Visiting Dragonette Cellars

2019 Dragonette Cellars Radian Vineyard Pinot Noir

We're just back from a road trip down the Pacific Coast Highway, stopping in Big Sur and Santa Barbara along the way. Although I've had the pleasure of visiting Napa and Sonoma quite a bit, this was my first opportunity to taste Santa Barbara Country Pinot Noir on-site and in person.

The one tasting appointment I made was at Dragonette Cellars.

I'm not quite sure why it took me so long to discover Dragonette. Wine Spectator has been consistently scoring their wines 90+ for some time.

See: A Stunning Santa Barbara Pinot Noir

Tasting in Santa Barbara County

The wine tasting scene in Santa Barbara County is a bit different than what I'm familiar with in Napa and Sonoma. Some of the best producers, Dragonette included, have tasting rooms co-located in one area (the charming town of Los Olivos) rather than spread about at their respective estate vineyards.

This is undeniably Sideways (2004) country, but I get a sense the region is trying to move on from the notoriety attained by association with the greatest wine movie of all time. Still, I couldn't help but drive past the Hitching Post, The Windmill (now the Sideways Inn), Solvang, and the Los Olivos Cafe & Wine Merchant - sites that were notable in the movie.

A follow-up viewing of the movie is rewarded shortly before or after a visit for sure.

See: Sideways in Santa Barbara

But to get to know Dragonette better, we visited their production facility in Buellton. Located in an industrial area with auto repair shops (their resources are focused on the wine rather than a lavish estate) we met with Director of Hospitality Stephen Graham and Co-Proprietor and Winemaker Brandon Sparks-Gillis.

Dragonette Director of Hospitality Stephen Graham

About Dragonette Cellars

The Dragonette logo hints at the letters DC (Dragonette Cellars) with a nod to alchemy.

Dragonette Cellars was founded in 2005 by brothers John and Steve Dragonette along with Master of Wine candidate Brandon Sparks-Gillis.

John Dragonette practiced law before meeting Brandon while working at well-regarded wine retailer Wally's in LA. Brandon brings his background in geology to bear on the winemaking process. John's brother Steve Dragonette, with a computer/tech background, joined them as they collectively explored their passion for Santa Barbara County wine. All three work at Dragonette full time along with seven other full-time employees.

Since their founding, they've remained true to their vision of enabling the grapes to represent their authentic terroir with minimal intervention.

All of their grapes come through long-term contracts tied to specific blocks of specific vineyards in Santa Barbara County.

I became familiar with Dragonette through Wine Access. Regular Wine Access customers will recognize Vanessa Conlin (MW) so it was great to hear from Brandon how real that connection is: It's not some random puffery they make up about a connections to the wines they sell.

See: The Master of Wine Journey, a tête-a-tête w. Brandon Sparks-Gillis and Vanessa Conlin

Dragonette now produces around 6,000 cases a year selling around 80% direct to consumer with the remainder split between retail and restaurant. It's very hard to find Dragonette in the wild, especially on the east coast, so definitely buy a bottle if you spot one.

Tasting Dragonette

2018 Sauvignon Blanc $50

It's quite unusual to see a California Sauvignon Blanc release 3 years post-vintage. They're aiming for a White Bordeaux style here, far more than a daily drinker and the price point shows how earnestly they persue this varietal.

The Vogelzang is seriously powerful with intense depth of flavor. Spun gold in color, it sees 89% French Oak, 35% of it new, 18 months (!) in barrel. Mango and pineapple aromas, minerality on the backend. The Grimm's Bluff Sauvignon Blanc takes things in a paler, lighter direction.

I always associate Sauvignon Blanc with wine tasting, and this was a very good start.

2018 Chardonnay Duvarita $65

Behind the Pinots, this was my favorite wine of the tasting. Lemon curd and gorgeous florals on the nose. This reminded me a bit of Kosta Browne's outstanding One Sixteen Chardonnay in a very good way. 100% French Oak, 33% new. Outstanding.

2019 Pinot Noir Radian $75

The 2018 version of this is what turned me on to them, and the moment I tasted this 2019 I was immediately reminded what I like so much about their Pinots. Absolutely stunning on the nose and lusciously satisfying on the palate. To me it's like, "This is what wine should be." Absolutely gorgeous.

2019 Pinot Noir Santa Rita Hills $50

Having only tasted a single vineyard Pinot of theirs (Radian) previously, I was looking forward to seeing what they do with an appellation wine. Starts off with a gregarious sweet perfume nose, then silky and delicious on the palate. This is a fantastic California Pinot Noir.

