We gathered the Decanting Monterey Wine Pod on our new, heated front porch in May and, as is tradition we played Mystery Wine. This is a game in which we try to deduce what wine is in the decanter and in our glasses. There is an order to things: Is it Old World or New World? What country or state is it from? What region? What varietal? Which vintage? Can anyone guess the winery? But I blurted out: “It’s a Rombi Petite Sirah.” My husband firmly asked, “Am I doing this wrong?” and made us play the game in the proper order. I was correct.
Today I’m presenting just this one wine. Any mistakes are mine and mine alone.
2017 Rombi Petite Sirah, Carmel Valley AVA, Monterey County, 14.6% ABV, $75 (#331)
This fruit comes from the former Galante vineyards (now Tira Nanza), supplemented with some of Sal’s own grapes. We have been tasting this wine from pre-release to now. Our first two, pre-release tastes of it in 2021 deemed it unapproachable and we set it aside. By 2023, it had evolved into the beautiful wine we enjoyed once again this past spring. And we always decant or double-decant his wines.
My Review: A rich, bright garnet in the glass. Dried cherry, berry and tobacco leaf on the nose. Thick on the palate with cherry and berry flavors and a slightly tannic finish. This is a “wow” wine. This wine has improved over the years and is very drinkable right now. April 2023/May 2026
Plus Wine Industry Insights from the 2025 Monterey County Crop Report
THE STORY
Today marks the sixth anniversary ofDecanting Monterey, A Central Coast Wine Blog! When I envisioned this website, I wanted it to reflect my passion for exposing Monterey County wines to those who might not even know our wine growing region exists. Or for those who might only have heard of our Chardonnay and Pinot Noir vineyards and wines.
In our personal wine journey, we began exploring Monterey wines because our family lived nearby. We would occasionally stumble upon a stunning Cabernet Sauvignon (Durney) or an outstanding red blend (Bernardus Marinus). The light went on for me personally when we were referred by one tasting room to visit a vineyard and winery in Carmel Valley, showing us that Monterey, in addition to those elegant Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs, could produce impressive, award-worthy, full-bodied reds. That winery was Parsonage. And we discovered Mercy and Chesebro, with exceptional wines from Arroyo Seco, expanding our horizons on great wine producing regions in Monterey County. We found Ian Brand one day, when his tasting room first opened, and began to explore his paradigm-shifting winemaking. And Rombi for making perhaps the biggest, most complex reds in the county. Today we watch closely the ever-evolving wine landscape in Monterey including the emerging Carmel Coast AVA with newer wineries such as Domaine Messier.
Whether you get my weekly reviews delivered to your email (sign up today – it is free!), see them on social media (Instagram, Facebook, or CELLAR TRACKER, or discover them via Google search; I hope you are enjoying reading about our Monterey wines through my lens. I value every view, like, and comment. I write this self-funded blog out of passion for our Monterey wines, and have continued to keep this space ad-free for you. I deeply appreciate each and every one of you who is reading my posts!
A BRIEF RECAP OF THE LAST 6 YEARS
Year 1: Deep in the unvaccinated period of the pandemic in July 2020, Decanting Monterey initially was focused on wines from our own collection sampled at home, with or without our neighboring friends and our daughters, who eventually became known as the Decanting Monterey Wine Pod. I also established the @decantingmonterey Facebook page.
Testing COVID Wine Tasting Procedures Back in 2020!
During Year 2, as we became fully vaccinated and boosted, we were able to get out to more local wineries at a more deliberate pace. Most of the posts were based on event-driven or winery tastings and fewer individual, cellar-driven posts. I started the @decanting_monterey Instagram feed.
AWS Monterey Chapter Vice Chair and Me at Cabrillo College
During Year 6, I became the Chair of the American Wine Society Monterey Chapter, so my time shifted to those responsibilities while maintaining the weekly blog posts for Decanting Monterey. I organized 7 of their events, most at our local wineries and created their social media sites. I reported on one wine tasting trip to Paso Robles and attended The Perfect Pair – a Cabrillo College Culinary & Wine Showcase of Santa Cruz Mountain AVA wines.
HIGH LEVEL STATS FROM YEAR SIX
Wines Presented by California County
www.decantingmonterey.com surpassed the 43,000 “views” mark. If you are seeing my blog on social media or via email, please be sure to click the link and open it!
In its lifetime, 402 total posts and 1,780 wines.
237 wines (209 for the first time) were written up on Decanting Monterey in Year 6, including 168 reds, 55 whites, 14 rosés, including 9 sparkling wines.
Wines from 14 California counties are represented, with over 53% from Monterey and 28% from San Luis Obispo.
