Central Coast got the (Wine) Hots

LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION

The mantra of the real estate business is the shibboleth of the best vineyards of the world.

The greatest and most coveted wines grow in specific places, most of them in France (Bordeaux, Burgundy, Champagne, Rhone), some of them in Italy, Spain, Germany, and California. There are others, but the spotlight has not turned on them yet.

Central Coast vineyards

France, like all other famous wine regions in the world, is part of the temperate zone. The two "temperate zones" on earth lie roughly between 30 and 45 degrees latitude in the Northern Hemisphere covering much of Europe and North America and the Southern Hemisphere, encompassing Southern Australia, New Zealand, southern South America and Southern Africa.

All fine wines the world over are made from vitis vinifera ("the wine-bearing grape," such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Noir, Syrah/Shiraz, and Riesling) and can only be grown in the temperate zones.

Looking again at France and its most famous wine regions,  Bordeaux vineyards are exposed to fickle weather systems that blow in from the Atlantic, while the climate in Burgundy and Champagne could be described as a "continental climate" (i.e. cold winters, hot summers). Then there is the Rhone Valley whose lower part enjoys a Mediterranean climate with wet, cool winters and hot, dry summers.

When it comes to vineyards, they are mostly on flat land in Bordeaux, they cover gentle slopes in Burgundy and Champagne, and often cling to steep, terraced sites along the (upper) Rhone river.

One of the few things that all of these famed vine regions have in common is that the vines are grown in poor soils. Another communality that all high quality vineyards possess is good drainage. Furthermore, the grape varieties planted must be suitable for the places they are grown in, a process of selection that took many centuries in the vineyards of Europe and involved nature and nurture.

How does all this apply to California? The impact of the Pacific Ocean on California's climate is profound. Cold currents along the California coast generate huge fog banks during the summer that are eventually sucked inland through gaps in the coastal hills (e.g. Golden Gate) and cool areas far inland.

Central Coast Fog - Morro Bay

Word still hasn't gotten out how cold it can be in San Francisco in the middle of the summer. Shivering tourist in shorts are a common, pitiful sight on the street corners of San Francisco. The late, great columnist Herb Caen is quoted as saying,"you know it's summer in the City when society matrons put on their fur coats."

Fog and cold winds that are blown inland along the California coast determine the climate of the land area between the Pacific coast and the Coast Range which is roughly fifty miles inland and separates coastal California from the Central Valley. Only this narrow strip of land enjoys a Mediterranean climate that in many places is ideal for growing the classic grape varieties and produces, in some instances, world class wine.

The selective processes that took place in Europe of finding the right grapes for particular sites took centuries to complete. A similar process has been playing out in California, but it's still early days.  Quality viticulture in California has only existed for about 160 years.

Today's quest to produce world class Pinot Noir is a perfect example for this process and it is happening right in front of our eyes. Pinot Noir is hot and every winery has to add it to its portfolio.

Growers are pushing the envelope and go places where nobody has dared going before (e.g. Sonoma Coast).

Pinot Noir hates hot and dry climates. Only since the 1970's have growers and winemakers bothered to identify micro climates that make Pinot happy (e.g Russian River Valley, Anderson Valley, Carneros, Marine County, Santa Cruz Mountains, Edna Valley, Santa Maria Valley, Santa Rita Hills, etc.)

All of this was brought home to me on a trip to the Central Coast, specifically to some of the growing areas of San Louis Obispo County and Santa Barbara County.

CENTRAL COAST
 
Why does the Central Coast (San Louis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties) produce great wines?  Climate, soils, vineyard practices, and non-interventionist winemaking must be some of the reasons.

Edna Valley

Edna Valley in San Louis Obispo County lies nine miles inland from the Pacific Ocean and cool ocean breezes enter through gaps among the hills next to the coast. Temperature differences between night and day may reach as much as 40 degrees. Low night temperatures allow grapes to retain high levels of acidity. This makes for balanced wines with lip smacking acidity which also protects the wines from premature fatigue syndrome.

Edna Valley lies southeast of the lively college town of San Luis Obispo. Commercial quantities of grapes from Edna Valley have only been available since the late 1970's.  The valley first achieved renown for its Chardonnays.

Without equally strong ocean influences, vineyards in Santa Barbara County couldn't grow grapes to make fine wine. Two of its American Viticultural Areas (AVA), "Santa Rita Hills" near Lompoc and "Santa Maria Valley" further inland, both famous for Pinot Noir, are "unrelentingly cool" (Matt Kramer). Chardonnay also does exceedingly well in the Santa Maria Valley.

