The most memorable experience of wine tasting occurred at the last winery that was visited. Referred by another winery and located over the river, through the woods, up the side of the hill and precariously nestled among a huge grove of stately oak trees lies Starr Ranch. The ranch consists of approximately 15 acres of grapes and 85 acres of walnut, persimmon and other fruit trees, is owned by a Connecticut transplant named Judy Starr.
Judy is a spry, perky, adventurous, mature women who does it all on her ranch. She reminds me of someone with their own PBS television show who can make something out of anything and enjoys nothing more than sharing her passions with others.
Arriving at the ranch, you may need to gather your bearing as the ride leading up the hill is a bit colorful. The road is curvy with several surprises that seem to lurk around every corner. One such surprise resembled a demonic version of Wilbur, the pig in the book "Charlotte's Web." Having never seen a feral pig, I nearly took out the wayward oinker as it darted out in front of Kenji. (For those reading the blog for the first time, my car is named Kenji.)
Locking up the brakes and watching the evil, undercooked, spiral ham escape under a fence, we continued the drive up the side of a hill with a near 90 degree incline. Kenji was not happy with the uphill slope and begged to be shifted into a lower gear. As we pushed against gravity, the surrounding landscape was hard to ignore. The vines dotted the hillside facing towards the sun for maximum exposure. This was exciting to see because my favorite types of grapes (varietals) all require an abundance of sunshine to produce excellent quality fruit.
We parked next to the winery and enjoyed the view for a few moments before the chill in the air became too much to endure. As I walked to the front door, a small welcome sign shaped like a bucket and capable of holding flowers was nailed to the door. This put a smile on my face and eased my still shaking form the drive nerves.
The tasting room had a look and feel of an artists studio. Two separate counters beckoned visitors to sidle up and sit a spell. The rest of the room served as office and storage space.
The feel of the room was warm and comfortably familiar. As an artist, a space well lived in and slightly cluttered with your "stuff" provides a homey, relaxing atmosphere. Just think of a friend that you visit often who makes no effort to tidy up before you arrive. There was not a lot of effort to conceal the inner workings of the winery and this made me feel quite at home.
Judy Greeted me after a few moments and I walked over to where she was pouring for a young couple. She immediately made me feel as if this was not a first time visit. It is only right to mention that the referring winery painted a picture of her as being a tough as nails, take no prisoners, frontier woman who could have easily been a member of the Donner party. (We all know what happened to the Donner party, right?) Moving forward.
Judy was warm, gracious and humble. She spoke freely about her desire to move west and begin anew as a gentlewoman, farmer. As she spoke, one could begin to see her tough, tenacious interior, but the contagious smile on her face belied a lady who was quite pleased with where she was in life. She preferred dialogue and was more interested in what her guests had to say then dominating the conversation with wine speak. I was in awe of her tale of a woman in midlife who tossed caution to the wind and moved west. She had not formal training in farming, nor did she have a degree or extensive knowledge of winemaking. What she had was a visceral (this means guts!) sense that she wanted a change in her life and she always wanted to be a farmer. Thus, in a tale that sounds uniquely familiar to the Beverly Hillbilly saga, she literally loaded up her family and moved west.
By the seat of her pants and with no fear of getting dirty, Judy has carved out a reputation in Paso Robles as a hard working, humble, and forthright business woman. She is consistently learning something new and accepts the unpredictable challenges that a life in agriculture can sometimes create. She encouraged me to follow my dreams and to always look at life from a positive point of view. One could sit at her feet and listen to her sage wisdom endlessly. She is definitely proud of her accomplishments and makes no apology for the well earned dirt under her fingernails.
Like any good hostess, there was an abundance of munchies to accompany the small selection of artisan wine. As mentioned earlier, there were two counters to taste wine. The other is occupied by winemaker, Bob Fuller. Bob is one of small group of winemakers who produce and market small lots of wine under their own label through the winery. His label, Deodoro Cellars, produces a selection of extremely small, (think a barrel or two of each), red and white wines. He also makes Judy's wine. Now, let's talk wine.
Judy mentioned that all of her wines were red, and this suited me just fine. Beginning with the 2010 Supernova, a Rhone blend of Grenach, Mourvedre and Syrah, the wine presented with a touch of smoke and vanilla to my eagerly awaiting olfactory senses. (In lay terms, the wine smelled good!) Easy to drink and layered with complexity, this wine was like no other tasted in Paso Robles during this visit. To be kind, we'll call it an atomic fruit bomb.
