Jackson renewed that tradition in 1989 when he barreled down his first vintage of Trout Gulch Chardonnay at Storrs Winery in Santa Cruz. Ironically, more than half the wine was lost in the Loma Prieta earthquake. The surviving wine was bottled the following spring and released in 1993.

1997 Equinox Blanc de Blanc Méthode Champenoise – 100% Chardonnay, Trout Gulch Vineyard 12.5% alcohol  - less than 300 cases produced 10 years en tirage zero dosage

Pale golden color with a fine bead – subtle and lovely yeasty aromas – the wine has great character in the mouth showing yeasty flavors as suggested in the nose – firm acidic backbone and an austere personality - with a hint of bitterness on the back end that lends interest and a clean follow. Definitely a food wine and quite out of the model for Northern California sparklers. A unique New World méthode champenoise.  Find this wine

I wandered around the building, taking in the local art brought in for the event, winding up in front of the tasting table for Trout Gulch Vineyards, where I met owner Gerry Turgeon (below right).

In 1972, Gerry’s father, Bernie Turgeon co-founded the Turgeon & Lohr Winery. He sold his interest in the winery to Jerry Lohr in 1985, but retained his interest in Greenfield Vineyards, 300 acres of premium grapes planted along the Arroyo Seco in Monterey County. In 1988, the Turgeons and partner Don Harris started Trout Gulch Vineyards (named for a founding family, not the fish), a twenty five acre property planted to southeast facing Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. It is located four miles from the Monterey coast at an elevation of 720 feet.

2007 Trout Gulch Vineyards Chardonnay La Pecherie Santa Cruz Mountains - $24

Pale brass color in the glass – lovely, forward white stone fruit aromas, mostly peach with a light hint of apricot – light to medium weight in the mouth, but with a delightful creamy texture without noticeable wood influence – certainly an out of the ordinary expression of California Chardonnay – finishes very cleanly and has a pleasant mouth coating property. A good value at the price. Find this wine

2006 Trout Gulch Vineyards Grenache Rosé Mendocino County McDowell Valley – $16 - this wine was bled from a tank of Grenache (saigneé) crushed by another Santa Cruz Mountains producer. Trout Gulch provided elevage and finishing.

Light strawberry color – subdued aromatics showing light strawberry – soft entry with a textural creaminess that seems to be characteristic of this producer – nevertheless, the acids are sufficient to give the wine a refreshing and brisk finish. Should pair well with a variety of foods – an interesting wine and a decent value. Find this wine

2007 Trout Gulch Vineyards Pinot Noir La Source Santa Cruz Mountains - $28 - sourced from two vineyards, one near Corralitos, the other at 1100 feet – mostly Pommard clones, but the mountain site is planted to Mount Eden clones as well.

Bright garnet color in the glass – lovely Bing cherry aromas – I am once again struck by the soft entry and textural creaminess of the wine – the fruit flavors are a bit subdued, the acids give a firm background and just a hint of very fine tannin suggest the wine’s best years are ahead of it. I would love to revisit 7this wine is a couple of years. Find this wine

Overall, I’m impressed with today’s offerings from Trout Gulch. For those seeking something a little bit out of the mainstream, I recommend these wines not only for their unique characteristics, but for their attractive price points as well.

I then retraced my steps back to the first table to taste the still wines Barry Jackson bottles under the Bartolo label.

2006 Bartolo Fiano – from the Fratelli Vanni Vineyard near Hecker Pass 12.85% alcohol $16.50

The wine has a friendly entry with light wildflower, honeysuckle and sweet white stone fruit flavors but the acidity keeps it all in balance – the wine is neither cloying nor flabby in the mouth – it finishes cleanly and I imagine this would make a great summer back porch quaffer. A real treat and my first encounter with this variety – quite entertaining. Find this wine

2007 Bartolo Minerva Central Coast Michael Mann Vineyard – 47% Grenache 33% Syrah 27% Mourvedre $25

Very friendly entry with a blend of flavors that does not allow one particular variety to dominate, certainly not the Mourvedre – perhaps the Grenache, because it is the lighter, high toned fruit flavors that seem to carry the profile – smooth and creamy in the mouth, the wine has a long, long follow and a very clean finish. Lots of fun to drink and should be a real treat with food.
Find this wine

