Barry,
Feel free to reach out directly to me - larry@tercerowines.com. More than happy to help.
Cheers.
Barry, you might want to give Ojai a try. Some of the best wines around and reasonably priced as well.
Anyone know if Paul Lato has a tasting room?
Yep, Peter, great wines and wonderful prices. Unfortunately comma their tasting room is in Ojai, and that would be quite a detour from our area.
Spent some quality time with a Santa Barbara master, Craig Jaffurs. His '12 Kimsey Syrah is one of the best wines I’ve tasted of that vintage.
Ojai is also a great place to stop. Their '14 Santa Barbara Syrah is a pepper lover’s delight.
Paul does not have a Tasting Room. That said, if I remember correctly, he joined the Vintners Association and will be playing at our Festival on Saturday. His wines are also available on a couple of local places. You can try the winehound in Santa Barbara or Los Olivos Cafe in Los Olivos.
A bit out of the way and even more so if one takes the scenic route to or from Ojai, but worth it all in all.
Thanks Larry. I’m actually staying in Santa Ynez this weekend and was wondering if you were going to be in your tasting room at all over the weekend? I had picked up a mixed case on Berserker Day and wanted to try your new releases.
Love the barrel fermented chardonnays by Clos Pepe and the barberas by Steve Clifton.
2007 Jaffurs Bien Nacido Syrah. Classic cool climate Syrah.
Dragonette
Dierberg/Star Lane
In a blind tasting recently, this wine came in toward the top and it was paired against some much more renown and single vineyard wines that are twice the cost. Craig has done a masterful job in blending some of the good sources he accesses into something that is of high quality and still a great QPR.
Totally agree and with the following spot re the Chardonnay. They show really well in their youth and actually have some staying power to run for many years down the line.
Another winner on a consistent basis. IMHO, it`s worth the price level.
Now, to address the request of this thread, I have a significant amount of wines from ABC [and associated labels], Qupe, Whitcraft, Palmina and Brewer-Clifton, all of which I`m drinking on a relatively frequent basis.
To a lesser extent, I have Arcadian, Foxen, Babcock, Longoria, Jaffurs, Lato and Brander wines that are in the cellar and enjoyed from time to time.
'13 Jaffurs Upslope. Classic. Drinks well now, but this one will be awesome in 5-7 years. Right up there with some of the best CA Syrahs.
Im impressed you discovered this gem. It is a pride and joy of Craig Jaffurs and represents the best of the best from especially the Thompson Vineyard which he has been sourcing for over 10 years now. Upslope is a notch above all other Jaffurs fine wines.
Recent gems from ABC:
2006 Elke Vineyard Pinot Noir
2010 Elke Vineyard Pinot Noir [under Ici La Bas label]
2008 Nielson Vineyard Pinot Noir
2009 Talley Vineyard Chardonnay
Jaffurs
Casa Dumetz
Stolpman
Sandhi
Have you tried the '13 Stolpman Estate Syrah? I bought one for $22 at my LWS. Smashing QPR.