An Evening with: Ranchero Cellars

After finding the San Diego Wine Guild during a google search of local wine tasting groups, I began the process of joining the American Wine Society (AWS) & becoming a member of the Guild. This was the first meeting I was able to attend because of the success of the programs offered, their attendance and waitlist often fills up fast due to the popularity of the wine makers who present. The table I sat with was a delightful set of 2 couples, who offered boisterous feedback & insightful tasting notes throughout the evening.

After the normal business of introductions and the items of running the wine guild, introductions were made of tonight’s presenter. It was to be a winery I had never heard about from a region I knew next to nothing about. From the presentation worksheet we were provided with, it appeared there was a lot to cover.

Amy started the presentation with her background, having graduated from UC Davis in 1997 with a degree in Enology, then went straight to Napa. Guided by the quest for knowledge & a perfect opportunity offered by a friend, she founded Ranchero Cellars in 2008. Not afraid to use classical or new winemaking techniques, she blends the old and the new to create award winning wine. She says, “Winemaking is fun again, like it’s supposed to be.”

The first pour of the evening was the 2016 Galaxie Rosé (link). This wine was a great start and my first experience with the Carignan grape variety. This full-bodied rosé was elegant, crisp and sophisticated. What a nice start. Next came the 2015 Chrome (link) in the presentation. This blended Grenache Blanc & Clairette Blanche wine was creamy, fruity and showing great terroir notes.

The first of 2 side-by-side comparisons of this evenings event would come up next. Presented as a pair, the 2013 (link) & 2014 (link) Viognier were poured as Amy began to describe the process applied to each vintage. The discussion lead into the use of concrete “eggs” in the winery and how they are treated before any wine is ever introduced. We compared the vintage variations, but also conversed about how the flavor was developing.

The closest example we saw all evening of an ‘old world’ wine was the next pour, 2013 The Hive (link). This blend had a great expression of terroir and other earthy elements, and would not be out of place in a French wine tasting. This was not my favorite wine of the evening, but it was a nicely composed wine.

The next side-by-side comparison of the evening was the 2012 Carignan (link) [94 points Wine Advocate] & 2013 Carignan (link) [93 points Wine Enthusiast]. During the tasting Amy told us the sad tale of this wine. The vineyard that produced the 2012 vintage, and in my opinion a much more complex wine, had been ripped out by housing developers expanding a project. Now she was able to find another vineyard to plant her grapes, but it will be a long time before the natural complexity of ‘old vines’ return.

The evening rounded out with a Library wine, the 2011 Revolver (link). The history of this vintage is a horrible one, with early spring frost, rain & rot; but you would not guess it drinking this smooth blend. Age had tamed the rough tannins from the Syrah, making this velvet on the tongue. We laughed and joked about how we all needed more, and then this amazing evening was over. Amy was pleased to talk with us all individually, offering wisdom to a home winemaker while several of us discussed the side-by-side comparisons of the evening.

I am not sure when I will be up to Paso Robles, but I will be sure to stop by Ranchero Cellars to see what Amy has been up to and what wines are currently on release.