Next, Judy poured a wonderful Bordeaux blend called "Marriage." The 2010 vintage was produced in honor of her son and his soon-to-be bride. Consisting of Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon, this wine nearly exploded in my mouth. The only words that can accurately describe this wine are immensely orgasmic! Considering that I am the poster child for commitment phobia, a long term relationship could happen with this wine.
Merlot has never been a favorite grape, but when blended in a Bordeaux style wine with Cab dominating the relationship, this vino diva could easily entertain the thought of one day walking down the aisle into holy matrimonial bliss.(Not!) Moving forward. This wine really had something special going on in every sip. Dark cherry,blah, blah, blah...the wine was awesome!
Next in the line-up was the reserve Cabernet Sauvignon. OMG! I nearly had to slap myself into the present. Allowing my eyes to roll back into their sockets and inhaling deeply, all things terroir burst through the crystal glassware. Btw, the quality of the glassware can and does affect the way wine tastes, I digress.
Dirt; not soil, dirt. There was nothing earthy about this wine, it was purely full of luscious, loamy, mineral laced, dirty, dirt. It would not have been a surprise to see pebbles and fossils pour out of the bottle. As Judy poured the wine, the odoriferous terroir (this means stinky dirt) wafted from the bottle causing me an insatiable desire to wallow in mud. Spicy, fruity and oh so dirty, this bottle was reminiscent of some of the best Napa Cabernet's in my vast, ever growing collection of wine without the Napa price tag. To be convince my palate that it was not being deceived, Judy poured a nice, heavy pour and continued to do so until Bob reminded us that he too had some wine to share.
Tearing myself away from Judy's counter and savoring a last taste of Marriage, no pun intended, Bob lead me over to his wares.
Beginning with the Windansea Great White, a easy drinker, and classy white wine, it was tasty and refreshing. I must remind everyone that white wine is not my forte, but I am always willing to try something new. Next he poured the Pantheon Red blend. Yummy, and so affordable.
The coupe de gras, Syrah. Dark, silky and blah, blah, blah, you will have to make a trip to this lovely little off the beaten path winery to find out for yourself.
Bob was the consummate, laid back, professional at all times and perfect gentleman host. His passion for winemaking bordered on an obsession with allowing wine to become wine and not doing too much fiddling around with a formula that works. He also does not take himself too seriously and his dry humor was infectious.
I will be returning to Paso Robles in the next few weeks, and will gather more information about this rare gem of a far out winery. Because I too am a lady, I will not offer my usual two slaps upside the head accolades for a winery that does well, but I will say that Starr Ranch is worthy of a road trip visit. Plan to spend some time with Bob and Judy. Their wines stand out among several great places that I visited.
Until next time, Salute'.
Karen
Judy is a spry, perky, adventurous, mature women who does it all on her ranch. She reminds me of someone with their own PBS television show who can make something out of anything and enjoys nothing more than sharing her passions with others.
Locking up the brakes and watching the evil, undercooked, spiral ham escape under a fence, we continued the drive up the side of a hill with a near 90 degree incline. Kenji was not happy with the uphill slope and begged to be shifted into a lower gear. As we pushed against gravity, the surrounding landscape was hard to ignore. The vines dotted the hillside facing towards the sun for maximum exposure. This was exciting to see because my favorite types of grapes (varietals) all require an abundance of sunshine to produce excellent quality fruit.
We parked next to the winery and enjoyed the view for a few moments before the chill in the air became too much to endure. As I walked to the front door, a small welcome sign shaped like a bucket and capable of holding flowers was nailed to the door. This put a smile on my face and eased my still shaking form the drive nerves.
The tasting room had a look and feel of an artists studio. Two separate counters beckoned visitors to sidle up and sit a spell. The rest of the room served as office and storage space.
The feel of the room was warm and comfortably familiar. As an artist, a space well lived in and slightly cluttered with your "stuff" provides a homey, relaxing atmosphere. Just think of a friend that you visit often who makes no effort to tidy up before you arrive. There was not a lot of effort to conceal the inner workings of the winery and this made me feel quite at home.
