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Three winemakers to have on your radar - McPrice Myers, Edgar Torres, Russell From
Recently, a few wine geek friends and I organized a wine tasting trip to Paso Robles. We all met up and then our driver whisked us off to our first stop Barrel 27‘s tasting room at 2323 Tuley Ct. Suite 110, in Paso Robles. I’d made an appointment for us to taste the wines from Barrel 27, McPrice Myers, Herman Story and Bodega de Edgar. Barrel 27 is made by two young winemakers, McPrice Myers and Russell From. Their cellar master is Edgar Torres. Essentially, Barrel 27 is a collaborative effort while each winemaker has his own personal label as well. We walked into the tasting room (located in an industrial area just off the highway), grabbed a spot at the bar and proceeded to work our way down the list.
*2009 Barrel 27 “Sittin’ Pretty” Viognier – heady floral nose, honeysuckle, tangerine, orange marmalade. 100% Viognier. Most of the wine was done in stainless steel except for one neutral oak barrel. Retail price: $18
2008 Barrel 27 “High on the Hog” – blend of 39% Grenache Blanc, 36% Viognier, 20% Roussanne, 5% Marsanne. Florals on the nose with peach, honey and melon on the palate. Done half in oak and the rest in stainless steel. Wine Spectator 88 points. (Points, smoints, I drink wine, not points.) Retail price: $15
2005 Barrel 27 Central Coast Rosé of Syrah – 80% Syrah, 20% Grenache. Flavors of raspberry, cherry and smoky orange. This is a fabulous barbecue wine. Some of the Syrah was bled off soon after it came into contact with the skins. (This method of making rosé is called saignée -a French winemaking term). This results in a pink wine because there isn’t enough contact with the grape skins to make the wine red. Retail price: $13
2007 Barrel 27 “Rock and a Hard Place” Grenache – Nose of black and red raspberries, blueberries and dried cranberries. On the palate, flavors of the aforementioned berries plus hints of black tea and spice. Drinking this wine reminded me of wine tasting in France’s Châteauneuf-du-Pape region, where Grenache is often the primary grape. Retail price: $18
2006 Barrel 27 “Right Hand Man” Syrah – Aromas of black cherries, black pepper, anise and plum with flavors of black raspberry, pepper and hints of smoke. Retail price: $18
2007 Barrel 27 “Head Honcho” Syrah – Nose of ripe black fruit, sage and smoke. Palate of blackberries, cranberries, cola, pepper, clove, anise and dark chocolate. Retail price: $28
2007 Barrel 27 “Hand Over Fist” – Rhône style blend of 52% Syrah, 29% Grenache, 19% Mourvedre. Aromas of black plum, blueberry, rhubarb and violets. Palate of black cherry, blackberry, currants and spice. Retail price: $30
2006 Barrel 27 “Bull by the Horns” – Blend of 50% Petite Verdot, 25% Syrah, 25% Tempranillo. Aromas of blackberry, cocoa, clove, anise, pepper dominate the nose. The palate is fruit forward (blueberry, black plum, blood orange) and backed up clove, cinnamon, tea and vanilla.
Herman Story wines just waiting to be tasted in the barrel room
After tasting through the Barrel 27 list we were ushered through a doorway behind the bar and into the back of the warehouse where barrels and were stacked to the ceiling. We were surprised and delighted to be greeted by Russell From, McPrice Myers and Edgar Torres. They let us know that they would be leading us through a combined tasting of wines from all three of their personal labels. What an unexpected and exciting surprise! After all the introductions, we got down to tasting. Each winemaker stood by a makeshift table (made an upended barrel) ready to pour his wine. Here are the notes I managed to scribble down during this little adventure. The wines marked with an * are the ones that made it into the trunk of my car:
*2009 Bodega de Edgar Albariño – lively acidity, ginger, lychee – one of the best Albariños I’ve tasted.
*2009 McPrice Myers Larner Viognier – gorgeous floral nose, lychee, tropical fruits, creamy mouthfeel. 177 cases produced. Retail price: $28
2008 Herman Story “Tomboy” – blend of 80% Viognier, 10% Marsanne, 10% Roussanne. The Viognier is from Whitehawk Vineyard and the Marsanne and Roussanne grapes are from Bien Nacido Vineyard. Florals, honey, apricot and nectarine. My scribbled notes say “Tomboy will get your friends to stop drinking crappy white wine”. 228 cases produced. Retail price: $36
2009 McPrice Myers Roussanne – This was a barrel sample. Jasmine, honey. Fruit sourced from the James Berry Vineyard (Paso’s premier source of Rhône varietals).
