Trip to Solvang and Los Olivos

So, I had to be in Palm Springs for a dinner on 5/23/11 so I flew in a day early and basically tasted as much as I could until everything closed. I landed at LAX at 8:35 and was tasting in Los Olivos at 11:15. A special thank to the American Airlines baggage handlers and ramp employees for getting my 14 bottles back to Dallas safely and in pristine condition.

First tasting of the day. Showed up at 12:15, which was way too early as they weren't really ready for customers yet. Sort of an awkward tasting experience but a good way to start the day and get the worst tasting room out of the way.

• 2008 Blair Fox Viognier Paradise Road Vineyard 89 Points

  USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Barbara County

  Tasted non-blind at their tasting room. Very floral on the nose with hints of oak treatment. More floral and green fruit on the palate with some butter. Very long finish that is very consistent and ends very smooth. Overall, a pleasant wine. Drink now.

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• 2010 Blair Fox Haylee's Rose 87 Points

  USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Barbara County

  Tasted non-blind at their tasting room. Very light nose with hints of strawberries. More strawberries and watermelon on the palate. Seem to have a hint of sweetness at first but finishes dry. Very short but pleasant finish.

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• 2006 Blair Fox Syrah Paradise Road Vineyard 89 Points

  USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Barbara County

  Tasted non-blind in their tasting room. Very fruity dark berry nose with some floral notes. Much drier than the nose would predict with more dark fruit and leather. Somewhat Old World in style. Medium long finish. Hold 1-2 years.

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• 2006 Blair Fox Syrah Purisima Mountain Vineyard 89 Points

  USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Barbara County

  Tasted non-blind in their tasting room. Lots of dark fruits on the nose. Some sweetness in the mouth initially, cassis, blackberries. Medium long finish with some nice fruit all the way to the end. Perfectly fine to open now but should improve over the next couple of years. Overall, a very good example of syrah.

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• 2007 Blair Fox Syrah Thompson Vineyard 90 Points

  USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Barbara County

  Tasted non-blind at their tasting room. PnP from a new bottle. Fairly closed nose with some blackberries. More dark fruit on the palate with some nice spice. Showing some Old World elements. Medium long finish that is very pleasant. True to form and a very nice wine. Hold for 2-4 years.

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Great experience here. Very nice facility and not only are their employees very knowledgeable, they seem to have a passion for the wine and are a pleasure to talk to. Would have stayed here all day if I could have. First purchase of the day was here.

• 2009 Stolpman Rosé 90 Points

  USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Ynez Valley

  Tasted non-blind at their tasting room. Very interesting orange color. Made from mostly sangiovese with some grenache. Didn't take detailed notes on this one but can say that it was one of the more enjoyable rosés I have ever had.

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• 2009 Stolpman Roussanne L'Avion 92 Points

  USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Ynez Valley

  Tasted non-blind at their tasting room. Big, rich nose with floral, honey, and apple notes. More of the same on the palate with significant oak treatment becoming evident but the wine seems to be able to handle it. Very full body. Long finish with mostly melons. Hold for 1-2 years.

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• 2009 Stolpman La Cuadrilla Red 88 Points

  USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Ynez Valley

  Tasted non-blind at their tasting room. 50/50 syrah/grenache. I had a hard time with this one and really needed to taste it over a longer period of time. One minute it tasted like 100% typical syrah, then the grenache sort of came through a little bit, them mostly syrah again. Medium long finish with some nice tar and dark berries at the end.

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• 2007 Stolpman Sangiovese 92 Points

  USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Ynez Valley

  Tasted non-blind at their tasting room. Beautiful nose of cassis and black cherries. Some spiciness and floral notes on the palate in addition to the fruit that ends up a little sour in the very long finish. Medium-high tannin levels. Hold 1-3 years but is accessible now. Very nice wine and one of my favorites of the day.

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• 2008 Stolpman Syrah Originals 90 Points

  USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Ynez Valley

  Tasted non-blind at their tasting room. Aromas of cassis and black pepper. More of the same on the palate with some cherry. Fairly typical syrah profile. Medium long finish. Hold for 1-2 years but can be enjoyed now.

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• 2008 Stolpman Syrah Hilltops

  USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Ynez Valley

  Tasted non-blind at their tasting room. Lots of dark fruit and spice. Some barrel toast, then the tannins take over. Very long finish. No rating given now. Hold for several more years.

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• 2005 Stolpman Syrah Hilltops 91 Points

  USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Ynez Valley

  Tasted non-blind at their tasting room. Nice nose of dark berries, spice and some floral notes. More of the same on the palate with cassis before transition to a very long fruity finish. Can drink now or continue to hold for several years.

