I first encountered Montepulciano about six years ago.  I had never even heard the name, and had trouble remembering it after first tasting the wine at Ponte in Temecula.  It was love at first sight – well, actually first taste.  I have selected this grape variety and the varietal wine made from it as my second to review because it was this wine that made me realize that there are very good red wines not made from Cabernet Sauvignon or Pinot Noir grapes.
So, another rare Italian red grape variety?  Not exactly.  I mean, it is an Italian red grape variety, but not quite a rare grape.  Uncommon, then?  No.  In fact, it is quite common in Italy -- Montepulciano is the second most grown red grape grown in Italy.  So, wines made from the grape must not carry the varietal name, yes?  No, actually the grape is commonly used to produce a wine called Montepulciano.  So why hadn’t I run into it before?  While I might have but not remembered it, fact is that after we first tasted this very nice wine, we began looking for it.  Did not find it at the supermarket, Costco, Trader Joe’s, or any restaurant wine lists.  Lots of Chianti, Barbera, Valpolicella, Chianti Classico, and Barolo, but no Montepulciano.
One explanation that I have read is that the while the grape has its origin in Montepulciano, it is now grown extensively in Abruzzo.  Abruzzo is not an area of Italy that gets a lot of tourists, hence, few outside of Italy know of its existence.  Not sure if I buy that explanation.  My view is that the Italians drink the better wines made in Italy and export the ones they don’t particularly care for.  The answer may be in the numbers – while Montepulciano plantings cover less than half the acreage of Sangiovese, much of the Sangiovese crop is used to make cheap Chianti for sale to America.
Now for an anecdote.  One of the restaurants we frequent is Pernicano’s (on Mercy Road just west of Interstate 15).  Our standard fare always included a glass of Chianti.  Then, one night not too long ago, a new wine appeared on his wine list – Montepulciano.  We had it that night, and our next visit as well, but on the subsequent visit he had sold out.  It has become very popular, and is now near the top of his wine list.
As a final note, we did order Montepulciano at a restaurant in Rome.  I am happy to say it was as delicious as any produced in our area of the world.
My next wine to be reviewed was going to be another red wine.  News of this blog somehow reached the white, sparkling, and dessert wines in my wine chiller, setting off protests and even threats of violence.  Other grievances came to the fore, such as always being put in the bottom of the chiller and seeing the reds come and go while they remain untouched.  This latter complaint died quickly when they were informed of what happens to wines that leave the chiller, as we demonstrated by uncorking their leader, a wonderful Viognier from Europa Village.  While the white and sparkling wines will remain at the bottom of the chiller, I have decided to meet them part way by making Viognier the subject of my next blog.

