Impressive is what our opinion was of the newly built Herzog Winery which opened recently in Oxnard. This facility, all 77,000 square feet of it, is state of the art. The opening of the new winery, located at 3201 Camino Del Sol in Oxnard, was a series of gala events with a ribbon cutting ceremony one day and then a day for hosting the wine media and the wine trade. A full complement of Herzog personnel, led by CEO David Herzog were out from the East Coast to host the opening events.
In our personal interview with Winemaker Joe Hurliman he pointed out that the winery has been especially designed for producing special reserve and small lot vintages. Joe has been making wine for Herzog in California since 1998 and is responsible for both Herzog Wine Cellars and Baron Herzog wines.
The new winery has a handsome tasting room and a very well planned self guided wine tour on a glassed off upper level for a 'birds eye' view of all operations including the bottling line. Story boards present details of each step of the winemaking process.
There is also a restaurant named 'Tierra Sur' which features Mediterranean styled cuisine that will pair well with the Herzog wines. The tasting room is open Sunday thru Friday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tierra Sur serves luncheon and dinner those same days.
The new winery complex is located at 3201 Camino del Sol in Oxnard. Call 805 983-1560. On the web at www.herzogwinecellars.com.
Central Coast grapes
Winemaker Mark Cummins used grapes from nine vineyards ranging up and down the Central Coast for Wild Horse 2004 chardonnay. Then used French, Hungarian, and American oak for fermentation and surlie barrel aging. The result is an elegant wine that ripples on the palate with a pleasant mix of fruit and touches of oak. We thought this a very superior bottling of this varietal and at $17 most fairly priced.
For the Wild Horse 2004 Viognier Mark used grapes from Cienega Valley and Paso Robles. The final blend includes 92 percent viognier and eight per cent roussanne. Both stainless steel and barrels were used during fermentation. The crisp character of this vintage makes it equally good either as a cocktail wine or with a variety of foods. Priced at $20.
Wild Horse 2002 Syrah comes from the Paso Robles appellation. Warm temperatures and low yields have made this vintage exceptionally rich both in aroma and complex flavors. Fourteen months in French oak barrels make this a very good version of this varietal with the promise of further development with more bottle aging. Priced at $18.
Its hard to fault zinfandels that come from Amador county located in the Sierra Foothills. Certainly not the Montevina 2002 Sierra Foothills Zinfandel. In the hill country 2002 was considered just about the perfect year for this varietal. At $10 consider this a bargain. The wine had a year in oak barrels and has an unusual amount of fruit both in aroma and palate for this grape. We enjoyed ours with a marinated barbecued London Broil and pasta on the side.
Pinot Grigio is growing rapidly in popularity. Forest Glen 2004 Pinot Grigio is a good bottle to try this varietal for those who have not already done so. Stainless steel works best for this Italian native showing its clean crisp flavors of fruit. And at $10 pleasant on the pocketbook as well. Winemaker Ed Moody has also released a Forest Glen 2004 White Merlot. As a white wine the merlot still shows its fruit flavors and soft finish to advantage. At 12.1 per cent alcohol it is an excellent choice for summer picnics. Also priced at $10.
Sonoma Creek is one of three successful brands from Ironstone Vineyards located in the Sierra Foothills at Murphys. Two new releases from Sonoma Creek include Sonoma Creek 2003 Chardonnay and a 2003 Pinot Noir. Winemaker Steve Miller used grapes from the Lodi appellation for the Chardonnay which we found full of fruit flavors with a hint of the French oak Steve used with this vintage. At 13.5 per cent alcohol a nice wine for either cocktails or at the dinner table. At 12.5 per alcohol we thought the Pinot Noir release perfect with a variety of foods. The wine has all the lush flavors this varietal offers but smooth on the palate and with a soft finish.
Ironhorse also produces wines under its own label as well as Leaping Horse Vineyards.
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