Central Coast Wine Tour, July 2017 (Part 1) – Deovlet, Cutruzzola, Levo, Giornata
I’ve posted a portion of a report on a July wine trip with friends to the Central Coast. The report has been split into four parts, and the portion below is from Part 1 of 4. I’ll post segments from the rest of the trip in the next few days. The full reports for each day of the trip can be found on the Grape-Nutz.com website – here’s the link for Part 1:
Central Coast Tour - July 2017 - Part 1
Deovlet Wines
Cutruzzola Vineyards
Levo Wines
Giornata Wines / Transmission Wines
A Central Coast wine trip was starting to become a regular January tradition for me – I’d done it four of the past five years. But since work commitments kept me from making such a trip this year, I needed to find another time to go. The perfect opportunity presented itself in the form of the wedding of my good friends’ son at a winery in Santa Ynez Valley in early July. I was able to put together an itinerary for a five-day trip through Paso Robles and to Santa Barbara County, and a few friends planned to join me – Jane and Chris, Alan, and the head Grape-Nut himself, Eric Anderson. Unfortunately Eric had to cancel at the last minute, so we had a small group for our Central Coast wine tour.
The beginning of our Central Coast trip coincided with a brutal heat wave that hit much of California in early July. As Alan and I headed south on Friday through Salinas Valley and over the hills toward Paso Robles, we watched as the readings on the outside temperature gauge in his car continued to climb. By the time we rolled into Paso Robles itself – around mid-morning – it was already close to 100 degrees. We turned off the freeway just south of town and drove west along Highway 46, and it took us only a few minutes until we reached our first winery destination, located just off the highway near Vineyard Drive.
Deovlet Wines
Our first stop of the day was at the tasting room of Deovlet Wines. I’d heard good things about the wines from several people but had not yet had the opportunity to try them myself. Alan managed to find a slightly shady parking spot and we walked toward the tasting room entrance, where we found Jane and Chris waiting for us. Though it was still only mid-morning, the temperature was already uncomfortably hot and we were glad to head inside, where Ryan Deovlet welcomed us.
First things first – how is “Deovlet” pronounced? It turns out that it’s not as you might think – it’s “Dev-let”. A native Californian, Ryan has had an interesting journey that’s taken him into the wine world. Growing up, his passion was baseball, but an injury derailed his hopes of becoming a pro. The pull of baseball still was strong, though, so he changed his plans toward becoming a sports agent or even finding a position in the front office of a team. The complex flavors in cup of Kona coffee that Ryan drank while visiting his cousin on Hawaii’s Big Island and seeing how the coffee was grown and processed opened his eyes to something different. He soon signed up with the World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms (WWOOF) organization for a chance to work on an organic farm in one of various locations around the world.
In 2004, Ryan wound up going to Hunter Valley in Australia through WWOOF, and with no coffee plantations in the area, he turned his attention to vineyards and wine. Doing canopy management there got him fascinated with vineyards, and he continued by doing pruning work in New Zealand. Ryan told us that he loved how the people where he worked were both passionate and open, and he was able to learn a lot from them in a short time.
Since returning to California, Ryan has worked with several highly-regarded vintners including Stephen Dooley and Paul Hobbs, while also gathering advice from winemakers David Ramey and Richard Sanford as well as vineyard managers such as Ulises Valdez and Ruben Solorzano. Pinot Noir fruit from Richard Sanford’s La Encantada Vineyard launched the Deovlet label in 2008, and Ryan has added Pinot and Chardonnay from other vineyard sources since then. The label’s focus is on single-vineyard Pinots and Chardonnays, and although these two varieties take up about 85% of his 2,500-case annual production, Ryan also makes a red Bordeaux-style blend. Single-vineyard bottlings are fairly small production (most are 150 cases or fewer) while appellation bottlings are larger. The wines are currently made at a facility in San Luis Obispo. In addition to his own label, Ryan teams up with fellow vintner McPrice Myers on a sparkling wine project called Myers-Deovlet – they’ve released vintages from 2013 and 2014 so far. Even with all that, he’s still found time to earn a certificate with the Court of Master Sommeliers. And if that’s not enough, Ryan is also the winemaker for Biddle Ranch Vineyard in Edna Valley and Refugio Ranch Vineyards in Santa Barbara County – he’s a busy guy!
We all sat around a large table in the tasting room, and Ryan poured his Chardonnays for us. As we tasted, he told us a little about his Chardonnay winemaking. He starts the fermentations in stainless steel tanks, and he lets the temperature cool down to allow the wine to get a bit reductive – he feels that adds an element of “minerality” – before racking to barrel. Once in barrel, Ryan does little to no lees-stirring, and he likes to retain some malic acid in the wines rather than letting them go completely through malolactic fermentation. The single-vineyard Chardonnays are aged in about 20% new French oak while the Santa Barbara County bottling is aged entirely in neutral oak. Ryan told us that he wants to focus on site identity for his wines, so with a few minor exceptions, the Chardonnays all get very similar vinification. He wants to walk the fine line between old world and new world wines, and his goal is to produce wines that combine bright fruit and acidity with a savory quality and richness.