2005 Bartolo Syrah Central Coast Michael Mann Vineyard – 100% Syrah 14.1% alcohol

Dark garnet color – lovely Southern Rhone Syrah aromatics with earthy overtones and a hint of perfume – soft entry with rich and ripe plum flavors with black cherry notes – there are some fine tannins that coat the midpalate and ensure some aging potential, but I’m impressed with the sheer friendliness of this wine and given the nature of this vintage, I would guess this is ready for prime time right now and will be for another two or three years. A very impressive warm climate styled Syrah.
Find this wine

2006 Bartolo Merlot Central Coast Michael Mann Vineyard – 100% Merlot 14.1% alcohol

Rich and deep ruby color – very appealing ripe red and purple plum aromatics – medium weight with a user-friendly entry – identifiably varietal flavors – notable for it’s pure drinkability – lovely flavors with a slightly creamy texture – coats the mouth and invites another taste – long follow, clean finish. Find this wine

2006 Bartolo Il Quatro Central Coast Mann Vineyard – 80% Merlot 13% Petite Verdot 5% Cabernet Sauvignon 2% Cabernet Franc

Deep ruby color with pleasing clarity – lovely and fairly complete Bordeaux aromatic profile that belies the relatively high percentage of Merlot, because it certainly doesn’t dominate the blend aromatically – very friendly entry – rich and rather light on its feet for its density – shows a surprising finesse, in that despite the density of the fruit it is not ponderous or tiring on the palate – excellent balance, and like all the Bartolo wines tasted today, has shown a remarkable appeal: across the board soft entries; creamy textures; mouth filling flavors; long follows and clean, clean finishes. Find this wine

This is a surprisingly (for me) strong and uniformly impressive showing for the Bartolo still wines.

After I finished tasting I took a few minutes to chat with Barry and witness his prowess as winemaker/showman. After freezing the neck of several bottles of sparkling wine, he pointed out the plug of yeast and debris in the neck, and then gave us a display of hand disgorgement, to the delight of several tasters.

Heartened by the discovery of so many appealing wines, I motored just a few blocks inland to what the event literature suggested was a group of small wineries in close proximity.

I found myself at Hillcrest Vineyards, lured to their tasting room by a sidewalk sandwich board festooned with balloons. Across the street were Bonny Doon, Storrs and others - so what could be more fun than a cluster-taste?

I soon discovered that they had just received their permits and that today was the first day they were open to the public. I introduced myself to Joe Miller, proprietor and winemaker, who has a long career in academics at UC Santa Cruz and decided to take the plunge into winemaking. His first wines are in barrel, but in order to get the operation up, running and generating cash, he assumed the role of négociant, purchasing finished wines and bottling them for sale.

2007 Hillcrest Sauvignon Blanc Arroyo Seco Cedar Lane Vineyard – produced and bottled in the Carmel Valley $22

Pale brass color – very pleasant and unmistakable varietal aromas showing white stone fruits, mostly peach with a hint of herbaceousness – bright and crisp on the palate with refreshing acidity – showing mostly white peach flavors – clean, clean finish and a very nice expression of the variety. Find this wine

2008 Hillcrest Chardonnay barrel sample

Decidedly Burgundian in the nose with richness from the sur lies and batonage treatment and oak that is not obtrusive in any way – slightly cloudy in the glass, but that should clear since the wine has never been racked – just lovely in the mouth with fruit flavors predominating and the oak remaining in the background - the acidity of the wine balances the picture very nicely, rounding out the wine and completing the presentation on the palate. Definitely not in the typical California profile, this Chardonnay shows a great deal of promise.

2008 Hillcrest Pinot Noir Fambrini Vineyard barrel sample – from a family owned 3-4 acre vineyard just north of Santa Cruz planted to 667 and 777 clones. This sample is from a 667 block.

Surprisingly rich and deep ruby color – despite its youth, shows pretty red cherry fruit aromas with hints of spice – very appealing fruit flavors in the mouth with some smooth but significant tannins that, naturally, need time to integrate. Overall, a lovely flavor profile, thankfully not in the “Pinot disguised as Syrah” mode. Again, very promising.

