Central Coast Trip
Central Coast / Santa Barbara
Tasted Sunday, June 23, 2013 - Wednesday, June 26, 2013 by silton with 623 views
Introduction
Impressions from a recent trip to Santa Barbara, our first of 15 years of living in CA. We got unlucky with the weather but had a nice time wining and dining and shopping. We'll be back.
Flight 1 - Talley (6 Notes)
Scooted around SLO to hit Talley. Alas, no SVD Pinots on offer (although I found a few bottles of the Rincon PN at Beltramo's later), but the Chards were as good as expected and I might have bought more if this had been a later stop. I am not a fan of tasting room pricing 10% higher than retail, however.
Flight 2 - Arcardian (8 Notes)
After Talley we had a nice lunch in the village at a newish Mediterranean place before heading to the Lompoc Ghetto. Our first stop was at Arcadian, which was an absolute riot. The Tasting Room manager was in the late stages of a successful visit that sold a bunch of wine and left a lot of good stuff open, and she insisted we try everything. It wasn't terribly crowded, but her sense of time was wacked so she was flustered even though she was offering up timely and friendly service. She rambled a bit about my missing front tooth, citing a hangover. Was she hungover, and thus I should excuse the awkward pointing at my mouth? Did she think I hungover after a drunk bar fight? WTF? Only later did I put 2 and 2 together into the movie "The Hangover"... great, I'm a dweeby dentist. A local tour guide friend pitched in behind the bar, which helped, but she still managed a Paula-Deen lite comment about Mexicans later on. After a perfunctory pouring of 3 Bratcher wines, which were OK, we rolled though the 8 Arcadians. An enjoyable lineup from start to finish.
Flight 3 - Palmina (3 Notes)
After Arcadian we found Samsara, which had no Syrahs open. It might have been a mistake to skip their Pinot flight as well as the option to taste the latest Clos Pepe at the taste of Sta. Rita Hills room but the novelty of Palmina's Italian varieties captured the next slot. After Palmina we headed to Melville on the way to Santa Barbara for the night; the Melville wines were plenty impressive too, especially the Viognier and Inox Chards.
Flight 4 - Ojai (3 Notes)
On Monday we took a day trip to Ojai and Ventura. 72 and cloudy in Ojai! Lots of library wines for sale here with aggressive prices, but the current releases showed a deft hand over an impressive range and offering decent value, although marked up above retail.
Flight 5 - Stoplman (5 Notes)
On our way home we headed to Los Olivos thinking Tensley might be closed (it was) but choosing to hit Stolpman, across the street, instead. Friendly, knowledgable service here. The Grenache and Sangio were pretty nice too but not compelling.
Closing
A great trip, although hitting 3 California themed restaurants in Santa Barbara, each of whom had wine lists dominated by local wines, got confining after a while. The 2010 Tyler Zotovich Chardonnay might have been the best Chardonnay of the trip, however.
2011 Talley Vineyards Chardonnay 90 Points
USA, California, Central Coast, Arroyo Grande Valley
(6/23/2013)
Nicely balanced medium-weight Chard, not too woody, with lemon/lime citrus and graham cracker/walnut. 90+ and a pretty good QPR.
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2011 Talley Vineyards Chardonnay Oliver's Vineyard 91 Points
USA, California, Central Coast, Edna Valley
(6/23/2013)
Maybe a notch better than the Estate, with the nose offering less and the palate showing a broader, better integrated range of fruit.
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2011 Talley Vineyards Chardonnay Rincon Vineyard 91 Points
USA, California, Central Coast, Arroyo Grande Valley
(6/23/2013)
A little brighter and more mineral than the Oliver's, but now a more questionable QPR over $40.
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2011 Talley Vineyards Chardonnay Rosemary's Vineyard 92 Points
USA, California, Central Coast, Arroyo Grande Valley
(6/23/2013)
My favorite of this excellent series of Chardonnays so I bought one. The most floral with the most pronounced nose. The Talley TN references a nose of lemon zest, creme brulee and a hint of orange blossom with flavors of orchard fruit, lemon curd, and toast as well as claiming a balance between creamy texture and flinty acidity, and that note basically worked for me. Lots of depth and complexity here to drink over the next 3-5 years.
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2011 Talley Vineyards Pinot Noir Arroyo Grande Valley
USA, California, Central Coast, Arroyo Grande Valley
(6/23/2013)
Only got a short taste of this, a medium to light frame with some nice mineral nuance. Nice wine but I was not looking to buy much Pinot on this trip.
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2011 Bishop's Peak (Talley Vineyards) Cabernet Sauvignon Paso Robles 87 Points
USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles
(6/23/2013)
Somewhat oaked but a tasty and accessible cheapish Cab blend that has just a touch of sweet herb/savory earth to keep it interesting. Bought one at a marginal cost of $12 (they waived the cheaper of 2 tasting fees with the purchase of 2 bottles).
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