J & J is a bit out in the boonies but then again half the wineries around Paso are in the boonies and that is part of the adventure. A nice drive back through the vineyards and up a hill and the adventure begins.

The J and J Cellars picnic area

We only had time for a brief tasting and look around. The tasting room is comfortable, well appointed, but not special. The picnic area is very nice and the tasting room staff is conversant. The wines are not expensive, tend to be medium to robust, very nice quality, and we found some great case sales. We brought home a case of their Autumn Flight Estate 2008 Syrah. This is a nice robust Syrah with deep color, big nose with a little oak, and an enjoyable extended finish.

So would we return? Yes. The reason would be the friendlier than normal atmosphere and the wine styles meet our preferences and budget.

- jim

We are in Paso Robles finishing up a 3 day winery tasting room mapping trip here and in Santa Barbara County. We will soon add 48 winery profiles for Paso and 34 for Santa Barbara County. Most are new or recently open to the public on a regular basis – the criteria for WineQuesters.com.

We met many growers who are now making their own wine and opening tasting rooms. We are constantly amazed how this many tasting rooms can open in such a deep recession. We’ve deleted only five in the past year that have gone out of business. This is a crazy industry!

Jim

When Katya and I find a wine that is particularly interesting and flavorful I put the empty bottle in my office and aggregate a few to blog about.  While we like pretty much all the we pick up at wineries around California there are occasionally ones that really get our attention.  As usual I’m not going to tell you it has certain attributes because context changes taste but if you are looking for flavor and an exciting taste experience give any of these a try.

1. Ridge 2005 Santa Cruz Mountains Chardonnay Home Ranch.  Ridge is a mountain winery with a breath-taking view of Silicon Valley and the San Francisco Bay.  The picnic area has one of the best views in California.   Ridge has a reputation for outstanding wines and we feel their Chard is special.  Santa Cruz Mountains wines tend to have more nose and be more flavorable than elsewhere in California.  There are a few light soft wines made in this region but we find more taste adventure per bottle here and in Gilroy than anywhere else. This Chard fits that.  It is a fascinating blend of flavors that is unusual and we loved each sip.  It is worth going out of your way for.
2. Locatelli 2001 Cab Estate from Paso Robles.  This is a small family owned winery on a hill north of Paso in a rather warm zone.  The patriach arrived in 1898 from Italy and went right into the wine business. This is a classic Cab that doesn’t disappear when you swallow.  The nose is full and fun. The oak and berries and light tannins linger nicely but no burn.  It isn’t soft which is our preference.
3. Narrow Gate 2006 Petite Cuvee from El Dorado County.  Narrow Gate is a rather remote and little known mountain winery in the Sierra pines with the tasting in the working winery.  They have a nice picnic area under pines so it is like camping out in the Sierras.  The winemaker is very approachable and loves to take visitors on a tour de force.  The cuvee is a blend of Petite Sirah, Mourvedre, Zin, and Viognier.  So what is special?  The nose and taste are significantly more interesting than most blends.

OK, now I can clear out the bottles and get ready for the next unusual wines.  There are several from Hahn that are merit special attention and that post is coming up sometime this month.  We have six that we captured at the tasting room so give us time to try them again after a “waiting period”. 

- jim