2018 Pinot Noir Black Label $95

Aromatically gorgeous with a kiss of oak that balances beautifully with the intensity of the fruit, backed by ample acidity. Comprised of grapes from Radian (62%), Fiddlestix (20%) and Bentrock (18%). 66% new French Oak, 19 months in barrel. This is a special wine: Enjoy on a special occassion with a good meal.

I budgeted space for two bottles in my luggage and opted to take home a Santa Rita Hills Pinot Noir and a Black Label Pinot Noir. I would have gone for a Radian Pinot Noir, but I have a couple of those back home from Wine Access already.

Dragonette production facility in Buellton

Tasting Room Options

If you're headed to Santa Barbara County wine country, there are three Dragonette Cellars tasting experiences to consider:

• Tasting Room in Los Olivos
• Sit Down Tasting at The Study in Los Olivos
• Private Winery Tour/Tasting in Buellton (what we did)

Dragonette tasting room in Los Olivos

Los Olivos is a charming little town with tasting rooms from:

• Brewer-Clifton
• Liquid Farm
• Tensley
• Stolpman
• ...and more

See also the Los Olivos Wine Merchant & Cafe where Miles told Jack he wasn't going to be drinking any Merlot. We had lunch there. It's pretty good, but the interior looks nothing like it did in the movie. Check out Panino if you're just looking for a [very good] sandwich or salad.

Bottom Line

Visiting Dragonette Cellars at their production facility in Buellton was a great experience anyone can do. Highly recommended if you're in the area.

Consider joining their wine club if you can't make it out there.

Wine Access still has the 2018 Dragonette Radian Vineyard Pinot Noir [affiliate link] for sale.

Get free shipping on $120+ and $50 off your first $150 order through referral.

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Giveaway: 2 Tickets to Boston Travel Show & Craft Beer Tasting

The Boston Globe Travel Show is coming to the Boston Seaport this weekend February 10-12, 2017.

I've been given 2 tickets to the Northeast Craft Beer Pavilion Session A on Friday February 10 from 6-8:30PM (a $70 value) to give away. These tickets include admission to the Boston Globe Travel Show. Because the Beer Pavilion is 21+ entrants and their guest must be 21 years or older. A form of ID will be required to pick up the tickets at will call along with entering the Beer Pavilion the day of the show.

I'll choose a winner at random from the entries.

Two ways to enter: 

1. Leave a comment on this blog post saying you'd like to be entered in the drawing
2. Tweet a link to this post

If you leave a comment and tweet a link you'll get 2 entries, increasing your chances of winning.

Contest closes Tuesday February 7th at 11:59pm eastern time.
Winner will be announced Wednesday morning by 9:00a.

Some highlights throughout the weekend include:

• 3 sampling sessions and a Sunday Lord Hobo’s Brunch Bites & Brews at the Northeast Craft Beer Pavilion with tastings of nearly 100 beers and ciders from over 40 breweries
• 1,000 Places to See Before You Die author Patricia Schultz will be hosting a two seminars: “Emerging Destinations: Iran, Cuba, Myanmar and Antarctica,” and "U.S. & Canada."
• Pauline Frommer, Editorial Director of Frommer Travel Guides and award-winning travel journalist, will be speaking about "Insider Tips for Creating Great Vacations in All Price Ranges”
• Boston Globe travel writer Chris Muther will give his tips for "The Digital Traveler: Best Apps, Photos & Travel Products"
• Cultural dancer performances from the Philippines and Dominican Republic, including showing you some basic steps of Merengue and Bachata

Here's info on the breweries:

And here's my in depth guide to the show:

Questions or comments? Drop me an email or ping me on Twitter @RobertDwyer

I'll look forward to selecting a winner from the comments and tweets.

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Using Points & Miles to Travel to Wine Spectator Grand Tour Events

Yesterday I posted about Wine Spectator's Grand Tour events coming up in 2015 in Chicago, Las Vegas and Dallas. I immediately started thinking about which of the locations would be most convenient to attend. If the idea of flying in to a city just to attend a wine tasting sounds crazy and expensive bear with me for a moment. It might be easier and more affordable than you think.

Why?

First, the reason I'd be willing to fly for one of these tastings is because they're so good. Yes, $225 per person is a lot of money for a wine tasting. But the quality of wine poured at these events and the editorial sort Wine Spectator applies when selecting the wineries pouring make these events special.

It is truly an embarrassment of riches and if you quickly want to develop a relatable frame of reference for what some of the world's benchmark wines taste like I've not seen a better way to do it.

How?

So how can we make it happen? How much would it cost?

