Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/19027
South Coast Winery master winemaker Jon McPherson with winemaker Javier Flores in their always- busy tasting room. Southern California has never been able to boast about its wine regions. Even though some of the state’s best old-vine Zin hails from the Cucamonga Valley, planted over 100 years ago, today only about 800 acres—and only three Cucamonga wineries—remain. Vineyards have been paved over for shopping malls and housing developments. Travel a bit further southeast on I-15, to the triangle straddled by three large communities—San Diego, Palm Springs and Orange County—and you’ll hit Temecula Valley, where Native American–owned Pechanga Resort & Casino has helped whip a sleepy community into a thriving recreation area with a growing tourism industry. For years now, Temecula’s wine industry tagged along, a bud- ding wine trail of sometimes questionable caliber that could scarcely compete on California’s main stage. That is, until a new breed of winemakers and a pivotal energizing force within the Temecula Winegrowers Association began spreading the word—and their wings—to educate the outside world that something evolutionary is taking shape in this unsuspected region. The Silver Lining Although its winemaking history dates back to the Missions in the 1800s, con- temporary development of Temecula as a winemaking area began only in the late 1960s. Then, in the 1990s, Pierce’s disease—a bacterial infection spread by insects, particularly the glassy-winged sharpshooter— affected a signifi cant portion of Temecula Valley’s vines. It was a blow, but soon after, a silver lining would be revealed: Because of the damage, vineyard owners and growers had the opportunity to reconsider their plantings and become proactive about utilizing the varieties that were better suited to their Mediterranean climate. Champion for Rhône Varietals Jon McPherson has been making wine in Temecula Valley since 1985, when he fi rst was producing méthode champenoise sparkling wine at the now extinct Culbertson Winery (today the Thornton Winery). “Culbertson had the romance, but not the business acumen necessary to run a business,” explains McPherson, who soon began working for new owner Thornton in 2003, when Culbertson’s annual production dropped from 45,000 cases to 20,000 cases. The most important man that McPherson would meet was Jim Carter, an entrepreneur who was also a vineyard owner and grower in Temecula. Our Picks from South Coast Winery South Coast Winery 2009 Sauvignon Blanc, Carter Estate Vineyard This is a well-crafted, fl oral and fragrant single-vineyard white made utilizing the Musqué clone, with 0.6 percent residual sugar. SRP $14. South Coast Winery 2006 “Il Temporale,” Wild Horse Peak Mountain Vineyards A chewy blend of Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot and Merlot. High acidity lends itself to this leather-and-lace-styled “Supertuscan,” with dusty tannins fi ltering through cinnamon and deep red/blue fruit. SRP $36 november 2010 / the tasting panel / 69 PHOTO: MERIDITH MAY