Flying H 2023 Chardonnay Kristy Vineyard, Monterey County

ABV: 14%
SRP: $35
Grapes: Chardonnay

Flying H sustainably farms their 3,000 sustainable acres, and they grow millions of vines from which they select and hand-harvest their best grapes for their “Flying H” Label. Winemaker Ernst Storm hails from South Africa where he studied at Elsenburg Agricultural College in Stellenbosch. Storm came to California to work at a winery in the Sierra Foothills in the early 2000s, then moved to the Santa Barbara area. In 2021, he started making wine for Hobson Family Farms.

Learn more about Flying H here.

Appearance:  Pale lemon yellow, clear, platinum rim,

Aroma: Banana, tropical fruit, golden delicious apple, lemongrass, subtle,

Palate: Nice bright acidity, fresh pineapple, nice richness, tart Meyer lemon, toast, nicely approachable,

Pairing: Very nice with the deviled egg as the rich eggs and the rich wine go well together. Lovely with the grilled ham and cheese– I could keep eating this for a long time! Perfection with the country chicken salad  sandwiches loving the complexity of the dish. The basil on the tomato skewers make the wine sing. Okay with the watermelon skewer but not Sue’s favorite with the wine.

Favorite pairing: Fried Deviled eggs

Three Sisters Vineyard 2024 Viognier, Ventura County

Three Sisters Vineyard 2024 Viognier, Ventura County

ABV: 13.7%
SRP: ??
Grapes: Viognier

I couldn’t find any information about this wine. I do think it was made at the Camarillo Custom Crush facility.

Appearance:  Very pale yellow, platinum rim, quite clear,

Aroma: Ripe pear, jasmine, white flowers, white stone fruit,

Palate: Nice richness, bright acidity, there is a strong bitter herbal finish, dry chaparral soils, kind of a ho hum wine, it’s nice but it doesn’t wow.

Pairing: The wine did not go very well with the watermelon skewer or the tomato skewers but it did like the basil better than the watermelon or the mint, good with the deviled egg but not as good as the chardonnay was with the egg,  very nice with the grilled ham and cheese the wine integrates all of the elements of the sandwich in a beautiful way, the country chicken salad and the wine was by far the best pairing with the wine,

Glass Pumpkin 2021 Rose of Cabernet Sauvignon, Malibu Coast

ABV: 14.3%
SRP: $35
Grapes: Cabernet Sauvignon

They grow only Cabernet Sauvignon which they make into a rose, a red, and a dessert wine. Learn more about Glass Pumpkin here.

Appearance:  Pink, salmon pink, platinum rim, clear,

Aroma: Watermelon, raspberry, clay, cherry, earl gray tea, mint, sage, menthol

Palate: Sour cherry, eucalyptus, mint, interesting texturally, fine grained silky tannins, cotton candy essence on the finish.

Pairing: Brilliant with the country chicken sandwich, the wine and the sandwich are so in tune together there is a beautiful harmony between the dish and the wine, very nice with the grilled ham and cheese making the jalapeno in the sourdough bread pop and brings out a sweetness in the wine, lovely with the tomato skewers bringing out the sweetness of the tomatoes, not so good with the watermelon skewers together they are just bitter and not nice, great with the deviled eggs.

Best Pairing: Tomato basil mozzarella cheese skewers

Flying H 2023 Pinot Noir Kristy Vineyard, Monterey County

Flying H 2023 Pinot Noir Kristy Vineyard, Monterey County

ABV: 14.0%
SRP: $35
Grapes: Pinot Noir

Learn more about Flying H here.

Appearance:  Very translucent, raspberry, mauve rim, bit of sediment,

Aroma: Lovely spice, cinnamon, red hots, cloves, potpourri, rose geranium, cedar wood, sandalwood, cherry pipe tobacco, raspberry,

Palate: Tart cherry, tart raspberry, cranberry, watermelon, mountain strawberry, rich complex finish, the green notes come in on the back end with the lingering finish, ponderosa pine, cedar,

Pairing: So bizarre but it makes the eggs so eggy and sulphury,  just not a good match. Fabulous with the tomato skewers, but only ok with the watermelon skewer. Just fantastic with the ham and cheese sandwich, both are so rich and lovely together, but absolutely the best with the country chicken sandwich.

Best Pairing: Country Chicken salad open faced on toasted home made sourdough loaf

Hacienda Springs 2023 “Oh Deer!” Malbec, Kern County

Hacienda Springs 2023 “Oh Deer!” Malbec, Kern County

ABV: 14.6%
SRP: ??
Grapes: Malbec

I couldn’t find anything about this winery — but I learned after we judged that the grapes come from a vineyard at about 3,000′ elevation high above Lake Isabella, and the wine was made at the Camarillo Custom Crush.

Appearance:  Deep and dark, ruby, violet rim

Aroma: Juicy, blue fruit and spice, blueberry, mulberry, sage, chaparral.

Palate: Earthy richness, bold tannins, blueberry, mulberry, woodsy, sage, not for sipping it really yearns for food,

Pairing: Not so great with the country chicken salad together both are dirty bitter and uninteresting, fabulous with the  grilled ham and cheese sandwiches, the wine loved the herbal elements in the sandwich the jalapeno and the rosemary as well as the salty sandwich this was a very fun pairing, was good with the deviled eggs but not out of this world, so solidly delicious with the  tomato skewers, the wine brings out the sweetness of the tomato the herbal notes in the basil and rich creaminess of the mozzarella perfect pairing.

Best pairing: Rosemary ham and cheddar cheese sandwiches on homemade sourdough jalapeno cheese bread

Glass Pumpkin

Glass Pumpkin Late Harvest 2022 Cabernet Sauvignon, Malibu Coast

ABV: 13.5%
SRP: $35
Grapes: Cabernet Sauvignon

Learn more about Glass Pumpkin here.

Appearance:  Translucent, garnet, mauve rim

Aroma: Concord grape, rhubarb, Dr. Pepper, eucalyptus, dusty earth, cherry cola, cocoa, milk chocolate, black licorice,

Palate: Raspberry, licorice, cedar, mint, tart plum, cocoa, chocolate cherry cordial, gran mariner, orange oil,

Pairing: We do not usually like chocolate and wine, however this is a wine that changes our perspective, the wine and the chocolates become better together like a true cherry cordial. The wine would work well with a fresh baked chocolate cookie or poured over a bowl of vanilla ice cream. Truly a lovely accompaniment to a dessert menu. Also fantastic with Sue’s shortbread cookies.

2021 VC Fair from Ferris Wheel