Temecula the Sequel

I had Presidents Day Monday off of my other job (the one that pays the bills) and since Valentine's day fell on the preceding Saturday my Valentine and I decide to make the 5 1/2 hour drive to spend the weekend in Temecula to do some wine tasting and enjoy the area.  We made our first visit to the area last year. This trip we wanted to visit some of the smaller places we did not get a chance to try last year.  

Our overall impression of the wine was similar to what is was it was last year.  The wines, with some exceptions highlighted below, are for the most part drinkable but are not special and distinctive and do not justify their high prices.  The tasting rooms for most part are comfortable, interesting, some offering great views, and the tasting room staff at all the wineries we visited were friendly and helpful. Most of the larger wineries spend as much time promoting their banquet and wedding facilities as they do promoting their wine. I'm thinking half of LA and San Diego has their wedding reception in Temecula. The area features some great restaurants and things to do. It was a fun weekend and we plan to go back.

Our first stop when we pulled into town was Wiens Family Cellars.  This was the only repeat visit from last year.  We purchased enough wine from them last year to qualify as “virtual” members so that meant free tastings and if it is free I am there.  Members get to taste 8 wines each and they are not very careful about keeping track of how many wines you have tasted.  The pours were generous.  When we were done with Wiens we were done for the day.  We focused on the red wines and most of what we tasted was good but we did not find it all that special.  That changed when we tasted the 2012 Dualis, a mix of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon and 50% Zinfandel.  It seemed a strange combination to me but after tasting several OK almost bland wines we were impressed.  The Zin softened the tannin of a young Cabernet as wells adding some fruit and acidity making the wine more drinkable.  It is delicious and highly recommended.  

Our first stop the next day was Vendemia.  They are a small boutique winery with a nice comfortable outdoor tasting room with great views.  Among other blends and varietals they produce Viognier, Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah.  The whites we tasted on that list were all good, and the reds drinkable but with one exception unremarkable.  The one remarkable wine we did taste was their 2010 “More Cowbell” Zinfandel.  It had just the right combination of fruit and earth and would pair very with Mexican food or grilled meat.  

Our next stop was Lumiere. Just down the street from Vendemia they also a boutique winery. It features an outdoor tasting room with a fantastic view of the area.  Martha, one of the founders of the winery, did the pouring and was an absolute delight. She and her husband had the dream of starting a winery and Lumiere is the fulfillment of that dream. Following the death of her husband they turned over the reigns of the business to her son. They produce a variety of Reds and Whites and like most of Temecula the reds were drinkable but not very distinctive.  What was distinctive was their late harvest Sauvignon Blanc.  It is a sweet wine but not overly sweet or syrupy. If you like Sauternes you will enjoy this wine.  

Our last stop on day two was Falkner Winery.  Falkner features a large tasting room with both indoor and outdoor tasting.  The place has a hip happening feel to it and it was no wonder there were so many younger folks tasting wine there that day. With one exception we found their reds (you have heard this before) drinkable but unremarkable.  The one exception was their 2011 Rock Creek Vineyard Syrah.  It was unique among many of the red wines in Temecula in that you could taste the fruit but it was not the least bit jammy.  It was really good.  Another highlight was their Viognier.  I’m not a big fan of Viognier but I have to admit most of them we tasted on this trip were quite good and the one produced by Falkner was among the best.

Colleen and Scott Kline owners of  SC Cellars 

Day three started with our favorite stop SC Cellars.  The tasting room is only open to wine club members and even then they are only open limited hours on the weekend.  After repeated phone calls they agreed to let us visit. We are glad they did. SC Cellars is small even for a boutique winery. The winery originally starting out as a hobby for its owners Scott and Colleen Kline but they got so tired of friends and family asking them for wine they decided to turn their hobby into a business. They only produce about 400 of cases of wine with all of it coming from their three acre vineyard.   The day we visited them Colleen had made homemade truffles and from the conversations Scott and Colleen had with the others in the tasting room you could tell it was a close knit group.  They care very much about the wine they produce and you could tell in joy they took in explaining each of the wines to you as they poured.  Our favorite wine we tasted was the 212 Malbec.  The 2012 Chardonnay was the best Chardonnay we tasted on the trip.  They also make a Cabernet Sauvignon while very good it was not as distinctive as the Chardonnay and Malbec.

Our last stop was Europa Village.  Europa Village features a larger active tasting room with an outgoing and knowledgeable staff.  There is also a bed and breakfast on the property.  We enjoyed several of their wines the highlights being the 2014 Viognier, the 2012 Syrah, and our favorite 2012 Poco Roco. The Poco Rocco is a Spanish style blend consisting of 70% Garnacha, 25% Mourvedre, and 5% Tempranillo.  It is a light bodied wine that would pair perfectly with lean pork dishes as well as vegetarian pizza.

In summary the wine is not world class but the tasting rooms and the overall experience is worth a drive. You will have your best luck with Syrah and Viognier.  On this trip we focused on some of the smaller producers and thought they made more interesting wines then some of the larger produces that focus on the banquet hall business as much as they do on the wines they produce.