David Bruce Winery

This past weekend we went for a very short drive up our mountains to one of our favorite wineries - David Bruce Winery.
It was just a quick trip with a purpose - to pay back my BIL. When he visits Hawaii (quite frequently!) we sends me bags of Kona Coffee. And not just a couple, but more than enough to keep my habit satiated.

But you can't go to a winery without tasting, even if you know what you want to buy. So we tasted. Or, rather, I tasted, he sniffed. They were pouring four different wines last weekend -

1. 1. 2002 Pinot Noir, Bien Nacido - a vineyard wine made with grapes from only the Bien Nacido vineyards in the Santa Maria Valley. This was by far the best wine we tasted this afternoon. It was fruity with just a hit of tannins to keep it from being too soft.
   2. 2005 Sangiovese, Paso Robles - Paso Robles is a beautiful section of California between here and Los Angeles. It's a straight shot down Highway 101 into the valley and has some great wines and vineyards in the local. Unfortunately, I don't appreciate Sangiovese. It's spicy and seems to be watered down when I taste it.
   3. 2005 Petite Sirah Central Coast - Sunset Magazine named this a "food friendly wine", and I can see that. It's a very mild wine that will not overpower most anything you could throw at it, and has a sweet red-fruit flavor that most people will like. I personally prefer a Merlot for that - it's just got a bit more body to it than the Petite Sirah.
   4. and another 2005 Pinot Noir - I don't remember if it was the Sonoma Coast or the Central Coast, but it was not as good as the Bien Nacido Pinot Noir. It was a bit weak and watery and not really what I was looking for.

I had a good time tasting, but picked only the Bien Nacido from the tasting to forward on to the BIL. He also received some Pinot Noirs from the Russian River and the Sonoma Coast. To your health!