Winemaker Mark Cargasacchi opens tasting room for Joseph Blair, his second label in Lompoc Ghetto

Mark Cargasacchi, Lompoc native and owner/winemaker of Jalama Wines, has announced the recent opening of his second tasting room in the Lompoc Wine Ghetto.

Joseph Blair Wines, which focuses on Bordeaux-style wine grape varietals sourced from Happy Canyon of Santa Barbara County, is located at 1509 E. Chestnut Ave., and opened for wine tasting and sales on Jan. 21.

Among the Joseph Blair wines are Ghetto White (chenin blanc) and Ghetto Red (merlot blend), as well as a viognier, gewürztraminer and Reveller, a blend of cabernet sauvignon, malbec and petit verdot. Case production is approximately 450.

Cargasacchi opened the Jalama Wines’ tasting room at 308 N. Ninth St. in July 2010. Jalama Wines features Cargasacchi family estate pinot noir and pinot gris, Clementina, a blend of riesling and sauvignon blanc that Cargasacchi named for his mother, two vineyard designated syrahs and his signature El Capitan red blend.

Cargasacchi said he’s thrilled to be the region’s first winemaker to have two tasting rooms open in Lompoc’s Wine Ghetto, which has blossomed from just five tasting rooms to 16 that pour more than 20 brands — all in less than two years.

“I’m very excited to have individual tasting sites for both of my labels, and look forward to introducing Joseph Blair’s Bordeaux-based wines to a region that currently focuses mostly on pinot noir and chardonnay,” he said.

Both the Joseph Blair and Jalama Wines’ tasting rooms are open for tasting and sales from noon to 5 p.m. Thursday through Sunday, and by appointment midweek.

Details: Joseph Blair Wines, 1509 E Chestnut Ave., Lompoc, CA 93436
(805) 618-2072.

Calendar of wine events for March & April

Tuesday, March 27

Central City Market Restaurant, Santa Maria — Winemaker dinner with Dierberg and Star Lane winemaker Andy Alba. Champagne and hors d’oeuvres at 5:30 p.m., followed by dinner at 6 p.m. Cost: $75 per person, including wine pairings, excludes tax and gratuity. On the menu: Cold poached sea bass filet, Italian squash, sesame tahini vinaigrette, paired with 2008 Dierberg Chardonnay; smoked Asian spice spring lamb ribs with Hoisen paint, paired with the 2008 Dierberg Pinot Noir; seared porcini dusted prime beef tenderloin carpaccio arugula, regiano and 12-year balsamic, paired with the 2007 Estate red blend, Happy Canyon; grilled bone-in pork loin chop with blackberry demi-glace, sweet potato gnocchi, paired with the 2008 Syrah; and sweet, two-cheese terrine, passion fruit gelee, coconut sponge cake, buttered graham cracker crumble, paired with the 2009 Star Lane Sauvignon Blanc, Happy Canyon. Limited seating; reservations required. 925-7766. Regular events: Happy Hour days, from 4 to 7 p.m.: Wednesdays are Industry Nights, with 20 percent off for those in the restaurant and wine industry, with business card; Thursdays, enjoy $3 glasses of wine and beer; Fridays, Central City offers Champagne and bubbles, and $5 appetizers, and on Saturdays, from 1 to 7 p.m., it’s Flight Day — try three wines from various varieties and themes for $10; and Locals Happy Hour, 4 to 7 p.m., $5 glasses of wine and $3 glasses of beer to all local residents. Information: 925-7766. Central City Market is located at 142 Town Center East on East Main Street, east of Broadway. http://www.facebook.com/CentralCityMarket

Gather Wine Bar, Arroyo Grande — Live music Friday and Saturday evenings; wines by the glass and full menu. Winemaker Wednesdays offer three tastes, discounts on wines by the bottle and a chance to meet the winemaker, all for $10. Gather Wine Bar’s three-year anniversary celebration is Tuesday, March 27, from 6 to 8 p.m. Join us for complimentary appetizers and bubbles. Gather Wine Bar is located at 122 E. Branch St., Arroyo Grande. Hours: 1 to 10 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, 2 to 11 p.m. Friday, 1 to 11 p.m. Saturday, and 2 to 8 p.m. Sunday. View all events at http://www.eventbrite.com/org/462843382. (805) 474-4771; http://www.gatherwinebar.com; info@gatherwinebar.com

Friday-Sunday, April 13-15

Santa Ynez Valley — Second annual “Food on the Vine” canned food drive benefiting the Foodbank of Santa Barbara County. Participating are Alexander & Wayne, Arthur Earl, Beckmen, Casa Cassara, Curtis, Firestone, Foley, Lincourt, Lucas & Lewellen, Scott Cellars and Toccata. Bring three cans of food and taste free at above tasting rooms and wineries all three days. Kickoff event 5 to 7 p.m. Friday, April 13, at Avant Tapas and Wine, Buellton, with participating wineries pouring wines behind bar. Friday’s tasting fee of $20 goes directly to the Foodbank. Information, E-mail Mickey Neal, Foodbank funds drive committee, mickeyneal@gmail.com