Let's take the Dallas event as an example and suppose we live in Boston.

• $250 per person round-trip airfare
• $200/nt hotel
• $100 rental car/ground transportation
• $225 event ticket
• $100 per person meals
• $50 airport parking
• Total: $925

If we did it as a couple, airfare and meal costs would go up a bit but there would be some shared expenses. Call it $1,500 all-in for a party of 2?

Okay - that's a fairly good chunk of change.

But here's how I'd play it, using credit card signup bonuses to make the trip more affordable and more pleasant.

Three Credit Cards

First, airfare. I'd check for the best paid fares out of Boston to get a feel for the going rates for direct flights at good times. Then, I'd check for saver level award availability for those flights. If award availability looked good at flight times that worked for me use AA miles to book the flight. Currently I see 25K AA miles round-trip in Economy or 50K AA miles per person round-trip in First.

50K AA miles is enough for round-trip
in First Class at saver levels

Since I've got plenty of AA miles already I'd probably go for a couple First Class tickets at saver levels if my wife can join. If not I'd just go for Economy. If I needed some AA miles I'd sign up for the Citi AAdvantage Platinum MasterCard with a 50K signup bonus after spending $2,000 in the first 3 months. The $95 annual fee is waived the first year. If I wanted to fly both me and my wife in First and I didn't have enough miles I'd sign her up for a card as well.

45K Chase Ultimte Rewards would
cover hotel, event tickets and more

The next card I'd go for is the Chase Sapphire Preferred. I think this is the best all around travel credit card. It comes with a 40K point signup bonus plus an additional 5K bonus after adding an authorized user. The best thing about the card is its flexibility. You can cash out the points at a penny a piece (so $400 to spend on whatever you want), or book for travel at 1.2 cents a piece through their portal, or (most optimally) transfer the points 1:1 to travel partners like United and Hyatt. The event is at a Hyatt. It costs just $159/nt which isn't bad in itself but if you use Hyatt points it's just 8,000 points per night. Transfer 8,000 of your 40,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points to Hyatt and your hotel room is paid for.

After that you'd still have Chase Ultimate Rewards points remaining. If you really wanted to do this whole thing "for free" you could use those points for the event admission, meals or parking. But since that's only a penny a point I'd probably pay for them out of pocket and save my valuable Ultimate Rewards points or something higher leverage like premium cabin international flights.

40K Barclay points are easy to redeem towards travel
and 2+% cashback every is good for ongoing spend

A third card I'd get, depending on my current point balances and the flights available to me, is the Barclay Arrival+. It also comes with a 40K point signup bonus but the points work differently than with Chase. To use Barclay Arrival points you just charge travel (air, hotel, rental car) to your card and erase the charges at a rate of a penny a point. There's no award availability you need to search for and no loyalty programs to figure out. You just charge travel and erase it, up to $400 to start. The card is also nice for ongoing spend because it pays 2% on all purchases when the points are redeemed towards travel.

Bottom Line

So how much would the event cost if we signed up for these three cards and used the points towards the trip?

• $250 per person round-trip airfare (Citi AA 50K)
• $200/nt hotel (use 8K Hyatt points, transferred from Chase Sapphire Preferred)
• $100 rental car/ground transportation (10,000 Barclay Arrival points)
• $225 event ticket (out of pocket or use cashback from Chase Sapphire Preferred)
• $100 per person meals (you kind of have to eat no matter where you are, and the event serves food, but use Chase Sapphire cashback if you want)
• $50 airport parking (I'd pay out of pocket with the Chase Sapphire and earn 2X on this)
• Total: $925 (nearly FREE?)

So there you have it. Three credit card signups and a little minimum spend and you're on your way to an amazing time at the event for hardly any out of pocket expense.

I hope this was a helpful diversion from straight wine content. I think points & miles can be a great way to make trips to wine events and wine regions more attainable. If you're interested in discussing points, miles & cashback further drop me an email (wellesleywinepress@gmail.com)or ping me on Twitter (@RobertDwyer).

Cheers!

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Photo Trip Report: Food & Wine in Tuscany

Wine display at Drogheria Franci in Montalcino

We just got back from Italy and I'm pleased to report we got more chances than I thought we would to visit wineries in Tuscany.

Before I get into the winery visit reports over the next couple weeks I thought I'd share some photos of the highlights from our trip. Italy is such a photogenic country. Click any of these images to enlarge.

We stayed at an agritourismo in Tuscany called Borgo Iesolana. The property is surrounded by vineyards and olive trees they use to make a respectable house wine and impressive olive oil we enjoyed throughout our stay. The property has tremendous views and a couple of beautiful pools.

