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Southern
California Wineries
Ventura
County
Leeward
Winery
2784
Johnson Drive, Ventura /
805-656-5054
Leeward
is located in a pair of warehouses in the city
of Ventura and the tasting room has a terrific
view of the small parking lot. Does this give
you an indication of the wines? No it doesn't.
Leeward specializes in Chardonnay and during my
visit their list of current releases included
five different years/styles. Most of the fruit
was grown in the Edna Valley. The Edna Valley
Reserves were buttery with peach, pineapple and
vanilla flavors and a Central Coast Chardonnay
had crisp citrus flavors with a buttery finish.
There were two Bien Nacido Pino Noirs, one with
aromas of strawberries and rose petals and
another with spicy berry, plum and bing cherry
flavors. My favorite was a full-bodied Napa
Valley Merlot with flavors of berries, currant,
black cherry and a hint of chocolate. Also
available is a light, melony White Riesling and
a soft Cabernet Sauvignon with black cherry and
berry flavors with a touch of mint. There is a
fair selection of wine-related gifts in the
tasting room, which includes a model train which
owners Chuck Brigham and Chuck Gardner will
gladly run for a child's distraction. Not bad
for a winery of four employees (including the
owners) and an output of 10,000 cases.
Old
Creek Ranch Winery
Ojai
This
winery is fittingly located at a ranch at the
end of Old Creek Road near Ojai. The tasting
room consists of a small tasting bar (complete
with bar stools), a wood-burning stove and even
chairs made from wine barrels. The winery offers
a Fume Blanc blended with Semillon, a light,
clean Chenin Blanc, a spicy estate-grown
Cabernet Sauvignon, a light, fruity Zinfandel,
Cabernet Franc and Merlot. They also offer white
(Chenin Blanc), blush (Chenin Blanc and Barbera)
and red (estate-grown Merlot and Cabernet)
blends. The original winemaker, Chuck Branham
(1981-92), is now back after a seven year
absence, which gives one the impression that
this small 1,300 case winery has a promising
future.
Los Angeles
County Area
Agua Dulce
Vineyards
9640 Sierra
Highway, Agua Dulce / 661-268-7402 /
aguadulcevineyards.com
Agua Dulce Vineyards
claims to be the first new winery in Los Angeles
County in about 100 years. The tasting room
opened in October, 2001-- a year or two after
the planting of it's 77 acres of estate vines--
and by the end of 2002 has already outgrown its
facilities. As of the time of this review, all
of the finished wine was produced from fruit
purchased from other premium regions. The
tasting room is large and comfortable and offers
many gifts, sauces, food and deli items.
Weekends tend to have guests several deep at the
ample tasting bar. I visited on a weekday and
the lack of crowds allowed me to converse with
Margaret, one of the tasting hosts. Agua Dulce
produces two labels of wines: Agua Dulce Angeles
Crest and the premium Agua Dulce Aneas series.
The winery produces Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay,
Merlot, Syrah, Zinfandel, Sangiovese, Cabernet
Sauvignon and a Brut Rose sparkling wine. The
Angeles Crest Sauvignon was non-grassy and light
and the Aneas Chardonnay was somewhat acidic. My
favorites were the Aneas Paso Robles Merlot, a
jammy Aneas Paso Robles Zinfandel and a
surprisingly good Aneas Sangiovese.
San
Diego/Escondido Area
Bernardo
Winery
13330 Paseo del
Verano Norte, San Diego /
619-487-1866
Bernardo is the
oldest winery in San Diego County and is one of
the most interesting wineries I have ever
visited. Following the signs from the parking
lot, you are led through a seemingly authentic
historic western town, complete with restaurant
(Italian) and various gift shops. There are
several picnic areas that are often used as
settings for social events as well as for
sipping wine on a quiet afternoon. The tasting
room is large and includes many wine-related
gift items and gourmet foods. The wine
selection, which is tasted via a shot glass, is
very large (over 30 items!) and includes
everything from jug wines to premiums and all
are priced to sell. The Chardonnay was dry and
fruity, the Sangiovese was light-bodied with
raspberry flavors, the Private Reserve Cabernet
Sauvignon had flavors of plum and black cherry,
a Carignane was full-bodied and dry with cherry
flavors and a Private Reserve Mourvedre tasted
of stewed plums. I particularly liked the
Private Reserve Zinfandel ($11.95), which was
full-bodied and tannic with distinctive cherry
and cocoa flavors, and the non-vintage Port-- a
bargain at $6.50. There is even a sparkling wine
for $6.50 and for a $2.50 fee you can taste a
1952 Port or a 1939 Muscatel. The wines are
available only at the winery, as is an
estate-grown olive oil and several fruit wines
and grape juices.
Ferrara
Winery
1120 W. 15th Ave,
Escondido / 619-745-7632
Ferrara is the
second oldest winery in San Diego County. The
tasting room is no-nonsense and looks spartan
compared to others in the area and tastings are
served in a plastic "thimble." There is a wide
selection available, including a Chardo/Cat
(Chardonnay/Muscat blend) with a strong Muscat
flavor, a Chianti-style Vino Russo, a nice, dry
Chianti and a Nectar de Luz, based on Muscat of
Alexandria, Chardonnay, White Zinfandel,
Burgundy and Cream Sherry. The best of the lot
was the Generation III Port which sells for
$18.00.
Orfila Vineyards
& Winery
13455 San Pasqual
Road, Escondido / 760-738-6500
Orfila has been in
the Escondido area for about six years and is
most likely poised to be a major force in the
area. The winery is in a cavernous room-- about
one-third is reserved for the tasting bar and
gift shop and two-thirds as an aging room with
self-guided tour. The tasting bar is situated in
the center of the room and was somewhat
impersonal through the use of tasting tickets
(yes, I said tickets!)-- there are two
complimentary tastings and four additional for a
$3.00 fee. A coastal Chardonnay was dry and
light with vanilla, butterscotch and apple
flavors, while an Ambassador;s Reserve
Chardonnay had tasty vanilla, apple and
pineapple flavors. The Viognier Cuvee was an
excellent sipping wine with noticeable honey
flavors, the Johannisberg Riesling was
medium-dry and the Ambassador's Reserve Merlot
was herbal with blackberry flavors. This is an
attractive winery with a large, arbored picnic
area and there is even a selection of deli items
for sale.
San Pasqual
Winery
1262 Prospect
Street, La Jolla / 858-459-4728 /
sanpasqualwinery.com
I discovered the newly-opened
San Pasqual tasting room by chance as I was walking
down La Jolla's main avenue. The small but
attractive tasting room is housed in a historic
cottage overlooking the bay and offers a good
selection of wine-related gifts. Our hostess was
friendly and a small fee buys five tastes and a
logo glass. The winery, which is located in
Escondido, produces Sauvignon Blanc, several
Chardonnays, Pinot Gris, Pinot Noir, Merlot,
Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah and several varietal
blends. The Felicita, a blend of Tempranillo and
Grenache, is a good barbecue wine with flavors of
pepper, plum and black cherries and the San Luis
Rey, a blend of Nebbiolo, Grenache, Barbera, Malbec
and Syrah, had jammy raspberry flavors and good
body. The Ranchero, a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon
and Nebbiolo, is the best seller, exhibiting
flavors of plum, berries and pepper.
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