Wine 2 free tickets via Pulchella Winery for tomorrow’s Vine 2 Wine: How to win? Our two-ticket (valued at $110) winner must be willing to take notes and write a review on all the wines tasted (including pictures). The winner, and their efforts, will be published in both Eve’s Wine 101 blog and Pulchella Winery’s website. The first to contact Steve Lemley, co-owner of Santa Clarita’s own Pulchella Winery, wins.
And then, 9 minutes after Blogging, Tweeting and Facebooking this I had to do it again to say:
2 free tickets via Pulchella Winery for tomorrow’s Vine 2 Wine: WAS WON BY @goddessofvino DENISE LOWE IN 9 MINUTES http://ning.it/bcexAv
My work should have been done. I was going with my best gal pal, knew 95% of the wine peeps coming, and, more importantly, had shrugged off all of my duties. I had truly scored. Denise wrote her post within 4 hours of the event (see below) so I’ll only give you the Eve who-was-seen highlights and get back to my ever-present wine glass:
From Denise Lowe:
Thanks to my colleague Eve Hammond Bushman, I won tickets to the Vine 2 Wine event being held in Canyon Country today! It’s a charity event, held to benefit the Betty Ferguson Foundation, a group whose mission is “To Train, Develop and Empower Women and Youth to be a Vital Force in Society.” I was thrilled to win the tix, especially because they were being given by Steve Hemley of the Pulchella Winery, about whose wines I had heard great stuff, but had not yet had the chance to taste. That all changed today!
Nate Hasper and Steve Hemley (pictured left), owners and winemakers for Pulchella, are making small production, unfiltered, unfined, elegant and complex wines, mainly sourced from Paso Robles single vineyards. They had 3 Zinfandels, all of which were delish, although my favorite of the 3 was the 2008 Janes Vineyard version. Light in color due to some odd timing and weather issues, it was full-bodied with a huge spicy finish. They also had 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon that was my kind of wine – big tannins, spicy, peppery from some new American oak, with a long, soft finish. A very impressive outing for these 2 young men. I look forward to drinking more of their wines.
There were, of course, other wineries at the event. Les Deux Chats, a new winery whose website is still under construction, produces small quantities of Viognier, Rousanne, Syrah, and Zinfandel. The whites were lovely, especially the Viognier, which had a beautiful floral nose and terrific dry fruit along with the kind of minerality I really like. The Rousanne was also just beautiful, with an aromatic nose and an interesting Semillon-like quality. I think this little winery has a great future!
Quirky winery, Graveyard Vineyards, was represented by owner Paula Campbell, who was pouring some of their interesting wines from Paso Robles. These are winemakers with a strong sense of silliness, as evidenced in the names of their wines: Tombstone Red and White (both award winners at the California State Fair in Sacramento), Dark Phantom Petite Sirah, Mortal Zin Zinfandel, and Deliverance, a chocolate-fortified dessert wine that was pretty darn tasty.
Finishing up the day was Soaring Hawk Vineyards. Owner/winemaker Joe Fariss was only too happy to speak of his passion for making wine, and his Viognier, Syrah and Zinfandel were excellent exemplars of just how good Paso wines can be. I look forward to tasting his 2008 Syrah in another year or two. If there’s any left!
All in all, it was a delightful event, all for a good cause, and if it had just been around 20 degrees warmer, it would have been perfect. It was raw and cold and threatening rain, and only my love of the grape kept me there. I hope the Betty Ferguson Foundation made some money. JD and I finally bade adieu to Eve and the Pulchella gang and fled to the warmth of the car.
Now for a hot toddy! Cheers!
Highlights from the SCV Wine Calendar:
I invite you to check out my friend John Carter’s website for Bar Parts. I’ve interviewed him, taken wine classes with him and find his barpart company has the best overall pricing on the Internet. Go to his site, and if you see something cool you want to order (Good luck narrowing it down – there are over 500 items – all with guarantees!) click barparts.com. Shop local includes all of the Bar Parts you’ll ever need!”
Local TipS: Don’t golf? You can still support Single Mother’s Outreach with wine tasting now on 4/28. (Link)
We got some new Happy Hours from Vines Hyatt Valencia and Route 66 Classic Grill. Check out the SCV Wine Calendar to see their tasty deals for thirsty friends!
A Titanic Dinner Party & Book Signing at Vino 100 Valencia: John Smith’s last meal will be catered by Tamra Levine. Call for details/reservations: 661-294-6886.
Wine Tasting:
Join ME for sommelier DiMaggio Washington’s Wine Appreciation classes at All Corked Up on two Saturdays: 4/17 and 4/24. (But can only accommodate a couple dozen peeps so call asap to reserve, it’s only $10 an hour! 661-799-7979.)
And, do you think I can do two tastings on one day? It’s a wine 101 challenge as Valencia Wine Co. is having a “Killer Reds” tasting at 4pm 4/17.
Save the Date to MY ”E” Ticket: ”Watch Eve struggle with a corkscrew when she works at Valencia Wine Co. Tuesday 4/27 from 4-9 pm for a % of the evening’s sales to benefit the Unitarian Universalist Church of SCV.”
Yours, in wine and out,
Eve Bushman- commentary
Eve Bushman is a local writer that specializes in writing about wine. You can find great articles by Eve on her blog at http://www.evewine101.blogspot.com or email her at [email protected]. Her commentaries represent her own opinions and not necessarily the views of any organization she may be affiliated with or those of the West Ranch Beacon. She is also now on Facebook and has a monthly column in http://scvelitemagazine.com
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