Hatfield Creek Vineyard & Winery

I’ve visited around 60 wineries in the last 18 months or so.  I could say that they all are pretty much the same – I could say that, but it would be a lie.  A very big lie.  The reality is that they are very different, kind of a something-for-everyone thingy.  A case in point is Hatfield Creek Vineyards & Winery.  Located along the road to Julian just outside Ramona, it has a most unique tasting room.  In fact, it is so interesting that I won’t waste pictures on the exterior.  Some pictures follow this paragraph, and others I’ve tagged onto the end of this review.  (I should add that Doc Ed and I visited Hatfield Creek at the recommendation of the wine maker/owner of Vineyard Grant James).

The other thing that distinguishes Hatfield Creek is their very limited production span.  They grow two grape varieties – just two:  Zinfandel and Petite Sirah – as seen in the tasting menu below.  They make a varietal from each, a blend of the two, and a dessert wine with the Zinfandel grapes.  (Not sure where they got the grapes for the Moscato, but it is not listed as an Estate wine or on their website).  Now, here’s the thing:  both of their varietals are really good.  I like a peppery Zinfandel, and theirs is very peppery.  As also shown below, their wines have won a few medals…

Now a little bit about blends.  The common blending method in the US is to blend the wines after they have been fermented.  The winemakers try a little of this and a little of that, ultimately coming up with something that they like and think will sell.  The uncommon method is to ferment all of the grapes for the blend together.  This can be taken to the extreme, or French, way, called field blending, where all of the grapes are grown in the same field.  You can see why this is uncommon – no chance to recover if you get a final product that you don’t like.  Well, Hatfield took both routes.  As noted on the tasting menu, they offer a wine blended after fermentation, then a later year field blended.  Not sure if it was the field blending that did the trick, but both Doc Ed and I greatly preferred the field blended version.
Hatfield Creek does have a wine club.  Quantities to be purchased are two to three bottles selected by the wine maker every four months, with quarterly pick-up parties and complementary wine tasting for two on each visit to the winery.  Wine club discount is pretty low, just 10% on bottles and 20% on cases