Crushed Grape Chronicles 
Join us for a tour of Miramonte Winery in the Temecula Valley of Southern California!
Miramonte is a boutique winery in the Temecula Valley in Southern California. They provide a wide variety of music on the weekends on their patio. As well as amazing cheese and charcuterie boards. This eclectic and artistically minded winery creates an incredible atmosphere for enjoying wines.
Wine is terrific, and when you pair it with food you can take it to another level. Learning how to taste, decant and pair can be an exciting adventure.
The journey today is with a Vertical of three vintages of Wiens Reflections red blend. There are differences because of the actual blends (they use different varieties of grapes each year), differences because of the climate in each year and then differences because obviously the older vintages have aged longer! We taste the wines right out of the bottle and then decanted and watch as the flavors evolve. Then we pair them with meats cheeses and other foods and the flavors change again, enhanced (or not) by contrasting or complimentary flavors in the food. It’s an exciting journey, join us and then try a tasting of your own! See original Post.
Longshadow Ranch Vineyard & Winery from Crushed Grape Chronicles on Vimeo.
A Short Video tour of Longshadow Ranch Vineyard and WInery
Wiens Family Cellars was having a Vertical tasting of their Reflections red blends and we couldn’t go…so we put together a vertical of our own. We had the 2008, 2010 and the 2011. These are of course blends, so they are all a little different, so this a little different from a typical vertical. Typically you would have a single variety of grape or a fairly set blend that you would be comparing from year to year. You would get the differences in the climate and season that affect each year’s harvest. You would also be able to see how the wine ages. We were able to do those things, but the field for comparison was a bit more wide open. Let me take a minute to give you the breakdown on these three vintages.
So as you can see this blend is Sangiovese based, but that’s about where the similarities end. This makes for a brilliantly exciting tasting! At the winery they are doing “Reflections of the Decades” and they are tasting 6 of these wines, 2006-2011. We somehow can’t find the 2009 so I must have already enjoyed it! At the winery they are doing a decade theme starting with the 60’s for the 2006. I perused their pairings and then went back to the suggestions with the wines. We picked up some Spanish meats and cheeses (yes I know, I could have picked up Italian!). We did a tasting upon opening and then let them breathe for a bit and tasted each with the meats and cheeses. For the pairings we went a little out of order and cooked them for each course. I know it sounds tough, but…we have Trader Joes. So here’s the run down for the pairings:
Then we had chocolate cake for dessert and tasted it with all 3.
We found that the wines opened up quite a bit over the course of the evening. I had e-mailed the winery to ask decanting recommendations. Bob was kind enough to get back to me and suggested decanting the 2010 and 2011 straight down into a decanter on the counter top to add as much oxygen as possible. For the 2008 he suggested carefully pouring it down the side of a tilted decanter to give it some space to gently open up. Thanks Bob! Unfortunately, I do not yet own a nice decanter. So…we took the advice the best that we could. We opened up the 2008 and gently poured into glasses and let it air. The other two we got the aerator out and poured them through to add oxygen. On to the tasting!
On our recent trip to Santa Barbara we picked up a bottle of Carhartt’s 2012 Sauvignon Blanc. On the tasting menu it suggested a pairing of scallops or mango salsa, sooo last Thursday night we combined both.
Carhartt Pairing W/Scallops
Carhartt 2012 Sav Blanc
The 2012 Sauvignon Blanc is from the Santa Ynez Valley with 47% of the fruit coming from the Carhartt vineyard, 17% from the Faith Vineyard, 18% from La Pressa and 18% from Curtis. (This is the geeky stuff I love that Carhartt kindly puts on the back of their labels! Ready to geek out some
more?) The wine is 100% Sauvignon Blanc, clone 1 on 101-14 rootstock grown on a vertical trellis system. This was whole cluster pressed and fermented in 50% stainless steel and 50% neutral oak for 6 months. Only 750 cases were produced.
