Visitors planning a trip to Cambria, California, often stroll along the wooden boardwalk, go whale and elephant seal watching, visit Hearst Castle and dine at one of Moonstone’s beach-side restaurants.
But in downtown Cambria, a small boutique winery and wine shop should be on your list, besides window shopping. Pencil in Moonstone Cellars.
While we don’t get over to Cambria very often, a leisurely walk in the picturesque town and nearby ocean boardwalk, visitors will find boutique and antique shops, mom and pop cafes and restaurants and the local wine shop and winery: Moonstone Cellars.
Located in West Village on the corner of Main and Sheffield streets, Todd Clift and his dad, Muril, opened the family-owned winery and began producing wines since 1998. Todd proudly creates his wines made from Central Coast grapes. Moonstone Cellars offers a wide variety of varietals. From a lighter style Grenache to a full bodied Zinfandel and Cabernet Sauvignon, or a crisp Sauvignon Blanc to a dry Riesling, there is bound to be something for everyone.
While I did not travel this week, I sat down to post with a glass of Moonstone Cellars 2009 Paso Robles Tempranillo beside me. The Spanish varietal and Central Coast grown was splendid. With notes of cherry, ripe plum, cracked pepper, spice and a rivulet of vanilla flowing through it, the medium bodied wine and tannins lingered.
While I sipping the wine, purposely on #TempranilloDay, I soon wanted an afternoon snack to pair it with. The point of this is I did not plan this particular pairing or ‘event’ but rather just quickly looked what we had in the fridge. We had some Asiago, Manchego and a blue Camembert, olives, salami, grapes and pistachios in the pantry. I quickly put them on a black serving dish beside me and I continued writing.
While most of these appetizers went well with the Tempranillo, I hold and share a common wine lovers phase often: “Drink what you like.” For me these cheeses pair well with the terroir and flavors of the wine.
My point is simple: Take the time to explore the wineries in the places you visit and taste the wines they are pouring in the tasting rooms. And while you may not like all you try, purchase a bottle or three of the variety you like to take home. Then later at home, if you’ve kept the notes you were given or wrote down your own, open the bottle and imagine what food will go well with it. And if you need help, follow a blogger, Instagramer or Twitter feed of someone you trust and ask or email them. You might even follow this feed or keep TalesoftheCork a favorite on your device.
The Moonstone Cellars Tempranillo will also go very well with beef stew or a backyard BBQ. The wine will go very well with tacos, burritos, pizza, polenta dishes. Heck, I could have even served it with our lasagna the other night. Take the time to try wine with the foods you like. Some will go better than others.
It’s your table. You create the food. Own the right to serve what you like.
Moonstone Cellars is moving from its location on Main Street. Go around their former location to a building just behind them on 812 Cornwall Street in Cambria (as pictured).
Moonstone Cellars can be found at 812 Cornwall Street in Cambria’s West Village. The staff welcomes walk-ins daily between 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. Walk right up to their U-shaped bar and ask Todd for a tasting, which cost $8 for 6 wine pours of varying varietals. Moonstone Cellars wines are also available online or call them at 805.927.9466 or 877.517.9463. Or just send them a note via their contact page. Moonstone Cellars also belongs to the Pacific Coast Wine Trail whose organization stretches from Morro Bay up to San Simeon.
Be sure to read the previous TalesoftheCork blog post: “Rigatoni à la Bordelaise with Bordeaux.” And if winemakers, wineries or restaurants are interested in a TalesoftheCork wine and/or food review on the blog, Instagram, Twitter and/or Facebook, please send us a request via email: talesofthecork@gmail.com or use DM on social media. TalesoftheCork also offers social media seminars for businesses.
After reading about the Chateau Haut-Sorillon Bordeaux Superieur online, I decided to try the 2014 version with a classic French dish.
While I often shop at Trader Joe’s for staples, I rarely purchase wine from them. However, after repeatedly hearing from a number of followers and seeing a few of their choices on blogs online, a bottle of Chateau Haut Sorillon Bordeaux Superieur 2014 ended up on our table last night.
A Trader Joe’s find at $8.95, the Chateau Haut Sorillon Bordeaux Supérieur 2014 medium bodied dry Bordeaux is not a special occasion or weekend wine per se, but it seemed to fit what I was looking for as Geena and I were preparing a French inspired dinner: Rigatoni à la Bordelaise with mushrooms.
