So last Saturday, a group of us went up to Temecula for a wine tasting tour. This is the first time that I have actually been on a tour. There was the driver and depending on what types of wine we liked, was where he suggested we try. The birthday boy preferred reds, so our first stop was Leonesse.
I have only been there once before at the end of a long day of tasting. Needless to say, I did not recall that the wines were memorable. So I was excited to try out their wines at the beginning of the day, when my palette was fresh and untainted. One of our group, picked the wine of the day, straight out of the gate. It was a 2007 Zinfandel. A nice wine, well balanced and a pleasure to drink. I also sampled their Grenache, Merlot and one of their dessert wines and a White Merlot.
The Grenache, for me, had an unfortunate aroma. The bouquet of the wine, ruined the taste for me. The Merlot was better, but not as good as the Zin. The White Merlot was a 2010 vintage, which surprised me, but they were aiming for the sweetness and the residual sugar of a young wine. The wine steward told me that it is their best selling white. The other dessert wine was a port, which was flavorful and would have been quite nice with chocolate. The atmosphere at Leonesse is nice and was enjoyable to sit out on their patio and enjoy the day.
Our next stop on the tour was Wilson Creek, which is famous for its Almond Champagne. Wilson Creek has been “discovered” and is extremely crowded now. The tasting room is a mad house. We had sat outside and enjoyed the afternoon. One or two people went in at a time and brought out glasses. The winery has a selection of snacks, which went well with the wines that we picked. For me, the champagne is wonderful, the rest of the wines I could take or leave. The winery has done a good job making the grounds pleasant and you want to relax there.
The next winery we went to was Maurice Car’rie. I have never been there before, so I was looking forward to the experience. This is a winery that specializes in sweet wines, so the wines there were quite young, only a year or two old. I tried their reserve chardonnay, a port, a cream sherry and a pineapple champagne. True to the wine steward’s words, they were all sweet. The champagne was the driest thing they had. So if you were looking for something more mature and dry, this was not the place for you. We did, however, enjoy their hot sourdough and brie. It was garlicky and savory- quite tasty.
Our last stop was Thornton Winery, which is very beautiful. It has, hands down, the best presentation of their wines. I had been to Thornton several years ago and did not recall enjoying their wines. My palette has changed a bit over the years, so I was hoping that I would find some new wines to enjoy. You are brought to sitting area and given menus that have the various tastings. I ordered the Champagne tasting. You are brought a tasting notes sheet and the glasses are all brought at once. It is a nice experience, but for me, the wines did not measure up to the presentation.
All in all, the day was excellent. I always enjoy Temecula, and usually find at least one new winery to explore and add to the list of “finds”. I think the trick is to stay off the main wine road and try some of the side wineries. Salud!