​I’ve mentioned a number of grape varieties that are relatively rare, or at least uncommon, that you can find at the wineries in Southern California.  I have decided to educate you on some of these with the hope that you will try them, and also because the wineries are all shut down and I need to write about something.
The first grape variety that I would like to feature is Lagrein.  My first post on this website was in December, 2017.  Now my first blog was about Orfila Vineyards.  An easy choice, as they are a very popular winery with a great location and some very nice wines.  I also like the fact that their tasting room is their barrel room, hence even the red wines are served at a reasonable temperature.
With this in mind, I took an afternoon trip to Orfila to get some pictures for the blog, and, of course, do some wine tasting.  On the wine tasting menu was this very strange name – Lagrein.  So I asked if this was a blend, not ever hearing about a grape named Lagrein.  Well, the wine on the menu was not a blend, which I should have known since it says so on the menu.  Hey, I’m old and have trouble reading the fine print and the sun was in my eyes and I was distracted by a naked woman running through the tasting room…  OK, the last two are out-and-out lies.
Anyway, turns out Lagrein is a grape variety, but, despite its seemingly French name is actually from Italy.  It is a medium-bodied red wine, a bit on the level of Cabernet Sauvignon, but to me seemed a bit drier with a great finish.  So why have you not heard of this grape before?
Well, for starters it is pretty rare.  It is grown mostly in the Italian Alps, though according to Wikopedia is also grown in Australia and in California.  It likes cooler temperatures and ripens slowly, although I have read that it also really produces, i.e., it is a very high yield varietal, and often has to be pared down.  I have also read that the wine should be aged a bit before drinking but starts going south in five years or so.  I love some of the write-ups about this wine, that it is a Teroldego cross and is similar is many respects to Teroldego, as if Teroldego you are going to be able to get a good idea of what the wine is like by comparing it to another wine that might be even rarer.
Back to my story.  So, there I was with this great discovery.  I bought a bottle, brought it home, and used it as the cover bottle for my first blog.  As for the wine itself, turns out my wife was on antibiotics at the time so could not drink.  I had to drink the entire bottle myself – the things we have to do….
The Orfila grapes come from San Luis Obispo, and that is where it is grown in California.  Not sure how the grape would do in our part of the state.  Anyway, Robert Renzoni also has a version, though it is not 100% Lagrein and goes by some strange name that I never remember because I really don’t like it.  I also had the wine in Italy, and truth-be-told, it was just as good as the Orfila version.  I should add here that I did not see the word Teroldego on a single wine list in Rome but did find Lagrein and also found Lagrein in one of the shops at the highway stops but never Teroldego so they really need to say that Teroldego is related to Lagrein and not the other way around.  Just saying…
 I also tried some in Paso Robles.  I won’t mention the winery because my wife tells me I shouldn’t say bad things about a winery so let me just say it was not quite “up to snuff” and leave it at that.
Lagrein has become our “go to” wine – indeed, this summer for the first time since the days when we thought Two-Buck Chuck was drinkable that we purchased a whole case of one wine.  The vintage I first tasted was 2016.  I am happy to report that 1) 2017 is just as good, 2) they still have some of each left though they are not on the tasting menu, and 3) they will soon release a 2018 version.  This is a wine you should at least taste, so I will let you know when Orfila releases this 2018 vintage.
Next up:  Montipulciano

​I started this blog about three years ago.  My wife and I both retired on the 30th of June of 2017 and were spending more and more time visiting wineries along with our son’s father-in-law, Doc Ed (yes, we are the In-Laws).  Doc Ed had been searching out wineries in our area long before our children met, so we depended on his lead.  He expressed his frustration at not having a reliable winery guide, a site to help us decide which of the many wineries were worth looking into.  Having a lot of time on my hands, and having some experience writing blogs and websites, I decided to take up the challenge and create my own website where I would post reviews of wineries we visited and liked.  Yes, it’s a tough job, but someone has to do it.  Those wines out there can’t taste themselves, can they?
Along the way I’ve learned how little I actually knew about wine.  I now know enough to ask intelligent questions, and hope someday to be able to understand the answers.  Anyway, here are some on the winery situation in Southern California – and what the future may bring:
Wineries Visited:  Over the course of the three years of this blog I’ve visited over 80 wineries.  That’s not 80 visits to wineries – that’s visits to 80 different wineries.  The list includes 9 in Napa, 6 in the Central Coast, two in New York State, and one in Italy.  The rest have all been in Southern California, which gives you some idea of how many wineries we have in our area.  I suspect my standards for what constitutes a good winery have become tougher.  Which leads to…
San Diego County Wines:  At the time I began this website I was not aware of the 2010 San Diego County ordinance that allowed wineries to open tasting rooms in the unincorporated areas of the county.  Hence, I did not realize that many of the wineries I was visiting were more or less start-ups, with relatively young vines.  Not sure if it would have made much of a difference, as I really did not understand the effect of vine age on the quality of the grapes (generally, best grapes come from vines that are over ten years old).  Anyway, I am happy to report that while my tastes have become more refined the county wineries have kept pace.  Indeed, the wines are getting better, especially in the Ramona area.
Some of this improvement can be attributed to the age of the vines.  I suspect that the wine makers have played no small part as well.  Weather may be a factor (for better or worse).  In any event, things are looking good for the future if the wine makers adapt to global warming…
New Grape Varieties:  Global warming is having an effect on the world wine industry.  Best example is coming out of France.  Until recently, only six grape varieties could be grown in the Bordeaux region of France.  Higher temperatures are having a bad effect on the Merlot crop, a potentially severe economic blow to the region.  Accordingly, a replacement for Merlot is being sought.  Ergo, Bordeaux is allowing growers to experiment with another seven varieties.
The import of this for our region is quite clear – wineries need to consider more heat resistant varieties.  And they are doing so – local wineries are growing grapes that UC Davis has determined best for this purpose, including Albarino, Aglianico, Montipulciano, Negroamaro, Tannat, Tempranillo (ugh!), Nero D’Avola, Touriga Nacional and Teroldego.  The wines produced from these grapes are among the best in Southern California, even though they are often from the youngest vines.  As the number of wineries turning to these grapes grows, we may become known for these wines, much as Napa is for their Bordeaux varieties.  Assuming growers greatly limit the amount of Tempranillo they grow, the future looks bright…
Geography:  Most of the wine growing regions of California, including Temecula, have wineries concentrated in areas that allow for “wine trails”.  As the present time, there really are no such concentrations in San Diego County, but we are seeing the potential on either side of Ramona.  The “near” trail that seems to be forming actually begins with a small number of wineries in Escondido near the intersection of Bandy Canyon Road and Highland Valley Road.  At the other end of Highland Valley Road, just outside Ramona, is another batch of wineries.  The gap between them is around 4 miles of winding road.  If a few more wineries were to open in that gap we would have a real wine trail.
The second area I will call the “Old Julian wine trail”.  It begins on the Julian side of Ramona by Third Street.  A few wineries are located past Ramona along 67, while another cluster starts where Old Julian Highway intersects Third Street.  New wineries are opening at the far end on the Old Julian side, and if a few new ones come in on the 67 outskirts one could have a complete route going from 67 to 78 to Old Julian Highway to Third Street back to 67.
Of course, other wine trails may be evolving in Fallbrook, Warner Springs, and along the 91 corridor.  The numbers in these regions are still small, but there is a lot of land available, and…
Water:  The high summer temperatures and drought are seriously hurting the multi-billion-dollar agricultural business in Southern California.  Of particular concern are two of the main product areas – citrus and avocados.  Both require far more water than grape vines.  Right now, there are around 25,000 acres planted with citrus and avocado.  If even a small fraction of citrus and avocado farmers switches over to growing grapes for wine I will be very, very busy….

