The Central Coast CALIFORNIA’S NEXT NEW THING
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central coast 6/8/06 12:23 PM Page 1 The Central Coast CALIFORNIA’S NEXT NEW THING BY ROGER MORRIS California’s vast Central Coast wine region stretches almost 300 miles from the Monterey Peninsula in the north to past Santa Barbara city in the south along broad, lightly populated valleys and jagged mountain ranges that are underlain by a system of seismic faults that still regularly give the area severe jolts. But what has really shaken up this variety of grape and at any price level. weekends and vacations to buy up bottles rustic land is the sudden rush of outside Many of these northern wineries quickly of the anointed nectar. It wasn’t always interest in the wine industry. It began a bought old vineyards or established new like this. few years ago when the wine royalty of ones here, and some even built new Napa and Sonoma discovered the poten- wineries. The History of the tial of the vast acreage in the upper Second, the movie Sideways – proba- Central Coast Salinas Valley and in nearby Paso Robles, bly the best-known film seen by the fewest The Central Coast was once just an after- which lies midway between Los Angeles people – suddenly turned Santa Barbara thought to California’s other wine regions, and San Francisco. They declared Paso County into a shrine for Pinot Noir such as the North Coast (Napa, Sonoma, Robles to be the Next New Thing, a place groupies, with hordes of wine pilgrims sud- Mendoncino counties and the Bay Area) where they could grow practically any denly flocking to rural tasting rooms on and the grape-rich Central Valley south- Springtime in Edna Valley features a blaze of yellow mustard in the vineyards with mountains in the background. central coast 6/8/06 12:23 PM Page 2 A View from the San Joaquin Valley red Franzia, whose Bronco Wine Company is the fourth largest Fwine company in the U.S., has been making headlines for decades, but particularly in the last five years. After creating major industry shock waves with “Two-Buck Chuck,” Franzia Fred Franzia ignited nationwide controversy with his very public fight with the Napa Valley Vintners over the right to use the name Napa on several of his wines produced from grapes grown outside the AVA. Recently, Franzia Head-pruned old zinfandel vines crawl declared that no wine is worth more than $10 a bottle. across the landscape at Turley’s Pesenti In addition to shaking up the wine world, Franzia knows Vineyard on Paso Robles’ West Side. a thing or two about growing grapes and making wine. And from his viewpoint in the San Joaquin Valley, the Central Coast needs to get its act together. “It’s the last priority of availability,” he said recently in a phone conversation from the Bronco headquarters at Ceres near Modesto. Whenever there’s a grape shortage in the big northern California winer- ies, he says, vintners look south – sometimes to Kern County, In 2005, after an average-volume sometimes to the Central Coast. “Then they retreat,” he says, when supply catches up with demand. vintage in 2004, the Central Quality Control The big problem, Franzia says, is that the Central Coast Coast led all regions in volume “doesn’t have a major-league winery,” such as his own eighteen million case facility in southern Napa, to make increase of grapes produced. huge qualities of value wines; those that taste good but sell for $15 a bottle or less, preferably less than $10. Because many wineries who source from here can’t process the wines locally, they have to truck them several hours to some- place else, which compromises the quality, he believes. east of Sacramento. If anything, it grapes produced. Production in San There is also a matter of attitude, says Franzia, whose was primarily known for vegetal red Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara coun- brands include Napa Ridge, Rutherford Vintners, wines coming out of Monterey ties was up 57.1 percent across all Hacienda, Forest Glen, Coastal Ridge, Charles Shaw (aka County with unwanted flavors of varieties of grapes, while Monterey Two Buck Chuck), and his brand-new Harlow Ridge. asparagus and bell pepper (a situation was up 48.1 percent, according to the “Central Coast winery owners,” Franzia says, “don’t know since cured by reducing crop levels California Agricultural Statistics what they want to be when they grow up. Do they want to and other vineyard techniques). But Service. be Napa or Sonoma or do they want to be Central Valley?” today the Central Coast has suddenly “Beginning in the late 1990s, A few years ago, growers ripped out of Central Valley become the new kid on the vineyard when there was a grape shortage, several