Wine Tourism: California Off-the-Beaten-Track Part 2

I took a three week hiatus from blogging to vacation and see family in California. This included some formal and informal wine tasting opportunities. In this post, I wanted to focus on the formal wine tourism I did in California, including Baja California. I’ll post reviews in the next coming weeks on some of the wines I drank from my personal stash in California in addition to the wines I brought back with me to Chile. 

A couple of years ago, I wrote a post about some of the lesser-known places to taste wine in California. Since we visit California annually, I want to keep adding more alternative resources for wine lovers in California to explore. Here are the three places I visited on this trip: 

1. Lafayette, Contra Costa County

In the aforementioned post, I already wrote about some Contra Costa wineries since this is where my most of my family lives. However, wine tasting can also take place in wine shops, bars and more eclectic places. The latter is the case for our tasting at Hollie’s Homegrown. 

Hollie’s Homegrown is a shop in downtown Lafayette where you can buy art, scented candles, bath salts, oils, bowls, glasses, jewelry among other things while also having high tea or tasting wine with snacks. The wines they feature come from Lucas and Lewellen, who produce their own estate wines in Santa Barbara County. One of the daughters of the winery co-owns the shop, so they get it directly from her family down south. 

The Lucas and Lewellen label is for their French varieties while their Toccata wines are Italian varieties. However, some of their wines are also labeled Dalmatinka, showing the family’s Croatian roots and their blanc de blancs sparkling, which is sourced from their estate but made outside the estate, has a “Hollie’s Homegrown” label. While we were there, they were featuring their Italian varieties, but perhaps at other points they feature their French varieties too. As a Chilean wine aficionado, I noticed they also make a straight Carmenere that I’ll have to try in the future. 

Overall, Hollie’s Homegrown makes a nice meeting place for little parties. In fact, there was a little bachelorette party going on while we were there. However, in the winter, the space is limited indoors and all the other scented things can be distracting for a serious wine taster. I took some notes on the wines we drank, but didn’t give points for that reason. I don’t think their average clientele are wine geeks, but they were able to answer all my questions and the wines were solid.

The Wines

My favorite was their 2017 Hollie’s Homegrown Blanc de Blancs. It’s 100% Chardonnay with around 2 years on lees. Traditional method. It’s fruity at first but still dry with some toasty bready notes. Good acid. This comes from the Goodchild vineyard in the Santa Maria Valley. We also had a 2017 Sparkling Rosato, which is also traditional method, made up of mostly Chardonnay with a bit of Dolcetto and Malvasia Bianca. It’s similar but even fruitier. Their 2021 Malvasia Bianca is floral and fruity with medium-low acid. It’s along the lines of aromatic Gewurz or non-fizzy Moscato. We tried their 2021 Rosato di Barbera which is medium-bodied, round, fruity with medium-low acid. This comes from their Los Alamos vineyard in Santa Barbara County. Their 2019 Dolcetto has dark fruit on the nose with similar palate but on the soft, easy side. Finally their 2019 Classico is made with 55% Sangiovese, 25% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% each of Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Freisa, and Petit Verdot. It’s supposed to be their ode to Super-Tuscan wines. On the nose, it’s more on the red fruit side with spice and tobacco. It’s the most tannic of the wines. The palate is still more on the darker side than you’d get in a lot of Tuscan reds, and overall all the Italian styled wines lacked the acidity you’d get in most classic Italian wines, but that’s the case with most California wines. Plus, their average clientele might be turned off by classic Italian acidity. At the same time, I like that they feature Italian varieties that average wine drinkers may not know as well.

2. Southern California & Baja California

History

Those that know their history should remember that California was once part of Mexico and prior to that, Spain. When Spanish explorers first arrived at the peninsula which is now called Baja California, they thought it was an island and called it California, after the mythical island of Amazon warriors. The rest of the coast line continued to be labeled California by mapmakers even after they realized it wasn’t an island. The Spanish later divided California into Alta California and Baja California, with San Diego being the approximate border. After brief Mexican control, Alta California became part of the expansion-minded US after the Mexican-American War.

Wine in Southern California, USA

As far as wine lovers are concerned, the important part of this history is the arrival of Spanish missions up and down the coast of Alta and Baja California because they are the ones who brought grape vines. That’s why you can still find vines all throughout current American and Mexican California. You might think American California wine country stops at Santa Barbara county, but there are wineries/tasting rooms in Los Angeles and San Diego. There are even vines and wine tasting in Disney’s California Adventure Park in Anaheim. *They don’t actually serve wine made from their vines. It’s mostly overpriced big name labels from California, but it goes to show that Disney is for adults too. 

