Young Winos of LA

In a photo finish, the long-awaited debut of EgoTV’s “The Young Winos” web video series was beaten by a nose this morning by the arrival of Beaujolais Nouveau. But unlike your bottle of under-ripe, chapitalized gimmick-wine, the Young Winos video series is something you’re (hopefully) gonna want to return to for a second helping.

In the premiere episode, my co-host Chelsea Cannell and I head up to Valencia to go a little nuts at the Loose Goose Wine Festival. We taste a Chard or two and chat with festival-goers about the ugly menace that is age discrimination in the wine world. Sufficient “looseness” was achieved by the end of the day, so you may want the kids to put on their earmuffs for the last couple minutes.

The Loose Goose Wine Festival, now in its fourth year, managed to attract over 100 wineries to its sprawling enclosure, and also boasted a Belgian beer tent, food vendors a-plenty, and live music galore.  Although I’m sure we looked like a fairly professional outfit when we showed up to claim our press passes, there was no disguising our Wino sensibilities once the vino continued to flow well after the cameras had stopped rolling.  The finished video only offers a fleeting glimpse of the breadth of wines we sampled that day (or, to put it another way, if the total amount of wine we tasted was a 750ml bottle, then the examples you saw were just a little taste… and we shiested you on the pour.)

The 2007 Christian Lazo “French Camp Vineyards” Sauvignon Blanc (Paso Robles) was our favorite white of the day: the nose was floral and honeyed, with a little fresh green grass, and the palate was super crisp, boasting layers of mineral and lemon.  We also admired the 2005 Christian Lazo Cabernet Sauvignon (Paso Robles), which featured a big chocolate pudding nose and a palate smattered with red fruit and baking spices.  Rounding things off was the 2006 Christian Lazo Zinfandel (Paso Robles), resplendent on the nose with big strawberry jam notes and a bite of whole wheat toast; the palate arrived round and plump, with great fruit, a waft of smoke, and some no-nonsense acidity.

Our friend Andie at the Ventana table poured us her full lineup, including the 2006 Ventana “Rubystone” (Monterrey/Arroyo Seco), a blend of 62% Grenache and 38% Syrah.  The nose was total Bramble Patch Kids, with spicerack and fresh-ground pepper notes all over the place.  The pal was light of body, but full of big flavors: charcoal, spice, firewood, and even some chocolate-covered cherry.  Also making a big impression was the 2007 Silkwood Petite Sirah (Central Valley), serving up a meat platter of a nose, covered with pepperoni, ham, smoke and spices.  The palate was big and tannic, meaty and smoky, all leading into a chalky, spicy finish.

Our last stop brought us close to home with a couple wines from the Rosenthal Malibu Estate.  First up was the 2004 Rosenthal Merlot (Malibu Newton Canyon), which surprised us with muted red fruit notes on the nose, including even some cherry Danish.  The palate was delicate and understated, featuring more of the same red fruit, with great balance throughout.  And we closed things out with the 2004 Rosenthal “Surfrider” Red Wine (Malibu Newton Canyon), a blend of Cab, Merlot, and Petite Verdot.  The nose was bright and fruity, with cedar chip and mulled cider notes making a bid for attention, while the palate offered up flavors of red fruit and potpourri on a bed of oak and velvety tannins.

Those who haven’t visited Valencia – a category that included myself, prior to this debaucherous weekend – might be surprised by how far removed it feels from Los Angeles, which lies only 30 miles south. The festival’s planners have done a great job setting up a friendly, laid-back wine experience with plenty of variety for both the serious winos and the casual day-trippers.  We look forward to next year.

The Young Winos of LA — edutoxicating Los Angeles since 2005.