The warmer Santa Ynez Valley has found its own identity and excels with Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot,  and the red Rhone varieties Syrah and Grenache, as well as with their white Rhone counterparts Grenache Blanc, Viognier, Roussanne and Marsanne.

Exploring the wines of the Central Coast "in situ" is a synch. The heroic grunt work of tasting the good, the bad, and the ugly has long been done by wine authority Matt Kramer ("Matt Kramer's New California Wine.")

EDNA VALLEY

BAILEYANA WINERY: The winery that came to exemplify for me that Edna Valley is now a true quality contender is "Baileyana." The family that founded Baileyana also owns the 1,000 acres Paragon Vineyard.

About 15 years ago, the current generation took over and had the wisdom to lure the former winemaker of Maison Deutz (Arroyo Grande-San Louis Obispo County), the Burgundy-born Christophe Roguenot, to their winery.

Baileyana's tasting room is a converted one-room school house from the the early 1900's. It is surrounded by vineyards and the grounds near the tasting venue are beautifully landscaped. The tasting room is simultaneously homey and elegant. The usual nick knacks are a cut above.

How are the wines? Fantastic! How are the prices? Amazing.

The style of their "entry" Pinot is refined and elegant ($30). The "Cadre" Pinot Noir ($50), a luxury cuvée, is a real step up. It has an intense Pinot nose, is rich and well-balanced (fruit/acidity/tannins) on the palate and finishes with impressive length.

Among the whites, I tried the 2009 "El Gordo Chardonnay," ($30). It is rich, with good balance and excellent length on the palate.

Less common whites included the Grenache Blanc ($17) which has a fresh and attractive bouquet, a crisp mouth feel and nice length. Their Viognier is very appealing. It's bouquet was redolent with apricots, peaches, and lychees ($17).

The latest addition to the Baiyelana portfolio is called "Zocker." "Zocker" is German slang used while playing high-stakes card games. "Zocker" issues a delightful Riesling ($20) and an excellent Gruener Veltliner ($20).

SAUCELITO CANYON WINERY: Compared to Baiyelana, Edna Valley's Saucelito Canyon Winery is tiny. This small estate concentrates on Zinfandel and they are shining stars on the Zin firmament. Their entry level Zin ($20) is truly gulpable. The estate Zinfandels are profound and elegant ($30).

When the owners of Saucelito Canyon Winery bought their property in the early 1970's, they found an overgrown three-acre parcel of Zinfandel vines that had been planted in 1880. They cleaned up the vines and found that the  roots were still alive. New Zinfandel shoots were grafted onto these ancient roots. You can now drink a Zinfandel from vines that are 132 years old for all of $72 (sold out before my visit).

SANTA BARBARA COUNTY AND ITS MAJOR APPELLATIONS: SANTA RITA HILLS, SANTA MARIA VALEY, AND SANTA YNEZ VALLEY

SANTA RITA HILLS

Melville

Before hitting Santa Barbara proper, it's mandatory for Pinot heads to take Highway 1 towards Lompoc. Lompoc is a hotbed for Central Coast wine upstarts. They ply their trade among several blocks of warehouses which are referred to as "the Ghetto."

Names with  Pinot Noir cachet include Brewer-Clifton, Clos Pepe, Kenneth-Crawford, and  Seasmoke, with its pricey Pinot Noirs.

MELVILLE WINERY: The road out of Lompoc and back to Highway 101 takes you through the Santa Rita Hills proper, past well-known Pinot Noir producers like Melville.

All Melville Pinots Noirs, beginning with the 2010 Estate ($34), and all the way up to top cuvées like the Estate Pinot Noir -"Carrie's"  ($52) and the "Terraces," ($52)  are stunningly good.

SANTA YNEZ VALLEY

If you get tired of Santa Barbara's beach life or if the coast is fogged in (only 21 days per year is average), or you want to get to know the wine country, leave town on scenic Highway 154 and escape to lovely Santa Ynez Valley. The small town of Los Olivos is the hub of the Santa Barbara County wine scene and has tasting rooms galore.

Santa Ynez Valley

CARHARTT VINEYARD: If you believe in "small is beautiful," Carhartt Vineyard is  for you. Tiny amounts of beautifully crafted wines are vinified by Brooke and Mike Carhartt in the family barn of their ranch and can be tasted in their snug tasting room.

All their Rhone varietals and blends are of excellent quality. They include the 2010 Mourvedre, ($35), the 2010 Rebel Roan, a blend of Rhone varieties (Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre) ($30), and the 2009 Estate Syrah with its peppery bouquet ($32). This wine is a steal!

