“Beulah, peel me a grape,” Mae West, 1892-1980, I’m No Angel (Screenplay), 1933.
Near the Central Coast of California, where wild mustangs used to freely romp, the Wild Horse Winery was formed in 1981. Their slogan, “Live naturally, Enjoy wildly” always rang a familiar, unbridled tune to me, as I’ve always found their wines to be wildly and burstingly fruity, almost feral in nature.
Located in Templeton, south of Paso Robles, Wild Horse deals with more than 50 vineyards in the Central Coast region. Their winemaker, Clay Brook, used to ply his trade at Zaca Mesa winery, another favorite of mine, before leaping the fence to join Wild Horse. His efforts are, to me, most impressive and worth searching out.
I recently sampled a few of Wild Horse’s current releases that are available in our market and from the winery. Shortly, I may taste and review a clutch of unique bottlings that are available in the winery’s tasting room only – a rare treat.
Here are my tasting notes of the wines that I recently sampled, using my subjective “A”-“F” grading scale:
1. 2008 Wild Horse Chardonnay, Central Coast, $12-$14 ($16 from the winery). Pale yellow with heavy, alluring body. Deep, complex nose with notes of butterscotch, a touch of yeast and playful hints of oak. Mouth-filling, with nice depth, as is common with many fine Central Coast cooler growing Chardonnays. Long finish. A-
2. 2008 Wild Horse Pinot Noir, Central Coast, $17 -$18 ($20 from the winery). Medium-dark ruby with heavy body. Deep, medium-intense nose with dark cherry overlaid with a touch of fruity boysenberry. Nice, rich fruit in the mouth easing into a nicely acidic finish. A
3. 2007 Wild Horse Unbridled Pinot Noir, Santa Barbara County, $20 ($35 from the winery). Dark purple, almost black hue with very heavy body. The nose was almost explosively spicy and intense (the Central Coast talking?) with dandy depth. Rich fruit with nice balance and dancing complexity. This entrant trotted through to a nicely clean and elegant finish, which improved with air time. A+
4. 2007 Wild Horse Merlot, Paso Robles, $12-$14 ($17 from the winery). Purple hue with nice “legs” (indicating body or a perverted mind). Playful chocolate-cherry nose that promised more on the palate, overlaid with wild berries and nice depth. Nicely rich middle in the mouth with brambly, fruity notes. Fun! A
Yet another reader, in reaction to earlier columns, passed along the following critical tidbit of wine-related information or trivia: The earliest known winery, found in Armenia, featured a basin for grape squeezing, as well as sundry jars for other wine-related tasks. All of this took place a mere 6,100 years ago.
Today’s clear winner was the racy Unbridled Pinot Noir.
I awarded my Price/Value selection to the prancingly fruity and wild Merlot.
Cheers to you, Clay Brock and stable mates, for your extraordinary work!
