Another day in Temecula Wine Country with Paula & Chris… with its breathtaking natural beauty,and warm soothing weather. The snow capped mountains and bright yellow mustard plants growing between fields of vines were all ingredients for the perfect Spring day.
We started off our Temecula wine tour at Paula and Chris’s house. They have the perfect set up for a wine party. Their house is filled with wine décor featuring framed wine art, wine bottle peppermill, ceramic wine chiller, wine plates, slate cheese tray, wine lamp, professional wine opener, dual temp wine refrigerator and more… and just about every wine accessory imaginable. Though I noticed on our last wine trip they were missing one of our best sellers the Clef Du Vin Pocket Professional. So, Sean and I brought one with us on our visit to Temecula. We had fun testing our favorite wine accessories and aerator together.
After our wine experiment we sipped wine and nibbled on three well paired cheeses: Gorgonzola Piccante a robust, firm hard cheese that crumbles and pairs well with a full bodied red. The Aged Gouda, a full flavored cheese and New York Cheddar, both went great with the sliced meat. We devoured the delicious crackers with dry salami and the option of accenting your appetizer with my favorite the Chipolte Deli Style Gourmet Mustard by Griffin or Sweet Hot Mustard Honey by Inglehoffer.
Once again, Sean and I want to thank Paula and Chris for their warm hospitality as well as their insights into more Temecula Wine Country locations for this trip. I told you we’d be back…
Temecula Wineries
Our one Temecula day tour included tastings at three southern California wineries. Each had their own distinctive atmosphere being cottage style and quaint, casual and homey, or modern and stately. Our Temecula Tasting Tour Included Visits to:
- Briar Rose Winery
- Alexs Red Barn Winery
- Monte De Oro Winery
Briar Rose Winery
First stop on our wine tour is a boutique winery called Briar Rose, a hidden gem in Temecula Valley. We didn’t know what to expect of this winery since it was recently introduced to even Paula and Chris, who both live here. The enchanting walk through the tall hedges that fronted a fairy tale like cottage put on the set of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, it was an absolute treasure.
We checked in for our reservation (as required by reservation only) and viewed their premium and standard tasting lists, which were surprisingly expensive. We selected their premium tasting then stepped outside to a courtyard of tables with an amazing view of stone columned fence, fields of flowers and snowy peaked caps of mountains. The back drop of natural beauty and the adjacent quaint cottage architecture was the perfect setting for an afternoon tasting.
Premium Tasting List
- 2009 Estate Viognier
- 2004 Holiday Petit Verdot
- 2005 Temecula One
- 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon
- 2007 “Katrina” Estate Zinfandel
- 2009 Talking Frog
Long story short – we joined their wine club since every since one of their wine was absolutely terrific! Just about all of their wines are Estate bottled. This means their wines are made with 100% from grapes grown on their vineyards. Our beautiful wine hostess, Christine, explained further that their handcrafted Temecula wines can only be purchased at their winery since Briar Rose Winery produces wines in small quantities with great care.
One of Sean’s favorites was their 2009 Estate Viognier. It is a perfect poolside summer white wine that is light and filled with peach aromas. Christine then introduced us to their 2004 Petit Verdot. It boasted more flavors and aromas since it comes from a first press as wineries generally press their grapes several times.
Their premier wines usually consist of the first press which extracts the flavor and aroma from the skin of the grapes. This wine exhibited a massive structure filled with aromas of white pepper, spice, blackberry, and truffle with a lingering finish of blackberries, clove, and plum. At first this was my favorite of their excuisite wines but then we were introduced to even better reds.
The next wine upset us as Christine explained Briar Rose Winery’s 1st place award winning wine. It originally scored 95 points at the Caesars Palace wine contest. Once the judges heard it was from Temecula they dropped it 4 points. How can this be?? This is what Temecula wine lovers call “valley prejudice”. Before a drop of wine hit my glass, the first served at the end of the table were in awe. Chris said, “the nose on this one is incredible – cedar and sage.” Sitting at the opposite end of the table, I now was even more eager to try this wine after such a great comment by an avid wine taster. Finally my turn came, you must visit Brian Rose Winery to try this spectacularly light but body filled wine. It is a blended wine modeled after the Italian Super Tuscan blend of Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Merlot. It is superb!
We all thoroughly enjoyed their 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon from their private collection. This was actually my favorite! This medium body wine has notes of cherries, tobacco, and spices. It is aged for 18 months in French oak and is said to evolve over time into an enchanted wine.
The 2007 “Katrina” Estate Zinfandel has a light jammy finish of ripe black cherries and plum. The jammy finish isn’t as strong as the wines from Paso but is different in that it has a refreshing long finish. The last wine we tried is their 2009 Talking Frog a carbonated Viognier. We were informed that it is created with Hefeweizen beer thus the name Hefe-N-Vine. Being one of my favorite beers I had to switch my selection from their last premier list tasting of the 2009 Fume Rose to this unique sparkling wine. It was such a unique wine, and refreshing one as well that we went home with a bottle which we’re saving for a hot day on the beach.
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