Wine Tasting Notes: Santa Ynez Valley, CA

The tasting area behind Demetria Estate offers the shade of oak trees and a view of the Santa Ynez Valley.

Before my trip to the Santa Ynez Valley becomes too much of a distant memory, I wanted to recount the wineries that I had visited a couple of weeks ago. But before I delve into the specifics, I have to say that I was surprised by the pricing structure at many of these places. In short, I found that many wineries now command prices very similar to those of Sonoma County, especially in terms of the Pinot Noir. Certainly, the 2004 movie “Sideways” has had a heavy hand in this pricing, and perhaps the posh beach communities that lie south of Santa Ynez are also providing recession-proof demand for the local juice. Even so, I expected to encounter a few more Mendocino-like bargains along the way.

In all fairness, however, I also found that the wines of Santa Ynez were admirable in their overall quality. I tasted very few “dogs” during my visit, which was also a bit surprising. Perhaps I was just fortunate to have visited a stretch of reputable wineries, but I found that as long as you taste along Foxen Canyon Road, your chances of discovering something good are certainly favorable (just expect to pay accordingly). The four wineries I visited during my most recent trip were: Foxen Vineyards, Zaca Mesa, Koehler Winery and Demetria Estate.

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• Foxen has built its reputation with Pinot Noir, although I found that all of their wines were well-crafted. I began the tasting with a pair of Chardonnays, the 2008 Foxen Tinaquiac ($32) and the 2008 Foxen Bien Nacido ($32). Despite the pedigree of the Bien Nacido Vineyard, I actually preferred the Tinaquiac, which seemed a bit more ripe on the palate. From there, I tasted the 2008 Santa Maria Valley Pinot Noir ($34), followed by the 2007 Cuvee Jeanne Marie ($34) and the 2007 Foxen Tinaquiac Syrah ($46). Although I felt that the previous two wines were fairly priced, the Syrah seemed a bit steep for my tastes.

• Zaca Mesa, by far, featured the gamiest wines of the day, so if that aromatic profile meets your preferences, then the 2005 Zaca Mesa Estate Syrah ($23) presents terrific value. Along the way, I was surprised to discover that Zaca Mesa does not produce any Pinot Noir, instead opting to focus exclusively upon the classic Rhône varietals. Their portfolio included two GSM blends — the 2005 Estate Z-Three ($42) and the 2006 Estate Z-Cuvee ($20) — the latter wine offering good value. The 2006 Estate Grenache ($28) was decent yet unspectacular, while the 2008 Estate Viognier and the 2006 Estate Roussane were not to my tastes.

• Koehler offered two of the best purchases of the day, their 2007 Estate Grenache ($25) and the 2006 Estate Magia Nera ($29). The latter wine, which means “Black Magic” in Italian, is a 65-35 Sangiovese-Cabernet blend. The other wines in the Koehler portfolio were so-so for me: The 2007 Koehler Syrah ($30) smelled of bacon (I love the pig, though not in this context), while the 2006 Koehler Cabernet Sauvignon ($29) tasted slightly under-ripe for my Napa palate (not that I drove six hours from Napa to taste Cabernet anyhow).

• Demetria Estate was the final stop of the day and a pleasant discovery. The winery was established just five years ago, and since the beginning, has been farmed BioDynamically (which always earns my admiration). I particularly enjoyed the 2006 “North Slope” Syrah ($35), as well as the 2006 Cuvee Constantine ($40), which is a GSM blend of 44-30-25 (and 1% Viognier for added aromatics). The 2006 Cuvee Sandra Pinot Noir ($50) was also tasty, but priced in competition with the Pinot Noir of the Russian River (whether delusional or not, I was searching for bargains, not another $50 California Pinot). Demetria’s whites — the 2006 Pinot Blanc ($30), the 2008 Chardonnay ($27) and the 2007 Cuvee Papou ($28) — were also consistent.

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