Tagged: A Taste of Monterey

Out for a long walk with an out-of-town neighbor, we decided to stop into briefly at A Taste of Monterey, where my neighbor is a member. I’ve written previously about A Taste of Monterey here: https://decantingmonterey.com/a-taste-of-monterey-the-official-regional-wine-visitors-center/.

As I said in that post, A Taste of Monterey is a great place to start if you don’t know much about our local wines.  It calls itself ““The Official” Regional Wine Visitors’ Center.” They have an extensive wine shop in the front, plenty of tasting flights to choose from, and food pairings to accompany your tasting.  You will find wines from our established wineries, such as Pierce Ranch, Scheid, and Silvestri; as well as Kori Wines and Cru, all of which have their own local tasting rooms. In addition, you will find some micro producers who don’t have tasting rooms of their own. Plus they have huge picture windows with bayfront views – perfect for sighting otters or watching a sunset.

About Muirwood: “WINES CRAFTED WITH CARE FROM MONTEREY COUNTY’S RENOWNED ARROYO SECO VINEYARDS”

“The Zaninovich family has deep farming roots, spanning nearly a century. In the early 1970s, we were captivated by the raw beauty and exceptional potential of the undiscovered Arroyo Seco wine region in Monterey County. Today this area has emerged as one of California’s most celebrated wine-growing regions, and among the most breathtaking.

“We are inspired by the legacy of John Muir, who sought to preserve the wilderness for future generations. With four generations of California farming in harmony with nature, we have great respect for this land we call home. Like John Muir, we take a long-term perspective. We believe in nurturing the land so that it may bear fruit for generations to come.

“The Arroyo Seco is located southeast of the Monterey Bay in the valley adjacent to the Arroyo Seco Creek, we’re lucky to enjoy a unique combination of growing conditions and soils which create grapes with character and flavor. We get a richness and quality of grapes that you don’t find anywhere else.”

About Pareto Estate Wines: “The Pareto Principle, also called the 80/20 rule, states that 80% of the results come from 20% of the effort. This is true in the world of wine, where 80% of wine is consumed by 20% of the people. With Pareto’s Estate, we raise our glasses to those of us that take up the slack of others. Cheers to the 20%!

“The vineyards of Pareto’s Estate are located in Monterey County on California’s central coast. This area is known for having the longest growing season in California, lasting on average about two weeks longer than other regions.  We thank the early morning fogs and gusty afternoon winds for this fortunate phenomenon – it wreaks havoc on women’s hairdos but the grapes love it.

“We also pay homage to the awesome influence of the Monterey Bay, for without its plummeting depth of over 10,000 feet, the fog, chilly air and reliable breezes wouldn’t exist.  And without them, Monterey doesn’t win the prize for longest hang time.  And without longest hang time, the impeccable fruit that bursts with vibrant aromas and complex flavors would be….let’s not even go there.

“A few other facts you should know.  At Pareto’s Estate, our wines are 100% estate grown.  Estate grown means that the grapes are grown on our vineyards and are crushed each vintage at our winery.  Nobody else gets to touch them.  Nobody.  Yes, we’re control freaks.  Another tidbit is that our winery is a thing of beauty.  Built in 2005, it is state-of-the-art and absolutely gorgeous if you’re into that sort of thing, which we are.  One last factoid – our vineyards are 100% sustainably certified by the California Sustainable Winegrowing Alliance.  We love our vines and take care of them…”

About Comanche Cellars: “My name is Michael Simons, and what started as a love affair with wine has turned into a passion for producing small lots of very handcrafted wines from neighboring vineyards.  Our tiny (1,800 cases) winery is named after Comanche, my horse when I was ten years old. He was an important part of a young life, and I use his name as a loving tribute to this old friend. These days, I ride a bicycle, and since this love affair with wine turned into a full-blown obsession, finding time for riding anything can be tough. But I still think of Comanche often, and am proud that his name and shoes are on every bottle of my wine. Maybe those horseshoes will bring you some good luck!

“Comanche Cellars is on California’s Monterey Peninsula, where we take advantage of the incredible wealth of vineyards that can be found in almost every direction. All throughout the Santa Lucia Highlands, Arroyo Seco, San Antonio Valley and Santa Cruz Mountains AVA’s, there are winegrowers and winemakers producing incredibly beautiful wines that, we think, can and will rival the best the world has to offer. We’re happy to be in the sweet spot right now, as Wine Enthusiast recently named Monterey as one of the Top 5 winegrowing regions worldwide!

“Saddle up, come along for the ride, and see for yourself what all the buzz is about. Just give us a call or drop us an email.”

Today I am presenting the 3 wines we tasted in March. We each selected a different flight – I chose the Rockin’ Reds Flight. The winery has since moved on with a different set of 3 reds for this flight. Winery notes come from the winery, unless otherwise stated. Any errors are mine and mine alone. 

2019 Muirwood Merlot, Arroyo Seco AVA, 13.5% ABV, $15 (#988)

Winery Notes: Winemaking: French & American oak aging, careful barrel selection & blending process. Vineyards/Fruit: Wiley Ranch “Twin Oaks” Block:  Elegant, balanced; Wiley Ranch “Vaquero” Block:  Ripe, rich. Flavor Profile: Dark plum and ripe berries, soft & smooth finish. Food Pairings: Pizza Margherita, Classic Meatloaf.

Wine Enthusiast – 88 points: Dark cherry and cedar aromas make for a familiar start to this bottling. Hearty dark fruits show on the palate as well, with splash of wood oil and a fairly fierce acidity. Matt Kettmann, October 2021

My Review: Almost purple in the glass. Plum on the dusty, mellow, pleasant nose. Perfume and grapes notes. Juicy palate of blackberry, blueberry. So smooth. Best of today’s wines. March 2023

2018 Pareto Estate Wines Eighty20 Cabernet Sauvignon, Monterey County, 13.5% ABV, $17 (#989)

Winery Notes: “NOSE blackberries, blueberries, plum, with notes of vanilla and mocha. PALATE medium-bodied, soft tannins, rich lingering fruit finish. VARIETAL Cabernet Sauvignon. WINE Cabernet Sauvignon from the southern Monterey region, just north of Paso Robles, benefits from long, warm days and cool nights as well as modest rainfall. The result is big, bright, fruit-driven wine with rich tannins and a long finish.”

My Review:  Dark ruby. Barnyard on the nose, with rose petal and light cherry notes. Palate of smooth fruits. Hints of barnyard, yet quite tasty. It opened up over the course of the tasting. March 2023

2020 Comanche Tempranillo, Pierce Ranch Vineyard, San Antonio Valley AVA, $34 (#989)

Winery Notes: This special Spanish grape creates a wine that is bold and spicy. Aged in 50% new American oak barrels, it brings aromas of dark cherry, smoked meats and a long satisfying finish.

My Review: Almost garnet/ruby in color. Tart cranberry and raspberry on the nose. Spicy mouthful of berries and dark cherry. Lively palate. I enjoyed this wine. March 2023

You can visit  A Taste of Monterey at 700 Cannery Row, Ste. KK, Monterey, CA – 93940. They are open Sunday-Thursday 12pm-6pm; Friday-Saturday 12pm-7pm. You can also buy the wines they carry on their website! Comanche’s tasting room is located at 412 Alvarado Street, Monterey, and is open Tues-Thurs 4-8 pm, Fri 3-9 pm, Sat 1-9 pm, ​Sun 1-6 pm.

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© Decanting Monterey 2023