2008 Hillcrest Pinot Noir Regan Vineyard barrel sample – the second pinot I’ve tasted today from this vineyard. Elevage entirely in stainless, so this sample has seen no oak as yet.

Tightly wound and closed, showing lovely but subdued cherry/berry aromas with underlying spice – tight and unyielding in the mouth with noticeable skin tannins. Hopefully, some time in barrel will soften the wine and broaden its appeal. I very much like the flavor profile, and like the other barrel samples, it is quite promising.

2007 Hillcrest Cabernet Sauvignon Carmel Valley Galante – purchased as a finished wine. $36

Rich ruby color – very pretty and unmistakable Cabernet aromas with a somewhat dusty quality – could easily be misidentified as a Rutherford wine – friendly entry with ripe and attractive varietal fruit flavors – there are some smooth tannins on the back end – drink or hold for the short term – a fairly reasonable value at the asking price. Find this wine

2008 Hillcrest Merlot Regan Vineyard barrel sample – beautiful deep ruby color with a hint of purple – rich and concentrated aromatics of a young wine – extremely impressive in the mouth, showing surprisingly complete flavors and balance – a young wine, no doubt, and showing some rough textural edges, but the flavor profile is just delightful and given some additional time in oak, and some patience in the bottle, will become an exceptional example of the variety. Very impressive.

High marks for Joe Miller and his first set of wines, now in barrel. Hillcrest Winery is a label to follow, and I’ll be looking forward to visiting here again next year.

After tasting so many good wines so early in the day, I could not help but wonder if I was simply on a hot streak or if Maxwell’s Silver Hammer was just waiting for me to step into gravity’s path. My answer awaited just across the street, where several other wineries were offering tastings.

Santa Cruz Mountain Vineyards has been a sentimental favorite of mine for many years and I have fond memories of several of their Cabernet Sauvignon from Bates Ranch and a particular Durif from the 70s.

Ken Burnap, the original owner and winemaker, bought the Jarvis Ranch in 1974 from David Bruce. The old Zinfandel on the property had been very low yielding, so Bruce ripped and planted to Pinot Noir in 1969/70. Burnap produced only Pinot Noir in 75 and 76, but constructed a gravity flow winery on the property in 1977 and began purchasing fruit to take advantage of his increased production capacity.

Jeff Emery (left) met Ken in 1979 when he came to the winery to help with bottling, the beginning of a relationship that would span four decades. Over the years, Jeff would become an integral part of the operation and when Ken Burnap decided to retire in 2003, Jeff was the logical successor. The Jarvis Vineyard and the winery building were sold in 2004, and Jeff now makes his wines here in Santa Cruz.

2008 Santa Cruz Mountain Vineyard Verdehlo – from Central Valley fruit - their first white wine in twelve years.

Shows wonderfully effusive and attractive floral aromatics – refreshing and palate-cleansing acidity – contains the perfect component mix for a successful summer back porch quaffer – you could lose yourself in the nose of this wine. Find this wine

2006 Santa Cruz Mountain Vineyard Pinot Noir Branciforte Creek Vineyard – $34

Slightly translucent deep rose color – bright cherry and spice in the nose – an impressively aromatic wine – more restrained in the mouth than the aromatics suggest – spicy undertones and smooth tannins suggest improvement with time – should be even more attractive with a couple of years of bottle age. Find this wine

1988 Santa Cruz Mountain Vineyard Pinot Noir Matteson Vineyard –

Dusky rose color in the glass – delicate but lovely older Pinot aromas with lots of spice – conjures memories of the older Calera Pinots I tasted with Madame and Bastardo – fading, but sweet and pretty fruit flavors – a delicate old girl who’s starting to lose her figure, but who is undeniably interesting and attractive. A special treat. Find this wine

2006 Quinta Cruz Tempranillo San Antonio Valley Pierce Ranch – 156 cases produced $16 - from a relatively new AVA in the south of Monterey County – only 600 acres planted. Quinta Cruz is their new label for Spanish varieties.