Wines by Monterey AVA
Wines from 6 of the 10 Monterey American Viticultural Areas (AVAs) were covered, with the most from Carmel Valley, followed closely by Arroyo Seco and then the Santa Lucia Highlands.
I’ve written before about the declining wine market as people focus more on their health and drink less. The recent release of the 2025 Monterey County Crop Report highlights this situation quite directly, with a staggering 25% drop in the value of wine grapes in the county in a single year. Since its height in 2015, the value of wine grapes has dropped 38%. It’s a worrisome trend for our vineyards and our wineries. Across the world, wine production is declining. This Forbes article contains the global picture: The Wine Industry Continues To Struggle With Production And Consumption. I don’t know how much it affects our smaller, local wineries with their loyal followings, but the shift in the marketplace needs attention, with an eye to both short-term and longer-term strategies. Is this a permanent shift? Is wine becoming passé? Here are the stats from the crop report:
Wine Grapes Have Been Steadily Decreasing over the Last Few Years
Grapes went down in ranking from 8th place in 2024, to 9th place in 2025 – behind strawberries, leaf and head lettuces, broccoli, cauliflower, celery, spinach, and nursery and flower.
Acreage of planted grapes declined from 39,600 in 2024 to 37,800 in 2025.
Grape crop valuedecreased from $152,251,000 in 2024 to $114,603,000 in 2025.
Wine Grapes Continue to Decline in Acreage and Value
ONWARD, DECANTING MONTEREY!
While I have some posts already queued up for Year 7, let me ask my mighty readers: Where should I visit next? A new winery or region? A Monterey winery I may have overlooked? Please leave me a comment on this post and let me know what some of your favorite, local places are to wine taste that I should not miss in Year 7!
And, if you have not signed up for my free, weekly blog email. I judge how well I am doing by how many views, subscribers, and comments I receive. No ads and I don’t sell your data. Please help me spread the word and feel free to comment on my posts! And follow my Facebook (@DecantingMonterey) and Instagram (@decanting_monterey) sites.
Larry Bell, Proprietor, Corral Wine Co.
I don’t want to leave today’s post without expressing my gratitude to those vintners who have comped me wine tastings, given me discounts, and especially those who have donated bottles of wine! I am grateful to Bernardus, Corral Wine Co., Lepe Cellars, Parsonage, Rombi, and Shale Canyon for their generosity this year in donated wines, steep discounts or assistance with group tastings. I am especially thankful for Sal Rombi who has repeatedly donated pre-release wines for us to taste in-depth and replacement bottles for many of the wines I have reviewed. And to my fellow board members at the American Wine Society Monterey Chapter who continue to trust me to organize their events. And, of course, the Decanting Monterey Wine Pod which makes this all tons of fun!
Fellow AWS Monterey Chapter Board Members in December 2025
So, here we go – onto Year 7! I don’t think I will ever surpass Year 4, but even coasting in this world of Monterey wines has allowed me to access and promote some of the very best California has to offer. I hope you will try some wines from Monterey County and share your experiences with me!
It was great to stop in and see Kathy in the Rombi Wines tasting room in Carmel Valley Village back in December. We were able to catch up and I delivered some holiday chocolates for Sal. My homemade, yet professional chocolates. People say I should sell them, but that would be work. We were pleasantly surprised to find this stunning, newly released 2022 Rombi Merlot now being poured in the tasting room. I used to have to cellar his wines for about 10 years for them to seem ready (they are so big), but this wine is pretty awesome now. I asked Sal if there was anything special about this wine or the vintage he’d like to tell me and his only comment was that he didn’t make enough of it. I highly recommend stopping by some weekend to try it out for yourself.
2022 Rombi Merlot, Carmel Valley AVA, Monterey County, $65 (#1703)
My Review: Red plum, blackberry and blueberry fruits plus cinnamon on the nose. Very smooth palate. Medium grippy tannins. Juicy, delicious, with some wood on the palate. I am impressed by this wine for its flavor, structure and quality. December 2025
We had the privilege of receiving a pre-release bottle of the 2023 Rombi Cabernet Sauvignon and tried this baby back in September. We had a lot of emotions tasting this wine – its smoothness and deep fruit flavors presaging an elegance yet to come.
As I come back to Monterey wines after my 9 weeks of posts from my wine adventure in Paso Robles, I give thanks on this Thanksgiving Day to our Monterey County vintners for what they do every day to bring us these quality wines. And their generosity to me by offering free tastings, discounted purchases, and the occasional gifted bottle of wine. A toast to each and every one of you!
