subject: You Deserve Reserve Wine [print this page] September is California Wine Month and for the eighth consecutive year Californians are swarming to wineries across the State to celebrate another successful harvest. The Santa Ynez Valley, nestled in Santa Barbara County, hopped on board this year creating a special week dedicated to Wine Collectors. This region has an ideal climate for wine and is promoting wine events for the serious buyer and for the new wine drinker who wants to expand his/her wine collection and knowledge.
The week touts everything from blending seminars, winemaker dinners, vertical and library tastings and wine classes focusing on high end wines. Visitors can take advantage of terrific packages offered by boutique hotels such as the Wine Valley Inn, Fess Parker Wine Country Inn and Ballard Inn.
The Grapeline Wine Country Shuttle is celebrating this call for the highest caliber of wine tasting by creating a special day dedicated to Reserve Wines. In conjunction with Wine Collectors Week, this Grapeline Signature Series Wine Tour will feature Reserve Wines from four of the premier wineries in the Santa Ynez Valley.
At Sunstone Winery, guests will experience Reserve Tasting in style in Sunstone's Wine Cave. You will sample five regular wines plus three reserves. The current list includes the 2007 Merlot Reserve, 2007 Syrah Reserve and 2007 Doce de Alma - Sunstone's heralded Syrah Port. At Brander Vineyard, five different wines will lead up to Fred Brander's crown jewel, the 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve. Only a half dozen cases remain of this beautiful deep ruby red wine that is bold enough to cellar.
Koehler Winery crafts premium estate-grown wines from the heart of Santa Barbara wine country. Featured in the tasting flight will be the 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve, which moves off the shelves quickly at $55 per bottle. This big Cab is going to cellar beautifully for another 10 years because of it's dark rich intensity.
At the venerable Firestone Vineyards, guests will taste the 2009 Malbec, Cabernet Franc, Chairman Series Cabernet Sauvignon, the Lineage and the Proximity 26. The Malbec is newly released and neither it nor the Cab Franc are on the regular tasting list or available for sale anywhere but the tasting room. The Chairman Series includes a Merlot (currently unavailable), the Cab Sauv, the Ambassador (no future vintages are anticipated) and the Lineage, blended primarily from Cab Sauv and Cab Franc. Proximity 26 is the newest, highest-end wine and is subject to no discounts, even for wine club members. Only 134 cases of Proximity are being made so it's a great opportunity to taste something that few will ever experience.
Wineries often reserve their finest creations and offer them exclusively to special clients and most of these wines wont be found on the standard tasting menu, but on the You Deserve Reserve Tour, you'll find them in your glass.