Sunday, April 15

D’Vine Wine Bar, Lompoc — Lompoc Civic Theatre and D’Vine have teamed to offer Dinner Theater on two remaining Sundays, April 15 and May 6. The performance is “The Outrageous Adventures of Sheldon & Mrs. Levine,” billed as “a son’s elusive search for his mother’s happiness,” by Sam Bobrick and Julie Stein. Reservations: LCT, 735-2281. Cost: $50, including performance and dinner catered by the Cha Cha Cooking Club. Doors open at 4:30 p.m.; dinner 5 p.m. D’Vine Wine Bar, 107 W. Ocean Ave., Lompoc. Information: 735-8771, e-mail: winebardvine@gmail.com

Friday, April 20

Succulent Café, Solvang — Join Larry Schaffer of tercero wines for a unique winemaker dinner at the Succulent Café. This multi-course meal will pair a broad selection of tercero’s wines with the creative cuisine of Brian and Cynthia from Succulent. This event takes place the night before the annual Vintners’ Festival (1 to 4 p.m., Saturday, April 21). Schaffer will pour his new 2011 Mourvedre Rosé and 2009 Camp 4 Mourvedre — two wines yet to be released. The dinner begins with a “meet and greet,” during which Schaffer will pour his 2010 Grenache Blanc. The meals will be served family style, allowing for greater give and take between Larry, Brian and Cynthia, and the diners. More details about the menu will be posted as they become available. Seating will be very limited. For details, e-mail Schaffer at larry@tercerowines.com.



Ongoing

D’Vine Wine Bar, Lompoc — JBird Surf Designs and Lone Coast Studios present “The Birth of Surfboard,” a show that captures the various stages that end in a finished product — a hand-crafted surfboard. Exhibit continues through April. Information: http://www.LoneCoastStudios.com. D’Vine Wine Bar is located at 107 W. Ocean. Information: 735-8771, e-mail: winebardvine@gmail.com

Taste in the Vineyard, Santa Barbara County — Spend a morning or afternoon in the tranquility of Santa Ynez Valley vineyards with exclusive access during a walking tour, led by Lee Tomkow. Learn how vines are managed and how wine is produced from a guide who will detail clonal differences, rootstocks and how to identify varietals, among them syrah, sangiovese and grenache. Tour times: 9 a.m. to noon, or 1 to 4 p.m. daily except Saturday. Reservations required; each tour limited to 10 people. Cost: $50 per person. Information and reservations: 693-4424, or http://www.vineyardwalkingtours.com.

Welcome to our first panel report: Malbec

This is the debut of wine reviews by Central Coast Wine Press’ core tasting panel.

Who we are: Michelle Lee Ball and Jeremy Ball, Bottle Branding; Katie Baillargeon and Marcel Rivera-Baillargeon, consumers and aficionados; Mark Cargasacchi, winemaker/owner, Jalama Wines and Joseph Blair Wines; myself; and Laura Sanchez, wine journalist for several local and national publications.

The Jan. 21 debut tasting, presented in a blind format, included four malbecs, two from Paso Robles, one from Santa Barbara County and one from Mendoza, Argentina.

Malbec is characterized by a deep, bluish color, ripe aromas of dark fruit blended with delicate floral notes, as well as traces of mocha and tobacco. Traditionally, malbecs show a hint of flint with exceptional finishes.

Note: When I outlined the four wines’ origins to my co-tasters, I erred by saying two hail from Santa Barbara County; while it’s crafted by a Santa Barbara County winery, the wine bagged as Number 1 is produced from grapes grown in a vineyard located in Paso Robles.

When we unveiled the bottles and discovered my mistake, it was clear that Cargasacchi’s initial comment about Number 1 — “I think this one is from Paso” — nailed it.

The group’s further descriptions of Number 1 included “dusty, fruity, molasses, with firmer tannins,” a wine that’s “made to drink now” — and “cough syrup.”

Both wines 1 and 2 were later described as “over ripe” and, following a second taste of the entire flight, Number 3 became both “more tannic” and “more flat.”

After reviewing all four wines, another taster noted Number 1 was more layered, and Number 4 had more developed structure. Someone else thought Number 4 had a higher percentage of alcohol than the others, but it turned out to have the lowest, at 13.5 percent.

Guessing the order of wines poured by their origin were Marcel Rivera-Baillargeon, Cargasacchi and Sanchez, who correctly stated that the Number 1 was from Paso Robles. Jeremy Ball and Katie Baillargeon nailed the origins of Numbers 2 and 3 (Santa Barbara County and Paso Robles, respectively), Michelle Lee Ball surmised that Number 3 was from Paso Robles and I fingered Number 4 as Argentina.

As a group, we preferred the Argentian malbec for its elegance and varietal conformity.

The wines:

Number 1: 2009 Oreana, produced in Santa Barbara with grapes grown at Margarita Vineyard in Paso Robles. Cost: $13; alcohol: 13.8 percent.

Number 2: 2009 Rancho Sisquoc, Flood Family Vineyard, Santa Barbara County. Cost: $21; alcohol: 13.8 percent.

Number 3: 2008 Clayhouse, Red Cedar Vineyard, Paso Robles. Cost: $30; alcohol: 14.1 percent.

Number 4: 2009 Catena, Mendoza, Argentina. Cost: $25; alcohol: 13.5 percent.

Wines 1, 2 and 4 I purchased at a retail outlet that tends toward costly; wine number 3, the Clayhouse, I bought directly from the tasting room in Paso Robles.

— Laurie Jervis, centralcoastwinepress.com