CACTUS STAR VINEYARD AT SCAREDY CAT RANCH

Becky Cullen designs cool labels like this one.

We were the very first customers to visit Cactus Star Vineyard’s new tasting patio. The Vineyard is part of Joe and Becky Cullen’s Scaredy Cat Ranch,  named after a very timid horse. Joe’s engineering job took him to Spain, Italy, Germany and Turkey, where came to know and enjoy wine. In 1995 Becky gave him a winemaking kit for his birthday; the rest is history. The couple relocated from Pittsburgh to Ramona, planting their first grapes in 2001. Their winery – ensconced in a couple of small, semi-underground structures – has been licensed and bonded since 2006. There are now 600 vines on the Cullens' property. Joe makes around 150 cases of wine each year, most of which is estate-grown. His “Two Dogs Barking” label differentiates non-estate wine sourced exclusively from the Ramona AVA.

Two Dogs Barking

We liked everything here, starting with a dry, tasty, 2009 Two Dogs Barking Grenache. The 2009 Scaredy Cat Ranch (100%) Tempranillo is a winner. This grape is hard to grow in Ramona because it’s not heat tolerant, but Joe’s vines are on a slope that gets a marine breeze. It was interesting to compare the 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon (80% Cab, 15% Petit Verdot, 5% Malbec) and the Petit Verdot from the same year (80% Petit Verdot, 15% Cab, 5% Malbec). We ultimately decided on the Cabernet Sauvignon for its well rounded flavor and dry finish.

It was a pleasure to visit and taste these wines. We'll be back! 

Stained glass art adorns the winery structures.

Cactus Star's tasting patio is open on weekends by appointment.
760.787.0779

EDWARDS VINEYARD AND CELLARS

On our second visit to the Edwards’s beautiful tasting patio, Beth was pouring a 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon and two distinctive Syrahs: ’04 and ’05. We scored  another bottle of the ’04. Winemaker Victor – indisputably one of the best in the Ramona AVA – and vineyard canine Doc joined us on a perch overlooking the vines.

Doc

Victor told us about how, after a harvest, he likes to taste the grape juices and experiment with blending them. For instance, he has four different clones of Syrah that he tastes separately and together. After fermentation, most of his wines are aged in pre-owned French Oak barrels. “You can pick your aroma profile from barrels that are already seasoned and have had wine in them.”



Victor Edwards and some of his Vines

The Edwards will officially release their 2007 Petit Syrah on Saturday Nov. 5, but they were kind enough to give us a pre-taste. Very impressed, we asked to buy a bottle and Victor took us up to the winery to fetch one. There we saw some serious equipment and met dark-faced white sheep, quite a few free-ranging chickens, and of course the winery cats.

The Edwards tasting patio is open on weekends 11:00-4:00. 760.788.0738

Baaaaa....

Link to first Edwards post...

ROCK CANYON VINEYARDS AND WINERY

Tim and Mona Petersons' Alpine-area estate encompasses – besides the vineyard and winery – stalls and corrals for their Andalusian horses, an art studio, a chicken house, and limited guest accommodations. They started with 75 plants in 2000 and currently have about 1500 Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel, and Syrah vines strategically positioned across their property.  Winemaker Tim augments his estate vines with grapes from other San Diego County vineyards. The first thing he poured for us in his underground, rock-framed barrel room was a pleasantly buttery Viognier that originated in San Marcos.

New Grapes

Then... some reds.  We first enjoyed a 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon aged in American oak, then tried two 2009 Zinfandels: one in American oak (lots of plum!), the other in Hungarian oak (less fruit, more spice, well developed tannins).  We moved on to some barrel tasting including a 2010 Syrah (American oak), which is coming along very nicely;  people are already reserving bottles. Next we hopped into Tim's small and efficient ATV to tour the property. We admired the horses, got a first-hand look at (and delicious taste of) the grapes and petted resident burros Roxy, Bonnie, and Clyde. Mona’s beautiful drawings of the burros distinguish Rock Canyon’s wine labels.



The Burros

Rock Canyon wholesales to supermarkets (e.g., Albertson’s, Costco, Whole Foods) and local restaurants, and offers a memorable on-site experience to visitors who are willing to drive a couple miles up a winding dirt road.  Besides tasting wine one can arrange to hike and/or ride horses on the many trails that surround the property and even end the day in the Jacuzzi. Bottles in the barrel room are available at (very reasonable) retail prices and Tim can arrange shipping.

Rock Canyon is open by appointment. 619.445.4763

Link to first Rock Canyon post

KOHILL WINERY

Mike Kohill loves wine. He got serious about winemaking shortly after he met Johnny Schwaesdall (one of the Grand Daddies of the Ramona winemaking scene).  Mike’s vocation is engineering, making him part of a significant subset of San Diego County winemakers.  A UC-Davis distance-learning course helped him launch what is still a “weekend winery” as he still holds a fulltime job away from the estate. Kohill Winery released its first vintage in 2006 and is now producing 250-300 cases per year, made exclusively from Ramona Valley grapes. We especially like Mike's reds, including the 2008 "Aurora's Blend" (Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, and Viognier), and the bright and pleasantly tannic 2008 Estate Cabernet Sauvignon.

Barbera Grapes Fermenting 
The 2008 vintage will be released this year.

The wine club here is pretty casual - an email list that affords members the first opportunity to puchase new wines.

Kohill Winery is a great place to taste. Open weekends 12:00-5:00. 760.787.1042

WINE TOURING IN TEMECULA

Wine tasting in Temecula is a lot like listening to smooth jazz; it’s easy and fairly predictable. The most recent Temecula Wine Country brochure lists 35 tasting rooms, most of which are open daily, within about a ten-mile range. Weekend crowds are dominated by buses and limos full of partiers from all over Southern California, and the wineries do a great job of accommodating them. Winery restaurants are proliferating; so are after-closing parties with live music – popular with locals and accessible to visitors who opt to spend the night at one of the area’s numerous hotels.

The tasting route we propose encapsulates the diversity that one can still find among Temecula wineries that are doing interesting things. Start at Mount Palomar (A on map), a giant winery with local roots. Everyone can find something to like here, in terms of food as well as wine. About a mile up the road from Palomar is Van Roekel (B), which will seem small and homey and is a nice place to picnic. Continue to Doffo Winery (C), situated just off Rancho California Road in what looks like a residential neighborhood. You’re likely to meet the Doffo family, especially on a weekday. (Note that they’re closed on Wednesdays.) Right across the street from Doffo is Chapin Family Vineyards, where Steve Chapin pours some excellent reds and there's a comfortable picnic patio with vineyard views. Next, head back west about a mile and take a left on Glenoaks Road to find Foot Path (D) – the proudly funkiest winery of the lot. Leaving Foot Path, go left onto Glenoaks Road and then make a right on De Portola, where you will encounter at least eight more wineries.  We recommend a stop at Frangipani (E) or Robert Renzoni (F) – or both if you have time. Frangipani has indoor picnic tables, which are rare in these parts and proved invaluable when we hosted guests on a rainy November day. Renzoni also has a very nice picnic area perched atop a little hill that overlooks his vineyard.

Temecula Touring Map