Tasted Monday, August 2, 2010 by grafstrb with 776 views
We stopped by Saucelito Canyon on our way from Lompoc to Paso Robles. I really enjoyed the two white wines here, but thought they were a bit too expensive to merit a purchase.
This was our main stop of the day. Hilary Graves, owner of and winemaker for the Graves Winegrowers label, arranged a tasting for us at the Denner facility. The tasing was of Hilary's wines, and she also invited Amy Butler (winemaker/visionary behind the Ranchero Cellars label) as well as Anthony Yount (winemaker for Denner as well as his own label, Kinero) to join us. So, this was a really neat three-in-one tasting, of sorts, where all of us tasted through and discussed wines from each of the 3 labels together. Tasting with one winemaker is always fun for me because I get to "geek out" a little bit -- tasting with three, I found out, can be loads of entertaining! Tasting with Hilary, Amy, and Anthony was a blast - they each have their own opinions and viewpoints, which made for very interesting discussion. This was my first time tasting Anthony's "Kinero" wines and also my first time tasting Amy's "Ranchero Cellars" wines -- I was very impressed with both, and really dig Anthony's use of 500mL bottles for his two whites. The Graves wines were impressive, as usual, but showing more tannic than previous tastings and bottles -- this may have been because they were popped and poured at our tasting, and the bottles still had a cellar chill on them, making them perhaps a few degrees cooler than ideal for serving.
After our big Graves/Kinero/Ranchero Cellars tasting, we headed upstairs to taste through Denner's current lineup. I was especially impressed with the '08 "Theresea," which is usually my least favorite of Denner's lineup (except for the gloppy Zinfandel). The blend of varieties in the "Theresea" has changed over the past couple years: iirc, it used to be a Roussanne/Marsanne blend; now, Grenache Blanc and Viognier are included as well, and I think their inclusion makes it a much better wine. The Viognier and Syrah were a bit "ho-hum" for me at this tasting, and the '08 DitchDigger is obviously a step or two below prior vintages. The Mourvedre, at least, continues to be a mesmerzing interpretation of the grape as it retains its top spot on my list of favorite CA Mourvedres.
After concluding a nice picnic lunch at Pasolivo, we ventured to Tablas Creek for our final tasting of the day. The lineup was solid-as-usual at Tablas, but the end of this tasting would hold a real treat for us. Earlier in the day, the Tablas tasting staff opened and decanted an '07 Panoplie in anticipation of a private tasting (won at a charity auction) that was scheduled for that afternoon. As it turned out, by the time we strolled into the tasting room at 3:30, that group had called to cancel their appointment. This left that '07 Panoplie just sitting in the decanter with nowhere to go. After brief consideration of whether we were going to buy a bottle or two of the Panoplie (without tasting it) the tasting room attendant mentioned the cancellation and offerred us a taste. We gladly accepted the offer, especially because this wine would, under all other circumstances, never be available for tasting at the tasting room. Immediately after sniffing the wine, I told the attendant "Good business decision to give us a taste of this" -- I was literally floored, and any qualms I may have had about purchasing a bottle or two were long long long long gone! Words hardly do that wine justice.
2008 Saucelito Canyon Sauvignon Blanc Central Coast
USA, California, Central Coast
-- tasted a single glass, non-blind in tasting room ––
Typical NZ Sauvignon Blanc flavors and aromas; gooseberry and a bit grassy on the nose; good acidity on the medium-light bodied palate. I thought this was very nice.
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2008 Saucelito Canyon Cote de Blanc
USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles
-- tasted a single glass, non-blind in tasting room ––
-- 50% Roussanne, 25% Marsanne, 18% Viognier, 4% Grenache Blanc, 3% Picpoul Blanc ––
Almost colorless –– shades of yellow. Oaky nose. Oily mouthfeel Medium bodied. Lots of minerals on the finish.
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2008 Saucelito Canyon Zinfandel Backroads
USA, California, Central Coast, San Luis Obispo County
-- tasted a single glass, non-blind in tasting room ––
Baked red berries, jammy on both the nose and palate; good acid; a bit alcoholic.
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2008 Saucelito Canyon Zinfandel Estate
USA, California, Central Coast, Arroyo Grande Valley
-- tasted a single glass, non-blind in tasting room ––
New plastic shelf-liners on the nose; nose is very tight. Flavors of raspberry seeds and oaky spice; a bit alcoholic.
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2007 Saucelito Canyon Zinfandel Estate Reserve
USA, California, Central Coast, Arroyo Grande Valley
-- tasted a single glass, non-blind in tasting room ––
Magenta-ruby color of medium-deep depth. Tight nose; medium-full bodied; fruity brambly flavors; hint of leather.
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