​They weren’t top billing, only had a small part behind a great star, a sidekick much like Tonto to the Long Ranger.  They often appeared before the King when Italy still had a king.  Then their producers decided to drop them, and they almost completely disappeared.  Eventually, they were given their own show.  It is still a pretty small show, but has reached from northwestern Italy to southern California.
I am talking about grapes, of course.  A specific white grape variety known as Arneis.  For many years, this grape was grown in the same fields as Nebbiolo to be blended into the King of Wines and the Wine of Kings, Barolo.  But then the producers of Barolo decided that the wine should be made only from Nebbiolo grapes, and the Arneis vines were forgotten.  Indeed, the grape variety almost became extinct.
Fortunately, some producers found value in this grape, creating an Arneis varietal.  How it found its way to Southern California is a bit of a mystery (well, to me anyway), but it is here and I, for one, am very, very glad.  I was surprised to find out how rare this grape variety is, having found it at no less than four Temecula wineries I assumed it was a relatively common wine.
My first taste of this wine was at Ponte, and it impressed right away.  Their version is not very acidic, much like a Viognier but with more of a pear aroma and taste with a bit of stone fruit.  Pretty nice wine to have with lighter Italian fare or when you just feel like drinking a glass of white wine.
Now I know what you are thinking:  if this grape makes such a great wine, why aren’t more people growing it?  Well, the answer is in the name.  You see, the grape originates in the Piedmont region of Italy.  In Piemontese, the name means literally “little rascal”.  I have also heard it called the “little bitch”.  You see, crop yields are low and it is prone to attack by powdery mildew.  I should add that if you pick it even a little too late the grapes will be overripe – which might explain why they are also used to make a sweet wine using the passito method where the grapes are dried outside in cages.    

​I started this blog about four years ago with the view that I would only review wineries that I could recommend to my friends.  For most wineries, I have to taste several of their wines to come to a decision whether to do a review or not.  Which means that sometimes you really get caught in a bind.  It really isn’t a good idea to let the people at the winery know that I review wineries if I don’t think well enough of their winery to review it.  On the other hand, without revealing that I am looking to review their winery I might not get to taste the key wines that can make the difference.  Doc Ed and I thought we were in that situation last Saturday.
Doc Ed had visited the winery about six years ago, when it was in its infancy, and was not impressed (to say the least), so we were a bit wary.  The winery was handling the tasting by serving sets of four wines (see picture below) from a set menu.  Well, the wines we really wanted to taste were not on the menu.  Turns out it was much ado about nothing.  We tasted their Viognier (after hearing how it came out a bit on the light side), and we were hooked.  This winery was definitely going to be up for a review.

The winery in question is Domaine Artefact.  Located on Highland Valley Road in Escondido, it is one of the larger wineries in the area, and one of the best in all of Southern California.  Why?  Because, like the last winery we reviewed, Mermaid Valley, they know what they are doing.
To begin with, the grape varieties they grow do well in our environment.  I don’t know if they bought the land knowing that it would be perfect for Rhone Valley grapes or decided after the fact.  It does not matter – it works.  Then, after a few years, they built a great wine tasting facility (see pictures below), with both indoor and outdoor seating with a great view.

​Of course, the proof is in the wine.  Nothing but very good to excellent, enjoyable from the first taste of their Viognier to the last taste of their Petite Sirah.  Seven wines tasted, all among the best of their kind produced in Southern California!  See the list below.  I have featured their Grenache Noir, only because it is one of the few Grenache reds that I have tasted worth buying.  We hit both of their GSM’s and Syrah’s as well.  I should add that they also know how to properly serve their red wines, i.e., at the right temperature.  See their cooler below.

​Right now, the only food available is a charcuterie box (see below), but the kitchen has been built and it is expected that they will open their café in two to three years.  Love goat cheese gouda!  Chef mentioned tri-tip sandwiches.  YUM!

​They do have a wine club with 20% discount on the obligatory twelve bottles per year (in two semi-annual offerings) and 15% on all other wine purchases.  Members can make changes to the two offerings if made in advance of the pick-up date.  Twelve free wine tastings per year are included.

