Young, Erratic Vintages of the Central Coast

Driving south on U.S. 101 at the southern end of Monterey County in late July, my car was buffeted by a high wind roaring south. It raked at the leaves on grapevines in Greenfield and kicked up swirls of dirt on side roads. The temperature was 72 degrees.

Less than an hour later, just north of Paso Robles, the wind had died down to gusts. But the temperature had risen to near 100. Farther south, nearing San Luis Obispo, as the road swings closer to the coast, the wind became just a lazy breeze. And the temperature more temperate, just above 70.

Such different growing conditions so close to one another show why the Central Coast wine growing region is so confusing to wine lovers. On one hand, it produces great Pinot Noirs, which ideally should come from a cool climate. Then again, its Cabernet Sauvignons are excellent, and that grape prefers a warmer growing region.

Both conditions exist in the Central Coast. This is not a single growing region, but a complex of many. Here, in San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties, one finds that virtually all of the classical grape varieties grow well--in one location or another.

But in wine, as in life, youth can be erratic and the Central Coast is a young region. So its wines have not shown the consistency of greatness found in other areas. Only in the last three years has this young growing region shown it has the potential to produce great wine consistently.

Broad Hints

Before this, there were broad hints. For more than a decade it has been obvious that greatness was possible. A 1979 Zaca Mesa Cabernet showed that; so did a 1977 Firestone Pinot Noir, and a 1981 Eberle Cabernet, a number of J. Carey Sauvignon Blancs. But such successes were hit and miss.

Recently, however, consistency has replaced the occasional flash.

Comparing the two counties is a bit like rating apples against guavas. The regions are significantly different.

Santa Barbara County has gotten more than its share of the headlines in the last few years, what with excellence popping up at wineries like Sanford, Zaca Mesa, Firestone, Santa Barbara Winery and Byron.

But San Luis Obispo County, with more producers (more than two dozen), has recently moved into its own with a series of successes that broaden the offerings of this two-county region. Wineries like Martin Bros., Eberle, Corbett Canyon, Creston Manor, and Edna Valley are now being joined by a flock of newcomers who show great promise.

San Luis Obispo, further to the north and slightly warmer, has shown potential with its Cabernet Sauvignons. At the recent Central Coast Wine Competition, Cabernet from Paso Robles dominated the award list.

Tough Panel

Ten of the 12 Cabernets awarded medals at the Central Coast Wine Competition were from Paso Robles. And even though a tough panel of eight judges seemed reluctant to award medals to Cabernets unless they were up to what one judge said was “Napa quality,” more than 30% of the Cabernets entered got medals--an exceptional showing.

Funny things happen, though. The best Cabernet of the competition, as far as I was concerned, was not from the warmer San Luis Obispo region, but from the cool Santa Ynez Valley, from the tiny Foxen Vineyard (mentioned here last April 27).

The small property made a 1987 Cabernet from Rancho Sisquoc Vineyard fruit ($16) that is as dense and richly complex as any wine you could find from the Napa Valley. After sniffing it in the silent, blind tasting, I whispered “wow,” and a table mate overheard me.

“Was that ‘wow’ for glass No. 27?” he asked.

“Yeah,” I whispered back.

“Why don’t we just give it the sweepstakes now,” he suggested.

Alas, because of a sweepstakes voting procedure that I felt left something to be desired, this was not to be. Instead, the top prize of the event was awarded to 1987 Santa Barbara Zinfandel LaFond Vineyard ($8.50), and therein lies the second tale of this competition. It is that Zinfandel (the red type) is once again becoming a mainstream wine with wine makers and judges.

Evidence of Zinfandel’s resurgence came earlier this year when the 1987 Quivira Zinfandel ($9) from Sonoma County won the sweepstakes award at the National Orange Show wine competition.

Latest Plaudit

The Santa Barbara Winery’s Zinfandel victory for the sweepstakes prize at the Central Coast competition was only the latest plaudit for Zinfandel. And this region has suddenly become home to a wealth of excellent Zinfandels. During the judging of that category, the Santa Barbara Winery effort was one of three wines to get gold medals in the Zinfandel class, which may have been the most exciting category of the entire competition.