Salt water pool at Borgo Iesolana

The central location (between Siena and Arezzo) made for a great jumping off point for day trips. But first, we had to go to the grocery store to stock up on supplies for the week. The cheese and cured meat selection was amazing and the wine prices - almost entirely Italian not surprisingly - were quite favorable. It was a blast shopping there. I spent well over an hour trying to determine which product in the dairy case was half & half.

Coop grocery store in Montevarchi

Cortona was absolutely wonderful. Highly recommended as an accessible, charming, classic little Tuscan hill town.

Gorgeous views were plentiful in Cortona

We had a terrific lunch in Corona at Ristorante Preludio. Absolutely totally empty at 1:00 pm and for the entire time we ate there, which is usually a problem sign for a restaurant. But it was listed in the Gambero Rosso guide so we tried it and I'm so glad we did.

Upon arrival they poured a taste of Jeio Sparkling Rose that absolutely hit the spot. I'd love to track some of that down back here in the US but I'm fairly sure it was so good because of the overall situation in which it was enjoyed.

Jeio Sparkling Rose at Preludio in Cortona

The first winery we visited was Tenuta Sette Ponti near Arezzo, producers of the famous Oreno. Beautiful classic vineyards. If you like Oreno they've got another wine that's quite a bit more affordable I bet you'd enjoy. I'll tell you more about that visit soon.

Sangiovese vineyard at Sette Ponti near Arezzo

For our wedding anniversary (14 years!) Deanna and I went down to Montalcino to taste Brunello. This was probably the densest concentration of wineries we encountered in Italy. I wanted to visit a more modern producer with international acclaim (Casanova di Neri) as well as a more traditional one (La Gerla). Though both producers are well regarded by American critics these two visits provided for a very good comparison of styles.

Benchmark Brunello producer Casanova di Neri

The La Gerla name is very new to me. I was perusing the Wine Spectator ratings database and comparing scores from Antonio Galloni's Vinous Media and La Gerla jumped out at me.

Gli Angeli vineyard at La Gerla

We drove up to visit the Ferrari Museum in Maranello (a highlight for me and my 9 year old for sure). Earlier this year I heard this awesome story on NPR about the town where Tortellini comes from. It happens to be very close to a lot of exotic car manufacturers so it was a great time to stop in for some Lambrusco and Tortellini.

We had a fantastic meal at La Lumira, sampling all three distinct styles of Tortellini they offered that day. It was amazing how the cuisine changes just a few hours' drive north of Tuscany.

Tortellini di ricotta di bufala con salvia e guanciale at La Lumira in Castelfranco Emilia.

On the way to San Gimignano, just a short distance from our villa was Fattoria di Felsina. Their wines are very well regarded internationally (especially Fontalloro and Rancia) and their tasting room, grounds, and cellar are really nicely appointed.

Cellars at Fattoria di Felsina

On the flight back home I mentioned to the flight attendant that I was enjoying exploring their wine selections and he said "Oh, you're into wine? We've got a secret wine that's not on the menu from Bierzo. Want to try it?"

I remembered Adam Japko's posts on WineZag from a while back singing the praises of wines from this region. It was one of those things where I just kind of mentally filed it away for future action. But in referring back to Adam's post one of the two wines he specifically called out was from Losada - the very wine they were pouring on the flight. Combined with my favorable experience with the Petalos I've also had in the past, I too may become the next big fan of the Bierzo region.

Losada - an amazing discovery on the flight home

Side note: Lufthansa is my new favorite airline. Such awesome service across the board. They really know how to make a family feel comfortable in Business Class. They're like the Four Seasons of airlines.

See also: Lessons learned while earning and burning 1,000,000 points & miles

So that's a little preview of a few posts I'll have coming, hopefully in the next couple weeks.

I'd love it if you subscribed to the site so you can catch those posts as well.

Question of the Day: If you could visit any wine region in the world, where would you go next?

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Best Wineries to Visit in Jumilla, Spain

I received an email from a reader recently asking which wineries I'd recommend visiting in Jumilla, Spain. Along with 7 other US wine bloggers I visited Murcia, Spain last summer which included the DOs of Jumilla, Yecla and Bullas. Jumilla is the most recognizable name amongst these so I went with that for the title of this post, but wineries in all three DOs are within striking distance and worth considering depending on your schedule.

Jumilla is in the southeastern part of Spain. The best airport to fly into is Alicante (ALC) which is serviced most commonly from the US through connections in Madrid and Amsterdam. Alicante itself is home to some noteworthy wines including Bodegas Volver and their new Triga wine. We stayed in Murcia which is about an hour from the Alicante airport and within 30-45 minutes of most of the wineries and vineyards we'd visit.

