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Jeff Runquist Wines Tasting Notes

We visited Jeff Runquist Wines, which sources grapes from around the state of California but put down permanent roots with a nice tasting room in Amador Valley, directly off Shenadoah Valley Road (E16). Runquist did a nice job with their tasting room (opened in the Spring of '08), its a rectangle bar with tasting space all around, they offer free tastings & serve up cheese plates on the house for every visiting group.  In my wine travels around the world, its rare to receive such solid service. 

JiRaffe restaurant - Santa Monica

Last night we had a partner dinner in Santa Monica, at a nice French restaurant called JiRaffe.  Located on Santa Monica blvd and 5th street, its not as well known (nor expensive) as Melisse, located nearby, however the food and service were first class.  The wine list was far from extensive but it did offer plenty of gems, and in particular a notable by the glass section. 

Bachelor Party Cabernet Sauvignon Tasting

A close friend of mine asked me to organize (in the loose sense) a tasting for his bachelor party this past weekend.  He's getting married later next month wanted heavy reds, ideally Cabernet, wines that will leave a mark so to speak. I went to K&L & Beltramos wine stores (both local to the Bay Area Peninsula – Menlo Park/Redwood City area) and picked up seven bottles of Cabernet Sauvignon grapes. The wines came from Chile, France and the United States (primarily California), all representing different styles & regions to give everybody as much variety as a wine tasting at a Bachelor party can handle.                     

Justin Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Paso Robles 2005

Justin Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Paso Robles 2005

is a wine from the Paso Robles (central coast) area of California.  This was the 5th in the series of a seven bottle cabernet wine tasting.  Justin Vineyards is known for an Isocoles red blend that uses the exact same plot of Cabernet grapes used for this bottle.

Details: 14.5%

SF Chron Wine Competition Wine Tastings

The SF Chronicle Wine Competition event last weekend brought more than a couple hundred California vintners, which for some created a golden opportunity to socialize & drink their way thru a wonderful Saturday afternoon.  For me it was an incredible one stop day to taste first hand dozens of varietals from across the state.  We tasted dozens of wines from approximately fifteen wineries. 

Au Bon Climat 2003 Pinot Noir Santa Barbara County

We had a nice dinner this evening with a bottle of Au Bon Climat's 2003 Santa Barbara County Pinot Noir. We served butternut squash soup and homemade pizzas for dinner and chose the Pinot Noir because one of our guests loves Pinots.  I appreciated the company and good talk, however I was disappointed with the wine.  It was subtle though lacking in character.  I have heard that the 2005 vintage had more flavor, I would avoid the 2003 vintage if possible.  In fairness to Au Bon Climat this is one of their cheaper more mass produced varietal vintages - and generally they are well regarded wine makers well worth the effort. 

Friday Night Tasting?

The picture should tell the whole story.  In what was initially
intended to be a single bottle of wine winding down after a nice dinner and a long week of work resulted in seven, count them, seven bottles of vino.  In TheWino fashion, a small group of close friends, ended up drinking good wine well into the night.  On Saturday morning we felt the pain, some more than others (my brother in law in particular was hurting) but nothing can replace opening up endless bottles of wine.  Well, ok its not always the best idea if you have comittments the next day but fortunately for me I had none. 

Of the seven bottles my favorite was the Longoria Syrah (2002, Santa Barbera County). 

Drunkeness in a shed alongside the Foxen Canyon road - Foxen Vineyards

In a recent trip to Santa Barbara we took our patience and enthusiasm for great wine to the 'Foxen Boys' (Dick & Bill's) winery on Foxen Canyon Road in Santa Barbara county's wine region. Foxen is a collaboration between Dick Dore & Bill Wathen that produces some incredible Pinot Noirs and blends.  Everything at Foxen is relatively high quality, and the price to value ratio is incredible.  Additionally the tasting room has plenty of character, Foxen uses an old wood shed located right off the road as a tasting room. 

As a proxy for how enjoyable the Foxen location & wine are, all you need to know is that we arrived around 1ish and didn't leave until a little after 3 PM.  Though busy and impossible to simply just enjoy a conversation with the tasting room staff, we still enjoyed both library & current release wines for nearly two hours.  They're currently sold out of their collection of excellent pinot noirs (will be releasing the new vintages in the spring) but their Jeanne Marie Cuvee & the Foothills Reserve were well worth the drive. 

I recommend their Pinots, the Jeanne Marie Cuvee (in particular the '01), Foothills Reserve and the Cabernet Franc (a rare varietal on its own).  I would say nothing disappointed but I personally didn't love their whites - the Chardonnay or Chenin Blanc but then again that's me I generally prefer the heartier reds. 

I judge the quality of the wine by how buzzed I get.  My philosophy with tasting is simple, if it isn't any good, I spit.  On this day, I drank far too much wine.  But thanks to being featured in Sideways, practice patience when visiting Foxen.  The wine is great but the crowds are mounting.

Sideways ruined the Santa Barbara Wine Region?

Ok saying the movie Sidways ruined the Santa Barbara wine region is a bit extreme and only relevant to a wine connoisseur who enjoyed visiting places like Sanford, Babcock, Foxen or the many other quality wineries in the area without the hassle of competing with hordes of tire kicking folks just there to drink a little too much vino.  Yah I know, its been great for the wineries, the local restaurants, hotels and just about anybody tied to the northern Santa Barbara county economy.  Coupled with the general rise in wine consumption across the country and its a recipe for success.

But the point is that if you want to enjoy the beauty of Santa Barbara county wineries, plan ahead, avoid holiday weekend's, the summer & harvest season (early fall) or be prepared for crowds.