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Very friendly staff, interesting modern/sterile decor. Nothing here blew me away but was a nice experience. Since I needed some port to go with cigars that night and the next, I bought a few splits of their port-style wine.

• 2009 Andrew Murray Days Off Lake Day 88 Points

  USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Ynez Valley

  Tasted non-blind at their tasting room. Nose butter, melons, lemons and flowers. None of the grassy component usually found with sauv blanc based wines. Nice minerals and acidity. Nice and smooth finish with a hint of spice at the end. Good QPR at $18. Drink now.

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• 2010 Andrew Murray RGB Camp 4 Vineyard 88 Points

  USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Ynez Valley

  Tasted non-blind at their tasting room. Very tropical on the nose, even some bananas. Apples on the palate with more bananas. Smooth finish. Drink now and over the next 18 months or so.

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• 2008 Days Off Road Trip 89 Points

  USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Barbara County

  Tasted non-blind at their tasting room. Dark fruits and spice on the nose. Cassis, some cocoa and barrel toast. Medium-short finish. Good QPR.

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• 2007 Andrew Murray Syrah Tous les Jours 88 Points

  USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Ynez Valley

  Tasted non-blind at their tasting room. Typical syrah nose of blueberry pie and some cherries. More of the same in the mouth with a smooth and consistent medium length finish. Drink this one now. Decent QPR at $16.

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• 2008 Andrew Murray Espérance

  USA, California, Central Coast

  Tasted non-blind at their tasting room. Dark fruit and spice on the nose and palate. Very hot on the nose and in the mouth, which was a turn off for me and prevented me from finding much complexity. Also seemed to have a lot of oak influence. No rating, perhaps this one needs a few more years to better integrate.

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• 2007 Andrew Murray Syrah McGinley 88 Points

  USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Ynez Valley

  Tasted non-blind at their tasting room. Big, fruity nose of black fruit and spice with more of the same on the palate. Medium long finish. Pleasant wine but a little too exaggerated for me. Can drink now or over the next few years.

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• 2008 Andrew Murray Syrah Watch Hill Vineyard 91 Points

  USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Barbara County

  Tasted non-blind at their tasting room. Big nose of dark fruits, some anise and white pepper. Full bodied with some fairly firm tannins with more dark fruit on the palate. A little hard to completely figure out at this stage for me but should age out to be a nice wine. Perhaps a bit big for my preferences but this one seems to be a bit more balanced than other examples by this producer. I would keep this in the cellar for a few more years before opening another one.

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• 2008 Andrew Murray Syrah Thompson Vineyard 89 Points

  USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Barbara County

  Tasted non-blind at their tasting room. Nose of dark fruit and a hint of spice. Tastes of cassis, spice, maybe some cherry. Lots of fruit. Medium-high tannins. Hold for 1-3 years.

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• NV Andrew Murray First Kiss 89 Points

  USA, California, Central Coast

  Tasted non-blind at their tasting room. Interesting nose of caramel, butterscotch and nuts. Consistent tastes with a lot of nuttiness. Seems to identify most with a tawny style port. Pleasant medium long finish. Should be a great companion to a cigar.

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Their website and others describe the place as being equal parts wine bar, tasting room and retail store. However, they are moving away from the tasting room concept and will only offer tasting flights of certain wines that happen to be open following wine by the glass purchases. They place was completely empty when I walked in and didn't seem very promising but the person working, Mayapple, was a complete joy to talk to. I ended up staying for an hour or so and came back later once the other places closed. I tasted 3-4 other wines but didn't take sufficient notes.

• 2005 Arcadian Pinot Noir Fiddlestix Vineyard

  USA, California, Central Coast, Sta. Rita Hills

  Tasted non-blind at Tastes of the Valleys in Solvang, CA. Very interesting nose that was hard to pin down in the context of a 1oz flight pouring. A lot of pepper on the palate along with cherries but also a significant amount of heat. Nice finish. Need to assess again over a longer period of time. Probably no hurry to open these.

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• 2007 Au Bon Climat Pinot Noir Sanford & Benedict Vineyard 90 Points

  USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Ynez Valley

  Tasted non-blind at Tastes of the Valleys in Solvang, CA. Big nose of cherries, spices, cassis. Nice effort on the palate with more red and dark fruits but possibly a little too sweet. Hold for 1-2 more years.

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• 2006 La Vie Vineyards Pinot Noir Black Mountain Reserve 91 Points

  USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Lucia Highlands

  Tasted non-blind at Tastes of the Valleys in Solvang, CA. Nice cherry nose, lots of spice and a slight hint of smoke. More of the same on the palate with the smoke coming on a little stronger (but still subtle). Medium-long finish. Drinking great now but seems to have plenty of life and room to improve a bit.

