​It has been just two years since I first visited Hungry Hawk Vineyards & Winery, and I am very happy to report that all is well.  In fact, so well that they have been named 2026 Winery of the Year by Winemaker Challenge!  Glad I gave them a good review….
Facility is a bit nicer, mostly because they now have better shade.  Also, they have food trucks visiting.

​We sat outside in the shade for our tasting, with music.  On the music side, if you have a chance to hear the guitarist shown below, take it – he’s really good!

​Backtracking a bit, they offer a variety of tasting flites for $35.  Of these, I chose the red flite, and my wife chose the Mike Embly Collection of their higher-priced wines, including a Sauvignon Blanc for $54.  Now my wife does not like Sauvignon Blanc, so it was a great surprise to me that she found it absolutely superb!  Well, I guess I should not have been surprised.  It did win a few awards….

​We tasted the Carménère again, and it was better than before.  The first time I tasted Carménère was in one of my WSET Level 2 classes, and it had a unique jalapeño aroma and taste.  This latest version had the same aroma, though not so much in the taste.  Very nice wine.
Now, Carménère for a long time was considered extinct.  It was grown extensively in Bordeaux, but all of the Carménère vines were destroyed by phylloxera in the late 19th century.  Come to find out, the grape was being grown extensively in Chile, where it was thought to be a Merlot clone, largely because of similarity in the leaves of the two vines.  I mention this bit of history because, as you might expect, Carménère was used in many of the Bordeaux blends that were among the best wines of the time before the phylloxera invasion in the 1860’s.  Well, if they used it then, why not now that it has been rediscovered?  Sure enough, Hungry Hawk went down that path, producing a wonderful Bordeaux-style blend that might have been similar to the one of the wines that were introduced at the International Exposition of 1855 in Paris, France.  You know, the one that introduced the world to the Grand Cru wineries, such as Chateau Margaux…. 

​Once again, we took the long drive out to near the end of the earth – about halfway between Ramona a Julien along highway 78 – to visit our friends at Edwards Vineyard & Cellars.  I am happy to report that the next generation has pretty much taken over, meaning that they are going to be around for many, many years.  On the wine side, they expanded their vineyard, planting some new grapes – Mourvèdre, Grenache, and Viognier.  Fortunately, they have more of their outstanding Clone 383 Syrah, a much-improved Cabernet Sauvignon, and a great new blend.  Oh, and a new sign:

​As shown standing next to Giacomo, Pinocchio’s cousin, is the latest Clone 383 Syrah.  I discussed clones some time ago, but it is worth going over the basics again.  Virtually no one grows grape vines from grapes.  In fact, vineyards usually buy their vines from nurseries in the form of potted plants.  The vineyard owners provide the nursery with a sample of the soil where the vines will be planted, growing conditions in their vineyard, and the grape variety they wish to grow.  The nursery makes recommendations as to root variety.  Note that because of the root louse phylloxera most of the roots are from North American grape species, i.e., not the same species as the vines.  The nursery grows the vines and roots, then splices the vines to the roots.  I believe that this takes about a year.

​Now clones are two vines with exactly the same DNA.  As the nursery is growing the vines by planting cuttings of existing vines, then taking cuttings from the new vines and splicing them on roots, all of the vines produced from the initial vine are clones.  Nurseries often have more than one clone for the vineyard owners to choose from.  Edwards has vines from four Syrah clones.  Their standard Syrah is a blend of these four.  But they also make a Syrah from the 383 clone only.  This single-clone wine is as pure as it gets, as all of the grapes have identical taste profiles.  The bad news is the 383 clone is very susceptible to a nasty condition known as Syrah Decline, so much so that many nurseries no longer grow it.  We bought a half case….
As I mentioned above, I believe that their latest Cabernet Sauvignon is the best they’ve produced.  Their Cabernet Sauvignon grapes are planted in a relatively flat area on the lower part of their property.  It is a very windy area.  I suspect the wind plays an important role in keeping the vines cool enough to give them the hang time necessary to produce quality grapes.

