Wine Club Newsletter - May 2015
Pace Yourself
Hi Club Members. This month we have a couple of firsts, best I can recollect over 20 years.
- We are using only one producer for all wines in each club.
- All the wines are made available to us only here in San Diego. An exclusive purchase of a very fine product.
- Check out the winery prices, and then the prices we are able to offer you. Pace winery was quite generous in their dealings with us, and I want to pass those savings along to all my WineSellar wine club members.
So with all this, I want to offer you some insight about Pace Winery itself.
First, as you may well know by know, we met them at the Garagiste Wine Tasting in Solvang in early April. There were 60 producers there, pouring about 275 wines. We couldn’t get around to all of them, but we did find a number of excellent candidates for future WineSellar Club entries.
Pace Winery is of course one of these. Getting to their booth, we met the family and instantly enjoyed their personalities, their drive, passion, and just how down to earth these people are. Here’s their story:
Randy and Kate Pace have been making wine since 1981. The first year we made wine from Zinfandel grapes grown along the Trinity River near Willow Creek in Northern California. Over the years we made a variety of wines including a Zinfandel that won an award at the Home Winemakers Classic wine tasting in Napa Valley. The wine was called "Seat Belt Special".
We've had a lot of fun over the years making small quantities of wine in the Napa Valley until 1998. During this time, 1982 - 1999, Randy worked at Stag's Leap Wine Cellars in Napa Valley with Warren Winiarski as Chief Operations Officer. We moved to Santa Ynez Valley in 1999, where Randy was General Manager of Bridlewood Winery for three years. Randy returned to Stag's Leap Wine Cellars in 2001 and worked for three years, retiring after 20 years of service.
In 2006 Randy started the project that became in 2008 Terravant Wine Company in Buellton, CA, where he is currently General Manager.
Our first commercial vintage was 2006 when we produced one barrel of Syrah made exclusively from our Syrah vineyard in our backyard. The vineyard was planted in 2001. It is organically farmed and all aspects of farming are done by hand with meticulous care for each individual vine.
Every year we have combined fruit with other small, like-minded grape growers in the area. Every Fall when physiological ripeness is achieved, our fruit is hand-picked and sorted in the vineyard before delivery to the winery.
Our 2006 and 2007 vintages were produced at Cottonwood Canyon Winery in Santa Maria, and in 2008 we began producing our wine at Terravant Wine Company in Buellton.
Our children have been involved with the winemaking for many years, but beginning with the 2010 vintage our son Ryan, who has since graduated in 2013 from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Wine and Viticulture, has taken on many of the decisions acting as Assistant Winemaker.
During this time Ryan has worked at Terravant Wine Company, Indevin in New Zealand, Opus One in Napa Valley, Naturaliste Vintners in Margaret River, Australia, Center of Effort in Edna Valley, Tensley Wines in Los Olivos, and Domaine Francios Villard in France. His next stop is 2014 vintage in Muratie, Stellenbosch, South Africa. At age 25, Ryan will have 10 years of harvest winemaking experience all over the world.
We have a unique approach to winemaking. We pay careful attention in the vineyard. As the grapes ripen in the Fall we are careful to pick the grapes at the peak of their physiological ripeness, which is not to say that we wait until the potential alcohol is 15-16%. We make wine that is expressive of the varietal without characteristics that are commonly found in overripe and high alcohol wines.
We are also unique in our winemaking style by learning that color extraction from the grape skins is essentially complete by the time the must (juice and skins) has fermented down to about 8 degrees brix. We then press the skins off early around 6 degrees brix and complete fermentation in new and used oak barrels. This process beautifully integrates the oak into the wine at an early age.
Additionally we keep the wine on the lees and lees stir for six months, which adds richness and mouth-feel. The wine is then racked off the gross lees and aged an additional 16 months in primarily French Oak barrels.
2012 Pace, Syrah
Growing Region: Santa Ynez Valley, California
Varietal Blend: 100% Syrah
Fermentation: 100% New French Oak
Alcohol Content: 13.5%
Suggested Retail: $35.00
WineSellar Club Case Price: $22.49
Broad Strokes:
In last months Wonderful World of Wine, I wrote about the Garagiste tasting I went to in Solvang in April. The Pace wines I bought are a direct result of that event. The wines were a standout at the tasting for us, and we really enjoyed meeting the family that runs the operation. What’s really cool is that these wines are exclusive to you, as their production is so small they don’t have distribution in San Diego. We got the wine direct. A mere 25 cases of Syrah were made in 2012, and we got the last 9 of them.
