Winegazer – Room With a View: Deep Sea Wines
I have mentioned a few times in past episodes of Winegazer TV about the love I have for the wines of Santa Barbara County and how cool it is that some of the tasting rooms are only a few blocks from the beach. Well, with that being said you can only imagine how excited I was when I heard that there was a new wine tasting room hovering over the water on the Santa Barbara pier! I have always had a nostalgic appreciation for the Santa Barbara pier, perhaps from the countless ice cream cones and shrimp cocktails that I devoured there during my childhood.
Great staff at the tasting room!
Looking into the tasting room at Deep Sea.
When I entered the tasting room I was stunned by the views of the ocean and the mountains as I peered out the large sliding glass doors that lead out to the sun deck/tasting area. This has got to be the best view from any wine tasting room that I have every been to! The staff were super friendly, quite knowledgeable about wine, and very eager to please. The power went out for about 30 minutes and they did not skip a beat! They kept pouring wine, they didn’t panic, and they made sure that everyone was happy.
Fantastic view from the the deck of the tasting room.
Another great view from the deck.
So… How about the wines? I will admit for all my enthusiasm that part of me was skeptical because I actually never hear of Deep Sea Wines or their parent company, Conway Wines. So you probably are getting the feeling that I really, really want these wines to be GOOD. So, I will say that all of the wines were very good, but only about half of them really connected with my palate.
Here are the standouts:
2008 Deep Sea Chardonnay, Bien Nacido – Lots of butter & caramel action on the nose. Very rich on the palate but with enough acidity to keep the stone fruit party of apricots and peaches in check with the bursts of oak. ( 3 stars)
2008 Deep Sea Sauvignon Blanc – On the nose dominant aromas of jalapeño compliment freshly cut grass. Very crisp and clean on the palate with racy acidity. (3 stars)
2009 Deep Sea Coquina Sauvignon, Blanc Coquina Vineyard- An interesting combination of butter and grass on the nose. Nice grapefruit flavors on the finish (2.5 stars)
2008 Deep Sea Pinot Noir, Central Coast – Rusty-red to the eye. Aromas of violets, asian spice, raspberries, and cherries. Very little evidence of oak on the nose. On the palate great acidity and sour candied favors of cherry and raspberry explode, great mid-palate, strong finish, serious food wine (3.5 stars)
2008 Deep Sea Pinot Noir, Sta. Rita Hills – Asian spice box aromas and kiss of oak on the nose. Juicy, tart flavors of sour cranberry and pomegranate dominate. (3 stars)
2008 Deep Sea Red Blend – Weird nose. Combo of crushed dried flowers (rose petals, lavender, and violets), herbs (oregano and thyme), and stinky feet/body odor. Dry finish. (2.5 stars)
2007 Rancho Arroyo Grande Zinfandel Dry Farmed – Great combo of jammy fruit and white pepper. Very plush. Plum, black cherry, and clove/allspice dominate the palate. (3.5 stars)
During my visit I did learn that Rancho Arroyo Grande Vineyards, another Conway brand, produced a 100% Mourvèdre that Matt Kramer, who writes one of my favorite columns in Wine Spectator, liked so much he named it one of his “Wines of the Year” in the December 2010 issue. Unfortunately they did not have it available for tasting. All in all, I would definitely recommend this tasting room to anyone who likes solid wines and delicious panoramic views.
