My Article: Thoughts on the California Central Coast

I have spent the last five days exploring the vineyards of the Central Coast, from Paso Robles to the Santa Rita Hills. I have visited a number of the top wineries, including Saxum, Sine Qua Non and Bonaccorsi. And I have hung out with some cool urban winemakers like the guys at Barrel 27 and Brian Loring and friends.

So much is going on here and so much excellent wine is being made, and they aren’t too expensive. I tasted wonderful Viogniers, Pinot Noirs and Syrahs with the occasional Bordeaux blend and Chardonnay, and they all sell for between $20 and $50 a bottle. A few have exceeded that, but it is impressive to taste such quality for the price, when I have flashbacks to Napa Valley and remember winemakers saying that their wines were reasonably priced at $150 a bottle. That’s not serious.

What I like about the wines I tasted this week is their subtle yet rich fruit character and bright acidities with just enough austerity to keep a European palate happy. I like how young winemakers in these regions are dedicated to keeping their “California style” that emphasizes sun and ripe fruit, but at the same time, they look for balance and freshness. In other words, they want drinkability in their wines, particularly to accompany food. And I think many have achieved it.

I also like the idea that these appellations are actually wine country for the millions of Southern Californians such as myself. We used to always think about Napa Valley as the “local” source for wines. Santa Barbara? San Luis Obispo? That’s not wine country.

But today the Central Coast – in particular, Santa Barbara appellations such as Santa Rita Hills, Santa Ynez Valley, and Santa Maria Valley – is our wine country. And it only takes a couple of hours to drive there if the traffic isn’t too bad. It’s like Burgundy for Parisians or Piedmont for Milanese.

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