Slightly cloudy garnet color – shy aromas – the wine is rather closed and just not showing very much right now – the tannins are more prominent that the fruit at this point – hardly recognizable as Tempranillo. Find this wine

2005 Santa Cruz Mountain Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon Luchessi Vineyard – 100% Cabernet Sauvignon $28

Medium ruby color – fairly typical SCM Cabernet aromatics with hints of underlying minerality and a dusty/earthy note – sweet and pretty on the entry with moderate, but fine tannins that attack in the midpalate and at this point give the wine a somewhat abrupt finish – perhaps time will lend a moderating hand. Find this wine

Just as Ken Burnap served as Jeff Emery’s mentor, so has Jeff served as mentor to Dennis Hoey, (right) who is now SCMV’s assistant winemaker. He has begun producing small quantities of his own wine under the Dragonfly Cellars and Odonata labels. Dennis is a friendly and gregarious young man who seems to be having the time of his young life.

2007 Dragonfly Cellars Malbec St. Olof Vineyard North Coast – from a vineyard in the McDowell Valley, Lake County 65 cases produced.

Sweet, ripe and pretty aromas that defy varietal identification – likewise ripe and attractive in the mouth – none of the “rusticity” that sometimes mars the few Californian, and many of the Argentine bottlings of this grape I’ve tasted – the wine has finesse and elegance, and is just delicious in the mouth – has lovely balance and a clean finish – some long-chained tannins are present that will, no doubt, integrate with a little bottle age – a delightful surprise. Find this wine

2006 Dragonfly Cellars Durif McDowell Valley – 13.6% alcohol 65 cases produced $28 sold out, but poured today from 375 ml.

Deep ruby color – fairly forward spicy aromatics with plumy fruit in the background – ripe and attractive in the mouth, although it does not carry the classic “Pettie Sarah” flavor profile I’ve come to love, but nevertheless attractive on its own terms. Find this wine

2007 Dragonfly Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Santa Cruz Mountains – picked at 24.5 brix - 50 cases produced – 8 clusters per vine - from a source just east of the summit at 1200 ft. elevation – the winemaker is reluctant to disclose the exact source.

Dense garnet color – rather shy but attractive ripe fruit aromas – pretty and appealing right at the entry showing medium weight structure that leans toward full bodied – a balanced and complete wine. Find this wine

Happily, the “Old School” approach to making mountain wines lives and thrives, even in small upstart wineries like Dragonfly. This young winemaker deserves your attention and I will follow his wines – he has a bright future. The real jewel here is the Malbec.

 A mere fifteen paces to the east landed me at the home of Sones Cellars. Michael (left) and Lois Sones met some 25 years ago on board a cruise ship where she was working as a massage therapist and he as a photographer. British by birth, Michael developed a love for wine during his fifteen years at sea, and came to California, where he completed a degree in Fermentation Science at UC Davis in 1995. He worked as a cellar rat at Ridge Vineyards, then moved on to Bonny Doon, then David Bruce. He is currently the winemaker at Bargetto Family Winery in Soquel.

2008 Sones Cellars White Wine Blend – Viognier, Torrontes, Pinot Gris and Sauvignon Blanc $21

Sweet and pretty melon and white stone fruit aromas with noticeable floral overtones; quite possibly the influence of the Torrontes on the blend – has the requisite acidity to be refreshing – light and crisp on the palate – easily makes my list of entertaining back porch summer quaffers that I’ve discovered today. A far better wine than…you know, I see a blend with four varieties and jump to the conclusion that this may be an “everything but the kitchen sink” blend, but this wine far exceeds that presumption. It is perfectly refreshing and enjoyable and taught me a good lesson. Find this wine

2006 Sones Cellars Pinot Noir Santa Cruz Mountains Devery Vineyard - $29 From the southern portion of the SCM Appellation near Mt. Madonna; a warmer site which, according to Lois Sones, yields a “more substantial” wine.

