Palumbo Winery - In The News
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Christine Thompson, Contributing Writer Western Farm Press - Sep. 27, 2011
Temecula Valley, Calif., wine grape growers joined their counterparts to the north this season, successfully harvesting a crop of promising wine quality amid prospects of improved grape prices.
A decade ago, many growers in the southern Riverside County wine grape enclave were not sure they’d be around in 2011 when the glassy-winged sharpshooter (GWSS) vectored deadly Pierce’s disease throughout the 1,300 acres of wine grapes, killing many of the vines.
However, Temecula growers have rebounded from the devastation of Pierce’s disease in the late 1990s, and vineyards throughout the valley are thriving. New plantings are evident across the region. Wineries are expanding their guest facilities and plans are underway for more growth.
Grower and winemaker Nick Palumbo, who owns Palumbo Family Winery with his wife, Cindy, thinks the Temecula Valley wine grape growing region is poised “for getting the attention and respect that is due” all the hard work that goes into growing superior wine grapes. He’s among a new generation of grower/vintners learning and implementing new growing and management techniques — eager to try new clones and varietals.
“In a way, Pierce’s disease was the best thing that ever happened to us because a lot of vines got kicked out and everybody had to rethink what they were doing,” he said. READ MORE
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Nicholas Palumbo, owner/winemaker, Palumbo Family Vineyards and Winery along with the Temecula Valley Winegrowers Association joins Tom Lykis for a radio interview on Setpember 3, 2011.
Click Here To Listen:
http://newnormalnetwork.com/sites/default/files/TastingRoom09-03-11.mp3
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Temecula Valley wines a work in progress
Although some wineries are content to please the masses and nothing more, others are producing impressive varietals by taking advantage of a climate similar to Spain, Portugal and southern Italy.
August 26, 2011 - With abundant sunshine, shimmering heat and a diurnal shift in line with many coastal viticultural areas , there is no denying that the Temecula Valley is an authentic California winegrowing region. However, setting aside Pierce's disease and the prevailing party atmosphere, challenges remain. Problems with hygiene, brettanomyces and volatile acidity in particular still taint bottlings from less diligent producers. Farming practices too can be relatively lax, compared with the meticulous care taken by Napa and Sonoma growers. Winemakers I spoke to voiced concern that the growers have little interest in the extra work required to improve quality in the vineyard, especially when the average limo passenger is indifferent.
For all this, the valley is producing solid, at times impressive wines of varietal and regional character. The warm-weather varieties common to Spain, Portugal and southern Italy — Syrah, Mourvedre, Sangiovese and Tempranillo — are showing promise, as well as American varieties Zinfandel and Petite Sirah.
In general, the red wines have plenty of weight, in the way that Spanish wines or Sicilian reds do: big shoulders, good body, plenty of tannic grip. The 2009 Hart Mourvedre is aromatically spot-on with its scents of spiced strawberry and red-fruit flavors marked by a meaty Provencal rusticity, while the 2008 Palumbo Family Sangiovese, with its dusty cherry scents and firm, grippy tannins, is a bit like an amped-up Rosso di Montalcino. I enjoyed the South Coast Vineyards 2008 Lone Boulder Ridge Syrah, with its exotic scents of anise and black pepper and oak-tinged red plum flavors.
Of course, if you want power, the valley can deliver: The Cabernet-based wines of Wiens Family Cellars knock you back on your heels with their intensity — a familiar Temecula profile. Though the wines of Thornton Winery seemed to depart from this paradigm, David Vergari's 2010s are all below 14% alcohol (with a couple under 13%), lean, zippy wines with refreshing acidity and drive; his youthful 2010 Tempranillo, for example, resembled the Joven wines of Rioja in its bright, cheery red fruit. — Patrick Comiskey
http://www.latimes.com/features/food/la-fo-temecula-wine-country-box-20110826,0,5385578.story __________________________________________________________
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