The first wine that Ryan poured for us was the bright and minerally 2015 Zotovich Vineyard Chardonnay. The site, in the northern portion of the Sta. Rita Hills appellation, has very sandy soil. We followed this with two vintages of Solomon Hills Vineyard Chardonnays – both displayed a floral note but the 2015 showed a distinctive saline element while the 2014 was a bit earthier and richer in texture. Our final Chardonnay was the 2014 from Sanford & Benedict Vineyard, from own-rooted vines planted in 1971. All four of the Deovlet Chardonnays that we tasted were outstanding, some of the best from Santa Barbara County that I’ve tried for awhile.
We moved on to Pinot Noirs – Ryan keeps the winemaking fairly simple on these. The fruit is mostly destemmed, with some whole clusters used in the fermentations for fruit from Zotovich and Sanford & Benedict vineyards. Ryan started us on the 2015 Pinot Noir from Bien Nacido Vineyard. The fruit came from the vineyard’s Q Block, planted in 1973 with Martini clone Pinot. The wine was very distinctive, quite floral with a note of orangepeel. Next was the savory and minerally 2015 Pinot from Zotovich Vineyard, followed by the 2015 Santa Barbara County bottling. This appellation bottling features a bit more new oak, which helps to keep the barrel program for the single-vineyard Pinots more consistent. The 2015 Sanford & Benedict Pinot (to be released this fall), like the Chardonnay, is from vines planted in 1971. Another distinctive wine, and Ryan said he feels it’s the best Pinot Noir he’s made.
We finished up our tasting with the Deovlet “Sonny Boy” blend – 60% Merlot from Vogelzang Vineyard and 40% Cabernet Sauvignon from Star Lane Vineyard, both in Santa Barbara County’s Happy Canyon appellation. The “Sonny Boy” name comes from Ryan’s grandfather’s nickname for his grandsons. Ryan has added a new vineyard source for Bordeaux varieties – D2 Vineyard in the Adelaida District AVA of Paso Robles. This will become a separate single-vineyard wine and will include Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, and Petit Verdot. Ryan is planning to add a Pinot Blanc from La Encantada Vineyard to his line-up, and he told us that going forward, his vineyard focus for Chardonnay and Pinot Noir will be La Encantada, Zotovich, and Sanford & Benedict, all in the Sta. Rita Hills.
You might not expect to taste top-notch Santa Barbara County Chardonnay and Pinot Noir on the Westside of Paso Robles, but having his tasting room there helps Ryan’s wines stand out from the crowd of Paso Rhônes and Zins. And the Deovlet wines really are top-notch, some of the best recent Santa Barbara Chards and Pinots I’ve tasted – as mentioned above, the Chardonnays in particular were stunning. All of the wines we tasted were very good, and favorites included the 2015 Zotovich Vineyard, 2015 Solomon Hills Vineyard, and 2014 Sanford & Benedict Vineyard Chardonnays and the 2015 Bien Nacido Vineyard and 2015 Sanford & Benedict Vineyard Pinot Noirs. Ryan has spoken of “nuance, elegance, balance, and restraint” in his wines, and those are apt descriptors. If you happen to be in the Paso Robles area but want to taste some of the best wines that Santa Barbara County has to offer, Deovlet is the place to go.
Current and upcoming releases
Deovlet 2015 Chardonnay, Zotovich Vineyard, Sta. Rita Hills. Bright and citrusy aromas, with undertones of spice and lemonpeel. Medium-light weight on the palate with vibrant acidity, and a gravelly mineral note on the finish, very nice.
Deovlet 2015 Chardonnay, Solomon Hills Vineyard, Santa Maria Valley. This had more floral aromatics, plus apple and citrus, herbs, and a saline quality. Medium-bodied with a lively texture and long finish, nice.
Deovlet 2014 Chardonnay, Solomon Hills Vineyard, Santa Maria Valley. Similar floral character as the previous wine with a slightly riper fruit profile and a more noticeable earthy component. A bit richer mouthfeel but still fine acidity and a lively finish.
Deovlet 2014 Chardonnay, Sanford & Benedict Vineyard, Sta. Rita Hills. Subtle pear and stone fruit, with earth and touches of spice and lees on the nose. Medium-rich texture with notes of stony minerals and a slightly nutty quality on the long finish, nice.
Deovlet 2015 Pinot Noir, Bien Nacido Vineyard, Santa Maria Valley. This featured pretty floral aromas along with red fruit, herbs, and orangepeel. Medium weight with a lively mouthfeel and mildly chalky tannins on the finish, nice.
Deovlet 2015 Pinot Noir, Zotovich Vineyard, Sta. Rita Hills. Displaying an earthier character than the Bien Nacido, this also had plummy fruit, stony minerals, and a savory herbal quality on the nose. Medium-bodied with a bit bigger texture than the previous wine and a bright finish.
Deovlet 2015 Pinot Noir, Santa Barbara County. This showed plenty of savory notes along with flowers, earth, black cherry, and some vanilla/oak in support. Medium-rich mouthfeel with moderate but fine tannins, very pleasant.
Deovlet 2015 Pinot Noir, Sanford & Benedict Vineyard, Sta. Rita Hills (pre-release). Lots of red fruit and spice, plus notes of darker berry fruit, earth, and a savory element. Medium weight with lively acidity and chalky tannins on the finish – needs time but great potential.
Deovlet 2014 “Sonny Boy,” Happy Canyon of Santa Barbara. 60% Merlot, 40% Cabernet Sauvignon. Tobacco / dried herb aromas lead the way, with currant and black cherry fruit, earth, and spice in support. Medium-full bodied with bigger but refined tannins on the finish – tasty now and should age nicely.