thousand acres of Thompson seedless grapes – block, known for both the quality wineries from the North Coast and once a bulwark of the jug wine business. A classic case of and quantity of its wines. Central Valley started coming to Paso grape glut? Franzia says no. “It’s the normal amount of Geographically, the Central Robles to buy fruit and to plant vine- attrition that happens in the vineyard,” he says, pointing out Coast is primarily defined as three yards,” says winemaker Austin Hope. that as vines grow older, they become less productive. He large counties which encompass “At first, the grapes went north, but says Bronco’s goal is to “replace or upgrade” 5% to 10% several AVA’s or American now many are making the wine here of its acreage each year. “The market changes every day,” Viticultural Areas – Monterey as well.” Franzia says. “The people who buy wine change more (Carmel Valley, Arroyo Seco, Santa For years, Hope’s family sourced than the gatekeepers.” Lucia Highlands, San Lucas, Hames the Paso Robles grapes used in the He boldly predicts that over 1/3rd of wine sold in the United States in five years will be in what he calls the Valley, Chalone), San Luis Obispo popular Liberty School line of value “super value” category, under $10 a bottle, perhaps even (Paso Robles, Edna Valley, Arroyo varietal wines owned by Napa $5 – exactly the place where Bronco has positioned itself. Grande, York Mountain), and Santa Valley’s Caymus Vineyards. Now the And Bronco won’t be looking to the Central Coast as a Barbara (Santa Maria, Santa Ynez, Hopes own Liberty School and have source of these grapes. “Growers in that area always have Santa Rita Hills). expanded its offerings to include had a high-priced idea of themselves,” Franzia says. It’s In 2005, after an average-volume Syrah from Paso Robles. only his opinion, of course, but then Fred Franzia has vintage in 2004, the Central Coast Additionally, the Hope family pro- never been reticent to get in his two bucks’ worth. led all regions in volume increase of duces the higher-priced Treana red central coast 6/8/06 12:23 PM Page 3 and white, and Austin Hope has also started Paso Robles’ West Side is another story. that flow from the Pacific through the his own Rhone-style winery of the same Here, old-vine Zinfandel vineyards flourish Templeton Pass. Justin, Peachy Canyon, and name in the Syrah-rich hills on Paso Robles alongside newly planted Rhone varietals like Tablas Creek pioneered the West Side pre- West Side. Meanwhile, the Wagner family Syrah, Mourvedre, and Grenache which mium wines. In recent years Sonoma’s that owns Caymus still holds a fascination love the volcanic hills (the area was Rabbit Ridge relocated its total operations with the south, buying much of the Pinot wracked by a major earthquake just before here after initially buying grapes from the Noir for its new super-premium Belle Glos Christmas 2003) and the cool ocean breezes region, and Turley, which made its name and label from Santa Barbara County. East Side vs. West Side As Hope points out, Paso Robles’ East Side is a huge, hot, flat tableland that is ideal for making Cabernet Sauvignon and other Bordeaux style grapes. The soil here is most- ly a sandy clay loam, and, depending on cropping and harvesting practices, can make prize-winning reds or cost-effective varietals in large quantity. Gallo, Robert Mondavi, J. Lohr, and Fetzer all have vineyards in the region. As with the San Lucas area in Monterey County just to the north, Paso Robles’ East Side has become a great source of medium-priced, high-quality Cabernet Baileyana Winery also does custom crushing in the Edna Valley. Sauvignons. central coast 6/8/06 12:23 PM Page 4 Central Coast Wines Selections 2003 Austin Hope Paso Robles Syrah – Aromas and flavors of dark berries, apple butter, tar, smoked meat. Good tannins and structure in the Rhone Valley style. 2003 Baileyana “Grand Firepeak” Edna Valley Chardonnay – Very lively at first sip, followed by soft pear flavors and a creamy finish. The colorful Justin Winery in Paso Robles reflects the evening sun 2004 Belle Glos “Clark & Telephone” Santa Maria Pinot Noir – A stunning wine, very spicy with dark Bing cherries, touches of cedar, and a gamey, meaty finish. 2004 Fiddlehead “Happy Canyon” Santa Rita Hills Sauvignon Blanc – Lovely tastes of tart peaches, minerals, and apricots. 2003 Hames Valley Vineyard Hames Valley fortune with North Coast Zinfandels, Cabernet Franc – Berries and leather is the clas- bought the old Pesenti property on the sic Bordeaux prescription, and this nicely tuned West Side and the ancient vines that wine has cask-oak flavors, a touch of chalkiness came with it. and, a lingering flavor of huckleberries.