A visit by my family recently took us to the beautiful Foxen Canyon Wine Trail. If you haven't treated yourself to the beauty of those hills, you really should. Just up the road from Los Olivos, the views along Foxen Canyon Road are sometimes breathtaking and the wines that are produced in the wineries along that road are sometimes spectacular. Here's what they were pouring at Curtis Winery on our visit.
The tastings were being poured in the big barrel room in the rear of the shop. Large, cool and dark, the barrel room is a great place to taste. Five huge kegs and several of a more moderate size gave a real "winery" feel to the tasting that you just don't get in the retail shop that occupies the front of the store.
The Viognier 2006 had a very floral nose with honeysuckle predominant. The taste offered clean and crisp flavors of lime and pineapple. It was a really nice wine that begged for seafood or just a sunny porch. They were giving a nice deal on this wine during the first weekend in May, a free bottle with the purchase of two. It was $22.For pink lovers, the Heritage Rose 2007 was bright and fresh, but it gave a little too much grapefruit for my taste, and the nose was highlighted by lemongrass. I didn't care for it too much, but you may like those qualities more than I do.
We crossed over to the dark side with the Crossroad Grenache 2005. It was quite earthy and dark, right in my wheelhouse. The Grenache was joined by Syrah and Cinsault and the combination produced a very complex flavor range. There was a blackberry profile adorned with a smokiness and a nutty angle. It was quite interesting.
The Heritage Cuvee 2005 was also dark and musky but with a spiciness to the fruit-forward taste. A gorgeous nose made me delay enjoying that taste while I sniffed...and sniffed. This Rhone-style blend contained Syrah, Mourvedre, Grenache and Cinsault. It was my favorite of the day.
Another fine effort came with the Ambassador's Vineyard Syrah 2005, which had a most intriguing nose which combined fresh, flowery notes with a darker side. I detected black cherries with a long and enjoyable finish.
