So. Cal. Winery Review
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SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA WINERY REVIEW

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Introduction
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Welcome to Southern California Winery Review!  I started this website about two years ago because I kept finding really bad wineries getting rave reviews, while some very, very good wineries were totally ignored.  So, I've spent quite a bit of time visiting wineries in Southern California (over 60).  Of these I've found about 40 pretty good wineries, certainly worth my taking the time to write them up.  I know what you are thinking -- it's a dirty job, but someone has to do it....  These are summarized in the Wineries section of this website. 
Now wineries in Southern California  are rapidly becoming the centers of social activities.  Not just for special events (weddings and the like), but as a place to go on weekends with friends, to enjoy good wine (ok, that's pretty obvious), good food, and even good entertainment.  While most wineries have some sort of wine club, no two are run the same.  Some wineries have restaurants.  Some have entertainment on weekends.  Some even have hotels.   So I have included information on all of this, both in the Wineries section and in the Winery News section.
If you are looking for specific varietals, you can find long lists at the beginning of the About section.  Not just what varietals are available in Southern California, but which wineries are offering them.  The About section also includes info on wine storage, corks, the Sommelier test, how to cool your wine to proper serving temperature, and other little tidbits.

I am not really qualified to review the wines themselves, though I will tell you what I like and maybe even what I don't like.  However, I have a wine collector (now a Level 1 Sommelier) who will provide us some insights into particular wines.  One word of warning:  both he and I are red wine enthusiasts....   Wine quality determines which wineries I review, though I also pay attention to the wine tasting room, personnel, location, view, et al.   I should add that I am very much a red wine enthusiast....
And speaking of red wine, I shall now expound on my pet peeve -- namely, drinking red wine at "room temperature"!  Red wine should be stored and drunk at a temperature below 65 F.  If you don't believe me, I suggest you run a little experiment -- I like experiments, in fact I'm a retired experimental physicist.  Pour red wine into two glasses in a warm room.  Chill one to below 65 F (put it in the fridge for about 20 minutes) and let the other glass warm up.  Then taste them both.... 
See picture below for recommended drinking temperatures.  By the way, what you see in the picture is the back of a wine temperature gauge, one of many wine-related paraphenalia in the Gadgets section.
IMPORTANT NOTE:  I HAVE ADDED LINKS FROM THE WINERIES​ PAGE TO THE SPECIFIC WINERY REVIEW.  Oh, at the end of each post is a small Facebook Like box....  Would really like a lot of likes....

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Red wine should be aerated, i.e., allowed to breath.  You can buy a simple aerator that will do the job, twirl the wine in the glass, or just let the wine sit for  awhile before drinking.  Of course, if the room is warm, see above....
One question you may be asking yourself:  why should I buy wine from a winery rather than Cosco, a supermarket, or a wine shop?  Well, for one thing, if you visit the winery you taste the wine before you buy it.  Then there is the fact that Cosco and the supermarkets don't store the wine properly, so even if you get a good wine the first time the next bottle you buy might not be as good.  That assumes they still carry it and you can remember what it was you bought in the first place.
But there is another reason -- wineries in Southern California make varietals that you are unlikely to find at Costco or a supermarket.  I list  a whole batch of white and red varietals I've tasted at the wineries I've reviewed.  Costco only carries around 15 red varietals.  You won't find three of my favorite wines:  LaGrein, Negroamaro and Montipulciano.  To make it easier to find a winery offering your favorite varietal, the wine varietal wine lists are now in the Wineries section .
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Link to Chateau 55 Website
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Link to Priority Wine Pass

The Latest Blog
Montepulciano is another Italian wine, but rather than being rare it is Italy's second most commonly grown grape, trailing only Sangiovese.
Site News​​
  •  I've deleted the About Red Wines and About White Wines from the About section, with the listing now in the Wineries section.
  • With reviews now coming in from Doc Ed on Oregon wineries, I've added a listing of reviewed Oregon wineries in the Wineries section, after the extensive So Cal winery listing.​
About Section Contents
The About section is getting a bit crowded, so I thought it might be worthwhile to list the contents, as follows:
  1. About Sommeliers
  2. About Chilling Wine
  3. About Southern California Wineries
  4. About the Lum Eisensan/San Diego Wine Competition
  5. About Corks
  6. About Wine Clubs
  7. About Wine Storage
  8. About Balsamic Vinegar