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• 2007 Belle Glos Pinot Noir Clark & Telephone Vineyard 85 Points

  USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Maria Valley

  Tasted non-blind at Tastes of the Valleys in Solvang, CA. Nose of bright, candied fruit. Same thing on the palate but it becomes sugary with hints of Pepsi. Very hot wine and seems like headache material. Very little resemblance to what pinot should be in this tasters opinion.

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• 2007 Carlson Pinot Noir Las Hermanas 92 Points

  USA, California, Central Coast, Sta. Rita Hills

  Tasted non-blind at Tastes of the Valleys in Solvang, CA. Nice red fruit nose with some spice and forest floor. Some vanilla notes along with more red fruit. Very long finish consistent with the flavor profile. Hold for a couple more years if you can but also drinking nicely now. My handwritten notes have 2 check marks next to it, which must be good.

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Very nice tasting room and very friendly, knowledgeable employees. Several of their loyal customers were in from LA and also fun to talk to. A very social place. I tasted 4 additional wines but didn't take notes as I was too busy talking to the staff and other customers.

• 2008 Presidio Pinot Noir Presidio Vineyard 88 Points

  USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Barbara County

  Tasted non-blind at their tasting room. Nose of cherry, violets and some earthy notes. On the palate, it has a lot of evidence of oak treatment in addition to more cherry. Fairly short but consistent finish. Overall, a decent effort.

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• 2004 Presidio Diego Red 91 Points

  USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Barbara County

  Tasted non-blind at their tasting room. Very nice nose of briar patch and cassis. Definitely showing Old World characteristics with plenty of earth. Very interesting wine at this price point as it drinks like a mature Haut Medoc or maybe even a weak vintage from St. Estephe. At this price, I would buy it all day if it were easier to get in Texas.

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Last stop of the day. This place wasn't on my radar screen initially but was a recommendation by Mayapple at Tastes of the Valleys. I was very impressed by the wines here. High quality and the most Old World in style of anything I had all day. The Roussanne I had here is one of my favorite wines year to date (based on my tasting here and confirmed at home after opening one of the bottles I brought back with me).

• 2009 Dascomb Cellars Pinot Gris 91 Points

  USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Barbara County

  Tasted non-blind at their tasting room. From the Los Alamos area between the Santa Ynez Valley and Santa Maria Valley. Nose of lemons and melons. Mostly citrus on the palate. Very consistent finish that is medium-long in length. Not quite as rich as an Alsace region pinot gris but definitely along the same lines. Very enjoyable and a great effort.

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• 2010 Dascomb Cellars Viognier

  USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Barbara County

  Tasted non-blind at their tasting room from a barrel sample. Floral nose of orange blossom and apricots. More of the same in the mouth, nice medium long finish. Withholding judgement on this one given it has yet to be fined and/or filtered and bottled but certainly a solid effort.

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• 2008 Dascomb Cellars Roussanne 93 Points

  USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Barbara County

  Tasted non-blind at their tasting room. Very fragrant, floral nose. In the mouth it shows melons, some pear and spice. The finish has some nutty caramel notes usually found in much more mature Rhone wines and goes on for a solid minute. Unbelievable effort here that really shows in the finish. I'm a big fan of this one.

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• 2006 Dascomb Cellars Pinot Noir 90 Points

  USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Barbara County

  Tasted non-blind at their tasting room. Very floral nose with notes of cherry and stones. More flowers on the palate with a smooth transition to the consistent and medium-long finish. Very interesting pinot example.

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• 2004 Dascomb Cellars Syrah 91 Points

  USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Ynez Valley

  Tasted non-blind at their tasting room. Nice nose of dark berries and spices. More of the same on the palate with some leather. Nice and long finish with more pepper and some rubber at the end. Definitely showing Old World characteristics.

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• 2003 Dascomb Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon

  USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Barbara County

  Tasted non-blind at their tasting room. Nose of cassis and violets. More cherries that turn sour. Much more complexity here than this note indicates as I needed more time with this one to fully assess. Definitely a solid effort with a lot of unique character. I'll reassess once I'm tasting from a full bottle soon.

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• 2005 Dascomb Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon East Valley Vineyard Port

  USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Ynez Valley

  Tasted non-blind at their tasting room. My first example of a Port-style wine made from cab sauv. Very interesting and complex but didn't take detailed notes. From memory, it had varietal characteristics form the cab with more emphasis on chocolate. Definitely not cigar material, more of a vintage port profile. No rating as I really needed more time with it.

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