​I am extremely happy to announce that I have completed all of the requirements for the Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET), Level 2 (for wine, of course).  WSET was established in England by the same people and at around the same time as the Court of Master Sommeliers.  The Court of Master Sommeliers is geared for people in the restaurant trade, whereas WSET is more for wine writers, winery reviewers, et al., and is more technical.  At the top of the heap of WSET, one becomes a Master of Wine.  Of course, if you go the Court route you wind up a Master Sommelier.  For people like me, WSET is the better track, so I took it.  Not to be outdone, Doc Ed is impatiently waiting the results of his WSET Level 3 finals, having moved from the Court where he had already achieved level 1.
WSET is more classroom oriented, and I was quite lucky to have the course taught locally by a Master of Wine, Lindsay Pomeroy.  The classes included tasting lots of wines, something I found quite delightful (duh!).  She also teaches both WSET level 1 and level 3 classes, and some others, including a wine tasting class.  Her website is www.winesmarties.com, should you be interested in taking one of her courses.
If you pass the test, you are awarded a pin and a certificate.  I have attached a picture of the pin, but they do not want the certificate duplicated in any way, including a picture, for fear of being forged.  I will wear the pin on my winery visits, of course.  Need it for my street cred…

​It is Halloween as I write this, and I have been in contact with the spirits for two days now.  Wine spirits, that is, beginning Friday night as a select few were given preview of what was to be.  This event, at the Old Julian Winery, was brought together to conjure up support for the 9th Annual Ramona Art & Wine Festival, being held November 5, 6 and 7.  Baskets of spirits and strange concoctions were given out to those with the temerity to raise their wands and offer money to free the baskets, taking them to safety in their homes.  On display were works of art to be seen (and auctioned off) as part of the Festival.  Ah, you ask, why such an undertaking?  To support murals on Ramona walls.  But are the murals painted to ward off spirits, or to improve the appearance of the town?  Hopefully not to ward off spirits – that would really put a crimp in the Ramona wine industry….
We handled that visit quite well, though greatly overbid on all fo the baskets without being too consumed by the spirits.  Boldened by our success, the next day we gathered our group of intrepid wine lovers and set off on yet another adventure, returning to Mermaid Valley Vineyards.  Our luck did finally run out – the spirits were too strong!  We tried to resist (that’s a lie), but eventually they wore us out, many even returning with us to our abodes!  Not even our funny hats helped!  I mean, how do you resist a high black pepper Zinfandel?  I actually like their Grenache, and I am definitely not a Grenache lover!
I’ve attached some pictures of the art to be auctioned off next week.  For more information on the Festival go to www.ramonaartandwinefest.net.  Participating winery include Correcaminos, Hatfield Creek, La Finquita, Old Julian, Principe di Tricase, Ramona Ranch, Schwaesdall, Three Hills, and Vineyard Grant James.  They should add a special award for anyone who can properly pronounce both Principe di Tricase and Schwaesdall….

​We go through great efforts to keep you informed of the best of the Southern California wineries.  Many a day we have spent wandering the rough terrain, facing extreme heat in the summer, the cold winds of winter, and sometimes even rain.  So it was that we set out on another Saturday afternoon to find a new winery to review.
We were after an elusive winery that we knew was there but never seemed to be open:  Mermaid Valley Vineyard.  We knew it was located on Highland Valley Road in Ramona, so we put in an effort to find if it had finally opened its doors.  Fortune smiled on us, and we found ourselves seated on their veranda sipping wine, cooled by a constant breeze, watching the planes take off from the Ramona airstrip some distance away.  The sacrifices we make for wine….
The Mermaid Valley tasting room may be the best in all of San Diego County.  It sits on the south side of Route 67, with the tasting room on the other side of their building, facing north.  The view is quite remarkable, as you can see from the pictures below.  A stiff breeze coming from the ocean keeps the property cool, and, of course, facing north there is plenty of shade from the building – making is a much better winery to visit in the hot Ramona summers.

​As shown in the pictures below, the winery owners have gone out of their way to make their winery a great place to visit.  A truly professional layout, well-planned and well-executed.  We sat on comfortable chairs in the shade while the wines we brought to us.