Fallbrook Winery

7/29/2019

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We finally decided to hit wineries in the Fallbrook area, so naturally we started with the Fallbrook Winery.  This is sort of “good news/bad news” review.  The “good news” is that the Fallbrook Winery makes some very nice wine and has a very nice facility.  The “bad news” is that it is not easy to get to and can only be visited by making reservations in advance.
The winery is located in a residential area of Fallbrook, up a very winding road.  This is not a boutique winery – in fact, it is a large winery by San Diego County standards.  In other words, they do not depend on direct sales to the public.  That is not to say that they don’t like visitors, just that where they are located is not conducive to a lot of wine tasters coming and going.
As you can see in the following pictures, you can sit inside or outside for your tasting.  When we sat outside they came to us with the wine, a service that I really like.
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Wine tasting is Temecula cost level, $20 per person for six tastes.  As shown in the menu below, they offer some whites and a nice selection of red wines.  It is my understanding that they have over twenty acres planted on their own property and control vines planted on another twenty or so, with total sales over 20,000 cases a year.  A quick glance at the wine tasting menu shown below gives you a good idea of what they are about – all of the wines listed as “Estate” are red, and many are Italian varietals.  I particularly liked their Barbera – maybe the best I’ve tasted in Southern California.  Their Bordeaux blend (BDX) is a pretty smooth affair, and I think will be really good after a bit of aging.  I apologize for not getting to the Aglianico – too many wines to choose from.
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They have three wine club levels.  The lowest is the Founders Club – three bottles quarterly, one 33֯ N Estate and two Fallbrook Winery.  The next level is the Estate Club – three bottles quarterly, all 33֯ N Estate wines.  You can also opt for a “Keep Me Stocked”, calling for 6 bottles per quarter of the Fallbrook Winery wines.  All wines at a 20% discount with free tasting for two per visit.  They do have some special events at the winery, and wine club members get invitations plus first crack at new releases.  Some wines available to wine club members are not released to the public.
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Chapin Family Vineyards

7/4/2019

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If you head east on Rancho California Blvd. in Temecula through the wine country, past the de Portola turnoff, you’ll come to Chapin Family Vineyards on your right.  It is worth going that extra few miles.  A truly pleasant winery where they do things the right way.  Pictures of the front are shown below.
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Now back to the “right way”.  First, you sit at a nice table on their very nice patio and they bring the wine to you.  You can stand at the bar if you like, but it is so much nicer to not have to stand while you taste their wines.  Some pictures of the patio and the view from the patio follow.
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Water is available if you ask for it, and they will offer you oyster crackers as well, two more keys to the “right” way to run a wine tasting facility.  Now if you’ve followed this website you know that I am a bit, shall we say, obsessive when it comes to serving red wine at the right temperature, so you can bet that this is a key part of my “right” way.  Not surprising then that they keep their bottles in individual coolers behind the bar.  I’ve included a picture of a side room in their tasting room, and of a plaque.  Check it out.
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Tasting ran $18 for six tastes from a very extensive tasting menu (see pictures).  It is particularly interesting to note that their estate wines, both white and red, consist of two French varietals and two Italian varietals.  Well, maybe not particularly interesting.  In fact, not interesting at all, but I have to write something….  Anyway, while I was not enthused about the rose wine that they made from their Montepulciano grapes, their red Montepulciano is quite nice as is their Aglianico.  The star to my taste is their 2015 Syrah.  It has a very unique, complex spicy structure that I’ve never encountered before.
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Their wine club is a three-bottle (at least two red) per quarter affair at a 20% discount, with one substitution allowed per quarter.  Includes free wine tasting for two (limit 8 per month), and half off for additional guests, or 20% off wine or a glass of wine.  Unlike other wine clubs, you have to commit to a year’s membership, with a $75 opt out fee.
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    Jim Treglio

    retired physicist and wine lover

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