Carhartt's 2111 Grenache Blanc is a delightful and refreshing summer white. Absolutely delicious ($21).

QUPE : Bob Lindquist, owner and winemaker of Qupe, could be called the godfather of Rhone varietals in California. In the 1980's when they were virtually unknown here, he encouraged the owners of Bien Nacido Vineyard in the Santa Maria Valley to plant Syrah. Qupe's quality and consistency is astounding.

Bob Lindquist's wife produces a "Verdad" Rose which must be one of the best in California ($18). Their son's 2008 Ethan Grenache is a delicious wine with true Rhone character.

All of Qupe's Rhone-style wines are true to their varieties. This applies to the 2010 Qupe Los Olivos Cuvee ($25) as well as to the 2010 Qupe Syrah, ($35).

2007 Qupe Syrah Bien Nacido "Hillside" is the winery's "flagship" Syrah. And what a flagship it is. The vines are twenty years old and it shows. The bouquet is intense. Everything is in perfect balance. There are still some fruity tannins that will allow this wine to gain greater complexity with age ($45)

Two exquiste white wines rounded out the tasting. The 2010 Qupe Bien Nacido Cuvee has equal parts of Chardonnay and Viognier ($20). The 2009 Qupe Chardonnay Vineyard Block 11 is classic California Chardonnay at its best ($40).

BRANDER VINEYARD: The Brander Vineyard tasting room is located among its vineyards, surrounded by beautiful grounds.

As Matt Kramer says, Brander is making a case for Sauvignon Blanc in the Santa Ynez Valley. They are truly delicious. The Sauvignon Blanc 2010 Cuvee Nicolas is a totally satisfying, sophisticated California Sauvignon Blanc ($25).

SANTA BARBARA WINE TRAIL

The "Santa Barbara Wine Trail," follows a series of tasting rooms concentrated east of Highway 101, towards the southern end of Santa Barbara.

WHITECRAFT WINERY: Whitecraft Winery was in chaos with a major remodel under way. Young Mr. Whitcraft, sipping beer, managed to find a wine glass and poured me a 2008 Pinot Noir St. Rita Hills Melville Vineyard. It was a superb expression of pure Pinot fruit that was really singing after almost four years in bottle.

Asked about the beer, Mr. Whitecraft answered "you need to drink a lot of beer to make good wine."

JAFFURS WINE CELLARS: Jaffurs Wine Cellars is just around the corner from Whitecraft. Owner-winemaker Craig Jaffurs deals strictly with Rhone varieties. Jaffurs owns no vineyards, but has access to grapes from some of the best sites in the county.

Among reds, the day's tasting menu included a 2009 Grenache ($32) and the 2010 Syrah ($27). Both are true expressions of these Rhone varietals.

The 2010 Grenache Blanc is described in the tasting menu as having flavors that "refresh the mouth." ($30). I couldn't agree more. The 2010 Viognier has a pitch perfect bouquet, good balance, and length ($27).

Au Bon Climat

AU BON CLIMAT: Matt Kramer called the owner of Au Bon Climat, Jim Clendenen, the original Santa Barbara superstar. I'm convinced he still is.

The 2009 Pinot Noir "Isabelle" ($50), unusual for California, is light in color, something you often see in red Burgundies. Uncannily, the wine also hads that "Burgundy stink," referred to in polite society as "barnyard." The wine is beautifully balanced and has extraordinary length on the palate

The 2008 Au Bon Climat Arroyo Grande Valley Pinot Noir is more fruit forward and has just a hint of that great "stink" ($45).

The 2010 Sauvignon Blanc from the Clendenen Family Vineyards is delicious and finishes with barely noticeable sweetness ($18). A 2007 "Hildegard" cuvee of Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc, and Aligote, is a complex wine with excellent balance and a long finish ($35). The 2008 Au Bon Climat's Chardonnay "Sierra Madre" is a wine close to my heart. It's restrained and super long on the palate ($30).

Behold the fabulously appointed tasting room where older vintages and large format bottles are displayed on shelves along the walls.

Petit Soleil B&B

SHOUTOUT

If you are planning to stay in the lively college town of San Louis Obispo and explore Edna Valley wine country, check out "Petit Soleil" Bed & Breakfast (www.psslo.com).

This has to be the most charming "auberge" this side of France. The hosts are very knowledgeable about their neck of the woods and full of enthusiasm.

The Lady of the establishment is a wine lover with a great palate. Her international wine selections that guests may savor in the late afternoon on the beautiful patio go way beyond what such establishments usually offer. There are also some delicious appetizers served along with the wines. It goes without saying that these treats are complimentary.