*2008 Bodega de Edgar Garnacha – A dear friend brought me a bottle of this a few months back – it knocked my socks off! Some whole clusters were used to make this wine. Blackberry, raspberry with anise and baking spices on the finish.
*2007 McPrice Myers “L’Ange Rouge” Grenache – 92% Grenache, 4% Syrah, 4% Mourvedre. Fruit from Alta Mesa and Larner Vineyards. Big but still elegant with flavors of red raspberry, cranberry, bittersweet chocolate, tobacco leaf. 575 cases produced. Retail price: $36
*2008 Herman Story “On the Road” Grenache – Fruit from Larner, Santa Barbara Highlands and Derby Vineyards. Cranberry, black raspberry, clove, anise, nutmeg, coffee and leather. 398 cases produced. Retail price: $36
*2008 Bodega de Edgar Tempranillo – Fruit sourced from French Camp Vineyard. Boysenberry, with vanilla and dusty earth on finish (reminded me of Sangiovese)
*2008 McPrice Myers “Altas Vinas” – 47% Mourvedre, 34% Grenache, 19% Syrah. The fruit is sourced from the Santa Barbara Highlands Vineyard located high in the Southern Santa Barbara Mountains. 243 cases produced. Retail price: $36
*2008 Herman Story “Casual Encounters” – 40% Syrah, 30% Grenache, 30% Mourvedre. This is the first vintage of this SGM blend. The Grenache was whole cluster and was sourced from Thompson. The Syrah is from Laetitia. The wines were 100% co-fermented. Earth, leather, pepper, black plum and chocolate. 154 cases produced. Retail price: $36
*2008 Bodega de Edgar “Mis Pasos” – 42% Syrah, 41% Merlot, 17% Tempranillo. Gorgeous, black fruit, coffee, leather, spice and earthy notes. 25 cases produced. Retail price: $45.
*2007 McPrice Myers Larner Vineyard Syrah – 3% Viognier was co-fermented with the Syrah. Flavors of black plum, dried blueberry, raspberry, hints of violets. 142 cases produced. Retail price: $36
*2008 McPrice Myers Larner Vineyard Syrah – the ’07 and the ’08 are deeply colored and dense with flavor. Also, both vintages have long finishes. Retail price: $36
*2007 Herman Story “Nuts and Bolts” Syrah – This is the second vintage of “Nuts and Bolts”. Deep dark color, black cherry, baking spices, white pepper, earth, bacon – super long finish. 522 cases produced. Retail price: $36
*2008 McPrice Myers “Beautiful Earth” – 79% Syrah, 16% Grenache, 5% Mourvedre. Flavors of black plum, blueberry, blackberry, baking spices and coffee. 650 cases produced. Retail price: $36
*2007 McPrice Myers Les Galets Vineyard Syrah – 100% Syrah – gorgeous deep ruby color. Blackberry, white pepper, anise, bittersweet chocolate, clove and hints of mint and tobacco leaf. 194 cases produced. Retail price: $36
These beautifully-crafted, small production wines are really, really, really worth getting your hands on. A huge thank you goes out to Russell From, McPrice Myers and Edgar Torres for personally introducing us to their fabulous wines. Thanks guys!
* – this marks wines I was compelled to bring home
A selection of Herman Story wines
Herman Story wines - the backs of the labels
Edgar risking life and limb to find us a couple bottles of his La Guerra white wine
Was it something McPrice said?
A restaurant called Root 246 opened about a year ago in Solvang. This caused quite a stir because the chef is Bradley Odgen (yes, *that* Bradley Odgen). Needless to say, touristy Solvang, most notable for its kitschy Danish architecture, doesn’t have any other restaurants featuring award-winning, celebrity chefs like Odgen. Jason and I have eaten on the outdoor patio in the summertime. This time, in light of the fact that it is February (and cold), we opted to sit in the dining room.
Menu at Root 246
Odgen’s cooking style in three words is simply “farm to table”. Naturally, the menu changes often – depending on what is in season. Jason and I wanted to try many things on the menu so we decided to order a number of different appetizers in lieu of entrees.
Amuse-bouche of steelhead trout, shitake and a ginger soy emulsion
Shortly after ordering we received a delicious and beautiful amuse-bouche of steelhead trout and shitake mushroom dressed with a ginger soy emulsion. I love these unexpected, tiny treats from the kitchen.