The mango salsa I created was a simple recipe with mango, green onions, lime juice, cilantro and olive oil. My mango was not fully ripe, so it had a little tartness to it. Michael cooked the scallops in butter and olive oil with just salt and pepper. We did a fresh herb salad from the garden with a sesame dressing, quinoa with herbs and some avocado/cucumber rolls from Whole Foods.
Michael remembered that we had 2 other whites open (we have a vacuum sealer and they had only been opened the day before! Don’t worry!). One was a Field Blend from Stuart Cellars. This wine was 45% Chardonnay, 35% Sauvignon Blanc, 15% Viognier and 5% Muscat. The Muscat definitely adds a sweetness to this wine. Stuart Cellars was a winery in Temecula California, they were bought out by a company an are now named Bel Vino. We had a bottle of Bel Vino 2012 Viognier also open, so…we thought we would give them all a shot! The Viognier I had really enjoyed the day before and the Field Blend is Michael’s go to.
Bel Vino Stuart Carhartt
This could become a Thursday event! Look forward to some Pizza pairings and then possibly a take off on “The Taste” with spoon full tastings to pair. This promises to make Thursdays my favorite night of the week!
We had stopped by Keyways in December and found it full and busy in the midst of their Victorian Christmas Faire. We enjoyed walking into the tasting room decorated for the holidays with Santa reciting “The Night Before Christmas” before the fireplace. It was truly enchanting…. and full. So we didn’t stop to taste, we soaked in the ambience and went on our way with plans to return to taste on our next trip.
Keyways Onyx Bar
And so we did. I was fascinated reading about their Brazilian Onyx bar, which is really beautiful. Founded in 1989 by Carl Key, Keyways was one of the original wineries in the Temecula Valley. The winery used to be known as the only woman-owned winery in Temecula. Terri Delayer, the female owner, sold the winery to Silverton Partners in late 2011.
The grounds here are beautiful and the tasting room feels like a wonderful small hotel lobby, with a seating area with a fireplace and the beautiful bar.
Keyways Lounge and Fireplace
Our Wine Tasting started with the 2012 Fume Blanc, which had grapefruit of course on the nose there was a little mineral and chalk on the back of this with spice on the finish and a little heat. The 2010 Riesling was very nice with citrus on the nose and green apple on the palate. This wine was clear, minimally sweet, and really tasty in an unexpected way. The 2010 Valley Cuvee Du Sud was my favorite. It is a Rhone Blend with Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre as well as Petite Sirah, Cinsault and Viognier. It had a wonderful cigar box nose with lovely tannins and warmth. Think red berries with earth and spice. There was a little peppery heat on the end. Really beautiful. The 2010 Valley Cuvee Du Nord is in a Northern Rhone style and is Syrah based with the same varietals as the Du Sud but in different proportions. You get more fruit on this one and it is darker and chewier. The 2008 Charbono had a sweet nose. On the first taste it was sweet on the palate and then mellowed with additional tastes. The 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve had a sweet nose with dark chocolate. The tannins here were more aggressive and the wine had a medium to long finish.
Keyways Bar
If you have a chance I definitely recommend getting here around the holidays with time to spend at the Victorian Christmas Faire. There are vendors set up in the grassy area out front, Carriage rides in horse drawn carriages and the whole atmosphere is just amazing. And don’t miss sidling up to that beautiful Brazilian Onyx bar and grab a glass of The Du Sud to enjoy while listening to Santa in front of the fire.
For more Pictures check out our Keyways Photo Page.
Europa Village, Moulin Rouge Themed Food & Wine Dinner from Crushed Grape Chronicles on Vimeo.
We had relaxed at the Inn at Europa Village with white sangria on the balcony overlooking the Winery and Vineyards, then had a nap and now were dressed (to the nines) and heading down the to Musical Wine Pairing Dinner at Europa Village. All afternoon the scent of smoked pork wafted up to our room from the smoker outside that Chef Dean was using.
We strolled into the courtyard with some other guests, commenting on the red windmill lit up and tacked to the end of the winery. There was some confusion as to why it was there. This dinner was Moulin Rouge themed!