“Since 2006, hands-on winemaking that reflects a unique sense of place”
“Wine is a gift from nature, and every bottle produced at Rombi Wines tells a story of the land, the geography, the climate, and the hands-on philosophy of one man. Salvatore Rombi takes winemaking personally, obsessing over every detail — from harvest to barrel aging — to produce a unique range of elegant yet bold and complex red wines from the Carmel Valley Appellation. Rombi’s small vineyard and intimate tasting room provide the perfect setting for an unforgettable wine journey. With an unwavering commitment to excellence and a strict allegiance to sustainable farming practices, Rombi creates award-winning, limited-production vintages. As an ode to terroir — the rock and soil, but also the land and legacy, culture and commitment, time and tradition — the wines from Rombi are always bottled poetry.”
THE WINE
Today I’m presenting just this one wine, the 2023 Rombi Cabernet Sauvignon, which was gifted to me, pre-release.
2023 Rombi Cabernet Sauvignon, Carmel Valley AVA, 14.1% ABV (#1665)
My Review: Pre-release. Dark garnet in the glass. Dark cherries, berries, vanilla, leather and licorice on the nose. Intense dark fruit and smooth palate presage an elegance yet to come. Good texture. It finishes quite dry and tannic at this youthful point. While I don’t yet detect the heft/depth I expect from a Rombi, I think that is a reflection of its youth. It reminds me of those very early tastes of his 2015 vintage, which has remained one of my favorites. This wine obviously needs much more time in the bottle. We double decanted this wine, as one always should with a Rombi. September 2025
THE TASTING ROOM
I highly recommend visiting their tasting room for an experience and wines you will remember. Go see Sal.
“At Rombi Wines, our unique tasting room provides the perfect setting for an unforgettable experience. Salvatore Rombi is most often on hand to guide you through the winemaking process and your tasting experience. Step off the beaten path and discover Rombi, where every bottle tells a story.
“Rombi Wines Tasting Room is at 1 Center St., in the charming Carmel Valley Village. We are open Saturdays and Sundays from noon–5 p.m., although appointments can be made for weekday visits.”
Today marks the fifth anniversary of Decanting Monterey, A Central Coast Wine Blog! I really can’t believe what sprang from a pandemic pastime (literally) has persevered and is now an internationally-recognized effort. Whether you get my weekly reviews delivered to your email (sign up today – it is free!), see them on social media (Instagram, Facebook, or CELLAR TRACKER, or discover them via Google search; I hope you are enjoying reading about our Monterey wines through my lens. I value every view, like, and comment. I write this blog out of passion for our Monterey wines, not for profit, and have continued to keep this space ad-free for you. I deeply appreciate each and every one of you who is reading my posts!
HUGE THANKS UP FRONT!
I want to express my gratitude to those vintners in year 5 who have comped me wine tastings, given me discounts, and especially those who have donated wine to the cause! I am grateful to Chesebro, Corral Wine Co., I Brand, Parsonage, and Rombi for their generosity this year in donated wines, steep discounts or assistance with group tastings. I am especially thankful for Sal Rombi who has donated pre-release for us to taste in-depth and replacement bottles for many of the wines I have reviewed. And to my fellow board members at the Monterey Chapter of the American Wine Society who continue to trust me to organize most of their events. And, of course, the Decanting Monterey Wine Pod who make this all tons of fun!
Fellow AWS Board Members
A BRIEF RECAP OF THE LAST 4 YEARS:
Year 1: Deep in the unvaccinated period of the pandemic in July 2020, Decanting Monterey initially was focused on wines from our own collection sampled at home, with or without our neighboring friends and our daughters, who quickly became known as the COVID Wine Pod. It was 2 posts per week and, mostly, one wine at a time. Back then, some wineries had just reopened with their COVID procedures and we still weren’t venturing out much. I also established the @decantingmonterey Facebook page.
During Year 2, as we became fully vaccinated and boosted – and double boosted, we were able to get out to more local wineries at a more deliberate pace. And the COVID Wine Pod was renamed the Decanting Monterey Wine Pod! I also moved to a single post per week and presented a single wine class to my old DC wine group. Most of the posts were based on event-driven or winery tastings and fewer individual, cellar-driven posts. And I started the @decanting_monterey Instagram feed.
I have some high-level stats to share with you about Year Five of Decanting Monterey!
www.decantingmonterey.com surpassed the 33,000 “views” mark – which more than doubled in a single year!! This statistic is very important to me. If you are seeing my blog on social media or via email, please be sure to click the link and open it!
In its lifetime, 349 total posts, including this one.
183 wines (168 for the first time) were presented on Decanting Monterey in Year 5.
138 red wines were presented, as well as 32 whites, 13 rosés, including a single sparkling wine.
Wines from 11 California counties are represented, with over 60% from Monterey. In addition to the counties depicted on the chart, there were also a few from Madera, Santa Clara, Sonoma, and Yolo counties.