​Blends are not the norm for Edwards, so it was a bit of a surprise that we found their new one, Chosen Suns, to be a very nice wine.  The three components are Syrah, Petite Sirah and Cabernet Sauvignon.  Given the quality of the varietals that make from those three grapes, the quality of this blend is not surprising at all.

I hate to end on a downer, but they have no more Ramona Rotie, the Syrah-Viognier blend that I have highlighted in the past.  Not to worry, they will be releasing a new one soon.  Ground squirrels have eaten all of their 2026 Viognier grapes, but they have enough Viognier left over from last year for this year’s Ramona Rotie.  Can't wait until their next release....

​If you look on my tables of wineries, you find a table labeled “Escondido.”  For those of you not familiar with our area, Escondido is one of San Diego’s larger suburbs, located due north of the city along the Interstate 5 freeway.  There is a cluster of wineries in a hilly area off Highland Valley Road that have Escondido mailing addresses but are in unincorporated areas, i.e., outside the city limits.  There are also wineries in the city itself, and this review covers one of these:  Cheval Winery.  This is not a winery you would just by chance come upon, as it is located in a largely urban part of the city, at the intersection of two interstate highways – just south of I78 and west of I15.  And Cheval grows its grapes right there, in this urban setting!
They have done a remarkable job with the facility.  A heavy line of trees hides their urban nature, so it has a pleasant, though not spectacular, view.

​The wine tasting room is as good as it gets – well laid out with plenty of comfortable indoor seating.  See pictures below.

​We tasted five wines.  They started us out with a nice rosé, then followed up with a flite of four red wines, shown below along with the tasting menu.  Three of the four were good – I liked the Syrah blend best, but the Barbera was also very good.  My wife preferred the Barbera….

​Many wineries today are introducing new technology to enhance their wines or reduce production costs.  For example, laser/optical systems that sort the grapes, making sure only the “perfect” grapes are used.  We’ve seen these systems at Lioville-Poyferre in Bordeaux and Frescobaldi in Tuscany.  Well, Somerset Vineyard & Winery has taken the opposite approach.  In lieu of the new they’ve gone for the old – the very, very old.  Ancient, in fact – techniques that date back thousands of years.  Specifically, the qvevri method developed in the Asian country of Georgia some 10,000 years ago – and still used today!  Indeed, we ran across this process at Story Winery in Amador County, as reported in the review of day two of our visit.
You can find Somerset on the de Portola Wine Trail in Temecula – it’s the first winery on your left if you enter from Anza.  Originally Keystone Winery, the current team of owners got hit with the COVID downturn before they had a chance to really get going.  Despite this bad start, they seem to be holding their own.  It was pretty hot when we visited their winery, so we hung out in the tasting room (with a brief excursion to see the wine-making facilities – and their terracotta pots).

​The Georgian method of making red wine in the qvevri is to foot stomp the grapes and then put the entire must – juice, skins, seeds, and sometimes stems – in a larger version of the one shown below, buried in the ground.  Ambient yeast ferments the sugar in the juice and pulp.  When the fermentation is complete the qvevri is sealed.  The shape of the vessel causes the liquid to circulate, spreading the dead yeast (known as lees) and adding the bready taste to the wine.  The qvevri remains sealed for a long time -- up to 100 years!  One of their qvevri pots is shown below, as well as their amphorae.

​The process is similar for white wines except that the skins and seeds kept in the qvevri for about six months.  The result is what is now referred to as an “orange” wine.  Normally on weekdays they do not open qvevri wines for tasting, but they had a few open bottles from the weekend.  We were fortunate to be able to compare a qvevri Albarino with a traditional version.  Definitely different taste profiles.  We both preferred the qvevri version – it was smoother and a bit fruitier.  It also was not an orange wine, i.e., only the pressed juice went into the qvevri. 