Europa Village has 3 labels for their wines Vienza is their Italian varieties and blends, Bolero for the Spanish and C’est la Vie for their French wines. Tonight was to be a celebration of their French Style wines with hors d’oeuvres, dinner as well as a musical performance with singers and Can Can girls!
We headed into the tasting room and checked in. The first pour of the night was their 2011 Viognier. We grabbed a glass and headed back out to the courtyard to enjoy the beautiful early evening. We had a seat at one of the café tables outside the tasting room and enjoyed the view of the gardens and the Inn. You could see the fire pit going on the patio up at the Inn. The Passé course came by to pair with the Viognier. It was a Tarte Flambée with Crème Fraiche, Onion & Lardons. A perfect bite to start the evening. People gathered, many here were “Societe” Members (members of the wine club) and knew each other. We met a few people and were introduced to a few more, and then we were all directed to “The Cave” for dinner.
This is a simulated Italian Wine Cave built next to the tasting room where they hold events. Tables were set for 8 and the Cave was dim and candlelit. We found a table and met some more new people. Dinner began with a word or two from the presenters followed by Chef Dean Thomas coming to explain each of the courses we would be enjoying. The sommelier then spoke about the wines and we finished things off with a song, “Come What May” from Baz Lurman’s film “Moulin Rouge” along with the Debut course of Mushroom Bisque with a Chevre Gourgere and chive oil, paired with the C’est La Vie 2011 Chardonnay. Michael hates mushrooms, so I snuck a look at him out of the corner of my eye as he tested the soup. I felt sure that he would take a taste and then politely put it to the side. Nope, after one taste, he went back for a second and third and finished the cup. Chef Dean you have converted him!
The third course was our “Prima” and finally I got to taste that smoked pork! This was smoked pork tenderloin & roast belly, duck confit “Kronenbourg” choucroute, De Puy lentils and legumes paired with the C’est La Vie En Vie. This is a Rhone Style blend of Grenache, Syrah Counoise, Cinsault and Mourvedre. En Vie means “In Life”. This dish was delicious and aromatic and rich.
The next course was the Fromage Amuse. A little cheese course (we are dong the French thing here!) to round up the savory flavors of dinner
The Finale Course our dessert was a Grand Marnier Soufflé Glace (frozen) with Raspberry Coulis & Citrus Supremes paired with the Vienza Grenache Rose. We stepped away from France with this wine and this Rose was definitely on the sweet side. It made a unique pairing with the Glace.
Throughout the evening we had been entertained by Can Can girls and vocals some from the movie and others from other Moulin Rouge and French inspired movies and musicals.
We strolled out very full into the moonlight through the gardens and then back to our Inn on the hill. The fire pit on the patio was enticing, but we were sated and sleepy so we collapsed into the comfortable bed and waited to be awoken by the sounds of hot air balloons.
On our last trip to Temecula Wine Country, we spoiled ourselves a little and spent one night at The INN at Europa Village. I highly recommend doing this. We were in town to taste and go to a wine dinner at Europa Village and figured it would be a convenient time to treat ourselves to a stay at the Inn. It was an amazing experience.
Europa Inn Temecula
The Inn was built in the 80’s by Dick and Betty Ryan and at that time was called Loma Vista Bed and Breakfast. The Inn offered 10 guest rooms, a 10 person Jacuzzi tub and full gourmet breakfast. In 2006 Karl and Connie Sweigart bought the Inn and decorated each of the room with a wine theme. Now owned by the Rancon Group who owns Europa Village it has been beautifully redecorated and is now run by Innkeepers Chef Dean and Nicole.
