For those of you who have seen the movie “Sideways” you may remember the scene where Miles makes the statement (“I’m not drinking any f***ing Merlot”). I certainly remember it because during that time all I drank was Merlot and I loved it. I couldn’t wrap my head around why he felt Merlot was bad and Pinot noir was superior. In the clip above, however, Miles’ passion for this grape and the wine it produces is made clear.

I must admit that my palate has matured slightly and I can now relate (somewhat). You see I have tried various Pinot noirs and have like some and hated others. Some of them I’ve found to be very soft and smooth, delicate even on the tongue. Others were quite garish with a lingering aftertaste. I was just about at a point to categorize them as “so-so” when I discovered the 2007 Limited Selection Pinot Noir from Gainey Vineyards.  In the heart of the Santa Ynez Valley, Gainey is located near many of the places that served as location spots while the movie “Sideways” was being shot.

This Pinot noir however has really made me re-think the grape as well as the wine. The smell of dark fruit and spice teases your nose, while taste of dark cherries and blackberries overtake your taste buds. This wine is rich but not over-powering. It is very luscious and full, something that is lacking with a lot of Pinot noirs. As Miles mentioned in the movie the Pinot noir grape is hard to grow, so for it to produce a wine with a structure this solid is quite impressive.

I wasn’t a huge fan of Pinot noir in the past but I am willing to give them another chance; at least when it comes to Gainey’s Limited Selection Pinot Noir.

If you are into wines and haven’t seen “Sideways” you’ve missed a treat. Head to your video store to day and rent a copy. I am sure you’ll love it.  Check out the trailer below…

Gainey Limited Selection Chardonnay Label

This past Saturday, after running numerous errands in the summer heat of the San Fernando Valley, I decided a nice refreshing glass of chilled white wine would be the way to relax and coast into my evening. As most of you know, I prefer red wine to white, but I love being introduced to a delicious chardonnay, sauvignon blanc or pinot grigio. In May we took a little trip to the Gainey Winery and while there we bought a few bottles of Gainey’s 2006 Limited Selection Chardonnay. As members of their wine club, we also just recently received 2 bottles of their 2007 Limited Selection Chardonnay. Nonetheless, I decided to chill the 2006 bottle and was extremely I happy I did.

In February 2009 “The Wine Enthusiast” gave Gainey’s 2006 Limited Selection Chardonnay 90 points and I can really see why. This has got to be one of the best tasting chardonnays I’ve ever had. From the Gainey Winery in the Santa Ynez Valley, the chardonnay grapes for this wine were grown on the Evan’s Ranch, which is located on the western end of Santa Ynez, the cooler side of the valley.  The 2006 grapes took their time ripening because the weather was cooler than usual. Because of this the grapes had a much more intense or concentrated flavor.

Chilled Glass Chardonnay

The first pour of this wine is fragrant with smells of peach, pineapple, mango and Golden Delicious apples. Although this is a full-bodied chardonnay with crisp acidity, the texture is buttery and creamy smooth. The taste…awww the taste, reminds me of tropical paradise with strong hints of pineapple and peach. Finally the wine lingers with a soft, smooth finish. Chilled, this wine is definitely one to be poured on a hot summer day. It will make you forget about the heat in no time.

Gainey Winery should definitely be on your list of to dos if you are traveling to Santa Ynez Valley’s wine country. If you don’t have plans to travel there soon  you can  certainly order wine via their website or check your local wine shop. The 2006 Limited Selection Chardonnay retails for about $38.00 a bottle and is worth every penny. Please check it out.

As always, please remember to drink responsibly.

We took a trip up to the Santa Ynez Valley on Saturday to visit some vineyards and do a small amount of gambling. Our stops included the Kalyra, Rideau and Gainey wineries as well as Chumash casino. Today’s blog will give you a little insight into our experience at Kalyra. I will blog about the other vineyards and Chumash over the next few days.

I was concerned about going on Saturday because the sky was cloudy and there was mention of rain (something rare in Southern California). I was also a bit fearful that the weather around Santa Barbara would quite cold. However, the day turned out to be absolutely lovely. The sky was blue and the temperature was in the 70′s. A great day to go wine tasting.

The Ambience

 Our first stop on our adventure was the Kalyra Winery tasting room. Immediately we find it small and a bit crowded. The decor was a sort of tiki style which I assume is to pay homage to the owner who is from Australia. The tasting bar takes up a large part of the room but upon entering we find it a bit confusing on how to get started. We eventually noticed the cash register at one end of the bar and went over to pay the $10.00 per person tasting fee. The tasting fee included six traditional wines and two dessert wines. After paying we obtained our glasses (which were ours to keep) and the cashier began to pour our first taste right there at the register. This was also quite disturbing because as other people came in they were trying to inch their way in to pay as well. We eventually moved to the opposite end of the bar to gain more room and access a spit/dump bucket because there wasn’t one on our end.

The Whites

Our first taste was of the 2007 Kalyra Sauvignon Blanc. It was agreed that this wine was bland and weak. There really wasn’t anything exciting about it. Next on the list was a 2007 Chardonnay (Unwooded) which is fermented in stainless steel. Again, there really wasn’t anything great about this wine either.

The final white of the traditional wines was the 2007 Riesling. I actually found this wine okay (not great, but okay). As I have mentioned before I am not a big fan of sweet wines and this one was only mildly sweet. It was still a bit weak though. It is almost as if their white wines are watered down.

The Reds

I was beginning to think that this winery just didn’t produce good wines until we got a taste of our first red, a 2006 Sangiovese. It had a very deep and dark fruity taste. This wine definitely grabbed my attention and made me rethink the winery. Next was special wine they called the 2005 Kalyra MC² Blend. This wine is 70% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon. It has a very deep berry taste with a bitter chocolate finish. Although the guy pouring it said this is one of their better wines I really wasn’t that impressed with this blend.  The final red at Kalyra was the 2002 Barossa Valley Shiraz. Although bold this wine had a full berry and spice flavor with a very smooth finish. It definitely made me appreciate a red in their portfolio.

And for Dessert

The two dessert wines poured included the 2007 Viognier Sticky Wicket and the Kalyra NV Black Muscat. We found both of the dessert wines to be quite tasty. The Viognier had a surprising honey flavor with hints of citrus and pear. This seemed to be a favorite of most the tasting participants. The Black Muscat is  fortified with brandy early in the fermentation process giving it a very strong and sweet flavor.

Overall the Kalyra was a bit of a disappointment. The tasting bar was crowded and a bit disorganized and the wine just wasn’t that appealing. Although there were a couple of decent wines at Kalyra there were no jackpots. As always this is only my opinion. I encourage you to try it for yourself. I would appreciate hearing any of your comments.

Next blog…I will share with you our experience at Rideau.