Wines from 7 of the 10 Monterey American Viticultural Areas (AVAs) were covered, with the most from Carmel Valley, followed by the Santa Lucia Highlands and Monterey.
Finally, we covered 2 wine events at LadySomm, and a trip to Amador.
2024 Monterey County Crop Report: Wine in Decline
I’ve written before about the declining wine market as people focus more on their health and drink less. The recent release of the 2024 Monterey County Crop Report highlights this situation quite directly, with a staggering 21% drop in the value of wine grapes in the county. It’s a worrisome trend for our wineries, as Dave Faries mentioned in the Monterey County Weekly article: The plummeting demand for wine has many in the industry worried. But is the situation so dire?I don’t know how much it affects our smaller, local wineries with their loyal followings, but the shift in the marketplace needs attention, with an eye to both short-term and longer-term strategies. I wrote about this in my Amador post here: Is this a permanent shift? Is wine becoming passé? Is anyone making a good de-alcoholized red wine? Here are the telling stats from the crop report:
Screenshot from the 2024 Monterey County Crop Report
Grapes went down in ranking from 5th place in 2023, to 8th place in 2024 – behind strawberries, leaf and head lettuces, broccoli, cauliflower, celery and spinach.
Acreage of planted grapes declined from 40,200 in 2023 to 39,600 in 2024.
Grape crop valuedecreased from $194,642,000 in 2023 to $152,251,000 in 2024.
Grapes left hanging in Amador Fall 2024
WHAT’S NEXT?
While I have some posts already queued up for Year 6, let me ask my mighty readers: Where should I visit next? I have a short list of wineries not yet presented and new or relocated tasting rooms. And I do have a short trip to Paso Robles coming up. Beyond that? Please leave me a comment on this post and let me know what some of your favorite, local places are to wine taste that I should not miss in Year 6!
And, if you have not signed up for my free, weekly blog email, please do! I judge how well I am doing by how many views, subscribers, and comments I receive. (Go, Instagram!) No ads and I don’t sell your data. Please help me spread the word and feel free to comment on my posts! And follow my Facebook (@DecantingMonterey) and Instagram (@decanting_monterey) sites.
So, here we go – Year 6! I don’t think I will ever surpass Year 4, but even coasting in this world of Monterey wines has allowed me to access and promote some of the very best California has to offer. I hope you will try some wines from Monterey County and share your experiences with me!
When we stopped in for my Rombi wine pickup in late April, we got to taste a big surprise: a brand new 2023 Petit Verdot from Napa! This wine shows so well at this young age that I took an extra one home!
And, oh by the way, if you haven’t tried his 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon, it is drinking really well – we took one of those home, too. You can read about it in this Decanting Monterey post: Get the Scoop Here: A Preview of Rombi New Releases!
“Since 2006, hands-on winemaking that reflects a unique sense of place”
“Wine is a gift from nature, and every bottle produced at Rombi Wines tells a story of the land, the geography, the climate, and the hands-on philosophy of one man. Salvatore Rombi takes winemaking personally, obsessing over every detail — from harvest to barrel aging — to produce a unique range of elegant yet bold and complex red wines from the Carmel Valley Appellation. Rombi’s small vineyard and intimate tasting room provide the perfect setting for an unforgettable wine journey. With an unwavering commitment to excellence and a strict allegiance to sustainable farming practices, Rombi creates award-winning, limited-production vintages. As an ode to terroir — the rock and soil, but also the land and legacy, culture and commitment, time and tradition — the wines from Rombi are always bottled poetry.”
THE WINE
Today I’m presenting just this one wine, the 2023 Rombi Petit Verdot, which was part of my allocation.
2023 Rombi Petit Verdot, Napa Valley AVA, 14.45 ABV, $75 (#1561)
My Review: Fresh crushed plum, violets and berries on the nose. Rich vanilla, dark plum and cassis on the palate. Wow – this wine tastes so good now. Imagine how exceptional it is going to be when you give it some time. I took another bottle home! April 2025
THE TASTING ROOM
Visiting Sal Rombi in his tasting room is one of my favorite experiences – you might walk in as strangers, but you will walk out as old friends. His wines are some of the finest made in Monterey County.
“At Rombi Wines, our unique tasting room provides the perfect setting for an unforgettable experience. Salvatore Rombi is most often on hand to guide you through the winemaking process and your tasting experience. Step off the beaten path and discover Rombi, where every bottle tells a story.
“Rombi Wines Tasting Room is at 1 Center St., in the charming Carmel Valley Village. We are open Saturdays and Sundays from noon–5 p.m., although appointments can be made for weekday visits.”
Recent Comments