Europa inn Patio Drink
Chef Dean has an extensive culinary resume and has taught at several culinary institutes. When we drove up to the Inn, which is situated, on a hill overlooking Europa Village and it’s vineyards, we were greeted by the aromas of a smoker that was cooking up dinner for the evening’s event at Europa Village. I am very glad we were attending or I would not have been able to keep myself from going downstairs and begging for a bite! It smelled fantastic. We entered the Inn and Nicole greeted us and took us on a brief tour of the Inn and then to our room. We were staying in the Viognier room, which has a balcony and unobstructed views of winery and vineyards. She started to ask if we would like a white sangria to enjoy on the balcony, when Chef Dean walked in with two for us! We took their advice to just relax and unwind and sat on the balcony to enjoy the view the sangria and the smell of dinner cooking.
The idea here is peace and serenity. There is a TV in the Main sitting room that is typically turned to a music station. The rooms themselves are TV free. The rooms, still named after wine grape varieties range from the Cabernet Sauvignon which is spacious with a private entrance a brick fireplace, Jacuzzi tub for 2 and French doors that open up onto the patio to the Sangiovese which is cozy with a window view of the front courtyard. Treat yourself to a room with a view here and you can wake up to the sounds of hot air balloons landing behind nearby Callaway. The rooms are beautiful and serene with beautiful artwork and clean lines all with a European feel. You will find comfy robes in the closet, which will come in handy for a trip to the 8-person hot tub on the patio. They also have a fire pit to gather around and watch sunset with a glass of wine.
Morning Coffee with Balloons
After an amazing dinner at Europa Village prepared by Chef Dean we had a restful night of sleep and awoke in the morning in time to see several balloons landing nearby. We got up and headed down for breakfast. There is a community table in the dinning room as well as places set out on the patio. We grabbed a cup of tea and coffee and found a table with a view on the patio. As we sipped our beverages and started to wake up, two more hot air balloons flew into view and landed over the hill.
Europe Inn Fruit Salad Plate
Chef Dean arrived with our first course of breakfast, which included a bruleed banana over a citrus custard with melon with bee pollen and strawberries in a mojito sugar glaze. The citrus came from the citrus orchards right on the property. The rest of the ingredients are sourced locally. Chef Dean frequents the local family farms.
Europa Inn Breakfast Crepe
The main course was a Briton style crepe with mushrooms & Gruyere a sunny side up egg with chive oil, a fresh salad arugula and crisp green apples. There was also a crème sauce for the crepe with fennel pollen. I’m sure I’m leaving something out. It was really delicious. We stayed loitering not wanting to leave. The roses were in bloom the morning was beautiful…I really could have stayed forever.
As we left, they said to come back. We will… I have this tucked away now as my rejuvenation center. Thanks Nicole and Chef Dean for an amazing stay.
Continuing on with our Wine country adventures, About a year ago a co-worker came back from a trip to Temecula Wine Country and told me that they had tasted at Lumiere Winery.
Lumiere Banner
The friend he was traveling with knew the winemaker. I, being a Temecula wine junkie, researched the winery to find that they are very small, family run and the tasting room is only open on weekends. Our last trip allowed us to be in Temecula on a Friday, so we took a chance and drove up to the tasting room, which is on the North side of Calle Contento Road. There is a banner for Lumiere posted at the end of their drive. It’s a beautiful drive up to the ridge that the tasting room and winery sit on. The tasting room is a beautifully renovated 3-car garage.
Lumiere View from Tasting room
It has windows on both sides looking out onto the vineyards. We didn’t see anyone and stepped around outside to see the view outback, when a back door opened and a woman asked if we needed some help. This woman is the owner, Martha Kleiner. She and her husband bought the vineyard in 1987 from the Barlin Family who planted Sauvignon Blanc here in 1980. Her son Andrew grew up coming out to the vineyard every weekend and is now the winemaker. He and his mother run the entire place.
They are doing landscaping and putting in a small deli so people can grab something to eat on the weekends.
The tasting room view as you stand at the bar is through the eucalyptus trees and out onto the vineyard. It’s really peaceful and beautiful. They have picnic tables on the patio, so it’s perfect for bringing a picnic and buying a bottle of wine.
Lumiere Cork Art on Wall
The tasting room itself it beautiful with clean lines and beautiful woods and a lovely piece of cork art created by a local artist, that they submitted in the cork competition for the annual WOW (World of Wine) weekend.