While the wine is not as rich and lush as a classic Bordeaux, my intent was to pair our Rigatoni with a wine that might match up with an “everyday dish” that folks could make without a lot of pretense. And, for the most part, this value wine fits the bill.
Now, I’m not saying I’d skip on the opportunity for a higher value Merlot, but for the simple, earthy one pan meal, we enjoyed the Chateau Haut Sorillon Bordeaux Supérieur 2014.
However, here’s a TalesoftheCork tip: Definitely open your bottle hours in advance as the wine will be tight and needs to open up. We gave it three hours but as the evening went on, the Merlot blend got smoother and allowed the dark fruit flavors to advance. Patience helps. Open early. I might even try the night before next time.
Rigatoni à la Bordelaise and mushrooms.
The light style 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet blend is from a family estate 5 km from St. Emilion, France, will show its fresh dark fruit, pepper and spices and a dry finish, highlighting a good but thin blackberry and smoky finish. It is a value buy but went well with our Tuesday Rigatoni à la Bordelaise and mushrooms.
While we looked up a few recipes, Geena and I created our own version of the dish based on the Manger site recipe by Mimi Thorisson.
Heat 2 table spoons of olive oil add cook one finely chopped leek and 3 cloves of minced garlic in a hot pan. Cook 3 minutes or until golden.
In a separate pan fry the pancetta and/or thickly sliced bacon to crisp them until brown. Then add a tablespoon of flour to the leeks, garlic and the bacon bits to help thicken.
Add tomato passata (ready cut plain diced tomatoes) to the leeks, garlic and bacon mixture. Cook on low heat for 10-15 minutes.
Later we added 1/3 cup chicken broth and 3/4 cup red wine (the Chateau Haut-Sorillon Bordeaux) along with butter, pepper, salt and a pinch of Chipotle chili pepper to create a saucy soup-like mixture. But it is important to reduce the mixture over medium to low heat up and simmer for 30 minutes so it is lush but not runny.
Many will fry or cook the mushrooms (we used dried porcini and shiitake mushrooms) in a separate hot pan with butter and garlic to sear and cook those earthy items until golden and add to the other mixture.
The earthy flavors of the Rigatoni à la Bordelaise with mushrooms pairs well with the Chateau Haut Sorillon.
As the mixture is reducing, boil your water and cook the rigatoni. While you are waiting, you might start your meal with a garden salad. Dry the rigatoni and dish the mixture over the pasta, stirring the sauce in. Sprinkle with Parmesan, fresh parsley, and salt and pepper to taste. Serve hot.
With a long decant the Chateau Haut Sorillon Bordeaux Superior 2014 wine will pair well with chicken and meat dishes as well as cheese and charcuterie plates. This is a good party wine with finger foods as well. A Trader Joe’s value wine from $7-9.
Be sure to read the previous TalesoftheCork blog post: Simple Caprese lunch with Emmolo SauvBlanc. And if winemakers, wineries or restaurants are interested in a TalesoftheCork wine and/or food review on the blog, Instagram, Twitter and/or Facebook, please send us a request via email: talesofthecork@gmail.com or use DM on social media. TalesoftheCork also offers social media seminars for businesses.
Grocery list for Rigatoni à la Bordelaise with mushrooms:
1 pound of rigatoni pasta
7 slices of thick bacon or pancetta (diced)
8 ounces of porcini mushrooms,
8 ounces of shiitake mushrooms
2 leeks (finely chopped)
4 garlic cloves (finely minced, 2 for the sauce, 2 for the mushrooms)
1 15-ounce can of ready cut plain diced tomatoes
3/4 cup red wine (I used the Chateau Haut Sorillon Bordeaux Superior 2014)
14 ounce can of chicken broth
1 tbsp plain flour
Olive oil (for frying)
1 tbsp butter (for mushrooms)
1 tbsp butter (for pasta)
Salt and pepper (for seasoning)
1 pinch chilli powder
Grated parmesan cheese (for topping)
Parsley to garnish
Young winemaker Jenny Wagner continues the family tradition established by her great-grandfather as she creates Emmolo Sauvignon Blanc and Merlot.
TalesoftheCork wine reviews
Whether busyness takes you away from what it is otherwise important or too much has already gone under the bridge, take a moment for yourself soon. A 30 to 60-minute vacation from all that is distracting you is necessary to regroup, rebuild and refocus.
