Like Ulysses and the Sirens, The Oenophliac, J.M. Garcia III, is enticed by Central California’s Rhône style blends… Unlike Ulysses, he delightedly succumbs to their charm…  

California wine, there’s a very good chance you started life as a fan of Napa Valley wines. They got the giga-point ratings, had (and still have) all the 600 lb. gorilla names and tons of P.R. Maybe, if you were a madman rebel like I am, you might have been up to speed with Sonoma wines too… you wild rascal, you.

But pretty much this is where it all ends for 90 percent of the people who prefer to drink California wine. Aloha Tom (not his real name, although if you saw him you’d recognize him) sent me a flyer to the effect that his shop, Aloha Tom’s Wine Shack, would be having a tasting of “alternative California Reds.” Eager to expand my horizons, I nodded assent and went.

Other wine regions of the globe have had a moment of discovery, so the time has come for the South Central Coast of California, roughly from Paso Robles to Santa Barbara. Much like Cabernet Sauvignon was the breakout wine for Napa, Pinot Noir has been for the Santa Barbara area. While not bad, my bet is on the wines that are riffing nicely on the Rhône theme. These were the ones to which I was inexorably drawn.

No foofy varietals-driven marketing for me, thanks.

As it turns out, my favorite wine makers are concentrating their efforts on producing blends of Syrah, Grenache and Mourvèdre. This produces results which would make my palate perform somersaults and triple lutzes — if it weren’t firmly affixed to my skull, of course — being reasonably priced and pathologically food-friendly.

Mark you, I mean reasonably priced, not cheap, wines. You’re looking at wines that will alleviate your wallet’s burden in $20 to $40 lumps. The joy and mirth here, though, is that just as much Rhonic goodness may be found at the $20 end as in the $40 end. Yes, these are not as easy to find as the 99 point Huge Oaky Red (on sale for $84), but neither will you need a bloodhound and magnifying glass. Even better, they have just enough — and no more than strictly necessary — tannin support to make cellaring a viable proposition.

As I mentioned, this sort of wine is also very seriously food-friendly. You can practically see yourself at some sidewalk restaurant, drinking an elegant glassful of this with your steak frites in a café in Paris as you ponder going on strike for six more weeks of paid vacation. Think of simple, elegant bistro beef dishes and you’re on the right track. Entrecote Vigneron, steak frites or au poivre, tournedos, or a roast tenderloin… all of these are vying to become best friends with these Rhône blends.

That’s the other key to the savvy purchase of these wines. You want the blends, and you want them labeled as such. Any wine that highlights a grape varietal (in this case, usually Syrah) is going to perform additional violence to your credit card without any commensurate improvement in the experience. So get blendy.

Now, within this sphere there are many excellent winemakers but two really stick out for the purposes of this little scribble of mine; Villa Creek and Tablas Creek. Of the two, the “steal” of the bunch is:

2004 Tablas Creek, Côtes de Tablas, Paso Robles ($22)
Red with vestigial traces of purple… if I had my kids’ box of crayons I’d tell you exactly what it was called. The nose is tickled with hits of strawberry, cherry and oak. The mouthfeel is very rich and juicy. It features a lively spiciness and yet more cherry with other red berry flavors singing backup. The spicy thing lasts a good while. Right through the finish, in fact. While it has the tannic underpinning I’d say they are more “powdery” than dusty and dry. This is wine you simply do not tire of drinking.

If you can score some of the 2002 and 2003 you’ll be very pleased with yourself.

Buy this wine at Wine.com:
Tablas Creek 2004 Cotes de Tablas - Rhone Blends Red Wine

—J.M. Garcia, III