If you haven't yet been to the wineries in Ramona, here's your chance to see them at their best.  17 wineries have come together to offer a special wine tasting affair.  Purchase a passport for $10 per person and you can then get 3 tastes for $3 at all of the wineries.  Best part:  the pass is good weekends from November 28 through December 20!
Of course, I would love if you would take the time to check out my reviews on these participating wineries -- and visit them if you haven't already:
Correcaminos Winery
Hatfield Creek Vineyard & Winery
La Finquita Vineyard & Winery (reservations required)
Mahogany Mountain Vineyard & Winery
Principe di Tricase Vineyard & Winery
Three Hills Winery
Turtle Rock Ridge Winery
Vineyard Grant James
Just go to the Ramona Valley Vintners Association website to purchase your passports.
As a final note, you can be sure that the wineries are offering more than just three taste special, so before making your plans drop in on their website to see what they are planning.

​As COVID-19 spikes and political rancor rises to new heights, we are led to wonder if it is a good time to drop in on one (or two) of our local wineries.  To answer this question, I turned to the Bard: “To taste or not to taste, that is the question.  Whether tis nobler in the mind to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune or to take wine against a sea of trouble and by getting looped end them.”  Of course, the Bard’s characters even fantasized about wine: “Is this a wine glass that I see before me, the stem toward my hand?  Come, let me clutch thee.  I have thee not, yet I see thee still.  Art thy not, favored vision, sensible to feeling as to sight?”  Then there is this: “Give me a bowl of wine.  In this I bury all unkindness.”  Or this: “Come, come, good wine is a good familiar creature if it be well used; exclaim no more against it.”  But this might be his best quote on the subject:  “The wine-cup is the silver well, where truth, if truth there be, doth dwell.”
So, then, it seems that the Bard agrees with Lord Tennyson that “tis better to have tasted and tasted than to never have tasted at all.”  Wineries are open – what are you waiting for?