​After tasting some red wines – more on these later – we tried their non-qvevri Viognier.  Easily the best wine we tasted, a very nice, smooth, fruity offering!  Our last white was toward the end of our visit, a Muscat Canelli.  We are red wine drinkers, so seldom buy white wines.  We went home with a bottle of the Viognier -- and their last bottle of the Muscat Canelli…

​It always amazes me how poorly wineries treat dry red wines.  They make sure that the white, rose, sparkling and even dessert wines are properly served, always near the right temperature.  But when it comes to the red wines – their bread and butter, I should add – it is so often at “room temperature” -- even when the “room” is a patio during the summer!  So it was that we tasted five Somerset red wines at 75 F, including two made in a qvevri.  Only one of the wines held up to this high tasting temperature, a very nice Sangiovese with 15% Malbec (Mr. T).  The other four might actually have tasted good if served at 60 F, but at 75 F they were pretty bad.  At some point I hope to get a proper taste of their qvevri wines, though I should add that I really did not find the Story qvevri wines to be very good, including the ones imported from Georgia.

​Somerset offers six different wine clubs, with varying discounts and one club specifically for qvevri wine fans.  Check out the versions below: 

​Well, when we first reviewed Domaine Artifact the wine industry was booming and they were planning on opening up a café in two to three years.  Well, the wine industry is in a serious downturn and the café never materialized – as planned – with a Chef and tri-tip sandwiches.  We have been back there often since – in fact, early this year they helped me study for my WSET Level 3 exam (which I passed with Merit).  So, when it came to decide what to do on Fathers’ Day – and with none of my sons and grandchildren around – I chose to return to Domaine Artifact.  Much to my surprise, in April they opened up a coffee bar where the café was to be!  As you can see below, it is a very nice facility.

​The food available at the coffee bar is pretty limited, but not to fear – a pizza food truck finds it way to their establishment on a regular basis:

​The tasting room décor has changed over time.  The tasting room is shown below, along with their current wine price list.

​But what about the wine, you ask?  Well, tasting prices are now $30 for four two-ounce pours.  That’s a lot of wine, and, as it is all very good, the coffee shop got some of our business….  At one time, their Grenache was about the only version that I liked.  Fortunately for Grenache lovers, other wineries have upped their offerings – even to Domaine level.  I suspect we’ll see more of this grape in the future, as Grenache vines have great drought resistance.

​Now I will take this occasion to claim to have discovered that their Rincon del Diablo, a Southern rhone blend heavy in the Syrah, is really outstanding.  As in most of my claims of discovery it is somewhat tainted by, well, the plaque shown below:

​I have attended many wine tastings and wine pairing events.  For the most part, the wines have been pretty mediocre and while the food has often been good it is usually a one-time event.  Enter Buon Cibo.
Buon Cibo is an Italian deli/wine shop in the Scripps Ranch area of San Diego, located just off Scripps Poway Parkway about a mile east of I15.  They opened a few months ago, and have started monthly wine/food tasting events.  I’ve attended both the April and May events, and, much to my surprise, the wines have been very nice and the food has been even better.  Unlike most other tastings, all of the food served is available, whether you dine at the deli or buy it to serve at home.  For June, they are holding a summer wine pairing event, at $75 per person.  Dates are June 11, June 18, and June 24.
The wines presented at the April event were quite unique.  They started out with a Sicilian white wine, Grillo, one we tasted at three wineries in Sicily, and one not grown locally. Quite a nice start, followed by Muscato, then an Italian Merlot.  Bit of a surprise there.  Next up was the dark red wine Aglianico, often referred to as the Barolo of the south.  Several wineries in Southern California are growing this grape with excellent results.
After these more common wines three unique wines were served, sort of.  The first was a Susumaniello, then a Pignatello and a Perricone.  I say sort of as Pignatello and Perricone are different names for the same grape.  The Susumaniello was new to me, and worth looking into if you want a good red wine, though personally I preferred the Pignatello.  Below are pictures from the April event.

​The May event was a bit more extravagant.  Seven wines were served – one white and six reds – two Chianti Classicos, two Super Tuscans, and two Brunellos.  I attended as a guest, explaining how the wines are made.  Did I mention that I am now a Level 3 WSET Sommelier?  Some pictures from the event are shown below.

