Looking at you, newly minted West Sonoma Coast AVA. You and your super cool cooler climate craveable gulp-able delights.
The West Sonoma Coast AVA is within the Sonoma Coast AVA. Which is within Sonoma County. So why the need to separate? Is this just the typical the-smaller-the-region-the-more-elite-we’ll-be strategy? Well I guess not seeing as after eleven (my favorite number!) long years it was decided that the western wines were in fact different and unique.
Environmental factors are the key to these fresh af gems. The wines aren’t just cool, it’s literally cooler there. Cooler days. There’s less of a drastic shift from days to also cool nights. Way more fog and sea breeze. The result being temperatures ten degrees cooler than the rest of the Sonoma Coast AVA. Grapes ripen slowly and hold on to that precious acidity that makes them so refreshing. As you maybe possibly would imagine, this cooler climate does well for Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. They grow a smidge of Syrah to boot.
Now, the AVA is new. So there are not West Sonoma Coast bottling yet, but I gave a taste to a couple of members of the West Sonoma Coast Vintners–can you guess who was leading the charge to getting the AVA approved? Is there a stylistic difference? Yes. Yay! I look forward to tasting these when the officially West Sonoma Coast AVA bottlings come out.
In the meantime, here’s my thoughts. So far. Wine is a living and breathing and evolving thing. Here’s this year’s far west findings!
32 Winds Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir 2019
Holy yes please. In a blind tasting I honestly might at least think this was an Oregon bottling, or maybe even Santa Rita Hills bottle. Aka the fruit is ripe but elegantly so. It smells of ripe black cherries, pomegranates, baking spices, and roses. The tannins are ever so well woven. On the palate you get all the aromatics plus a hint of dried earth, dried herbs and maybe even a touch of truffle and vanilla finish vibes. A quaffable wine–the alcohol is a modest 12.7%. But also a slow-sip-worthy one.
Raen Sonoma Coast Royal St. Robert Pinot Noir 2019
The name of the winery stands for “Research in Agriculture and Enology Naturally”. Terrifically between ethereal wafting sweet cherry aromas and grounded textured tannins. Um, they don’t say if there is oak at play but I think there has to be some. A touch of licorice, thyme, and…even a smidge of–is that menthol?–perhaps. Whatever it is I fucks with it.
Not that I’m dramatic, but sure, I went dramatic with the name of this entry. Last Monday I was running around from 7:30am til 5-ish on 4-minus hours of sleep and still jet-lagged from a trip to Italy, pouring booze I most certainly was not allowed to drink…that could have been hell. But honestly I had a fantastic time as a helper at the LA Spirits Awards. Although I’m a goth masochist so take my pleasure with a grain of Carolina Reaper.
For all the wine adventures I’ve had, I have never judged a contest. Not with wine, and especially not with spirits. So I jumped at the chance to get in behind the scenes. Especially for this competition. It has THE most diverse set of judges around and incorporates the ever-growing categories of lo-no spirits for those who don’t imbibe, as well as ready to drink cocktails.
I spent the day polishing glasses, pouring flight after flight (after flight), delivering said flights, cleaning up when the judges were done (mmmm emptying spit buckets), and doing it all again, all day. This does not sound exhausting, but let me tell you, I got nearly all my 10,000 steps they (who are they?) say you should get in, by the end of the day. Seriously, it was like 15+ flights ranging between 2 and 9 spirits. I DO NOT know how the judges’ palates held up.
I could barely handle my recent experience with 50-ish Barolos. This crew consisted of utter pros who held it together all day although there were a couple of flights I suspected they wouldn’t loved based on what I smelled when pouring and sure enough, the judges were laughing in the way you do after something terrible but not actually tragic has happened, like attending a one-man show in Los Angeles or anywhere.
Honestly though, this panel of judges was the most diverse, the kindest, the most thoughtful (I enjoyed listening in to them as they debated how a spirit should rank) one could hope to find. Here’s how judging worked: each table of judges had a different set of booze they’d be judging. They had to come to a consensus for each. It either got nothing, or qualified as bronze, silver, gold, or platinum. Everything that got a gold or platinum would then be tasted by ALL the judges the following day, before winners were declared.
Meanwhile, as helpers, we were not trying the spirits, so I sniffed the day away–and when I deemed a pour particularly good or bad based on nose alone, and the judges passed similar judgement, I felt quite validated. Not that I need validation from other humans to be happy except I do.
Actually, I might say working the contest was more like limbo, as my nostrils were apparently doing fine work, but my palate wasn’t getting in on the game. Heaven was regained as I was invited not just to supper with the judges, but also sample the Ten to One rum, whose white rum received a Gold and amber rum received a silver medal in the 2021 competition.
The dinner paired three cocktails featuring the rums, and we got samplers of them to boot and whooo-eeee lemme tell you, Ten to One makes complex and aromatic rums. They paired well with the dishes but also with the judges I was sitting with. I learned about everything from roller derby to what it takes to move cats from Argentina to Cambodia that night. Not your average cocktail chat.
Said dinner was held at Caravan Swim Club, the poolside restaurant at the Playa del Rey-ish Hotel June. The welcome cocktail (and the leading picture for this write-up) was a Pineapple Sesame Daiquiri, featuring the Ten to One white rum, pineapple, juice, lime juices and–this was the level-up move–each was dotted with a few drops of sesame oil. The drink did well by what I honestly think is the best chopped salad I’ve ever had. Normally I eat chopped salad and wish I had all the elements separately and in bigger pieces. But this one provided forkful after cartable forkful of satisfaction. I’m not exaggerating. I want this salad again. The Charred Elote salad featured chopped lettuce, tomato, onion, cucumber, cilantro, cotija, and chipotle dressing. It was savory and slightly spicy so was both complimented and the heat mitigated but the savory and sweet nature of the cocktail.
I missed out on the second course of Crudo, seeing as I’m vegetarian, but everyone else cleared their plates.
The next cocktail was a Blood Orange Daisy using (again) the Ten to One white rum, as well as martini fiero (an orange vermouth), habanero agave, and lime. I loved this. I also love blood oranges and spiciness–although I honestly think (and this is rare for me as I love the heat) the spiciness could have been dialed down just the teensiest to let the other flavors show through more. But as a cocktail making enthusiast it is rare that I taste a drink and have no notes. I promise you I’ll find a way to make any drink just a shade better. Although that Pineapple Sesame Daiquiri would give me a run for my money.
My vegetarian main paired with the Daisy was a Spicy Cauliflower Steak, featuring peppers, smoked paprika, cashew, cilantro, and cream sauce. I’m not sure, but seeing as I didn’t notice any actual cashews and as I think they were trying to make this vegan–is it possible the cream sauce was made of cashews? At any rate as I mentioned I have a love affair with spicy. And creamy. And cauliflower. And the whole thing was topped with a refreshing mix of micro greens that played nicely with the spicy cauliflowernsteak. I was very happy.
The dessert drink was a Rum Old-Fashioned, paired with an Horchata Panna Cotta which sadly, I had to forgo as panna cotta has gelatin in it. But I had zero problems finding a taker who wanted to eat mine seeing as a) they were petite and b) apparently fantabulous. Old-Fashioned ingredients were not listed but given the color, as well as brown-sugar notes, I’m thinking it was made with Ten to One amber rum. It was a delightful way to wind down the dinner, with the luxardo cherry garnish serving as my dessert.
The winners winners cauliflower steak dinners have not been announced yet, so stay tuned. I may need to do a round-up tasting of the best. I’m rooting for Ten to One for another medal or so…and that’s not just the rum talking.
Scrumptious Gruel 