Tres Hermanas

TRL/Staff/Wine: 7/7/6

The wines are serving cold on the nose.

2007 Barbera: $24/$19/$27
Nice nose, fruit forward. Velvet palate and finish. Pleasant – not over the top like most Barberas. Fruit is less accessible on the palate.

2007 Syrah
Spice on the nose is strong w/ earthy, almost truffle aroma (white pepper).

2006 Syrah: $25/$20/$31
Nose is plush. Red cherry, fig, raspberry palate follows. Hints of liquid smoke.

2005 Syrah: $25/$20/$33
More smoke on nose, fruit is brighter fig and cherry. Palate doesn’t follow. Finish needs structure.

2005 Syrah/Sangiovese (70/30): $30/$24/$-
Nice blend – makes me think of an Italian wine, but has more fruit than earth. Very peppery on the palate. The nose has a bright fruit that doesn’t appear as prominently on the palate. The nose is sangio; the palate is syrah.

2007 Refosco: $38/$30/$22
Italian varietal grown in Paso Robles. Nice fruit, full. No structure; the fruit doesn’t follow. It’s a good social wine and a good blending wine.

Fess Parker

TRL/Staff/Wine: 10/?/?

The tasting room bars have accommodations for two dozen people. There were four dozen when we stopped in. Edging into the room, to try to reach the bar wasn’t an option. The TRL is a 10, but we’ll have to find out about the wine another day.

Zaca Mesa

TRL/Staff/Wine: 9/9/9

This is a very large tasting room, accommodating at least 18 people. They only charge $10 for a tasting of nine wines, which is refunded with a purchase. This is a very club-worthy winery.

2009 Estate Z Gris: 16/12/9
Strawberry & citric with rose aromas.

2009 Estate Viognier: 20/16/22
No finish, but the nose is huge! Great and creamy, especially for a viognier! Very accessible for a white and good for a viognier. Fruity and floral.

2007 Estate Z blanc: 28/23/28
Very creamy; nice, smooth palate for a lovely pear and citrus nose. Easy to drink with a finish that sits on your palate without the acidity.

2006 Estate Grenache:
Smokey, nice full strawberry/raspberry Grenache – totally enjoyed this one.

2006 Estate Z Cuvee: 20/16/28
Blackberry/blueberry; easy quality, fantastic price.

2006 Syrah: 23/18/28
Spicy nose, some-to-none tannic structure. Spice comes through on the palate. Light-to-medium bodied. Dark wild berries with notes of violets.

2006 Z Three: 42/33/35
Syrah/mourvedre/Grenache. Nice, spicy nose and palate. Medium bodied; needs a little earthiness about it. Good wine for gamy meat.

2006 Estate Mesa Reserve Syrah (“The Mesa”): 42/33/42
Dark berries and beef on palate. Very beefy nose; grilled heaven. Classic syrah! Earthy palate, mouthfeel.

Firestone

TRL/Staff/Wine: 10/7/6

Generally speaking, all of the wines lacked structure and acidic backbone. The tasting room was huge, accommodating three dozen patrons (by my rough count) with charm and sophistication. Overall, the wines produced by this vintner left me with the impression that they were catering to a specific demographic; the young, emerging oenophiles with juvenile palates. The quality reaches new heights of mediocrity, which certainly has a profitable place in the market. Yes…I’m saying they sold out.

2007 Pinot Noir, Santa Barbara County:25/19/29
Light nose, mildly spicy and semi-dried fruit (strawberry). Palate mirrors the nose with more “presence”. The right glass will mean the difference. Spice will emerge in the right glass.

2007 Cabernet Franc: 22/17/18
If you’re accustomed to Northern California Cab Francs, then this will befuddle you. It has none of the prominent characteristics you’d come to expect, such as the green pepper on the nose. It is a smooth, flavorful cab franc, nonetheless. It’s an inexpensive date, but not too cheap.

2006 Syrah: 18/14/18
Nose is bright with both fresh and dried cranberries, tempered with a little cassis. The palate speaks of a full-bodied Grenache, not a syrah.

2006 Lineage, Chairman Series: 35/26/-
This is their flagship Bordeaux blend (all five grapes). Northern California has an edge on this Bordeaux blend. Smooth, but the flavors are extremely muted! It has the body of a Pinot Noir and the flavors of…I don’t know what.

2006 Cabernet Sauvignon, Chairman Series: 35/26/30
No tannic structure. Simple plum/boysenberry. Nose holds back the flavors to come. The most flavorful, to be sure. If you’re introducing someone to Cabernet Sauvignon, this isn’t the one to choose.

Alma Rosa

TRL/Staff/Wine: 7/7/7

As with other wineries in Santa Barbara County, don’t forget the tasting fee. It’s often between $10 and $20. With the wines here, you’re going to be left to wonder how the wine will taste in the right glass. The tasting room was tiny, barely accommodating 5 at the bar.

2008 Clone 115 La Encantada Vineyard : 43/34/32
Uh…no. Young and acidic. The fruit is inaccessible.

2008 Clone 667 La Enacantada Vineyard Santa Rita Hills : 43/34/-
Nose and palate represent themselves as a Pinot Noir but just barely.

2008 Santa Rita Hills: 32/25/36
Nice. Accessible. Fair balance of fruit and spice with more toward the fruit. Well-priced and easy to drink anytime…alone. Stereotypical, basic Santa Rita Hills.

2007 Pinot Noir La Encantada Vineyard Santa Rita Hills: 43/34/36
The clone 667 with the Swan clone; nose is typical Swan but the palate has no spice balance, only simple red fruit.

Sanford

TRL/Staff/Wine: 9/8/8
Charming tasting room, set back from the road, overlooking the Santa Rita Hills. The bar presents their wines in nice burgundy glasses, as they should be. There won’t be any surprises when you get the wine home.

2007 La Riconada Vineyard Chardonnay : $38/$31/$31

Crisp nose with aromas of melon. The candied lemon peel flashes on the palate after the natural finish.

2007 La Entrada Chardonnay, Santa Rita Hills:$45/$36/30

Light on the nose. The palate is light-bodied, citrus.

2007 flor de campo, Santa Barbara County: $48/$38/-

Fermented in neutral oak. Full-bodied. Nose is peachy/nectarine, with hints of a sweet flower (jasmine, I think). Nice tree leaf (sweet), but not sure what it is.

2008 La Rinconada Vineyard Pinot Noir, Santa Rita Hills: $54/$43/$43

Lots of cherries on the nose. Not any single cherry, but various species, including the sweet and spicy. The palate has mild spice, but no tannic structure. This is a nice pinot, with broad accessibility, but not for “discriminating tastes”.

2008 Sanford & Benedict Vineyard Pinot Noir, Santa Rita Hills: $60/$48/$47
Much more spice on the nose, with dried red fruit. Another accessible wine, but this has good character to it. The palate is more surprising as compared to the nose. Modestly bright, with spice to balance and linger. This one you want to drink in a relaxed, meant for long-lasting pleasure environment.

2007 Domino del Falcon Pinot Noir, Santa Rita Hills: $75/$60/$42

Made from a single block, implying limited production. Big spice on the nose. Light-bodied with delicate fruit on the palate. The spice on the nose is almost absent on the palate.