Had to cancel trip to Napa due to tragic fire. Celebrating friends 50th. Now going to Carmel Valley Ranch. Any recs for good tastings? Have had several Bernardus single vineyard pinots that were fairly good in past.
Talbott was best stop in CV when I was there in 2015, even if they are owned by Mega Corp. now. WIndy Oaks in Carmel has very good pinots.
Thanks Dave. Will look into both of those.
Ian Brand and Windy Oaks are canāt miss in my book.
Galante, out in the valley is very picturesque and excellent wines. Also Try the Figge tasting room in Carmel.
Ian Brand was great. His entire Paysan line was impressive. Went to Big Sur Vineyards down the street and enjoyed their wines as well but a bit more Cali forward. Erin from I Brand recommend it. Ryan Kobza is head winemaker and also is assistant wine maker at Ian Brand.
Windy Oaks is a worthwhile stop but Iām spoiled by living closer to the winery so Iāve never been to the Carmel tasting room.
Cima Collina I used to like but I found most everything I tasted there recently over oaked. Bernardus, Testarossa meh
Sean
Does anyone know what became of a fellow named Balderas, who had been at Talbott, and who once had a small Pinot Noir & Chardonnay label, called āSamantha Starrā?
The 2009 Samantha Starr, at about $14.99, might have been the single best CA pinot Iāve ever tasted.
But then suddenly Samantha Starr just vanished from the market.
Jack Galanteās wife Dawn makes some nice Pinots and has a tasting room downtown in Carmel called Dawnās Dream.
Thanks for the recommendations, guys. We really appreciate it. The tasting room in Carmel Valley is open Wed-Sun 12-6. Erin is usually there, and if not it will either be my wife Heather or me. We have some pretty interesting Santa Cruz Mountain stuff that weāll be opening in the TR this fall, Bates Ranch Cab Franc and Cabernet off the Monte Bello Ridge, across the street from the eponymous vineyard.
Locally, the winemaking scene is improving dramatically. In Carmel, I cannot recommend the Caraccioli bubbles enough. That is a project to watch; now that their estate vineyards have been in full production, this will become an all estate project from the vineyard on the southern border of Sleepy Hollow south, made until his recent death by bubbles master Michel Salgues. Albatross Ridge is one of the most compelling vineyards on the Central Coast, and their wines taste like it. Tasting room is on the other side of the block from Caraccioli, if Garret is there, pressure him to take you to the vineyard. Joyce, Chesebro, Georis, Big Sur Vineyards and Windy Oaks all have high quality wines in Carmel Valley Tasting Rooms. Odonata on River Road has really impressed me with their latest batch of well made, interesting wines and are great people. McIntyre and Morgan in the Crossroads Center near Carmel are more traditionally styled, and the wines are spot on. Thatās probably enough to get you in trouble.
Mark Buzan at CVR is a great resource, and their restaurant is great. Also check out Lucia at Bernardus, la Balena, el Pescadero, and Cultura in Carmel, Jeninni and Passionfish (best list/pricing evah) in PG, and the new addition to the area, Saltwood in Marina. If you want the taco report, PM. Iām not outing my taco stands online.
Best,
Ian
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Was staying at Bernardus Lodge this past weekend for our babymoon (it was quite enjoyable - they do a nice job there) and took the opportunity to make two wine-related visits (itās hard to do too much wine stuff as the wife is abstaining from wine for just a little longer 'til the baby comes). Hereās what happened:
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Bernardus Winery Tasting Room: so we visited on a Sunday morning, so maybe they didnāt have their first-string pourers. Ultimately, they couldnāt field some of the easy questions (what vineyard, how old is the winery, who are the influences, whatās next). That said, I really enjoyed their Sauvignon Blanc - which is very unlikely (Iāve had a lot of bad California SB). Their āregularā bottling was poured at the lodge, and I was pleasantly surprised by the splash of petrol and citrus with a hint of tropical, and no oak/vanilla (which is fine by me). Their āreserveā SB bottling (which no one could tell me what made it a āreserveā or āsignatureā) did have a bit more lush fruit on the palate, but still retained that nice kick of petrol and acidity. Both are worth a try. The rest of the reds were only āokā: generally inoffensive and a bit short on the palate. Interestingly, they were selling a 2010 and 2007 of their big boy/girl blend, so it was nice to taste some of their wines with some age.