Pretty ruby color – lots of spice over black cherry aromas – the flavor profile leans toward the darker end of the pinot spectrum – more black plum and certainly black cherry with a hint of earthiness – an interesting example of the variety. I’m sure it will have its fans and there is a lot to like here, but it simply isn’t my cup o’ tea. Find this wine

2006 Sones Cellars Petite Sirah Lodi - $23

Deep ruby color – forward and ripe fruit in the mouth with significant tannins that need some time – while the wine is enjoyable to taste, it is, for me, not identifiable as a Petite Sirah. Find this wine

2006 Sones Cellars Petite Sirah Paso Robles French Camp Vineyard - $29

Deep and somewhat dusky garnet color – very rich black stone fruit aromas – very pretty, showing a friendly entry and flavors that coat the front of the palate – the still significant tannins are quite fine and simply need some bottle time to settle down – again, a well made wine that I like, but not identifiable as a Petite Sirah. Find this wine

2007 Sones Cellars Zinfandel San Lucas – from barrel

Pretty ruby color – just lovely jammy Zinberry aromas that almost approach the candy apple sweetness of Zins gone by – ripe and pretty in the mouth, this wine has a lot to like – will need some time in bottle, of course, to settle down a bit, but this is a Zinfandel lover’s Zinfandel. Special.

A short walk around the corner of the building put us at Bonny Doon’s new tasting room/café, whimsically designed and executed – perfectly in keeping with Randall Grahm’s notoriously quirky approach to wine marketing. It is the wine place for the young wino to see and be seen. The space is industrial-chic and rather high ceilinged, making for a high decibel setting – a point driven home by a small but excessively boisterous group of young women who didn’t mind having a good time at the expense of other tasters. The staff, to their credit, were patient and low keyed in response to the disturbance.

It became clear after waiting to be greeted at the tasting bar for ten minutes that the staff was nearing the end of a busy day. Eventually I got a taste of the:

2005 Bonny Doon Vineyard Le Pousseur Syrah – Central Coast 96% Syrah 4% Grenache 13 % alcohol 6500 cases produced $20

Dark purple color in the glass – slightly restrained but interesting and rich southern Rhone aromatics, although with time, some earthy and meaty notes emerge – friendly entry with rich and mouth filling fruit flavors – needs some time for tannin integration – clean finish – quite entertaining – drinkable now but perfectly suitable for short term aging. Find this wine

2004 Bonny Doon Vineyard Le Cigare Volant – 38% Grenache 35% Syrah 12% Mourvèdre 8% Carignane 7% Cinsault 13.5% alcohol 6140 cases produced $30

Dusky garnet colors – bright, but somewhat generic fruit aromatics – quite delicious in the mouth, but some moderate and slightly astringent tannins suggest another two years of bottle age is needed to achieve maximum drinkability – perhaps it will develop some additional complexity by then, as well. Find this wine

I strolled around to the café side, enjoying the design and installed art. The menu was appealing, the space attractive with a ten foot rendering of Le Cigare hanging over the bar serving as the focal point of the room. I promised myself to stop in for a bite and a glass the next time I was in the neighborhood.

Just a few steps west took me to Vino Tabi, the self described “new kids on the block.” Ostensibly a custom crush facility loosely modeled on Crushpad in San Francisco, they offer the wine lover an opportunity to help create their own wine by purchasing quarter, half or full barrel (or more), participating in some of the decision making and having the wine bottled and labeled to their specification. They are still offering 2008 wine that is in barrel for the equivalent of $18 per bottle.

In addition, they offer finished wines for tasting and sales and also make the facility available for special events, conduct winemaking seminars and the like.

2007 Vino Tabi Pinot Gris Russian River Valley Windsor Oaks Vineyard – $25

Slightly golden color – I somehow get a sense of viscosity in the aromatics along with some volatile acidity – clean and pretty on the palate. Find this wine

2007 Vino Tabi Rosé of Zinfandel – from a vineyard in San Martin $18

Lovely deep salmon color – pretty strawberry and red cherry aromas – attractive in the mouth – bone dry, but conveys a sense of sweetness from the ripeness of the fruit – a small amount of Zinfandel was added back to the barrels, but the wine is successful, and one of the few rosés of Zinfandel that I’ve enjoyed. The wine underwent an inadvertent malolactic conversion in barrel (immaculate fermentation?). Find this wine

