF SO CAL

This month we will focus on SO CAL. Wines of Southern California. This is basically the wine area  known as the Central Coast, from San Francisco to Los Angeles essentially along and close to the Pacific coast.  We will focus on  3 areas:  Santa Barbara, Paso Robles and Temecula.

Santa Barbara

Santa Barbara area has 283 wineries, The city of Santa Barbara is 95 miles north of Los Angeles and wine country is another 40 miles or so north of the city. The city is beautiful and has many tasting rooms in what they call the “funk zone,” but the bulk of the wineries and activities are in the cities and areas north. The AVA’s include Santa Ynez county, Santa Rita Hills , Santa Maria Valley and others.. The cities there are Buellton, Los Olivos, Solvang and Lompoc.  We will taste some of these wines. This area was popularized from the movie Sideways.  Who has seen this movie?

Paso Robles

Paso Robles ( who knows the correct pronunciation?) is 205 miles north  LA and 205 miles south of San Francisco.  There are about 200 wineries in the area. Paso Robles  has grown tremendously in the recent past and produces excellent wines. It is able to produce high quality cabernet  without the Napa price tag. We will taste some of those as well.

Temecula

 The area of Temecula lies 58 miles north of San Diego and 83 miles east of Palm Springs. It has also risen in terms of wine quality from Southern California and its proximity to San Diego and Palm Springs has helped its rise in  tourism. The wines from this region are warm climate grapes and some Italian, Spanish and Rhone valley varietals.

  1. Ridge Vineyard Grenache Blanc ,2020 @ 34.99  84% Grenache, 14% Picpoul 2% Rousanne.  Winemaker notes: Golden straw in color, with aromas of pear, honeysuckle, pineapple, candied lime, tangerine and wet stone. A bright and lively entry with a medium body layered with minerality and fresh natural acidity. This finish is long and satisfying. Ridge has a huge presence in the north Central area in the St Lucia Mountains near San Jose, with its Monte Bello cabernet and a large prominence in Sonoma California with Zinfandel. This wine is made at their winery in the Santa Cruz mountains  but the grapes are sourced from Paso Robles.

  2. Diatom Chardonnay , 2023. $13.49 ( 2 for 1 special at Haskell’ s for month of April  26.98 for 2) . This wine is from the Brewer Clifton winery . Greg Brewer has been the winemaker since 1995. This winery was  bought by  Jackson Family Wines in 2017. They make very nice Pinot Noirs from the Santa Rita Hills area of Santa Barbara County but this is their chardonnay which is made in the non oaked style of Burgundy France. Winemaker Notes: this wine offers aromas of lemon, citrus blossom and wet sand with flavors of peach on the palate. A precised balanced wine.

  3. Cambria Julia’s Vineyard Pinot Noir, 2022. @ 22.49 Cambria vineyard is located in the Santa Maria Valley of Santa Barbara County. This area is well known for its Pinot Noir and Chardonnay as the Pacific breezes keep this area cool to produce high quality Pinot Noir Winemaker’s Notes: Our flagship Pinot Noir invites you in the ripe blackberry and blueberry flavors. These flavors are followed by notes of cranberry, cherry and pomegranate. With a balance of earth and baking spice, this red wine offers firm tannins and a long finish

4) The Arborist, Vina Robles, Red Blend , Paso Robles Estate, 2021 @21.99. 45% Syrah, 33% Petit Syrah, 13% Grenache, 9% Tannat. Paso Robles area is known for its Zinfandels, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Rhone varietals. This wine is blended wine from grapes from some heavier red grapes. This area is often noted as the less expensive version of the quality Cabernets you find in Napa Valley. Dark and red cherries, along with plums and notes of mocha, tobacco juniper berry and savory spices.

5) Iron and Sand, Cabernet Sauvignon, 2022 Paso Robles, Grown in the San Miguel and El Pomar sub AVA’s. Winemaker’s notes : this wine is dense purple in color and opens with aromas of ripe red fruits, cherries, anise, cedar , savory spice, roasted coffee and tobacco. It is velvety and lush presenting delicious flavors of raspberry, cherry and plum with warm baking spice, earthy undertones and a hint of vanilla. The flavors are complemented by lively acidity and fine tannins that lift the wine suggesting a long life. The finish is long, supple and mouthwatering.

6) BONUS WINE: Leoness Syrah, Temecula Valley, 2019 Syrah. @45.00 available  through Leoness wine club only. 90% syrah, 7% Petite Syrah, 3% Mourvedre. Winemaker notes: Elegant and balanced with layers of blackberry and plum aromas and flavors complemented by hints of violets, smoky bacon and spice leading into a lengthy finish. The area of Temecula has about 50 wineries and growing.

Molly Bryant