Nine of the 16 wines evaluated won medals. Of the seven that didn’t get an award, two more were worthy of one, my notes show.

The other gold medals went to 1987 Castoro ($7), a spicy, rich wine, and 1988 Santa Barbara Winery Beaujour ($7), a most intriguing effort that ought to be a must-try for every wine lover. Beaujour, made by Bruce McGuire in a method similar to the way Beaujolais is made, is extremely fruity and fresh, but unlike juicy-fruity Gamay-based Beaujolais, this wine has a marvelous spiciness. It has always scored well at wine competitions, and served slightly chilled it is a perfect wine for barbecues.

The Central Coast’s clearest point of consistency has come, in the last few years, with its Pinot Noirs, notably those from the cooler Santa Barbara County. It was clear from this competition that Pinot Noir remains one of the great success stories for the region.

Twenty-one Pinot Noirs were judged. Twelve got medals, four of them gold medals and three more earned silvers. And this from a panel that was reluctant to be too generous.

Near-Unanimous Medal

Yet when the 1987 Wild Horse Pinot Noir from Santa Barbara County ($13) was being judged, its rich, spicy nature, with hints of cinnamon, nutmeg and clove, were so intriguing that it immediately got a near-unanimous gold medal. Then came the 1987 Foxen Pinot Noir ($16), which had more cherry and toasty notes. And the judges again heartily recommended a gold.

The other Pinot Noirs getting golds were another Wild Horse (this one from supposedly too-warm Paso Robles, $13) and a wine from the Hitching Post restaurant (designated Benedict Vineyard), a local famed steak house, which sells for $35.

The silver-medal wines (1987 Hitching Post-Sierra Madre, $15; 1987 Corbett Canyon Reserve, $8.50, and 1988 Creston Manon, $8) also got some votes for a gold medal.

Chardonnay continues to be a category of quality for this region, though a number of judges felt wineries here have yet to get a handle on the style that best fits the region. The four gold medal winners were not household names usually associated with achievement in this variety: 1987 Corbett Canyon ($8.50), 1988 Rancho Sisquoc ($10), 1988 Talley Vineyards ($12), and 1988 Cambria Sur Lees ($15).

The best white wine, by the vote of the judges, went to 1988 Byron Sauvignon Blanc ($8.50), a wine with a faint new-mown hay aroma combined with a mint/spice tone. But it was only a shade ahead of a stylish 1988 Franken Riesling (Sylvaner), from Rancho Sisquoc. The wine is marvelously spiced and slightly sweet (1.4% residual sugar). At $7, it offers balanced “quaffability” for warm afternoons.

Yet to Be Discovered

Central Coast wines, you may have noticed, are not as expensive as many wines from California’s more prestigious regions (such as Napa and Sonoma), though the Pinot Noirs do command a premium price. A reason for this is simply that it has yet to be discovered as a fine wine-growing region.

That’s because retailers have a tendency to buy wines from the tested regions (even from new and unknown producers in those tested regions) on the theory that it’s easier to sell a Napa anything than a Paso Robles Cabernet. Such actions hurt emerging regions and cause a lag in their public recognition.

Yet in the last two years, wineries as important as Mondavi, Beringer and Kendall-Jackson have plowed money into vineyard land here, and at least a half dozen other wineries in the prestige regions buy their grapes from here. Among these have been Chateau Montelena and ZD, to name just two of the better examples.

Moreover, one famed Northern California sparkling wine producer has surreptitiously bought Central Coast Chardonnay and Pinot Noir in the last two years, testing whether the quality is high enough to make a top-caliber wine from them. Tests are thus far promising.

The Central Coast is fast growing up. Pretty soon the secret will be out and the demand will rise, and so will prices. For now, though, the bargains are still there.

Wine of the Week: 1987 Firestone Merlot ($10)--Wine maker Allison Green made a stunning estate-grown Merlot in 1986 and it won a slew of medals. This wine may be better. The overt fruitiness of the ’86 is here only one element of a complex set that includes a hint of dill, a toastiness from new French oak and marvelous acidity to help carry the wine while age converts its exuberant youth into mellow middle age. This wine won a gold medal at the Central Coast Wine Competition and again is underpriced. (The ‘86, by the way, sold out rapidly. This wine has just been released.)