​Last weekend we returned to Turtle Rock Ridge Vineyard Winery.  The winery is named after various rock formations in the area that resemble turtles, though since they are on very dry land they should be called tortoise rocks not turtle rocks.
Anyway, there may be a legend going back to the mid-1800’s regarding wine and these rocks.  As the supposed story goes, a small wagon with several casks of wine was sent out from the Spanish mission to the Julian area.  The wagon was not pulled by horses, but in fact by four men, suggesting that the wine was indeed stolen by the four men.  This is somewhat verified by the fact that the turtle rocks are a bit off of the trail.  There is also very strong evidence that there were only three men, the reported forth being the imaginary friend of one of the men, reportedly a tall white rabbit named Harvey.
In any event, the wine and the men never reached their destination.  A search found the three (or four, if you count Harvey) along with the cart on turtle rock ridge.  According to the three men, turtle rocks blocked the main trail and left the men with only one way to go, toward the ridge.  The turtle rocks then began closing in on the men and cart, so they opened a barrel and splashed them with wine.  This proved to be a very bad idea.  The turtles went into a drinking frenzy, attacking the wine with gusto, eventually consuming all of the wine in the barrels.  Needless to say, the men’s story must be taken with a grain of salt, given that 1) they were known winos; 2) they were quite drunk when found; 3) the turtle rocks were just rock formations, not living things; and 4) the men kept insisting that there were indeed four of them, not three.
Given such a harrowing tale, it would seem that Turtle Rock Ridge – which should have been named Tortoise Rock Ridge – would not be a great place for a winery.  Fortunately for all of us wine lovers, Laurie Wagner and Ian Vaux ignored the threat posed by the wine-loving turtles and established Turtle Rock Ridge Vineyard Winery.
Which brings us to the rest of this story.  Blending wines is quite an affair, entailing quite a bit more art than science.  Essentially, the winemaker and friends/associates start with a base wine variety, tasting it to see what are its week points, then mixing the wine with other wine made from other grape varieties to correct the perceived flaws.  For example, Cabernet Sauvignon, from which many of the great wines are made, is known to have a relatively poor finish.  Hence, it is often blended with wines known for their finish, such as Merlot.
Such a blending activity was in progress at Turtle Rock Ridge, led by Laurie, when Ian dropped by and uttered the phrase “Hello, gorgeous”.  Unbeknownst to the wine makers was that the turtle rocks had sensed the wine and were slowly converging on them.  Fortunately, each of the turtle rocks thought that Ian was talking to them.  Being turtles that look like rocks it was the first time for all of them to be called gorgeous, so, being all females – legend has it that only the females drink wine, the males preferring beer – either were so shy that they ran and tried to hide from Ian, or ran off to tell their friends.  Of course, being essentially rocks “ran” is a very relative term.  I mean, when your normal rate of movement is measured in millimeters per hour….
Anyway, we are probably quite fortunate that Laurie and Ian decided to name the wine that was blended that day “Hello Gorgeous”, as the name seems to have kept the wine-loving turtle rocks from the wine, which, by the way, is really good.  Love their Zinfandel as well, and you should not ignore their Hello Sexy.
So, that’s the legend of Turtle Rock Ridge and the turtle rocks, though they should be named tortoise rocks….

​Some months ago, we reported on the expedition we took with our intrepid group of explorers, seeking out civilization (i.e., wine) in the central regions of the great expanse known as California.  Much closer to home there is a region as yet uncivilized.  This is the area lying along the trail known as Highland Valley Road between the high lands of Escondido and the low lands of Ramona.  Only a few weeks ago one of our daring team, braving the ravages of a deadly disease, set off on an exploration of the area.  She uncovered evidence that civilization was indeed flowing up from the valley, with a new settlement (i.e., winery) just past the intersection of the Highland Valley Road trail and the trail named for our famous local pugilist, the great Archie Moore.  So, naturally, we had to see this for ourselves.
Trusting to our guide, Siri, we headed out on a very pleasant afternoon, taking the trail known as Route 67 over the low mountains and down into the valley of the wines.  As reported, we found the site less than a mile from the intersection of the Archie Moore and Highland Valley trails, on the left – Three Hills Winery.  We had travelled this path many times.  How could we have missed it?  Could it have been that well-hidden?  And, most importantly, were the wines any good?
So it was that we entered the site.  As shown in the pictures below, they had set up their operation at the edge of a haunted forest.  There were signs that some of the forest denizens had invaded their lands, but they seemed to have kept them at bay, away from their visitors.  It was also clear that we were not the first to partake of their offerings to Bacchus.

