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.
Dunn: A Napa Valley Classic
One of the most iconic cabernets out of Napa Valley is the Dunn Cabernet from Dunn Vineyards. Randy Dunn, the primary principal of this winery, started his career with Caymus back in the 1970’s. He began his own winery in the latter part of that decade. Randy has been known and respected throughout the valley for crafting and creating big, muscular wines that age and age.
Mike Dunn (Randy’s son) is the cellar master and assistant wine maker and has assumed many more of the day-to-day responsibilities of the winery over the past seven years. Mike also started his own label — crafting his own style of wine called Retro, which is a Petite Syrah. He has two wines that are big, bold, and age-able, yet approachable young — at a killer price. His Retro label sells for under $35 and will age gracefully.