​Tasting is $10 per person, and you can keep the glass.  So how are the wines, you ask?  Well, if you take a wine course, they will cover the Rhone Valley in France.  That valley is in the hotter region of France, and known for constant winds and wines made from Syrah and Viognier grapes.  Now if you are putting in a winery in a valley located in a hot region with constant cooling winds what grapes should you grow?  How about Syrah, Viognier, and the other grapes from the Rhone Valley, like Grenache?  As you can see in the tasting menu below, that is exactly what they did, though they added a few others – Sauvignon Blanc and Merlot for the Bordeaux fanatics, and Petite Sirah and Zinfandel for we Californians.

​We started with the 2016 Viognier.  It was quite nice, very flavorful, but a bit low on the acid.  Not so the 2017 – nearly a perfect balance between the acid and the flavor.  A very nice wine.
How about the reds?  Well, all were good except the Zinfandel – it was really good!  I really love red wines with a bit of black pepper in the taste, and their Zinfandel has it!  It is now my go-to Zin.
Now I shall editorialize.  The owners of Mermaid Valley, Kim and Scott Flinn, did it the right way.  They purchased a property with terroir similar to that of the Rhone Valley in France.  They then planted grape varieties grown in the Rhone Valley.  They oriented their tasting room facing north and with a very open set up for both the great view and to provide shade during the hot summer months without blocking the constant wind coming out of the west.  As shown below, they put together a well-organized wine making and storage facility, with modern equipment, then added a really nice but big dog – ok, they could have done without the dog, but why would they?  Most important is that the whole thing was carefully planned and properly executed.  I should add that their wines are pretty good, but imagine what they’ll be like when the vines are a few years older.
For now, they are only open on Saturdays, and do not have a wine club.  Oh, did I mention their dog, a Great Dane that really likes people….

​I’ve avoided reviewing wineries that are not open to the public, i.e., require making reservations before visiting.  In fact, I’ve only visited two such.  A few days ago, I was taken to one such winery by my intrepid crew of adventurous wine lovers.  I learned that the winery, Castelli Family Vineyards, has a very good reason for requiring reservations, namely, they are in a gated community – without the code for the gate you can’t get to their winery!  So, they are forgiven.  Of course, given what I found there it is I who should be looking for forgiveness….
Castelli Family Vineyards is located in Ramona not far from the intersection of Archie Moore and Highland Valley Road.  As you can see in the pictures below, they have a pretty nice site.  The inside is pretty nice as well.  It being a hot day, we wound up at a long table on the inside.  

​A friend of one of our group lives in the gated community and joined us.  Turns out, she grows grapes on her property, some of which goes to Castelli to make wine – including Viognier grapes already pressed and fermenting in a vat in the tasting room -- see picture below.  Note that this is just the juice fermenting.

​Tasting is $16 for the five wines, the five wines at the top of the list shown below.  I didn’t particularly care for the Chardonnay (noting that I’m more of a red wine fan), but the Sangiovese, Syrah, and Petite Sirah where all quite nice.  Which gets us to the third wine on the list – the estate Pinot Noir.

Pinot Noir grapes are not supposed to grow well in hot climates.  Pinot Noir is a cool climate grape.  So, naturally, I was prepared for the worst.  But my fellow winers insisted that this was a really good wine.  The first thing I noticed about the wine is its color – rather than the light red of most Pinot Noirs it is a dark red, almost purple, much like the Cambria Clone 23 Pinot Noir.  But the winemaker, Nelson Pizzaro, assured me it was not Clone 23.  So, I tasted the wine – and it was quite fruity, more dark cherry than red cherry.  Aha!  I suspected the grapes were quite ripe when picked.  Bingo!
BRIX is a measure of the amount of sugar in the grape juice.  Winemakers look to this measurement as a guide when to pick their grapes.  Most white wines are picked at a BRIX under 24, whereas red wines are 24 and above.  If you multiply the BRIX number by 0.59 you get a good estimate of the alcohol level in the wine made from the grapes.  Nelson told us that he planned on picking the grapes at a BRIX of 24.5.  When they got to that level, he arranged for the picking.  Well, between the time he measured the 24.5 and the picking date the BRIX rose to 27!  Rather than dilute the juice to lower the alcohol level, he went ahead and made the wine.  Good move!  This wine is excellent, maybe the best Pinot Noir produced from grapes grown in Southern California.  Amazingly, the high alcohol content (16% by volume) is hardly noticeable.
Now I planned to have a picture of this wine in a glass so you could see the dark color.  Unfortunately, every time I poured some in a glass it disappeared….
They have a wine club.  It costs $100 to join the club, and you agree to purchase 3 bottles of wine per quarter.  Price discount is 20%, and tasting is free for two people per visit, with another two tastings available for $6 each.  Additional guests get the wine club glass price.
They have a caterer that provides food (pizza, et al.), or you can bring your own.  Also, entertainment!  On September 25th from 6 PM to 9:30 PM they are having a great party, with corn hole, I Love Lucy and grape stomp competitions, dinner and a glass of wine.  Price is $63 per person or $125 per couple.
On a more somber note, they lost most of their 2018 grape crop due to excessive heat.