​“Wine tourism” has become a very significant business sector for the wine industry, responsible for ~25% of their revenue.  Southern California, with a population of over 20 million and a significant number from outside the area visiting every year, is one of the best regions in the world for this part of the wine business to flourish.  Ponte Winery in Temecula is one of those wineries that has successfully tapped this part of the business.
To begin with, the Ponte facility includes a two tasting rooms (one for the general public, one for members), a beautiful garden area, a hotel with swimming pool, two restaurants (one in the winery area and one in the hotel), a hotel bar, and a facility for weddings and other special events.  On Mothers’ Day 2026 they held a brunch in this special events facility, and my son and I decided to surprise our wives by taking them there (along with his three daughters).  Unfortunately, he blew the surprise, but it would have been difficult to pull off anyway.  I mean, how do you surprise someone by driving an hour or so in a direction that pretty much leads only to Temecula….  Fortunately, everyone had a good time and they did have enough food to satisfy my granddaughters.  Let’s just say those three are good eaters and leave it at that.

​The brunch was buffet style, with stations for various foods.  As it was a brunch, they of course had an omelet making station.

​On the lunch side they had a meat carving station.

​Oh, one needs music, right?  How about a very nice band?

Overall a very nice time was had by all!  Of course, the best part was the lack of crowding.  Wineries usually have plenty of room.  As you can see in the picture above, the tables were not stacked on top of each other.

​It is with a very heavy heart that we bid farewell to our favorite winery, Vineyard Grant James.  Susanne and Jacques Sapier have retired, shutting down the winery.  This does not come as a shock – we knew it was going to happen – but, well, we will really miss them.
They started out in 2009, a year before the new rules regarding boutique wineries were passed by San Diego County.  In 2017, just 8 years later, they were named the number two winery in the country by Travel + Leisure Magazine.  Not bad…

​I could rant and rave about their wines.  Well, actually, I will.  You see, Susanne is just a great winemaker, and never stopped learning her trade.  At one time she said that since all of the great wines have been made she would focus on making good wines.  She did just that, though l would argue that her Nebbiolo, Alicante Bouchet, Negroamaro and Tannat were closer to great than good.

​But it was the ambiance at Grant James that made it special.  A friend of mine wanted to take his sister to a winery during her visit to San Diego, so I naturally suggested Grant James.  He reported back to me that his sister told him it was “the best day of her life!”  Well, I had my 75th, er, 39th birthday party there, and it was one of the best days of my life, and I’ve had a lot of great days….

​Susanne, Jacques, we will miss you.  We wish you all the best in your retirement.

​It was time to return to the swine land, so we did.  Yes, we took a second visit to Truffle Pig Winery, this time to see their wine tasting room and, yes, taste some more of their wines. 
For those of you who have not read my previous blog on this winery, some background.  This winery used to be called Avensole.  It was purchased, renovated, and renamed by Robert Renzoni, his wine maker Olivia Blue, and Domenic Galleano.  The restaurant was renamed Domenico’s Italian Chop House and is extraordinary.  But when we visited there the first time the tasting room renovation had not been completed.  As you can see in the pictures that follow, the winery’s beautiful landscaping remains.

​Inside, the tasting room has a central bar, a lounge area, some stuff to sell, and a view of the winemaking room.  Those large vessels just behind the glass are made from a combination of materials including terracotta and limestone, and used to age certain wines.  The tanks behind them appear to be concrete fermentation units.  Pretty neat stuff.

​Now onto the wine.  The wine list is shown below.  I apologize for the poor quality of the picture.  Took it after a bit of wine tasting.  Anyway, not surprising for a new winery, most of the wines offered are white or rosé as most red wines are held for three or more years before release.  We tasted two whites and three of the four reds.

