Earlier this month Gabriele and I attended a California Central Coast wine tasting put on by the Neighborhood Restaurant Group. We’ve been fans of NRG for a long time. It was a fun thing to do on a Saturday afternoon and we got introduced to two new favorites.
The host of the tasting was NRG’s wine purchaser Erin Dudley. The central coast of California is an enormous region that extends from San Francisco to Santa Barbara. The area has over 90,000 acres of vineyards and the winds from the Pacific lead to a wide range of climates. Many areas have a Mediterranean-type climate with morning cloud cover. That’s a good climate for Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.
I knew Italians were instrumental in the development of the wine industry in California, but I learned a new nugget from the background material. Six million Italians immigrated to California in the 1890s, bringing knowledge about production and a ready market for wine. These were the pioneers who provided the names like Mondavi, Gallo, Martini, and Sebastiani that are familiar today.
We were given six wines to sample. The two winners in our opinion were the 2022 Bishop’s Peak Chardonnay and the 2021 Timbre Winery Opening Act Pinot Noir.
Bishop’s Peak is made by Talley Wineyards located in Arroyo Grande, San Luis Obispo. Most of the wine is fermented in stainless steel, with a small amount in neutral oak barrels. It’s a very tasty wine, with bright fruit and a small hit of oak. It’s an enjoyable middle ground between an over-oaked, buttery Chardonnay and an unoaked, austere Chablis style. Bonus points for being very affordable as well.
We’re both big Pinot Noir fans so it wasn’t a surprise we liked the Timbre. There is plenty of fruit but this is a lighter style Pinot, not a huge one like some that have become popular. The wine is from Salinas Valley in Monterey, where Pinot Noir has been made since 1961. It’s fermented in old, large barrels to make the fruit character gentler, with a refreshing tartness. Good acidity and smooth tannins balance out the fruit, with a little pepper and earthiness on the finish. It’s a good value at under $30.
If you’re local to the greater DMV area come try out a tasting. If you’re not, we’ll be attending more tastings and sharing our findings. Cheers!