We ordered the “Artisan Cheese Plate” which came with thin slices of warm, toasted raisin bread, almonds, local honey and house made blood orange balsamic jelly (which was so fantastic I wanted to take some home). All the cheeses sounded
Artisan cheese plate with house made blood orange balsamic jelly and local honey
so wonderful, we couldn’t pick just one. We ordered the cave aged Marisa from La Valle, Wisconsin. This sheep milk cheese is aged for six months in a cave. It was earthy and rich and really tasty. We also had the Ascutney Mountain cheese from Hartland, Vermont. It is made from raw milk and is aged for no fewer than eight months. It is firm, buttery and nutty – similar to a European alpine cheese. Lastly, we chose a French cheese, called Comte Reserve des Granges from (yes, you guessed it) Franche-Comte, France. Made from cow’s milk, this is a nutty and buttery cheese that melts in your mouth. Cheeses like this one are a perfect alternative to dessert (not that we’ll be skipping dessert).
Warm "Bautista Farms" spinach salad, La Quercia proscuitto, quail egg and Minus 8 vinaigrette
Next up was the warm “Bautista Farms” spinach salad, La Quercia proscuitto, quail egg and Minus 8 vinaigrette. The spinach was thicker and more crisp than any I’ve had before, rather more like swiss chard than spinach. Bautista Farms is located in nearby Arroyo Grande so the spinach is super-fresh.
Beef sliders with "atomic" horseradish
After the salad, we tucked into the beef sliders with atomic horseradish and fries with house made ketchup. These were off the bar menu which offers more casual fare than the dining room menu. The sliders were great except I really had my heart set on some spicy horseradish – after all, the menu said “atomic”. In reality, the kick from the horseradish was “sub-atomic”. With that said, it complemented the flavor of the beef and didn’t overpower the dish – which is probably what the chef planned. The fries, served in a paper cone (a fun little nod to street food fare) were warm and crisp and didn’t last on the plate very long. The sliders tasted especially good with Barrel 27‘s 2006 “Right Hand Man” Syrah. Barrel 27 is one of my favorites from Paso Robles. Winemakers McPrice Myers and Russel From are really making some fabulous wine up there.
Miso glazed pork belly with crisp pork and mushroom "spring roll" and soy caramel
We also ordered the miso glazed pork belly with crisp pork and mushroom “spring roll” and soy caramel! This was decadent – the flavors all melded together as the tender pork belly melted in my mouth. Nom, nom, indeed!
Obviously, Jason and I were enjoying our food, what I haven’t mentioned yet is great waitstaff. Our waiters (there were about 4 of them making sure we had enough bread, food, wine and water) were very attentive. When Jason asked about a particular wine, the waiter offered to bring him a taste. I really wish more restaurants would do this. It is a real drag to order an unfamiliar wine (and too often the waiter cannot tell you anything about it) only to find that it isn’t something you like, in the slightest. Thankfully the Root 246 staff is wine-centric enough to a) really know the wine list and b) offer a taste of a wine to a curious imbiber. Kudos!
After all this delicious (and beautifully presented) food, we thought it best to order dessert, actually desserts. As usual we couldn’t pick just one. Jason ordered the butterscotch pudding “taster” with coffee-chocolate fudge cookie. Both the pudding and the cookie were really wonderful – and the size of the dessert is perfect for one person to have a few bites of sweetness at the end a meal. I ordered the 246 donut “puffs”, served with little cups of hot fudge, Tahitian vanilla bean custard and apple compote. I’d pictured donut holes in my head when I ordered this, so I was very surprised to get sticks. The sticks are meant for dunking into any of the little cups. It was a fun and tasty riff on donuts.
Every shelf shows the date that the fruit arrived
One of our wonderful waiters asked us if we wanted a tour of the kitchen. I cannot imagine why he asked me this question…maybe it was the fact that I kept photographing the plates of food? hmmmm… Of course we took him up on his offer! I learned that Root 246 doesn’t have a freezer – everything is fresh. The produce is used within two days from when it is delivered. Immediately upon delivery, all the fruit and herbs (organic and as local as possible) are washed and then stored on dated trays or in see-through bins. Root 246 uses local, organic foods whenever possible. You can taste the quality and the freshness – just take one bite of the spinach salad! But don’t take my word for it – go check it out yourself. And if you like to watch FoodTV, be sure to request the table *in* the kitchen! It is tough to get that table on Saturdays, so call a few weeks ahead to make your reservation.
Here are a couple more photos we took on our tour:
Jason and Anne - interlopers in the Root 246 kitchen
Chef de Cuisine Church in his element
Gotta dig the Converse! No Crocs here.
Pork belly - it's not just for breakfast anymore!
Spices in the Root 246 kitchen
How can you screw up auto-focus? Sigh. Jason, Bradley Ogden, Anne
Wine Nation Underdog 
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