Today that is exactly what I needed and created a simple side dish that became a Caprese salad lunch and glass of Emmolo Sauvignon Blanc with my wife after a busy week for both of us. I needed a ‘place’ to forget about a couple of issues and took advantage of a sunny moment in the kitchen.
Fresh home grown tomatoes were on the counter and a quick trip to a market served to add a couple of whole milk fresh Mozzarella balls and some lush, sweet smelling basil. In this case, Trader Joe’s a half mile away had me in and out of the store fast.
We love the aroma of fresh cut tomatoes and basil and the addition of lush Mozzarella coated with extra virgin olive oil and a drizzle of aged balsamic vinegar as hits the spot like no other. A little cracked pepper sprinkled over the plate adds a final layer of spice to an amazing lunch.
Today’s choice to whet our whistle is a small glass of Emmolo 2014 Sauvignon Blanc from Rutherford in the Napa Valley. Pour yourself a small glass of EmmoloWines 2014 #NapaValley Sauvignon Blanc to sip and appreciate what Jenny Wagner is creating, adding to her great-grandfather’s winemaking tradition.
With just a quick stop at the market, a Caprese salad can be created in just minutes.
According to their Wagner Family website, “the Emmolos have a long history in Napa Valley with Jenny’s great-grandfather, Salvatore Emmolo, starting the family’s grapevine rootstock nursery in St. Helena in 1923. Her grandfather, Frank Emmolo, not only managed the nursery, but also grew Sauvignon Blanc and Merlot on their family property.”
The Emmolo #SauvBlanc is dry, refreshing, crisp and tart. The light wine is smooth and balanced with a hint of peach & Kiwi with melon and and lime notes. Love the minerality and herbal overtones and allow the pear and and citrus aromas tempt you. This is a winner!
We’ve enjoyed this wine with oysters and scallops in the past but would also love it with shellfish pasta and chicken salads. While their website is not yet complete, check out EmmoloWines soon. #TalesoftheCork loving their simple elegance.
Wagner Family Wines and Emmolo Wines can be tasted and purchased at Camus Vineyards, 8700 Conn Creek Rd., Rutherford, CA 94573. However, it is not always on the tasting flight menu. Call ahead at 1.707.967.3010 to check for availability. If a trip to Napa is not in the works, try their Wagner Family Wines finder.
Be sure to read the previous TalesoftheCork blog post: Pre travel checklist for overseas visit. And if winemakers, wineries or restaurants are interested in a TalesoftheCork wine and/or food review on the blog, Instagram, Twitter and/or Facebook, please send us a request via email: talesofthecork@gmail.com or use DM on social media. TalesoftheCork also offers social media seminars for businesses.
Grocery list for Caprese salad:
One ball from an 8-ounce container of Whole Milk Fresh Mozzarella in lightly salted water
One container of fresh leaf basil or one sprig of basil
Two vine ripe whole tomatoes
Cracked pepper to taste
Olive oil and Aged Balsamic Vinegar of Modena to taste
Read the Aug. 5, 2012, Part I of Rangeland Wines and Angus beef: Get to know Laird Foshay. After two decades living in the Silicon Valley, media entrepreneur Laird Foshay ignored the nay-sayers and criticism and moved his three children to the hills west of Paso Robles in 2000. In a bold career shift, he transferred from cutting edge Internet-based businesses to farming.
“I was starved for a natural life–a connection with the physical world,” Paso Robles rancher Laird Foshay said. “I had put in 20 years in the business world with all its perks, and I thought I was involved in changing the world through software. However I was starved for things I didn’t understand but recognized.”
After ten years in computer magazine publishing and ten years as the founder of an investment news service, Laird Foshay needed a change. So in the late ’90s, Laird and his wife, Lisa, started doing something to create a new vision for their family. But curiously, the change didn’t seem to be that difficult for him to make.
After 20 years in the Silicon Valley, media entrepreneur Laird Foshay moved his family to the hills west of Paso Robles, establishing Rangeland Wines and Adelaida Springs Ranch.
“Lisa and I drove through Paso ‘window shopping’ rural properties for a destination, looking at working ranches,” Foshay said. The land near the old Dodd Ranch and adjacent to the historic Klau and Buena Vista Mines was available. This place was the commercial hub of the area as early as 1870. The ranch was a part of the old frontier. So we bought it and now are a part of that history.”
