Bridlewood Estate Vineyards

We believe that it must be very intimidating to a wine buyer strolling down the isles at their favorite wine vendor where shelves display a myriad of wines with strange colored labels, in bottles of all shapes and sizes each seeming to scream out “buy me.” Perhaps there is even some oily wine salesperson trying to convince you of the merits of a particular wine which, by the way, he has been trying to get rid of for weeks. What is one to do? Do you stick with a wine type or label that you are familiar with or do you investigate the dark realm of unknown wines?

That is where wine journalists, like us, come in. We attempt to direct the buyer to wines that we know are of good or better than good quality and worth the price that is asked for it. We mention price because it is often the determining factor in a wine purchase. It has been our experience that price is not a good indication of quality. We have tasted some very expensive wines that have been pure stinkers; while on the other hand, we have sampled some very affordable wines that were super.

One of those better buy wineries is Bridlewood Estate Winery, who produces some very excellent and affordable wines from grapes grown in the California Central Coast grape growing district. The grapes from this region are noted for their big, open fruit flavors and aromas while not commanding the higher prices of fruit from some of the other districts.

Bridlewood Estate Vineyards 2010 Monterey County Pinot Noir ($20). We will not again restate our preference for, or the difficulty in making a good pinot noir; we do love them and they are almost impossible to make well. It looks like the winemakers at Bridlewood have done the impossible because the Bridlewood Estate Vineyards 2010 Monterey County Pinot Noir is a fabulous wine. A deep ruby color heralds aromas of tart cherries and raspberries with a suggestion of black pepper. On the palate, the cherries follow through but the traditional raspberry flavor gives way to cranberries and oak. The finish (aftertaste) is exceptionally fruity and multi-layered. This wine is a pure delight and a pleasure to drink.

Bridlewood Estate Vineyards 2010 Paso Robles Cabernet Sauvignon ($15).The cabernet sauvignon grapes grown in Monterey County take on the flavors and sub-flavors usually associated with the higher priced cabs. This wine has been made to take full advantage of the flavor possibilities often overlooked in an attempt to make a Bordeaux taste-alike What they have produced is a is a soft, supple wine that offers the flavor and aromas of cherries and plums along with the traditional cassis flavors. Unlike most of the lower priced cabernet sauvignons, the Bridlewood Estate Vineyards 2010 Paso Robles Cabernet Sauvignon has a reasonably long and fruit laden finish. This wine is ready to drink right now and will require no further aging; however it is capable of up to five years of aging to add extra complexity to the wine.

Bridlewood Estate Vineyards 2010 Central Coast Blend ($15). The Central Coast is the home of a great many varieties of wine grapes. The Bridlewood vintners were able to choose from that multitude of varieties for a wine in which they wished to show the attributes of the Central Coast grown fruit. What they chose was, in the order of their amounts, syrah, merlot, tempranillo and cabernet sauvignon. What is truly amazing about this wine is that you can actually discern the individual varietal components in the blend. This wine has a big open and almost romantic fresh fruit aroma stressing cherries, blackberries, cranberries and a healthy helping of summer berries. The flavor reprises the aroma but with the addition of a bit of oak which carries on to the finish. If you enjoy variations on a familiar theme, this is definitely a wine for you, but, if you are not sure, try it anyway.