Lumiere Winery Patio
We began wine tasting and Martha told us a little about the vineyard and the plans they have for it. Being small, growth is slow. As she told us about purchasing and working the vineyards back in the early 80’s I mentioned that I had just picked up a book on Temecula wine country. She remembered writing and essay and giving pictures to the author. Michael ran out to the car and brought the book back in for her to see. At the time they started the vineyard, the valley was much smaller in a community sense and everyone knew everyone. She knows Vincent and Audrey Cirluzo as well as Bud and Maurice Van Roekel. They were all starting out at the same time. Soooo much history here. It was truly an honor to speak with her.
The wines are unique. They have a Sparkling Sauvignon Blanc as well as a late harvest Sav Blanc. Their “Bail out Blanc” was made in 2007 and has 1% residual sugar. We also tasted their 2006 Merlot. In making this wine they did punch downs by hand then it was 2 years in the barrel. This is free run juice; the skins and seeds are not pressed. They use barrels with French and American oak staves. Their 2006 “Romantic Fantasy” is 90% Merlot and 10% Cab Franc. It is hard pressed with the skins and seeds. Their 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon is done in new American 70 Gallon Barrels. It was the top choice in a blind tasting at a local vineyard meeting.
The 2006 Late Harvest Sauvignon Blanc was picked at 27 Brix and has 4.5% residual sugar. It was fermented in steel at 29 degrees for 6 months and it has a lovely brightness. The “Voulez Vous” their sparkling Sav Blanc has a nice tartness.
This is really a wonderful peaceful stop. If you are in Temecula on a wine travel weekend, don’t miss it. And tell Martha that we say hello!
It’s always a joy to walk into a tasting room, for a wine tasting, be warmly welcomed and find that you have someone pouring for you that loves to talk about his or her winery and obviously loves the wines. Such was the case when we arrived early on a Friday morning to the Chapin Family Vineyards tasting room. We were the first to arrive that morning and as we walked in Leroy greeted us and offered us a spot at the tasting bar.
The Chapin Family Vineyard is the furthest Winery and Vineyard on Rancho California Road. Located next to Doffo, the winery property is filled with palm trees, the owner Steve’s first love.
While they do not grow grapes for white wines here at this point, they do work with a winery in Marche, Italy where they import their Passerina white wine. This wine has a golden color and is dry with mineral notes as well as floral notes, apricot and peach with a small hint of spice.
As we tasted the 2009 Syrah, Leroy filled us in on the history of the winery. The Chapin Family (Steve’s parents) bough the property here and the property across the street where Doffo now stands in 1980. It was 15 years later as they watched vineyards pop up all over the valley when they decided to plant some grapes. They now grow Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Montepulciano, Petite Verdot and Viognier. (Yes I know Viognier is a white wine and I said they didn’t grow those. They only grow enough Viognier to add to their red blends). The Montepulciano is scattered throughout the vineyard. You will notice blue tags on vines indicating that is it is this variety. The Syrah borders the vineyards.
As we tasted the 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon, which is delicious with fruit and chocolate, decidedly low tannins and very approachable, Leroy filled us in on vineyard techniques. They use a single cordon method here to intensify the flavors. Leroy asked us to think of the vine as the trunk, as it grows it sends out a branch, which in double cordon growing would spread out to the opposite side of the original trunk. Here they clip that branch working only with the trunk itself. They do all hand picking here and carefully destem all fruit.
The 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon was 75% Cabernet, 10% Petite Verdot for some color (inking they call this) and 15% Zin for zing. This is lighter and leaner than the 2009 and slightly less complex. 2008 was a wet year with less sun on the grapes and the grapes were juicier and less intense. They think of this wine as a more Bordeaux style wine.
The 2010 Merlot had just been release a month before and was still young but you can see the potential. This is only the 2nd Merlot they have done. It is spicy with red fruit and cedar, medium tannins and a little mocha. This wine was made from sourced fruit, as they do not yet grow Merlot.
