Tag Archives: wine

Freemark Abbey Napa Valley

In 1980, Ted Edwards took the helm as winemaker. Most fields suffer a musical chair game of aspirational people climbing ladders, hopping from jon to jon. Yet Ted has stayed at Freemark ever since.

When Jess Jackson bought Freemark in 2006, they wisely kept Ted in control. KJ also saw that Freemark needed restoration. The original 1890s Lombarda cellar looked in rough shape. The tasting room seemed dark and small. So, with 40 million dollars, work is underway to expand and overhaul the stone cellar into a premier tasting palace and restaurant with two Michelen starred Japanese cuisine winemakers. Continue reading

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Paso Robles 7: Lone Madrone

Last Monday’s post visited Firestone Walker Brewery. Also found twenty years ago in 1996, our stop today is Lone Madrone Winery. The nineties clearly provided busy times for Paso.

Our pickup heads west from Paso Robles on Adelaida Road. The world turns a sandy sable and olive shrub. Hills mount each other, as we climb and wheel round them. Soon, orderly vines draped in mesh add militant structure to this wild place. Continue reading

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Paso Robles 5: Austin Hope Treana Tasting Cellars

Wayward Wine continues its exploration of Paso Robles wineries. One day starts in search of wine for a wedding. An up-scaled, wood-planked warehouse sits between biotech buildings and similar sheds. Inside, large indigo walls fly up two stories, splattered with animal heads and art. Lipstick red metal chairs frame the reclaimed wood bar and tables. House-sized curved wood panels mimic sliced barrels dividing the space. This is not a winery, it is a tasting lounge for the hip. Welcome to Austin Hope’s Treana Tasting Cellars. Continue reading

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Laetitia Winery Review

If reading is not your thing, here is my roughshod video review of Laetitia Vineyard and Winery (nb: it is a Coquard press, not Jacquard press….that’s for linen…oy)

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_-7T4R7YZJ0&w=560&h=315%5D

For those born to a world of paper books:

We leave Paso Robles for another wedding (my brother’s) and then return. But on our way back to Paso, we stop in Arroyo Grande Valley for some bubbles. Both Paso Robles AVA and Arroyo Grande AVA sit in San Louis Obispo County (not an AVA), which the Central Coast AVA engulfs. Confused? Here’s a map: Continue reading

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Too soon!

So, I took some clippings of Wadenswil Pinot Noir from Hyland Estates. This was back around Thanksgiving. I forgot them for three months. Then I found them in a bag, popped them in water, and was immediately told it’s Spring Aaron, … Continue reading

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