The DOs of Jumilla, Yecla, and Bullas are best reached through
the Alicante airport (ALC) and the city of Murcia

Murcia is the home of Monastrell, a grape variety with deep roots here crafted in a bold fruit forward style. When done well it results in big wines which are amazingly well balanced with refreshing acidity. For me, they're the best next step for exploration if you've developed an affinity for Napa Cabs and you're looking to branch out.

Cathedral of Murcia

The region has evolved in the past twenty or so years from being mostly a producer of bulk wines to being a reliable source of spectacular fine wine values. Along with that, wine tourism in the region has emerged with a an array of tasting rooms and restaurants worth visiting. Check out these Wine Routes in the Region of Murcia from the Instituto de Turismo de la Región de Murcia to connect the dots and start planning your visit (we were hosted by the Instituto de Fomento de la Región de Murcia, the government agency responsible from promoting the region). It was a trip I'll never forget.

Here are five producers to visit...

1. Bodegas Juan Gil/El Nido

Tasting room at Bodegas El Nido

The wines of El Nido are the class of the region and no visit to Jumilla would be complete without tasting them. Tasting El Nido Clio and El Nido proper steps from where it's produced is an amazing experience.

Juan Gil and El Nido are separate wineries within walking distance of each other and a visit there would likely be facilitated through the same host. The great thing about their portfolio is the diversity and value at every price point.

Wines to taste:

• Juan Gil silver label
• Juan Gil 18 Meses blue label
• El Nido Clio
• El Nido proper

http://www.bodegasjuangil.com

2. Bodegas Castaño

Bodegas Castaño's Dominio Espinal

We tasted the wines of Bodegas Castaño over lunch in the vineyards of Dominio Espinal. What was amazing about this experience was that I first came to know their wines through their ultra-affordable (~$7) Monastrell. Getting to know the remarkably down to earth people behind their wines made me like their wines even more.

Wines to taste:

• Entry level Monastrell (best $7 wine on the planet?)
• Entry level Rosado
• Casa Cisca (incredible heavy bottled blockbuster effort that rivals El Nido Clio)

There are a variety of visits available depending on how much time you have and the size of your group:

http://www.bodegascastano.com/en/wine-tourism/visits

3. Barahonda

Winery, tasting room, and restaurant at
Bodegas Senorio de Barahonda

Charming La Castañona residence adjacent to Barahonda

I loved everything about our visit to Barahonda. It was both one of the most polished wineries and at the same time the most down to earth. The people behind the winery are some of the kindest, sharpest, and most authentic we met on our visit.

Wines to taste:

• Barahonda Barrica (readily available, affordable, WA 92)
• Heredad de Candela (great story, amazing wine)
• Zona Zepa (another blockbuster, very hard to find)

Check out their on-site restaurant for lunch:

http://barahonda.com/en/

4. Bodegas Luzón

Bodegas Luzón tasting room

Bodegas Luzón Crianza - recommended!

Bodegas Luzón is one of the more established wineries in the region. You're likely to see at least one of their wines on your retailer's shelves even if their assortment of Spanish wines is limited.

The visit is notable for its polished entrance, refined underground cellars, and the value proposition of their wines.

Wines to taste:

• Luzón Monastrell
• Luzón Selección 12 Crianza

http://www.bodegasluzon.com/ingles/luzon-vinos-tienda.php

5. Bodegas Carchelo

Bodegas Carchelo's Director of Enology Joaquín Gálvez

Winemaking lab at Bodegas Carchelo

If I had $1,000 and could invest in a single winery in the region it would be Bodegas Carchelo. And that's mostly due to the knowledgeable groundbreaking enthusiasm their Director of Enology Joaquín Gálvez shares with visitors.

Their lab is front and center in their winemaking facility, which denotes the fact that they're making data-driven decisions on how to continuously improve the quality of their wines. Their current releaes are an attractive slightly modern interpretation of Monastrell, but Gálvez (ex-Luzon) says that Tempranillo and Syrah, if sited properly, can do very well in the region. Definitely keep your eye on Bodegas Carchelo over the next five to ten years.

Typical charming square in Murica, Spain

I hope this is helpful if you're planning a trip to this part of Spain and have a chance to include some wine tasting during your visit. If you have questions or comments I'd love to hear from you. Feel free to drop me an email (wellesleywinepress@gmail.com) or reach me on Twitter: @RobertDwyer

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