Wine in Baja California, Mexico

Once you cross the border into Mexico, it’s only about an hour to the closest wineries in the Valle de Guadalupe which is the most prominent valley within the larger wine region of Ensenada. Other winemaking valleys located northeast of Ensenada city are the San Antonio de las Minas, Calafia, Santo Tomas and San Vicente valleys. About 80% of all Mexican wine is made in northern Baja, which is more ideally suited for winemaking than other parts of Mexico due to the Pacific Ocean breezes moderating the climate. The oldest Mexican winery, by the way, is in the Valle de Parras in central Mexico (I reviewed one 2 years ago).

However, our trip took us to Loreto. It’s a gorgeous place to see marine life, such as whales, dolphins, orcas and sea lions. It’s also where you can find the two oldest permanent Spanish missions in California: Loreto & San Javier. Unfortunately, it’s a 13 hour drive to Ensenada, so I couldn’t visit wineries. Although I did find some local Loreto wine, most of the Mexican wines available in Loreto were from the Ensenada region, so that’s what I got to taste. By the way, most of the other wines they sold and served were Chilean.  

Wine Tasting Notes

Most of the varieties they produce in Baja are the typical French ones, but I ran into some artisanal sweet Mission (Pais) from the Loreto region, and there’s also Nebbiolo, Zinfandel and Tempranillo in the Ensenada region. In fact, I brought back a Mexican Nebbiolo to compare with Nebbiolo from other regions in a future post. 

The wines I tasted in Baja were diverse in terms of region, but certainly not the top-end wines although Santo Tomas and Casa Magoni are well-reputed producers. Thus, my conclusions are still based on a limited sample and price point. Nonetheless, my overall impression is that they were generally well made, but lack the freshness, potency and complexity one can find for similar prices in Chile. On the other hand, with spicy Mexican cuisine, it’s sort of better that these wines are lighter, rounder, simpler and less imposing structurally so you can enjoy all the flavors in the food; It’s certain that Mexican food is a lot better for the price than Chilean. Again, given the warm weather and what I’ve read, there are probably bigger, bolder reds that I didn’t get a chance to taste this time.   

2019 Vision Coyote Cabernet, Shiraz, Grenache Baja California Sur – I found this artisanal wine being sold next to the San Javier Mission near Loreto. The regional designation is Baja California Sur because Baja is actually divided into northern and southern Baja. Loreto is in the southern half. Vinified and kept in plastic bottles before bottling. Rather simple, dark fruity red. Not enough acid, but otherwise not unbalanced or with faults. Just not interesting. More interesting was the producer’s unlabeled bottle of sweet Mission (Pais) which is not so far off from Chilean Chacolí.

2021 Viña Alegre Puerta Nueva Valle de Guadalupe Cabernet Malbec – A fruity, simple wine. Fruity and a bit floral on the nose with little oak influence (6 months in barrel). Verges on overripe and raisiny on the palate though. However, it gets a little fresher with air. Low acid. Soft tannins. A drink now wine that won’t offend. Less than $10 here in Mexico. 85 There was a Viña Maipo Classic Series Cabernet served next to it, and it was fresher overall although the fruit potency and flavor profile was about the same. It’s only a point or so better, but it’s cheaper than the Mexican wine. That’s why restaurants here still rely on Chilean wines for better quality and price. At the same time, I’m glad they feature so many Mexican wines too because I wasn’t in Mexico to try wines I can find at home in Chile.  

2020 Bichi Azul el Heroe Tecate Mexico Baja California, Puerta Norte – This is a wine I actually found in the US at a natural wine shop and brought with me to drink in Mexico. The winery is located in Tecate, which is just east of Tijuana and more famous for its beer. Tecate is the perfect place to go wine tasting if you don’t want to go too far from the border. Stainless steel carbonic maceration. No sulfites added. 2, 600 bottles produced. 100% Garnacha.  Smells like a natural wine to me or at least a wine with native yeasts , but in a sweet doughy way and not a funky way like some natural wines. Overall, a fruity, juicy wine with red fruit, medium+ acid, and medium body. No hard edges. There’s a little herbal spice, but it’s a fruit driven wine. I think I got it for around $30, but I’ve seen it for more in Mexican and American shops online. 90

2021 Santo Tomas Sauvignon Blanc Santo Tomas Valley Baja – Nose medium-light intensity, fruity with a touch of citrus and jalapeño. The palate is not as acidic as most, a bit rounder and simpler than most Chilean SB for example. This sells for around $10-15 in Mexico. 85

2021 Casa Magoni Rosé Guadalupe Valley Baja – Grenache, Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Meunier – A shy nose with a ripe red fruity nose with an easy red fruited palate and good acidity. This is about $15 in Mexico. 86

2017 Roganto Syrah San Antonio de las Minas Baja – Bright dark fruit, Mediterranean herbs, olives and some meatiness. On the palate, it’s medium+ bodied, mild but present tannins, medium-low acid, with similar notes as the nose, with some spice and licorice. Alcohol in balance. A classic Syrah. Palate is not quite as expressive as the nose but it’s not far off from an average Chilean Syrah except a bit lower in acid and less floral. Definitely not in the Australian Shiraz style with darker fruit and higher alcohol. This goes for around $35 in Mexico. 89

3. Paso Robles

This region in the central coast of California is not really off the beaten path. Paso Robles Cabernet from producers like Justin, Austin Hope, and Daou are already extremely popular in the US. At the same time, Paso Robles wine production is growing and diverse, so there’s still a lot to explore (here’s a list of the wineries). 