Foshay was careful to emphasize he would never put himself in the same rancher category like a Doug Filipponi (Santa Margarita Ranch and Ancient Peaks fame); yet he wanted to get back to nature and ranching just the same. So when the Adelaida Springs Ranch was for sale, the Foshays, jumped at the chance and became hands-on ranchers, despite their initial tag as “raw beginners.”
Laird Foshay runs a 1,500-acre ranch with 80 Angus beef cattle and 40 acres of vineyards.
The Adelaida Springs Ranch (ASR) needed a lot of updating and Foshay had the time to drive in posts and redo the water lines. He built his “dream house”: a sprawling two-story ranch house complete with outbuildings and pool nestled into the hillside 12 miles west of Paso Robles, overlooking the Santa Lucia Range (VIDEO). And he planted most of his vineyard stock by 2002: a 40-acre ASR estate vineyard. It is surrounded by over 1,500 acres of oak woodlands on a pristine mountain valley.
“Now, this wasn’t without sleepless nights,” Foshay said, “but then marriage, business, career and children aren’t without them either. But these are all worth while.”
The winemaking community made fun of them early on, but Foshay and Lisa did almost all of the work themselves. They investigated the process, read, asked a lot of questions plus worked for others in the industry. The made mistakes along the way but gained valuable experience. In fact, the ranch “became the center of his life.” Instead of socializing with the business crowd of the Bay Area, Foshay and Lisa became involved with Paso Robles social events, including the Farm Bureau, meeting area growers, farmers and ranchers.
With his Polo shirts retired to the closet, Foshay now often wears a plaid shirt, fleece or down vest and a straw cowboy hat. The risk-taker can be found in the vineyards, fixing fences, splitting wood or in the grasslands, riding horses and moving cattle with Silver, his crossbred 10-year-old Australian cattle dog. Silver whines when not working and helps keeps Foshay’s herd in check. Foshay will drink a Coors or Sam Adams beer because, when cold, are refreshing and consistent. He favors L’Aventure Estate Cuvee when he wants another wine on his table.
Foshay hired Fresno State grad, Shannon Gustafson, as his Rangeland winemaker in 2009. She studied in Bordeaux, France, in 2001 for four months at Château du Grand Mouëys and has worked for other local wineries, including Talley Vineyards and Zoller Wine Styling.
Foshay hired Shaver Lake, California-born, Shannon Gustafson as his Rangeland winemaker in 2009. She graduated from Fresno State and received her Enology degree in 2003. Gustafson studied in Bordeaux, France, in 2001 for four months at Château du Grand Mouëys and made a trip to Burgundy, France, to study in 2007. She formally worked at Zoller Wine Styling (2008-09) and Talley Vineyards (2006-08). Together, they guide the fruit from the ground up: planting, irrigating, training vines, fruit drop to harvest. They make fine wines in the vineyard as a team. They do not add enzymes or acid and only allow native yeast fermentation. Rangeland Wines are unique, soft with more acidity from the limestone soils. These are sound, refined wines, European in style but not over-the-top. They are approachable that have longevity and do not fall apart in the glass.
Personally I tasted 11 different Rangeland Wines. I loved the 2010 Mistletoe Blend. This is a non-traditional blend of Cabernet, Cabernet Franc, Syrah and Merlot grown in vineyards at the 1,700 ft. level. The wine already had a softness about it that surprised me. While it will be better in a year or two, the Mistletoe is a great pizza wine or it can be drunk by itself. It is easy going but hedonistic, rustic and has earthy notes. The Cab Franc gave off a subtle ‘green’ hint of coffee and dark cherry.
My favorite was the 2009 Rangeland Limestone Reserve. This Cabernet is age-worthy and wowed me with its floral aromatics, immediately upon opening.
Yet my favorite was the 2009 Rangeland Limestone Reserve. This Cabernet is age-worthy and wowed me with its floral aromatics, immediately upon opening. With two years in 75% new oak barrels, this fruit-forward mountain Cab is not racked until blending. It’s tart acidity and stiff tannins were nicely hid amongst the black cherry. And while the wine was not chewy, the Limestone Reserve had a lovely finish. This is a good food pairing wine than should age well.
These two, and all of Rangeland Wines, can be purchased through their website and club list. Additionally, the wines can be tasted at the ranch by appointment or purchased through a select few local retail outlets.
However, Foshay wanted to create more than just critically acclaimed fine estate wines; over time his vision morphed to include the natural meat business.
