Can’t recall the last time I’ve visited the Temecula winery area but was there a couple days for a wedding earlier this week. Since I was staying there (the hotel is new and very beautiful) I took time out to sneak in a tasting at the winery. The tasting room and some of the wines were too warm, which hurt the overall showing of some of the wines. I was amazed for a Monday how many people were there tasting, the bar was packed. The guy pouring wines for me pretty much had the same basic speech he gave to everyone. I tried getting a bit more detailed info on some of the wines but gave up when it was clear he didn’t know much more than his standard speech. I admit to not expecting much, but was surprised by a couple of them…now if only the pricing was cut in half (or more) some would be worth buying as an everyday wine.
I will say if you’re looking for a local get away the hotel they just finished recently is worth every penny. I’d come back here just to stay for a night or two. Fantastic staff, great rooms, and really cool bar in the basement.
2010 Ponte Viognier
14.4% ABV, protruding heat on the nose with waxy pears. Spicy palate, light bodied, lots of gylcerin, and then this industrial-chemically-off-putting flavor killed everything.
80 Points
2011 Ponte Graciela
50% Viognier 50% Gewurztraminer, Semi-sweet with a dry finish. plenty of citrus, apricots, and some light spices late. Just a touch of that industrial flavor again…or it was still lingering from the last wine, couldn’t tell. Either way this was better balanced than the Viognier.
82 Points
2009 Ponte Sangiovese
14.4% ABV Peppery/spicy nose. Plenty of blackberries on the palate, medium bodied, plenty of tannins, and some nice cracked pepper on the finish. Well balanced and drinking good at the moment. I was pleased with this wine and thought it the best they offered.
86 Points
2009 Ponte Tempranillo
15% ABV and it showed. The nose was tight and not giving much other than black fruit. Light and fresh with some protruding oak at this stage. Plenty of spices, black fruit, then a dollop of heat. A bit simple and with a clipped finish. This was served too warm and it really highlighted the ABV, which was a shame as it may have some potential for a better score.
84 (+?) Points
2009 Ponte Zinfandel
15% ABV, combo of French and American oak. A lighter bodied Zin than most, which really helped to keep this from being too cloying. Plenty of dark fruit, dusty tannins, pepper, and that dose of heat on the finish from being served too warm. Had this been served at a proper temp it would probably show much better.
85 Points
2008 Ponte Zinfandel "port"
18% ABV and after the waiter called the wine maker he found out they add about 10% brandy to fortify it. Other than that, the waiter wasn’t too sure on how it was made. A very sweet and pruney nose. The palate was also very sweet and silky. It quickly grew in the mouth with prunes dominating. Raisins really popped out on the finish, which was also very sweet and long. It was simple and lacking acidity which I could see would make it hard to drink more than a couple glasses. Otherwise, not a bad Zinfandel based “port”…until the price was disclosed. Uh, yeah, for that much I can buy a 2007 Taylor’s VP.
86 Points