2006 Vino Tabi Pinot Noir Los Carneros - $44

Slightly pale red rose in the glass – restrained aromatics, showing more spice than fruit – not a bad wine in the mouth, but doesn’t quite hold up to the other very fine Pinots I’ve tasted today. Find this wine

2003 Vino Tabi Bordeaux Blend Central Coast – 58% Merlot 31% Cabernet Sauvignon 6% Cabernet Franc 2% Petite Verdot 13.8% alcohol $24 (Produced and bottled by Silver Mountain Vineyards, Santa Cruz)

Pleasant aromatics, but despite the high percentage, the Merlot does not dominate – drinkable now with some fine tannins up front and through to the midpalate, but hardly a value at the price. Find this wine

Feeling somewhat disappointed at the downturn in wine quality, I walked to a nearby bakery to pick up a fresh sourdough baguette for dinner, but the line was long and moving rather slowly, so I thought I might end the day’s tasting on a high note if I tasted at the last tasting room in the complex. To my dismay, the noise level continued on its upward trajectory and since it was late in the day, the outstretched arms at the tasting bar were three deep at the Pelican Ranch Winery tasting room.

2008 Pelican Ranch Winery Chardonnay Santa Cruz Mountains Two Vineyard Blend – 100% Chardonnay $23 Barrel fermented, aged sur lie – half the fruit is from Corralitos, half from Ben Lomond.

Medium gold color – slightly off-putting char that I suspect comes from aggressively toasted oak – less noticeable in the mouth – round and pleasant flavors showing mostly pear and melon – while the wine is tasty, the aromatics are a deal breaker for me, even at this price. Find this wine

2008 Pelican Ranch Winery Viognier Russian River Pratt Vineyard - $26 barrel fermented

Pale brassy color – pretty apricot and wildflower aromas – less effusive in the mouth, but shows balanced fruit flavors – finishes dry and clean – a pretty nice effort and not a bad value. Find this wine

NV Pelican Ranch Winery White Wine Blend Maritime Vineyard – 60% Gewürztraminer 37% Pinot Gris 10% Chardonnay (a “fanciful” blend, to say the least - I know that's more than 100, but that's what I was told))

The Gewürz dominates the nose, less so in the mouth – comes across as a generic, dry white blend – good acidity – it’s a bit of a puzzle that the aromas don’t really follow on the palate – I’m not sure what the winemaker intended here. Strikes me as a wine in search of an identity. Find this wine

2007 Pelican Ranch Winery Pinot Noir Babcock Vineyard – 15.2% alcohol $45

Dusky garnet color – pretty and rich black cherry and purple plum Pinot aromas – rich and mouth filling, but a little more concentrated than I prefer and cannot avoid showing it’s ample alcohol level – spoofy and out of balance. Find this wine

2007 Pelican Ranch Winery Trois Amis Rouge Santa Cruz Mountains Deer Park – a blend of Syrah, Cinsault and Petit Verdot $39

Deep and pretty color with a purplish hue – fascinating perfume; predominantly Cinsault, but I think the Petit Verdot adds a lot of aromatic complexity – young in the mouth with significant tannins – nice flavor profile, good balance, 7interesting potential. Find this wine

NV Pelican Ranch Winery Raspberry: Heritage - $17 per 375ml.

Syrupy and cloying – poorly balanced – I suspect it was made from concentrate rather than from fresh fruit. Feh. Having been privileged enough to taste Milan Maximovich’s raspberry wine several times, I found this virtually undrinkable.
Find this wine

Despite ending the day with a truly bad taste in my mouth, all in all the day was a big plus. I had made some new friends; tasted some very fine wines and discovered producers I could recommend with confidence. But as the day wore on, the crowds became more dense, the tasting rooms more cacophonic, the wines less impressive. I felt as if I were being pulled down, thrown off balance and at the mercy of some weird oenological Coriolis Effect.

I mulled my findings while attempting to survive the drive back over the hill on Route 17 – a daunting task, to say the least. As I climbed from the coast up towards the summit, my disquiet eased, as if the mere application of altitude was all I needed.

I returned to the Doghouse curiously refreshed, ready for dinner and wine with good friends and eager for tomorrow’s tasting adventure.

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