Their 2010 Zinfandel is medium bodied with bright spice and light tannins. You get big fruit up front, no heat (which is great for a Zin) and it has a shorter finish.
The 2009 Chapin Family Summit is a Cabernet based blend with Montepulciano and Merlot. There is a lovely little bit of barnyard on the nose and a slight herbal quality. The tannins are deeper and the wine has tartness.
While we were there, two wine club members arrived and Leroy set them up with a glass of wine out on the patio. They carry Boars Head products in their deli and they picked something out and he plated it for them and took it to them on the patio. Now that is service! So many places have a deli and you end up eating out of a plastic container. Leroy wants you to enjoy your experience, so he takes great care of the people who come in. They offer to do your tasting on the patio if you prefer.
We next tasted the Marche Rosso, which they bring in from Marche Italy. A blend of 80% Montepulciano and 20% Syrah, is an example of the style of Montepulciano that they hope to produce. It had spice and leather and wet earth on the nose and quite and a bit of depth. The tannins were tangy and the wine leaves your mouth watering for more. There was also good tartness on the sides of my tongue.
The last wine we tasted was a Late Harvest Zin Tawny Port, put in port barrels in the sun and do them in a solera style. You get caramel, but it is not too sweet. With deep fragrances of hazelnut and brown sugar this was hot on my nose as it is fortified, but was not hot on the palate. This is one of the more approachable ports I have had.
Chapin Family Vineyards a great place for a tasting or just a glass of wine. Leroy makes you feel pampered making sure that you are comfortable and having a great experience. The afternoon before the entire patio was filled, so word must be out. If you are in Temecula Wine Country, don’t miss stopping here.
Wilson Creek Winery, Picture Perfect in Temecula CA from Crushed Grape Chronicles on Vimeo.
It has been over 4 years since we last visited Wilson Creek. Check it out.
Danza Del Sol Winery, Taste Temecula Wine Country from Crushed Grape Chronicles on Vimeo.
If you keep up with the blog you will remember that we were in Temecula back in December. On that trip we stopped at Danza del Sol and fled in fear of the completely packed tasting room! We intended to return mid week early in the day so we could taste the wines and talk with the people in the tasting room to find more out about this winery. So…on this last trip to Temecula we did just that, pulling into the tasting room to be their first tasters of the day. Tommy took care of us and was a wealth of information.
This winery had been owned by William and Katherine Filsinger who purchase 35 acres of vineyard property on De Portola in 1978. The vineyards had been planted with Zinfandel and Sauvignon Blanc in 1972. Dr. Filsinger planted the first Gewurztraminer in southern California.
The Winemaker here is Mike Tingley, who was the winemaker at Cirluzo. With 30 years experience in the Temecula Valley his goal is “To craft varietal wines and innovative blends that not only are delicious, but have identity”.
The winery is now owned by Robert Olson and the winery now produces wines with a Mediterranean influence.
As we tasted through the wines here, there was nothing we didn’t enjoy, some though were out of the park wonderful. The 2011 Le Blanc SV, the Sinfonia, the Rousanne, the 2011 Vermentino, the 2010 Mourvedre, the Cab Franc, Merlot, Syrah were all wonderful and we didn’t taste half the menu! The Trilogy and the 2010 Grenache were amazing. This Grenache is the perfect early summer wine, when it is warm and you want the flavors of a red without the heavy body.
Tommy was kind enough to fill us in on all the geeky wine stuff, talking about the vineyard blocks and where each of the grapes were grown on the property.
We had originally planned to take a tour here, but the time slot we needed to fit in our somewhat full schedule was not available. We will come back and do a tour with Tommy. We were thrilled enough with the wines and the information that we joined the club. They have a clubhouse just above the tasting room that is exclusive for members. As we mentioned before…it gets crowded here on the weekends!
They have music on the patio on weekends as well as monthly “Get Sauced” events which include a cooking demo, class & small plates. The tasting room is open daily from 11-6 and is dog and equestrian friendly.