Travel Baja California
with Steve Dryden
Mexican Wine: On a Long and Winding Road
Whenever I travel to other wine regions of the world I take several bottles of high quality Mexican wine along for the journey. Wine lovers, enthusiasts and connoisseurs are always amazed that Mexico even makes wine, most thinking of us as strictly a beer and tequila country. But, after tasting samples of Sauvignon Blanc, Viognier, Grenache, Syrah, Tempranillo and Nebbiolo from Baja California many are impressed enough for friendly conversation, hospitality and sharing of their own wines. I live well within the boundaries of the wine culture, so many of the people I meet and taste wine with are winemakers, vineyard managers, winery owners, journalists, wine regions promoters and knowledgeable winery staff. It’s a little unusual to take your wine into other people’s tasting rooms, but it is generally appreciated as wine lovers as open to exploring wine from other regions, especially if they use the same varietals of grapes in their wine industry.
This month I ventured up old Highway 101 to Central Coast California exploring the wine regions of Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties. Traveling on Interstate 5 and Highway 405 towards 101 at Ventura, California I could cover ten miles in about 5 minutes, but once I arrived in the magnificent and beautiful wine country along scenic Highways 101, 154, 1, 246, and 135 in Santa Barbara County it took about 4 hours to cover ten miles, that’s one winery at a time! The Santa Barbara wine experience actually starts in downtown off of State Street on the Santa Barbara urban wine trail and extends north to the wine trails of Solvang, Santa Ynez, Los Olivos, Santa Rita Hills, Foxen Canyon and Santa Maria. This wine region is phenomenal, but the most impressive element is the environmental consciousness of almost everyone in the wine, agricultural, and hospitality industry with their “green mantra” of “local, sustainable and organic or biodynamic.” As an owner of a small French intensive organic vineyard in Mexico, I find this way of living most impressive, and now I understand why this region has stayed so green and healthy in contrast to the over-developed concrete jungles of southern California. When someone tells me that they make a natural product, recycle materials to make new ones, or treat the earth with respect, I immediately like them and their products. It just so happens that this region is leading the way in sustainable, organic and biodynamic vineyard management and winemaking technology in California. Despite the different growing methods used throughout this region most of the wine ranges in quality from outstanding and superior, to premium and “world class.”
One of the most impressive wines I explored was a 2005 Reserve Syrah from Addamo Vineyards of Santa Maria in northern Santa Barbara County. According to the Santa Maria Sun newspaper, “Addamo has the best tasting room in Santa Maria.” I would agree with that and further add that they have a beautiful, charming and most knowledgeable tasting room employee, Sienna Hamilton, who educated me about the wines, history and the dedication of this family in making “world class” wine. This Rhone-inspired 2005 Reserve Syrah shows hints of coffee, white and black pepper, huckleberries and plum flavors with a graceful and elegant finish. The soft tannins and well-balanced structure of this stunning Syrah fully complimented a beef tri-tip sandwich from their gourmet cafe. (In case you don’t know this ~ Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties produce fabulous, tender and delicious beef) Addamo makes other “palate pleasing wines” to include: 2005 Riesling, 2005 Chardonnay, 2005 Rose, 2004 Grenache, 2004 Pinot Noir, and 2005 Dolcetto.
Addamo Estate Vineyards are located in the hills of Santa Maria, east of Highway 101, where premium weather, cool ocean breezes and sandy loam soil create perfect conditions for growing superior fruit.