Judy was warm, gracious and humble. She spoke freely about her desire to move west and begin anew as a gentlewoman, farmer. As she spoke, one could begin to see her tough, tenacious interior, but the contagious smile on her face belied a lady who was quite pleased with where she was in life. She preferred dialogue and was more interested in what her guests had to say then dominating the conversation with wine speak. I was in awe of her tale of a woman in midlife who tossed caution to the wind and moved west. She had not formal training in farming, nor did she have a degree or extensive knowledge of winemaking. What she had was a visceral (this means guts!) sense that she wanted a change in her life and she always wanted to be a farmer. Thus, in a tale that sounds uniquely familiar to the Beverly Hillbilly saga, she literally loaded up her family and moved west.
By the seat of her pants and with no fear of getting dirty, Judy has carved out a reputation in Paso Robles as a hard working, humble, and forthright business woman. She is consistently learning something new and accepts the unpredictable challenges that a life in agriculture can sometimes create. She encouraged me to follow my dreams and to always look at life from a positive point of view. One could sit at her feet and listen to her sage wisdom endlessly. She is definitely proud of her accomplishments and makes no apology for the well earned dirt under her fingernails.
Like any good hostess, there was an abundance of munchies to accompany the small selection of artisan wine. As mentioned earlier, there were two counters to taste wine. The other is occupied by winemaker, Bob Fuller. Bob is one of small group of winemakers who produce and market small lots of wine under their own label through the winery. His label, Deodoro Cellars, produces a selection of extremely small, (think a barrel or two of each), red and white wines. He also makes Judy's wine. Now, let's talk wine.
Judy mentioned that all of her wines were red, and this suited me just fine. Beginning with the 2010 Supernova, a Rhone blend of Grenach, Mourvedre and Syrah, the wine presented with a touch of smoke and vanilla to my eagerly awaiting olfactory senses. (In lay terms, the wine smelled good!) Easy to drink and layered with complexity, this wine was like no other tasted in Paso Robles during this visit. To be kind, we'll call it an atomic fruit bomb.
Next, Judy poured a wonderful Bordeaux blend called "Marriage." The 2010 vintage was produced in honor of her son and his soon-to-be bride. Consisting of Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon, this wine nearly exploded in my mouth. The only words that can accurately describe this wine are immensely orgasmic! Considering that I am the poster child for commitment phobia, a long term relationship could happen with this wine.
Next in the line-up was the reserve Cabernet Sauvignon. OMG! I nearly had to slap myself into the present. Allowing my eyes to roll back into their sockets and inhaling deeply, all things terroir burst through the crystal glassware. Btw, the quality of the glassware can and does affect the way wine tastes, I digress.
Dirt; not soil, dirt. There was nothing earthy about this wine, it was purely full of luscious, loamy, mineral laced, dirty, dirt. It would not have been a surprise to see pebbles and fossils pour out of the bottle. As Judy poured the wine, the odoriferous terroir (this means stinky dirt) wafted from the bottle causing me an insatiable desire to wallow in mud. Spicy, fruity and oh so dirty, this bottle was reminiscent of some of the best Napa Cabernet's in my vast, ever growing collection of wine without the Napa price tag. To be convince my palate that it was not being deceived, Judy poured a nice, heavy pour and continued to do so until Bob reminded us that he too had some wine to share.
Tearing myself away from Judy's counter and savoring a last taste of Marriage, no pun intended, Bob lead me over to his wares.
Beginning with the Windansea Great White, a easy drinker, and classy white wine, it was tasty and refreshing. I must remind everyone that white wine is not my forte, but I am always willing to try something new. Next he poured the Pantheon Red blend. Yummy, and so affordable.
The coupe de gras, Syrah. Dark, silky and blah, blah, blah, you will have to make a trip to this lovely little off the beaten path winery to find out for yourself.
Bob was the consummate, laid back, professional at all times and perfect gentleman host. His passion for winemaking bordered on an obsession with allowing wine to become wine and not doing too much fiddling around with a formula that works. He also does not take himself too seriously and his dry humor was infectious.
I will be returning to Paso Robles in the next few weeks, and will gather more information about this rare gem of a far out winery. Because I too am a lady, I will not offer my usual two slaps upside the head accolades for a winery that does well, but I will say that Starr Ranch is worthy of a road trip visit. Plan to spend some time with Bob and Judy. Their wines stand out among several great places that I visited.
Until next time, Salute'.
Karen
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