​We met with those manning this far outpost of civilization and learned that they had decided to start their enterprise in July, at the peak of the pandemic attacking our great land.  Such bravery!!!  Everyone had to be outside, but fortuned shined on them – they had designed their facility for outside tasting.  They are a small (boutique) settlement, preparing only a limited array of product, as shown below.  Tasting was $15 for five wines, but we managed to taste six of their fare.

​We thought that their best was a wine called “World Peace”, a Bordeaux blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (estate grown) and Merlot (grapes from Paso Robles).  The other wines were nice, though, especially the Zinfandel, also estate grown.  We understand that a red Italian varietal has been planted.
Unfortunately, they made the same mistake that other wineries make, namely serving their red wines at too high a temperature.  Hopefully, they will correct this deficiency with time.  They also should consider providing water for their visitors – not just selling bottled water.  A real bathroom would be nice.
They do offer some food for sale, mostly snack stuff as shown on the menu that follows.  I braved the ghouls guarding the entrance to their abode long enough to take a picture of the interior, shown after the menu.  The ghouls, by the way, proved harmless.  Indeed, the only danger we met was from the yellow jackets that kept trying to steal our wine.

​They have a pretty-standard wine club – three bottles per quarter at a 20% discount, mixed or all red, 10% discount on food and merchandise, and first access to new releases with some wines for the club only.  They also have pick-up parties, catered with music.  Wine club members get two free tastings or glasses per month.
We understand that the site is nine acres, but only three are cultivated.  The rest appears to be mostly forest, which we were loath to explore, being uncertain of the friendliness of the ghouls and other forest denizens (and the lack of a decent bathroom).

Wine clubs are common among both large and boutique wineries, offering wines at substantial discount, complementary wine on visits to the winery, special member-only events, wine-club member only facilities, first shot at new releases, et al.  In some cases, the et al. includes access to wines only available to wine club members.  We found the best example of this at Miramonte Winery in Temecula, as shown in the picture below.  Note the label on the bottle.

​The wine in the picture is a very nice Mouvedre blend, not that you can tell from the label.  The winery itself is located on a hill off of Rancho California before the circle (left hand side of the road).  As this was a visit during COVID days, the layout was a bit unusual in that to reach the tasting room we had to go through the outdoor restaurant seating patio and garden, around the building, and up to a second, and quite nice garden, where we sat in the shade and had the wines brought to us.

​You can see in the wine tasting menu shown below that the members-only wine is not listed.  It was also the best we tasted, sending a pretty clear message that this is very much a club-driven winery.  Unique to their winery is the Portuguese wine Touriga Nacional.  The grapes are grown in Temecula, though not in their rather limited vineyard.

​They offer several wine club options – red and white, all red, all white, and all Sangria.  The all white club calls for purchase of 36 bottles a year, three per month.  The all Sangria club also runs every month, but only two bottles per month, while the other two clubs run two bottles per shipment but only six per year.  Discounts range from20 to 25% on wines, 10% on food, 10-20% on gift shop purchases, and 20% discounts on wines purchased from etchedwines.com – wines with your own labels for special events.  Eight free tastings per month, max four per visit.

But where are the clones?
Send in the clones. 
Don’t bother, they’re here.
Yes, the clones are here, right here, in San Diego, clones to the left of me, clones to the right of me – and clones in my wine refrigerator!  Life is good.
My first exposure to a quality Ramona wine came from a small wine shop in the Flower Hill Mall, and it came from Edwards Vineyard & Cellars.  We reviewed them some time ago, so it was certainly time to revisit Beth and Victor to see how they were handling the virus.  So, I looked up their website and lo and behold they listed a Syrah clone, specifically clone 383.  This would be our second opportunity to taste a Syrah single clone wine, and given how much we liked the Estrella clone from Melville we were really up for the visit.
Turns out that Saturday was harvest day, and when we arrived at the winery they were putting the grape bunches in this machine.  We’ll talk about that later – wines first.  The wine list is short, just five wines (one rose and four reds), all from Syrah or Petite Syrah grapes, including the clone 383 Syrah.  Note the vintages – 2014.  If you check on my review of Gershon Bachus, they make a big deal of aging their wines for five years before offering them for sale.

