Elizabeth and I are mostly interested in European wines. The fully-charged California stuff makes us sleepy and we like the taste of acidity and minerals more than alcohol and fruit. We're always on the lookout, however, for those sensible (balanced?, interesting?, bizzaro?) California wines that occasionally surface.

I was surprised by what I tasted during the 2010 Sommelier Journal Terroir Experience last week in Santa Barbara. David Furer the famous wine writer, myself, and the rest of our colleagues from Sommelier Journal met in Solvang and toured vineyards in the AVAs of Santa Maria Valley and Sta. Rita Hills for three days. The locals, pointed out all the places where Sandra Oh smacked Thomas Haden Church with a frying pan, as well as the Ostrich Farm and the home of the Horse Whisperer.

Places like Santa Maria Valley are like negative one (-1) on the silly Winkler scale and happen to be perfect for growing the kinds of wines I like: athletic, focused, and precise. These areas are really all about Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, although Syrah seems to have some potential. They're making quite a fuss about Syrah in a tiny sub-zone called Ballard Canyon, but I think Syrah might be best in the Bien Nacido "letter blocks". During a seminar at Sierra Madre Vineyard the “2:15 wind” started to blow. The wind blows through the unusual west-east Santa Maria Valley at the same time each day.

Favorites from the first day of tasting included a lemony and bracing Chardonnay from Sierra Madre Vineyard, a black pepper-infused Syrah from Craig Jaffurs, Morgan Clendendon’s Cold Heaven Viognier, the incomparable Z-block Syrah from Bob Lindquist, and an impressive lineup of Pinot Noirs from Bien Nacido Vineyard. Some tasty barbeque ensued at the Clendendon family ranch.

jessebeckerMS

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