“While we weren’t initially interested in taking on cattle, our family seasonally raised heifers for our kids who became involved in the local 4H program,” Foshay said. “In fact, we would buy them back at auction and they became the seed stock of our land.”
Foshay manages his Rangeland Wines and beef from their inception until a customer buys them for their table. The meats, estate wines and honey products are unique where they are grown and express their environment.
Foshay’s ranch experience came through the local 4-H program, but also included helping neighbors with branding and working with the vet, administering medicines to animals. He also has a strong opinion of overcoming modern practices of grain-fed beef and has built a USDA approved natural and sustainable pasture-feed beef program. His rangeland consists of high-mineral soils of limestone and calcium that are perfect for his 80 head of Angus beef. Foshay regularly rotates his animals through standing thick yellow grasslands and forbs, like wild rye, clover, vetch and filaree. These conditions fatten up the beef to be smaller, but healthier and more muscular than their grain-feed counterparts. The beef are not feed supplements that are the staple of commercial feedlots, never receiving hormone supplements or antibiotics.
Foshay regularly rotates his animals through standing thick yellow grasslands and forbs, like wild rye, clover, vetch and filaree. These conditions fatten up the beef to be smaller, but healthier and more muscular than their grain-feed counterparts.
“I am in the meat and wine business and have complete control of both,” Foshay said. “I learned a lot about estate branding and the food business from Art Mondavi, relying on common sense in the vineyard and in the pasture and do not rely on chemicals.” He went on to say Rangelands Wines and the Adelaida Springs Ranch’s reputation are built on sustainable farming that are natural and healthy for the environment and human consumption.
Today Laird Foshay is making a name for himself as a winegrower and rancher. Yet he also manages a custom meat processing facility: J&R Natural Meat and Sausage in Paso Robles and Templeton.
“I have hands-on boutique control of Rangeland Wines and the animals from birth to your meat counter,” Foshay said. “The products I manage are unique where they are grown and all express their environment. I am happy with the curve of our development. The beef and the wines are authentic, natural and simple. I like our progress but not yet satisfied. I continue to talk to the consumer directly and react to their feedback and improvement ideas.”
From their dry farmed (no irrigation) Petite Sirah, to the Limestone Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel and estate blends, Rangeland Wines are available through club purchase, local retail outlets and tastings at the Adelaida Springs Ranch.
Laird Foshay can be reached at the Adelaida Springs Ranch via the web site. Visitors are also encouraged to Ranch Stay and tour the vineyards, ranch and historic homestead.
For previous TalesoftheCork stories, please use the menu bar at the TOP of the page or check out my personal essay celebrating my daughter’s first wedding anniversary: Her Mother and I.
This blog continues to follow Mike Sinor’s transformation from Assistant winemaker to Byron and Domaine Alfred wineries in California’s Central Coast, to the director of winemaking at Ancient Peaks Winery. Please look for the first post in the series: Get to know 2012 Coast winemaker of the year: Mike Sinor
Sinor LaValle owner directs Ancient Peak Winery
“It was the lowest point in my life,” winemaker Mike Sinor said, after dealing with the deaths of family members in January 2006. “My head was all messed up. Yet even before my loss, I had already begun contemplating a change in work for both me and my family. I knew six months before [family deaths] a new challenge was needed. I believed my time with Terry Speizer [Domaine Alfred] was coming to an end, I just didn’t know it would happen so soon after my parents died. But despite what we were going through, I now knew it was time for me to explore another level of winemaking.”
Bernie Sinor on one of his hunting trips to Wyoming where he hunted big game (bison) in 2004.
Little did Sinor know at the time, but the 2012 Central Coast winemaker of the year, would have a 2006 spring to remember, even while mourning the loss of his father, Bernie Sinor and stepmother, Betty Ann.
“I needed to change positions because I could see Domaine Alfred was growing as we became successful, much the same way Byron Wines grew,” Sinor said. “Even before the 96-point score Wine Spectator gave the 2004 Domaine Alfred Pinot Noir [Califa Chamisal Vineyard], I needed a business opportunity. I was saying ‘no’ to a lot of jobs and wanted to do something right for my family. Yeah, it was crushing when my parents were killed and we endured a high level of personal pain. So Wine Spectator’s honor came at the lowest point in my life but I already had decided to leave. I knew there would never be a perfect time to change. And I know growth often comes through uncomfortableness. Terry understood I needed to leave. He’s a good friend and an entrepreneur himself.”