Although the region is known for big alcoholic wines due to the hot weather, there’s diversity in terroir and climate. The closer you get to the coast, the cooler it gets while the further east you get, it’s warmer. This allows for diversity in styles and varieties. Besides Cabernet, you can find Zinfandel and Petite Sirah. During my first visit to Paso Robles, I went to Turley, who are one of the standard-bearers for Zin and Petite Sirah in all of California. There are also Rhone varieties. If you like classic Rhone wines, then Tablas Creek is the best place to go since it’s a partnership of Americans and Beaucastel in the Rhone Valley. They actually dry-farm.  L’Aventure also makes French influenced wines but with interesting blends. Finally, you can find Italian varieties and even a little bit of Pinot in the region too. Although some source their Pinot from outside of Paso Robles from places like the Edna Valley, San Simeon or Cambria, I know Adelaida, a top producer in Paso Robles, makes a Pinot sourced from within Paso Robles. There are others too. 

Although it will add about 30-40 minutes driving to your trip, Paso Robles makes a nice pitstop between the Bay Area and Los Angeles, which is what we did this time. If you have limited time but want to do multiple tastings, one option is Tin City. There are over 20 Paso wine producers along with some food and cider congregated all in one place. We only had time for one tasting though, so I wanted to go to a place that showcases the diversity of Paso Robles. One option was Tobin James because it’s located in an old saloon, which would’ve been cool for the kids. Instead, we settled for Eberle because of its importance to Paso Robles history, and it’s one of the few places in California that still do free tastings. By the way, another winery to consider with as much history in Paso Robles, a lot of variety and a restaurant is Broken Earth Winery.   

Eberle Winery Visit

Eberle serves 5 current release wines in their standard tasting, which includes an optional 15 minute tour of the cellars. The prices for his current releases range from about $30-50, which is a relative bargain in California. You need to make reservations though.

Gary Eberle was a college football player and Biology major at Penn State, but some professors in grad school at LSU got him into Bordeaux and fine food. He went on to study oenology at UC Davis and make wines. He’s been making wine in Paso Robles since 1973. He co-founded the Paso Robles appellation in 1983.

Everything is hand harvested. His wines are all estate sourced or sourced within Paso Robles. His Cabernet vines were planted in the 70’s. He uses French, American and Hungarian oak– untoasted Hungarian oak for whites. Although the estate is in the east which tends to be on the hot dry side with 100 degree summers, I found their wines surprisingly fresh and restrained compared to others I’ve had in the region. They’re more food-friendly wines too. 

2021 Estate Viognier – 60/40 stainless steel/oak (10% new). Some malolactic. Nice nose. Melon. Tropical. Slightly buttery. On the palate, there is some bright fruit upfront but it’s more about creamy, salty butter that softens the acid on the mid and back end. A little spice. Medium-bodied. Fairly light for Viognier though. A more everyday, Viognier for aperitif. 89

2019 Sangiovese 16 month barrel, 20-30% new oak. Typical Sangiovese notes of bright cherry fruit and herbal spices with a bit of nutmeg. However, the palate is a bit lighter than most Sangiovese. Dark and tangy red fruit. Medium+ acid. Some tannins but should be fine with food. With a savory, spicy back end similar to the nose. It makes a nice everyday wine for a variety of foods  89

2020 Zinfandel More new oak than the Sangiovese. Dark and fruity with spicy notes, tobacco. Touch of vanilla and some tang to keep it fresh. Lighter in color and body than most. Not a big jammy Zin. Again, food friendly and easy drinking version of the variety. 90

NV Full Boar Red Combined age of 30 months in barrel and 2 vintages. Mostly Cabernet S. and Barbera with a bit of  Zin, Petite Sirah, Tempranillo, Grenache, Sangiovese, and perhaps others. Reminds me of a Merlot-Cab Bordeaux blend despite the crazy blend. Barbera often reminds me of Merlot, so that makes sense. Overall, a juicy, fruity wine with decent acid, and present but soft tannins and a savory, tobacco aftertaste. Medium+ bodied but still a fun and easy versatile red. 90

2019 Estate Cabernet S. This is their flagship wine. 50% new oak. Shy nose, slowly opening up. Tobacco, baking spices, some tomato leaf. Dark berry fruit, but plenty of acidity. Full-bodied. Medium tannins. Should get better with the tannins softening and the oak getting more integrated. 91+