This was not on my original list of wineries to visit, but after having it recommended by several people, decided to stop in. It was a rainy afternoon, so it seemed a perfect stop. [Pictures at the end] The winery (website) is located on the historic Beckman homestead and tasting room is in the original Beckman house. The current vines were planted 7 years ago and we were told that Josh, the current winemaker, “likes to think outside the box.”
The Tasting
The 2022 Sauvignon Blanc, perfect for a Monday night, smells of pear. It’s light with a sweet taste and a dry finish. They described it as lime and lemon meringue pie.
The 2021 GSM is their “lightest” red and should evoke thoughts of the “pool” or porch. It smelled of stewed cherries but with a molasses taste. The longer it was exposed to air the more the cherry came out. My partner in wine found it a bit gritty, but I really liked the berry on the backend. I didn’t get the strawberry bubblegum scent from their description – which is odd. You don’t usually see such useful suggestions outside of my irreverent blog. They note flavors of plum and black olive, which is why it would go well with pizza on a Tuesday night. (I’m thinking of you 290 Locale.)
The Teroldego is grown in California, and it was explained that its more typical of what one would find in Italy or Argentina. It smells like brioche French toast, but tastes of French toast with peaches and berries. Given that their description mentions wild blackberry and pancake batter as scents, I’m not surprised. With the assumed sweetness of the wine, you might be surprised to learn it went really well with the olives from the charcuterie board. Perfect for that mid-week pick-me-up snack dinner. And the flavor they ascribe to it is dark chocolate cinnamon stick, so you can skip the cheese and go straight to the chocolate cake if it’s been that bad of a week.
Proprietary Red (2021) is the name of their Cabernet Sauvignon blend. It’s 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Teroldego and 20% Merlot. It’s intended to be a “house wine.” It succeeds at it quite well. The inky black color belies the bright cherry flavor and spicy finish. They describe the nose as chocolate covered cherry and the taste as raspberry jam and creme brulee. It went well with the black olives, chevre and bread. Perfect for a Wednesday night with Italian takeout where you’ve splurged and gotten the tiramisu.
They described the 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon as smelling of blackberry crumble, with flavors of strawberry, coffee bean and vanilla. It’s 91% cabernet sauvignon, 3% Syrah, 3% Malbec, and 3% petite syrah. I thought it smelled more like cherry cola and coffee. My partner in wine described it as “almost a Beaujolais – young and fruity.” It’s a cab that doesn’t require food, but went well with items from the charcuterie board. It paired well with the salami, but the cheddar was enhanced by it and then the cheddar made it sweet.
Final Thoughts
Since it was pouring rain, we sat and enjoyed the atmosphere of the tasting room. They were kind enough to let us taste the Nihcaro, a Mourvèdre and Tempranillo blend. This is a really versatile red and would go with just about anything. However, I want to put it with the Rent Special from Smokey John’s Bar-B-Que & Home Cooking (website). It’s not on the menu anymore but it was a sandwich made with toasted bread, chopped brisket, coleslaw, cheese and drowned in barbeque sauce. So, just get the chopped brisket plate with coleslaw and candied sweet potatoes as your sides. Or if you want more green – the collards are amazing. But I digress.
The tasting room at Arrowhead Creek is quirky, but nice. It’s like hanging out in a friend’s living room, but you have to leave our shoes on. Had it been sunny out we would have walked down to see the active archeological dig going on on Three-Mile Creek. I guess that means I just have to go back.