During the spring of 2006, when local proprietors and long-time wine growing families of Rob Rossi, Doug Filipponi and Karl Wittstrom approached Mike with a opportunity to be the director of winemaking at Ancient Peaks Winery, Sinor jumped at the chance to join them in May.
“I had never met these guys from the Santa Margarita Ranch, but from the start, it was a convergence of energies and focus,” Sinor said. “They had been reorganizing the operation at Santa Margarita starting in 2005 and it seemed a good fit. We became business partners rather than an employer/employee relationship. I wanted to have control over the winemaking process and they were comfortable with that. So, I said, ‘let’s start dating’ and we’ve been together ever since.”
Santa Margarita Ranch July 2012
Mike Sinor and I spent the day together at the historic Santa Margarita Ranch, just minutes north of San Luis Obispo, July 26. I wanted to find out why he had left promising positions at Domaine Alfred and Byron Wineries. The man who thrived on creating lasting relationships through his infectious attitude and positive, passionate energy, left sure-fire success for a restart winery. I wanted to find out why he had stayed on at Ancient Peaks Winery in Santa Margarita.
Mike Sinor left Domaine Alfred Winery after receiving an offer to be the director of winemaking at Ancient Peaks Winery in Santa Margarita. The Oyster Ridge Vineyard is in the foreground with the Santa Lucia Mountains providing the backdrop.
While we met briefly at the Ancient Peaks’ tasting room, Mike pulled out a large coffee table book, offering a pictorial and historical background of the ranch and Santa Margarita. I was moved by his attention to names, places, land formations and background of the region. His perspective was so impassioned, it was as if he had been born there. Mike then offered to take me up to the working winery and vineyards. I agreed and looked forward to the 17-mile drive up into the heart of the Santa Margarita Ranch, through pastures of Slender Wheatgrass, Purple Needlegrass and Danthonia Oatgrass.
Mike’s 20-minute version of Ancient Peaks Winery and its history included how Napa Valley’s Robert Mondavi Winery leased a section of the ranch in 1999 for six years. They developed and planted what has become known as Margarita Vineyard. Remarkably, it was the Mondavi family who saw immense potential in the land, and accurately predicted that its diverse soils and marine-influenced climate would deliver remarkable wines.
While the vineyards and winery are 17 miles away near the Margarita Vineyard, the Ancient Peaks tasting room is in Santa Margarita, one mile east of Highway 101.
Santa Margarita Ranch has survived since the 1840s; however, in 1889, then owner Patrick Murphy sold much of the town’s land to Southern Pacific Railroad in hopes of getting a rail stop. He hoped to move cattle from this sprawling ranch that surrounded Santa Margarita.
Mike Sinor: Super charged, relational winemaker
Mike started humming the tune to Smokey and the Bandit as we neared the winery, located near Creston. When I asked why, he smiled and said this project is just like the song indicated. “We are just old-time entrepreneurs working on a project by the seat of our pants.” I didn’t ask him if he fit the Burt Reynolds persona or Jerry Reed’s truck driver character. But I did get the gist of the metaphor: Sinor delivers–no, Sinor over delivers wine quality for the price point. I can still see the gleam in his eyes as he gripped the steering wheel and sang, “We gonna do what they say can’t be done.”
However, while we walked around the Ancient Peaks Winery, I remembered what Ken “Byron” Brown told me about Sinor: Mike was a good-humored, energetic, young winemaker while he worked at Byron Winery years earlier.
“Mike Sinor stands out as a super-charged, friend of all; every one likes him,” Brown said. “He takes time for relationships but not at the expense of his work. Mike is extra double energy. He brought excitement to the team and ignited everyone at Byron each day.”
During his winemaking career, Mike Sinor, right, worked with Tim Mondavi, left, and Ken “Byron” Brown while creating wines with Byron Winery.
As we walked by the 2011-filled barrels safely tucked away in the aging room, we got to talking about wine, Mike’s preferences and who he enjoys working with besides his partners at Ancients Peaks.
“Actually, I don’t drink a lot of Ancient Peaks wine at home,” Sinor said. “It’s a little like only eating your mom’s spaghetti. If I drink the wines I help create everyday, I won’t get better. Like Burgundy’s winemakers, I want to make wines as good as their grandparents. We don’t have a rich, long history and culture of winemaking like they do in France. So if I’m not improving my pallet, I’m losing.”
Sinor went on to say he chooses to enjoy friend’s wines and finds it refreshing to try different wines from around the world.