​We again tasted the Arneis and the Chenin Blanc.  The two whites were quite different.  The Arneis has a very high alcohol content, strongly suggesting that the grapes were fully ripe when picked.  Hence this wine has a fruit flavor and modest acidity.  On the other hand, the Chenin Blanc has a much lower alcohol level, suggesting the grapes were picked before they reached full ripeness.  This results in a brighter wine with low fruit taste and high acidity.
I love surprises, and Truffle Pig did not disappoint.  As one might expect for a young Nebbiolo, the tannins in the wine were pretty high – but surprisingly smooth.  Very nice wine.  Then we tasted the Grenache.  Now Grenache is not my favorite red grape, not even close.  But sometimes you just have to admit that the winemaker has bested you – created a really good wine from a grape you just don’t care for.  So, kudos to the Truffle Pig winemaker (Mollie Haycock)!  To me it seems that she set out to make a specific style of wine – emphasizing the flavor of the grape with just enough oak to add a nice hint of tobacco – and succeeded!  It probably would have been even better had they served it at the appropriate temperature.  Unfortunately, Truffle Pig does not properly chill its red wines.  Really a bad idea, especially when you have wines such as their Grenache which should be served around 55 F, not the 70+ F that we tasted it at.  Well, they did have water available….
The last wine we tasted was also a bit of a surprise:  a blend of Sangiovese and Barbera.  I would not have thought it would work, but it does.  They give the name Market Red.  Giacomo liked it as well….

We did not taste their Tawny Port.  I guess they have a license to use the name.  Anyway, not sure how tawny it really is – the server poured a glass for another customer, and it was pretty ruby.
They have a Swine Club.  Being exceptionally lazy the details of the club are shown below.  Only thing missing is that you can opt for either the mixed club (white and red) or the rosé club.  Of course if you are a member you can drink your wine in the pig pen.... 

​We now return to reviews of the great wineries dotting the landscape of our beloved San Diego County.  Our latest local winery that we had the pleasure of visiting is Sunrise Vineyards, located on Highland Valley Road in the “between” land, not quite in Ramona but not quite in the Highland Hills region.  Very nice facility with great views, as seen below, and one really interesting wine.  But we’ll get to it towards the end of this blog.

​The downside is that Sunrise Vineyards, like almost all of the boutique wineries, grows Cabernet Sauvignon grapes even though Southern California is generally too hot for Cabernet Sauvignon grapes.  Ah, but there is a difference….
One of the unique features of the wine country here in San Diego County is the terrain.  It is really rough, with valleys, canyons, mesas facing in all directions.  In addition, we have a very dry climate, resulting in significant differences in temperature between areas in the shade and areas in the sun.  Even on a small parcel one can have multiple terroirs with essentially different climates.  Enter Sunrise Vineyards.  Their grapes are planted on the eastern side of a hill (a bit northern as well), so they do not face the hot afternoon sun.  Ergo, they’ve been able to beat the heat, so to speak, allowing them to grow decent Cabernet Sauvignon grapes.  Adding Sangiovese, a warm climate vine, to the mix does not hurt at all.
In addition to Cabernet Sauvignon and Sangiovese grapes, they purchase grapes from their neighbors so offer other wines such as the white wine Grenache Blanc and Syrah.  In addition, they blend the Cabernet Sauvignon and Sangiovese grapes to make a wine much like the Italian Super Tuscans, but, of course, cannot call their wine a Super Tuscan.  This makes perfect sense since they are certainly not located in Tuscany.  What we tasted was worth the visit, even the Cabernet Sauvignon.  They grow some of these vines at the bottom of their east-facing hill, a cooler area than where they grow the rest.  The grapes from these vines have turned out better, and they’ve used them to make a reserve wine.  Not sure when it will be released, but one that should be quite good.

Of course, boutique winery owners like to try new things – comes with the territory.  So, they decided to use some of their Cabernet Sauvignon grapes to make a rosé, the really interesting wine I mentioned earlier.  Wow!  Maybe the best rosé in all of Southern California!!!  If you are a rosé lover, you’ll not want to miss this wine!
By the way, they have gotten the message, or at least I think so.  As shown in the photo below, they keep their red wines for tasting in a cooler.  Hopefully they stay with this so you can taste their reds the way they should be tasted, between 55-60 F.

​They have a wine club.  Members purchase twelve bottles per year (four every four months, winemaker’s choice, no substitutions).  20% discount on all wines and one free glass of wine per month.  Of course, wine club members get first choice on new releases.  Hopefully they won’t buy up all of the Cabernet Sauvignon rosé!