The price for tasting has gone up, from $18 to $20, but it seems everything else has stayed the same – well, not exactly.  The three best that I mentioned in my last review are still very good – Aglianico, Montepulciano, and, especially, their Syrah.  But we also tasted a very, very nice Zinfandel, Petite Sirah, and – I hate to admit it – Chardonnay!!!  Their Chardonnay is unoaked, dry, but with hints of butter and maybe yeast – well, Doc Ed claimed the yeast.  My palate is not that good – I barely detected the butter.  To me it tasted of pear and maybe melon.  Anyway, if you are a Chardonnay fan worth looking into.
If you are following this discussion, you may also notice that I’ve called out six different varietal wines as being quite nice to very good.  That is very rare.  It can only be achieved by very careful selection of the varieties to grow and a deep understanding of optimum growing conditions, not to mention the breadth of wine-making expertise required.  My thanks to Steve Chapin, Chapin winery owner and wine-maker!  Now, how about planting some Tanat?
Chapin still serves you the wine at the table, and the wines are all reasonably chilled.  I’ve attached some pictures of the winery.  Oh, I should add that they are leading a river cruise up the Duoro River from Portugal into Spain.

​Our expedition began north of the San Diego River basin, forty intrepid explorers and our trusted guide Ignacio.  This would be a perilous journey, but we were buoyed by the lure of the riches to be found in the legendary Guadalupe Valley.  But it would not be an easy journey.  We would have to pass the wall of broken promises, traverse a narrow trail along the edge of the Pacific Ocean, and come uncomfortably close to the dreaded House of the Devil.  OK, so much for the theatrics.
Baja California is the leading wine producing region of Mexico, with around 150 wineries and representing about 75% of the country’s wine output.  It should be noted that a great deal of the grapes grown in the other areas of Mexico are used to make Port, meaning Baja produces most of the dry wines made in the Mexico.  About 90% of their production is sold in Mexico.
The Guadalupe Valley is the northern-most wine growing region in Baja, sitting just east of the port city of Ensenada.  It has seen great growth in the past ten years or so.  I speculate that this growth is due in part to its proximity to Ensenada and the cruise ship industry.  The wineries are close enough to the city for wine tasting excursions.
So now back to our expedition.  Wine tasting was not the focus of our journey, so we only visited two wineries.  While the area is rife with boutique wineries, our party was too large for them to accommodate us.  It turned out to be a case of The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly.  I already mentioned the Ugly – La Casa del Diablo.  Located on the coast road about half way between Tiajuana and Ensenada, this monstrosity shown below is up for sale.  I’m sure you’ll want to put a bid in right away.

The Good was a winery called Viñedos de la Reina.  The winery is only a few years old, with about 12 acres planted in the Guadalupe Valley.  However, they have another hundred or so acres to the south in the San Vincente Valley.  All of the wines we tasted came from grapes grown in that region.