Since 2007, Mike Sinor has been the director of winemaking at Ancient Peaks Winery in Santa Margarita.
“For instance, I really like Broadside Wines Cabernet. It is made by winemakers Chris Brockway[Broc Cellars] and Brian Terrizzi [Giornata wines] who are very passionate about wine that is done well; their wines transmit place. In other words, their wines exhibit my mantra: ‘The message is the place; the messenger is the wine.'”
As we continued to walk the grounds of the winery, Mike showed me how Ancient Peaks has added buildings and updated the old Creston Manor and Vineyards that Jeopardy! game show host Alex Trebek used to farm. The latest addition was in spring of this year when extensions were added to the Margarita Vineyards.
Story is unfolding, evolving in vineyards
Our trip across the ranch ended when we stood on a rise overlooking the Oyster Ridge Vineyards. I marveled at Mike’s zeal as he spoke of the land, rich in fossils from an ancient sea bed, adjacent to vineyards planted in shale, sedimentary, volcanic and granite. Mike was spirited and had a fanaticism or fixation on soil that many in this country have for baseball or football. And when we stopped to walk the Oyster Ridge Vineyard, he held a football-sized, petrified crustacean like it was a trophy.
“These (oysters) are high in calcium and, when they are crushed or broken down, create a soil profile similar to those found in the world’s most prestigious grape growing regions.” Sinor beamed as he spoke and the pace of his voice quickened, rising in intensity while we moved from row to row.
The Ancient Peaks Oyster Ridge Vineyard soils include crushed and larger pieces of ancient, petrified crustaceans. The vineyard was a part of a large seabed millions of years ago.
“There still are places that are compelling to plant but I am still trying to figure out who we are and how to stay on target,” Sinor said. “We have five wines at Ancient Peaks and three White Label wines. And with the longest running ranching operations in California and new zip line business always demanding attention, I am determined to stay in constant watch to focus the winery’s goals to offer high wine quality for the price point.”
Wine Spectator agreed with Mike’s assertion and promoted Ancient Peaks as “Best of the West for $25 or less… 2009 Zinfandel, 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon and 2009 Merlot” in their April 2012 issue.
The 300-400 cases of Sinor-LaVallee [Mike Sinor’s personal label] wines are created from about 14 rows of fruit from the Talley-Rincon Vineyard in the Edna Valley.I asked Mike how he ensured there was not a conflict of interest between his Sinor-LaVallee label and the Ancient Peaks wines he consulted on.
“I am working with about an acre of fruit from the Talley-Rincon Vineyard and the Sinor-LaVallee wines I make are not meant to compete with Ancient Peaks,” Sinor said. “I am working with 2-4 barrels of wine from 14 rows. Actually, the diversity of exposure is what makes my consulting for Ancient Peaks exciting. The time spent with both brands requires and puts into practice a balance of reading/studying, keeping me fresh. This is fun! I’m honored to do this. Do the math: I get to live at the beach.”
Mike Sinor is married to Cheri and they live in the Edna Valley with their two children: Tomas (12) and Esmee (10). All four of their thumb prints appear on every bottle of the family wine label. “By definition, I am an alcoholic,’ Sinor said, “but I mimic a healthy lifestyle to my children, showing them how to live responsibly.
“I look to enjoy and share my life wife my family and community in good and bad,” Sinor said. “We are born to suffer, grow to overcome suffering. I have my dad’s and previous winemaker’s work ethic. They inspired me and now I work with many of my heroes.”
Mike currently is the President of the San Luis Obispo Vintners Association and says he likes to volunteer his time in community events and organizations because “The wine business has given me everything I own. I owe it to wine.”
The Sinor-LaVallee wine label is named after Mike’s Spanish heritage and Cheri’s French last name. The Sinors appear here during their 2004 Burgundy trip and winery visits.
Visitors planning a trip to Cambria, California, often stroll along the wooden boardwalk, go whale and elephant seal watching, visit Hearst Castle and dine at one of Moonstone’s beach-side restaurants.
While I sipping the wine, purposely on #TempranilloDay, I soon wanted an afternoon snack to pair it with. The point of this is I did not plan this particular pairing or ‘event’ but rather just quickly looked what we had in the fridge. We had some Asiago, Manchego and a blue Camembert, olives, salami, grapes and pistachios in the pantry. I quickly put them on a black serving dish beside me and I continued writing.
TalesoftheCork blog 