The two clones are good.  The two clones are very good.  The two clones are very, very good.  But there is trouble, right here in Ramona.  A condition unique to Syrah grapes has attacked Edwards 383 clone grape vines.  Yields are down, so not sure how long the 383 clone will be available.  It may spread to the 877 plants….
Now on to the machine.  Grape bunches are dumped into the hopper at the top of the machine, where they are somewhat crushed and the stems separated.  The must comes out the front and is collected in buckets, then dumped again into the hopper to complete the crushing.  After the second crushing, the must goes into the shed, seen in the picture below on the left, where it is dumped into fermentation plastic fermentation tanks.  The stems come out the back, which they then feed to their goats.  Pretty neat machine!

​And now for something different…
The “something different” is Gershon Bachus Winery, located on de Portola in Temecula.  The first thing that strikes you as “different” is their main building.  The design is essentially that of an industrial bay with high ceilings and garage doors along the sides allowing extensive air flow through the room, as shown in the pictures below.  Very nice, and a bit strange in that Gershon Bachus is a boutique winery, and from what we were told not planning on growing, so why such a large tasting room?

​Of course, because of COVID we sat outside on their very large, covered patio, so large that they would need a lot more tables to get them within six feet of each other.  Bringing the wine to you is their standard, so they did not have to make any significant adjustments for the virus.  So we sat at the table and our server brought us water and munchies (breadsticks) – something every winery should do.  Then things got different….

​You see, wineries understand that most Americans drink their wine a short time after buying it.  They respond to this by taking steps in the wine making process to speed up the aging of the wine, or at the least make the wine drinkable without significant aging.  Not Gershon Bachus.  They make the wine so it can be aged.  Indeed, all of their wines are aged five years before offered for sale – and our server made it clear that they are far from reaching their peak!  For me this was very refreshing – I feel it important for wineries to be upfront about their wines needing aging.  As an added note, they use thicker glass for their bottles to protect the wine during the aging process.
Now we were visiting the winery late on a Wednesday afternoon with temperatures in Temecula in the high nineties.  Needless to say, the winery was pretty empty.  I mention this because our fantastic server had to open several bottles of wine for our tasting.  To make sure he had not picked up a bad bottle, he tasted the wines himself before pouring for us.  Wow!
Their winemaking method also falls into the “something different” category.  First of all, they ferment their grapes in concrete.  Six months or so aging in concrete “eggs” is not uncommon, but this was the first time I’ve run into concrete vessels for the fermentation step.  It is supposed to add a bit of earthiness to the wine.  Then the wines are aged in new Hungarian oak barrels 30 of so months.  Most wines are aged in new oak for six months, so this is really a different.  The wines do not wind up over oaked, though.  It also seems that they pick their grapes fairly early, at lower sugar levels than other wines, resulting in lower alcohol levels and higher acidity.
The wine tasting menu is shown below.  Of course, we also tasted some of wines not on the list, such as their Sangiovese.  Overall their approach seems to work.  Despite the higher acidity, I found their Sangiovese quite nice, they have a very good Zinfandel (though lacking the black pepper I really love), but the star of the show is their Syrah.  Really, really nice wine.  They even offer a Merlot that I like!  On the down side, their Astraea blend is pretty weak – really stands out compared to their other wines.  Now if they added some of their great Syrah to it….

​They have a wine club, but they call it a clique in that they are well aware of the fact that their wines are not for everyone – well, at least they are not for anyone without a good wine storage capability.  By now that should not include anyone who drops in on this website regularly….  Anyway, the clique calls for purchase of 4 bottles three times a year at a 20% discount, and 25% off on their library wines.