Focus on the Central Coast

My annual tour of California’s Central Coast afforded the opportunity to compare numerous 2007 reds against their 2008 siblings, and the differences were intriguing. Fans of low-octane—relatively speaking, of course; we are talking about the sunny Central Coast—bright, red fruit-driven pinot noir and spicy syrah will find plenty to like from 2008, if they stick to the top producers. And wine lovers who prize full-throttle renditions of those varieties will be even more excited by the number of choices available from the warmer 2007 vintage. The best ’07s are rich and usually open-knit, expressing themselves already but also possessing very good depth and aging potential. By the way, many of the 2007s have been in the market for over a year now, and there has been steady demand for the wines since they were released. So we are fast approaching last call for the most sought-after 2007s.

“The best thing about the 2008s is that they have clarity and show their variety and place,” Tablas Creek’s Neil Collins told me. “It’s a vintage where it really wasn’t possible for the grapes to overripen, which is always a danger in the hotter areas of Paso Robles, and that’s when the characteristics of the grapes can blur into a sameness of rich, or even roasted or overripe, dark fruits and not much else.” He added that it was necessary to harvest late in ’08, “which means that we started to run into the dangers of fall weather.” Chad Melville (Samsara) is also a fan of 2008. “Naturally low yields without overripening means concentration without weight, which is exactly the style that I’m personally after. If you want more power and darker fruit character, then 2007 is going to be up your alley.”