What I love — what I really love about boutique wineries is that “single vineyard” is (often) a norm. And, I don’t want to be a wine snob or anything, but I’ve had the opportunity to taste the difference between an “appellation series,” a “vineyard series,” and “single vineyard series” as it pertains to the same winery and same varietal. And I have to say, the attention to detail given to the single vineyard series — whether from a major player or an up-and-comer — is astronomical. So you can imagine that when a small-lot winery, like Lombardi wines, stakes its whole business on two varietals (PN and Chard) that those vineyards are going to be quality sources and that the winemaker is going to take the utmost care to respect the fruit during production. So then it becomes — what I really love about boutique wineries is the quality of wine.
Lindeman’s Bin 65 Chardonnay 2015
A delivery from Lindeman’s magically appeared on my doorstep one day. Not complaining — a gift of wine will never be turned down by me. I’d never heard of the name so had no expectations as to the value or quality of the wine.
Although I’m not usually a fan of the screw cap, I will say that it’s actually kind of great when one finds herself traveling quite a bit. No worries about forgetting to pack a corkscrew. So it was during my travels that I found myself enjoying my first bottle of Lindeman’s Bin 65 Chardonnay.
Barton Family Wines Hot Blooded: 2014 Counoise
I came across Barton Family Wines during my most recent Paso Robles visit. It’s absolutely one of my top recommended wine stops when visiting the area. Winemaker and proprietor, Joe Barton, took me through a full line up of his current releases (including those in his Grey and Grey Wolf line). I loved that his Chenin Blanc had actual body and substance; appreciated that his rosé still had a bit of tannic red wine quality; and was impressed by his confidence to bottle a single-varietal (face-puckering) Tannat. But what truly turned me on, the wine I walked away with, was the Barton Family Wines Hot Blooded — a single-varietal bottling of 100% Counoise.
Lindeman’s Bin 45 Cabernet Sauvignon 2016
I don’t want to be Australian-ist (?), but when I saw that this Cabernet Sauvignon was an Australian Cabernet Sauvignon, I didn’t even take a first look at the vintage. I knew I was in for something bright, fun, and ready to drink now. Besides, what could go wrong with a bottle that says “smile” in such large font?
Workman/Ayer 2014 Ipso Facto White Wine
All of Workman/Ayer wines come out of the central coast, specifically Santa Barbara County. It’s an area I’m only beginning to familiarize myself with. While it’s not the “Rhone Ranger” station like Paso Robles, it seems Rhone varietals do thrive in the area — and winemakers are doing interesting things with those grapes. Just take a sip of Workman/Ayer 2014 Ipso Facto white wine…
