WE are headed to California to stay at a time share in Solvang, in Feb for Valentines day. I have never been in this region and would like suggestions on places to hit.
Our Cousin is a wine maker @ Tablas Creek and speck, I 'll head north eventually, but we’ll be in San Diego first and travel to Solvang to base from.
Interested in the white rhone varietals/blends , myself. My buddy just prefers any rhone types. The wife’s prefer Pinot.
You’ll be right next to Santa Ynez which has a number of quality Rhone style producers. From reputation and experience, Andrew Murray and Beckmen are good visits. Zaca Mesa is probably a good visit as well but their quality of wines has changed a bit as they’ve changed winemakers. I’ve heard great recommendations for the “Wine Ghetto” in Lompoc which is nearby. They host a number of tasting rooms for local wineries so you can sample a number of offerings from about 20 labels at one location.
The Santa Maria area is exploring Pinot Noir so some wineries nearby like Foxen may be good visits. (I don’t have much experience with Santa Maria wines - just know them by reputation). I’ve also heard good things about Sans Liege who taste out of Pismo. (Check out Taste sof the Valleys there too in Pismo for a variety of wines - they sell - taste wine)
We’re headed for a quick trip to Santa Ynez next week, so I’m keeping an eye on this one.
I’m not sure where we’re eating yet, or how much we’ll be tasting, but we’re stopping at Tercero for sure, and a few other possibilities I’ve jotted down are Qupe, Longoria, Alta Maria/Autonom, Refugio Ranch, and maybe Cold Heaven if we head out that way.
Los Olivos is a sweet little town very close to Solvang and has at least a dozen tasting rooms within walking distance (including Tercero… that I agree is a must). Best way to get a good sense of SB county offerings. Then, private tastings from there! If you are headed to Paso at all, and it sounds like you are, Daou is absolutely a must… they have one of the most gorgeous sites regarding beauty and views. Booker is also excellent. Linda B (winemaker at Peachy Canyon) is also a member of this board and was very generous in offering us a private tour last year! Laetitia is right on the main road between Solvang and SLO and would be a great place to taste both Rhone and Pinot wines. We traveled this entire area last year around attending the Hospice du Rhone. Find that thread. We received tremendous advice from the kind members of this board!
Rideau had a good Roussanne and a Grenache Blanc.
Andrew Murray had a nice Roussanne/Grenache blend
Tercero but I bought reds so don’t remember my fav white
Zaca Mesa also for Roussanne
And if you want Viognier then Cold Heaven is a must stop.
Is Neil your cousin?!? Cool stuff. I reckon it’s relatively easy for you to ply some extra bottles of Panoplie, huh? — lucky bastard!
For Pinot, Chard., and Syrah, you really must stop at Arcadian in the Lompoc Wine Ghetto.
On your way up to Paso from Solvang, have a steak dinner at Jocko’s in Nipomo. Be prepared to wait ~30 min. for a table, and be prepared for very delicious steak. If you wear a collared shirt in that place, you will be the nicest-dressed person in the restaurant, btw.