The Paring: A Quality Wine for $25 per Bottle
Many people equate quality with price. While it may be a fair assumption sometimes, it does not hold up under all circumstances. In fact, one quest for wine enjoyers could be to find the best wine for the best price. Price, for many, is a hurdle that gets in the way of enjoying many different wines.
Herein lies the opportunity: The Paring is a well-crafted, modestly priced wine to enjoy anytime. The vineyards are located in Santa Ynez in Santa Barbara County. The winemaker is Matt Dees who skillfully makes JONATA, The Hilt, and The Paring. (For my Midwest friends, he is from MO.) This property is a “sister” to Screaming Eagle as both wineries are owned by the same individual. Matt brings great skill to his craft and delivers on quality. I have enjoyed wines from all three labels for which he is the winemaker and have written about all three labels on the blog before (here, here, and here). The price and quality of The Paring bear repeating.
Taking It to “The Hilt”
By definition, the hilt means “in full.” That is exactly what I discovered when tasting the Pinot Noir “The Hilt” from Santa Barbara. The wine is silky and smooth with rich, lush flavors. Given that experience, I wondered how I had missed the opportunity in the past. Nonetheless, I am glad I found it. The Old Guard is the bottle I tried first, and I was wowed by the depth of flavor and how long the finish sailed on. This was a real treat to discover!
Pinot Noir presents challenges and to drink it done so masterfully is a treat. The vine itself is a difficult partner and can fall flat. It has been called the heartbreak variety since it is a frail vine and subject to many diseases and mutation. Its clusters are usually small and challenging to evenly ripen. So what makes it appealing? It can provide subtle depth of flavors and an array of notes to accompany the fruit flavors of Cranberry, Cherry and Raspberry. Its high acidity and low tannins profile make it a wonderful partner for many meals. When you find one like The Hilt, it really makes for a fabulous dinner.
The Paring: A Great Value!
The ‘Holy Grail’ of wine buying is quality at a modest price. This one fits that bill! One of the ‘top notch’ wineries of Southern California is Jonata. Their wines are deep, rich and textured. The Paring is their second label that competes with many wines. I recently received an offer that I wanted to share with you. This offer is definitely worth considering given the portfolio and cost – just $25 per bottle for wines that are well rated. Purchase a case, and the shipping is only $1.
This is a value that I never pass up. (Even my friends in Pennsylvania can now have wine shipped to them.) Check it out here:
A Great Value: “The Paring Wines”
A big challenge for wine lovers is to find excellent wine to enjoy at a great price. This is the “Holy Grail” for wine enthusiasts. One of the producers that fits that bill for me is “The Paring.” This is a label out of the Central Coast of California close to Santa Barbara. I found this wine when visiting Jonata in that same area. The Paring is Jonata’s second label and really worth every penny. How many pennies you ask? The Paring wines sell for $25 a bottle. Given what is in the bottle, this is remarkable!
Two More Stops in Santa Barbara
Wineries of the middle and southern Central Coast of California are mostly casual visits and offer a very down to earth experience. Many are small family operations with simple tasting rooms. This may well be attributable to the late development of wineries in the area. It was not until the 1980s that viticulture took off here. In 1970, there were only 171 acres of grapes in Santa Barbara County. By 1998, there were 16,500 acres generating great revenue.
Last week, I talked about our visit to Jonata. During our day of wine tasting, we also visited Stolpman Vineyards and Beckmen Vineyards. Both are examples of family wineries making a mark in the Santa Barbara area.
A Visit to Santa Barbara and a Stop at Jonata Wines
How many of you saw the movie Sideways? It was the movie that literally spurred sales of Pinot Noir and seriously dampened the sales and tarnished the reputation of Merlot. It was filmed in the wine region of Santa Barbara. For those who recall, it really did have an impact on the region and the sale of these two varietals. Having had many great Merlots, I don’t share the sentiments expressed about Merlot in the movie, but Sideways is a fun flick.
Santa Barbara is an area located on California’s Central Coast, and it is beautiful. It is two hours north of Los Angeles. It has a local airport, and you can fly in without a long drive. The coast here runs generally east to west, contributing to smaller microclimates where different varietals flourish. In the northern region, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir prosper, as it is a more maritime climate. In the southern region, you travel easterly, and this produces hotter days and cooler nights. Bordeaux and Rhone varietals flourish in the more extreme climate. The benefit of this region is that you can explore many grape varieties without leaving one area.