Appearance:
The black package with embossed white highlights . . . I like the way it looks on the shelf. “Pace” is a little difficult to read is my only comment. When you pour the wine, the air bubbles are a youthful dark purple. The wine is nearly black at the core, with it weaning off to magenta at the glass rim.
Nose:
GREAT nose! Dark fruits, cassis, sweet vanilla oak, smoke, sizzling bacon fat, graphite, road tar and asphalt, gravel, mineral, biscuit, grilled toast, and leather . . . what can I say? Just heavenly.
Texture:
Winery: Juicy and savory on the palate, solid tannin foundation. Gary: Medium-full in body. Silky, rich, yet quite elegant. Tasting ready to drink on the palate, but sneaky tannins hold it firm.
Flavors:
I liken this to a fine Cote-Rotie from the Rhone Valley of France but with a California twist. Ripe dark cherry and blackberry/cassis fruit nuances. Creamed coffee, cinnamon, roasted hazelnuts, and very interesting notes of root beer, cola and Dr. Pepper.
Serving Suggestions:
The winery is saying 10 years of aging potential, and I quite agree. But it is so seamless and ready to drink; it’s hard to resist opening it up and giving it a whirl. BBQ and grilled meats, ripe cheese, tomato based pastas all will sing with this beauty.
2012 Pace, Sauvignon Blanc
Growing Region: Santa Ynez Valley, California
Varietal Blend: 100% Sauvignon Blanc
Fermentation: 100% Stainless Steel
Alcohol Content: 14.1%
Suggested Retail: $24.00
WineSellar Club Case Price: $19.79
Broad Strokes:
In last month’s Wonderful World of Wine, I wrote about the Garagiste tasting I went to in Solvang in April. The Pace wines I bought are a direct result of that event. The wines were a standout at the tasting for us, and we really enjoyed meeting the family that runs the operation. What’s really cool is that these wines are exclusive to you, as their production is so small they don’t have distribution in San Diego. We got the wine direct. A mere 125 cases of Sauvignon Blanc were made in 2012, and we got 15 of them. I hope that’s enough!
Appearance:
When I first lined up the Pace wines upon delivery, they all looked like red wines, including this one. Once again I was fooled by the dark glass bottle. However I like the way it looks very much. The wine has a silver-gold hue, and is brilliant, looking clean and clear.
Nose:
Changing by the minute, the fragrance starts off with a crush of fresh herbs, then evolves into grapefruit, some tropical fruit notes, then eucalyptus, anise, white pepper and finally orange blossom.
Texture:
Medium in weight, you can sense the softness the wine has after two years in the bottle. It still feels fresh, and the acid pops through after 15 minutes or so, working more flavors out of the wine. The finish is clean, even, and long lasting.
Flavors:
Delicious. Complex. Better with every minute of air. Changing, changing, changing. Grapefruit, honeydew melon, lemongrass, candied citrus, green pea, fresh spring water, tropical fruit, pineapple, all kinds of yummy stuff!
Serving Suggestions:
Ready to drink now, and will hold another year for sure. The winery recommends Thai curry with seafood, pan-seared scallops and oysters. I enjoyed it just on its own while preparing dinner and watching the sun go down. Totally delightful!
2011 Pace, Syrah, Thompson Vineyard
Growing Region: Santa Barbara County, California
Varietal Blend: 100% Syrah
Fermentation: 30% New American Oak, 70% French
Alcohol Content: 13.8%
Suggested Retail: $45.00
WineSellar Club Case Price: $31.49
Broad Strokes:
In the nearly twenty years we have had our wine clubs going, I think we have had only one wine in all three wine clubs. In last month’s Wonderful World of Wine, I wrote about the Garagiste tasting I went to in Solvang in April. The Pace wines I bought are a direct result of that event. This is a very special wine, and at a very special price. We got the wine direct. A mere 68 cases of Syrah were made in 2011, and we got 25 of them.
Appearance:
The wine is black at the core, with a dark purple rim. It has beautiful legs, and clings like 30 weight oil as it slides down the bowl. The black package with embossed white highlights . . . I like the way it looks on the shelf. “Pace” is a little difficult to read is my only comment.
Nose:
Four to six inches from the top of the glass, the wine blows dark fruit of black cherry, with vanilla, oak, spices, rounded exotic wood, mulberry, roasted nuts (and peanuts), black and white pepper, star anise and spearmint. Exotic and complex!
Texture:
The wine is rich and full bodied. While the tannins are soft, the wine looms large in the palate. Creamy and silky texture has a hint of cranberry acid, and it is balanced and even throughout its travels in your mouth. Makes my mouth water.