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I. Brand & Family Tasting Room: Wow. This place was amazing. A strong lineup of wines that ran the gamut from a curiously floral albarino to two great expressions of cabernet franc to the Pātit Pape GSM which I could drink all day (and at that price - maybe I will!). Erin led the tasting deftly, pleasantly guiding us through the bottles with anecdotes and geography/agriculture. Was sad my wife couldnāt enjoy - but itās definitely a place not to be missed! Weād go back for sure!
My wife and I enjoyed Morgan when we were there a month ago. Itās in the crossroads shopping area.
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Does anyone have any updated recommendations to share? Iām heading to Carmel in mid August. My general outline was to hit up Chalone and Calera on the way up, downtown tasting rooms the next day and Carmel valley the following day. Drive down PCH for lunch near Cambria, before heading back to Orange County.
Is Calera worth driving an extra 30 minutes for? My buddy has been sharing some of their wine and I have liked it a lot, but I have not been to the winery itself.
Side note but if anyone is looking for Calera - K&L just dumped a huge amount of back vintage Calera on their site.
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I do not know if Pisoni or Roar are hosting visitors but it might be worth a call to find out. They are really more in the Salinas area which is 45min-an hour from Carmel but worth the drive if you can get into either.
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Wrath is always a good choice - and then hit up Alvarado Street Brewing!
Cheers
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I have loved Caracciolli - they have a tasting room right in Carmel - excellent sparkling wines, v good Chard and Pinot.
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You might try Scratchās wine tasting room, too. The winemaker/owner is also the winemaker at Wrath. Not too far to go over the hill to the Santa Lucia Highlands wineries. A bunch more there.
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Sabrine moved her tasting room out of Carmel recently. Also, Caraccioliās sparkling wines are made by Sabrine as well.
Cheers.
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[My own tasting style is on the side of value/QPR and informality over formality, so take this with that advisement]
In Carmel itself, Caraccioli is great but also a bit pricier than other tastings and bottles. Wrathās outpost there is probably my favorite tasting room in Carmel, but Hahn has a tasting room next door for an interesting comparison of styles. If you like Wrathās wines, KoRi is just across the street and I believe has the same winemaker with an excellent Sauvignon Blanc. Morgan and McIntyre in the Crossroads shopping center are also good and very walkable to each other + restaurants. The Safeway in that shopping center also carries a lot of local wines at good prices.
In Carmel Valley, I can echo the praise of I. Brand and Co., but I also found that Bernardus had my favorite pinots in the area (especially if you are lucky enough to get one of their single-vineyard ones) even if the tasting experience was very informal. Scratch was good and had a diverse array of offerings as well. If you are driving, I believe there is a regular bus from downtown Carmel to Carmel Valley that might be of interest.
In Monterey, I would recommend Pierce Ranch Vineyards for some unique varietals from the San Antonio Valley AVA, great prices, and a very convenient location right off Cannery Row. Comanche Cellars, in downtown Monterey, is also solid and offers a fairly wide variety, plus is very convenient to other attractions and restaurants. For a wine-focused dinner though, I would recommend Passionfish in Pacific Grove, which has an excellent (and unusually affordable) wine list as well as excellent seafood.
In the Salinas Valley/Santa Lucia Highlands, Chalone is great, but definitely remote and hot with a smaller tasting room than expected. Well-worth the drive though for the wines. Odonata off River Road is also great, though the tasting experience varies a bit depending on when you visit, but very good value for the wines and tasting. Hahn has a larger tasting room out at the Southern end of the SLH as well with more options, including specific vineyard Pinots, and Wrath is right next door too if you donāt get them in Carmel. Cru also has a new tasting room close by with great views, but it seems to be closed at the moment. Stop at Star Market in Salinas for the best selection of local wines by bottle in the area and, if Victor is around, great conversation about local winemakers.
If you are going to Calera, I enjoyed Eden Rift next door as well. They have an old-vine Zin and some Pinot Gris thatās a bit unique for the area along with good Pinot Noir and Chardonnay plus excellent service.
Finally, if you are heading to Cambria, I definitely recommend stopping at Cutruzzola Vineyards. Really neat opportunity to try Riesling and Pinot Noir (including multiple vintages) from a small local vineyard.
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Sorry, I should have been more specific. She opened a tasting room in Carmel Valley last year that I visited, but closed the one in Carmel.
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