The first wine they served was a Chardonnay in the Chablis vein, that is to say, unoaked and without that buttery taste we associate with Chardonnay.  The buttery taste, by the way, is attributed a process known as malolactic fermentation.  The normal acid formed in grapes is malic acid, also found in apples, with a pH around 3.3.  Certain bacteria will convert this malic acid to lactic acid, the type found in milk products (such as – you guessed it – butter).  From what I have read this always happens with red wines, suggesting that the bacteria reside on the grape skins.  With white wines, where the juice is separated from the skins before fermentation, it only occurs when the winemaker wants.  Top picture is two perfect strangers with glasses of the Chardonnay.  Yes, perfect strangers -- never seen them before....

ToJust that one white wine, then on to the good, i.e., their red wines.  First red we tasted was their Sangiovese, a very nice wine followed up by a quite nice Malbec.  Then the star of the show appeared in our glasses – Nebbiolo.  Well, it was the star of the wine tasting.  So here’s what happened:
Before the wine tasting we were taken on a tour of their very new facility.  Along the way our guide (and resident Sommelier) Alejandro Acevedo discussed the San Vicente Valley and, of course, the grapes that they grow there – the varieties that we would later taste, as well as Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon, Tempranillo (ugh!), and Tanat.  After the wine tasting we had dinner at the winery, so naturally we ordered a bottle of Tempranillo… just kidding!  No, we did not order Tempranillo.  We ordered Tanat, and it was really, really good, and then it was gone so we got another bottle….
First picture below is of the tasting patio, followed by a picture of the dining area.

Bottom line, they had some very good red wines, good enough to haul a half of a case back across the border.  The picture below is of their Sommelier carefully picking out the wines that he thought we would like.  Four of these are shown in the next picture.

​As the we head into the holiday weekend, I thought it worth reminding you that wineries in Southern California, especially the boutique ones in San Diego County,  are more than places to go shopping for wine.  The San Diego County winery scene is more about a place to go, our version of the neighborhood bar where everyone knows your name, than the sterile Napa or even Temecula large wineries. 
For example, on Memorial Day this year we met with a great group of friends (there were eighteen of us) for a party at Vineyard Grant James.  Brought our own food and music (see pictures below).  Fun time.

​Then, this past Sunday, I dropped in on Principe di Tricase with a few friends just to pick up wine.  It was pretty hot, so we did not plan on spending too much time there.
Well, sometimes the best laid plans of mice and men aft gang aglay.  Turns out, they had a great band playing – Relic Ruckus – cold Sangria and pizza, so we stayed.  Great afternoon.  Oh, I should mention that we tasted some new white wines – Fiano and Malvasia – that you might not find anywhere else.  Italian wines, of course.
On the food side, the pizza was excellent, and from what I understand they plan to have the same food cart there every weekend, offering not just pizza but other Italian dishes as well.  As for the band, well, as I said, they were great.  They were playing some Bob Dylan tunes when we walked in.  Later they played Honky Tonk Woman and a little ditty about lost shakers of salt.  Pretty broad range, I’d say.  If you want to catch them, they’re playing at Principe di Tricase again on July 18.

This review of Vidon courtesy of Doc Ed:
"Very few wineries are willing to produce clone-specific wines, and I love it when I find one that does. The vineyard has been around approximately 20 years, and changed ownership about five months ago.   (The old winemaker is staying on and providing continuity.)  New owner Dru Allen provided me a big “peek behind the curtain” as he answered all of my questions and provided samples of excellent wine to emphasize his answers.   This was accomplished in a beautiful outdoor setting, with dramatic panoramic views of the region."

​"Vidon wines are 100% estate grown.  They make pure varietals from three clones.  Mirabelle 2016 ($60) was pure Clone 115 and was finished with 30% new French oak.  It was a delightful, fruity wine.  The Pommard 2016 ($60) was a distinctive, bold example of that varietal.  My favorite was Clone 777 2016 ($60) which had a ten day contact with the skins, producing a moderate extraction of color and spicy flavors.  The finish was outstanding.   I understand they also have Clone 95, and there are plans to grow Clone 667.  I can’t wait to taste them!  Vidon also makes a blend of their Three Clones ($50), which was made with no new oak.  It was also enjoyable.  The tasting finished with a surprise.  They grow a Syrah (clone 470)($40) and blend it with a small amount of Viognier,  producing an excellent Cote-Rotie styled wine.  They also produce Chardonnay, but I didn’t try it."