Flavors:
A fruit and spice bomb with excellent balance and the similar Cote-Rotie character that the 2012 Pace Santa Ynez Syrah has. Dark cherry and plum fruits, with a deft touch of wood. Look to the nose for more flavor descriptors. Some fig and prune compote. The wine closes up a little after opening, but comes back around again.
Serving Suggestions:
I think 10-15 years of aging would make this a great wine. But as with the 2012 Syrah, it is seamless and ready to drink; it’s hard to resist opening it up and giving it a whirl. BBQ and grilled meats, ripe cheese, tomato-based pastas all will excel with it.
2012 Pace Cabernet Sauvignon, Estelle Vineyard
Growing Region: Santa Barbara County, California
Varietal Blend: 100% Cabernet Sauvignon
Fermentation: 75% French, 25% American Oak
Alcohol Content: 14.5%
Suggested Retail: $45.00
WineSellar Club Case Price: $40.49
Broad Strokes:
The Estelle Vineyard is a very special place for Cabernet Sauvignon. It is two or three miles closer to the ocean than vineyards in the Happy Canyon area. Therefore, it rarely gets onto the 100-degree range, generally staying in the 90-degree area during the summer months. This makes for a longer growing season, and for more balanced fruit-to-acid ratios. A mere 96 cases of Cabernet were made in 2012.
Appearance:
The wine is very dark magenta at the core, lightening up as it gets to the rim of the glass. Like the Thompson Syrah, it has beautiful legs, and clings like 30 weight oil as it slides down the bowl. The black package with embossed white highlights . . . I like the way it looks on the shelf. “Pace” is a little difficult to read is my only comment.
Nose:
A very enticing straight forward Cabernet Sauvignon nose, with excellent ripe fruit notes, smoke, roasted almonds, lots of spice, chocolate, eucalyptus/mint, some catchy earth and wood notes.
Texture:
The texture is the thing on this wine I like the most. It is seamless, smooth, and elegant. Notice the rich, focused palate feel. A nice creamy component, I liken it to half-and-half going into my coffee. There is luscious, tongue-smacking blackberry fruit that I love. Has a nice edge to clean up on the finish.
Flavors:
Coming at us with dark berry fruits and creamy vanilla tones that are immediately satisfying. Good, solid wood at the center, with clove, chocolate, roasted nuts, graham cracker and caramel. New World style of wine that I REALLY enjoy!
Serving Suggestions:
This wine will do well for another 10-17 years. But it’s great now. It is so seamless that you can drink it without food and not feel wanting, yet you could also have some grilled steaks to go alongside of it.
Grilled Romaine Lettuce
Serves four (side dish)
Summer is coming! I’ve updated the recipe for this side dish, which provides a fine complement to grilled meats or fish, and is simple and refreshing. You can use your favorite salad dressing if you prefer, or the one provided below. Feel free to add other ingredients to whichever dressing you choose, such as chile oil, truffle oil, ginger, etc. to tailor the flavor of the dish to your needs.
Ingredients
2 to 4 Heads Small Romaine Lettuce
Ingredients for Dressing
- 1/2 Cup Fine Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 1/4 Cup Balsamic Vinegar
- 1 Clove Garlic, chopped very fine
- 1 Tablespoon Dijon Mustard (optional)
- 1 Tablespoon Chopped Shallot
- Pinch Salt & Black Pepper
Method
- Depending upon size, cut the Romaine lettuce in half, quarter or leave whole to make one serving. Do not cut off the bottom stem, as this is needed to hold the lettuce wedge together. (Stems are bitter, so either cut off or alert guests before serving.)
- Clean and rinse lettuce wedges thoroughly in water, then pat dry. Set aside in refrigerator until ready to grill.
- Combine dressing ingredients in a small bowl and whisk until blended completely.
- Place one wedge at a time of Romaine on a long, flat bowl or plate (long enough to accommodate the lettuce) and very lightly dress parts of the interior and exterior of each lettuce wedge, using your fingers. You do not need to cover every portion of each leaf. Figure you will dab about 50-70% of the surface with the dressing. You will have dressing left over for another time.
- Place Romaine wedges on the grill, watch and turn carefully. The idea is not to cook or wilt the lettuce all the way through the wedge, but to heat the exterior quickly, allowing the inside of the wedge to gain very little temperature. The goal is to have warm, grill softened leafs on the outside, and lightly heated or slightly cool, crisp leafs on the inside.
Options
- You may make the dressing a day or two ahead of time, as it improves in flavor after 24 hours.