The Southwest Voice

Joe Barton Jr., another winemaker with Bakersfield roots, was honored last November by having the title of “Blend Master” bestowed upon him for the 15th  Annual Zinfandel Festival to be held March 16 through18 in Paso Robles. This event is always a pleasure to attend for local people, and having one of our own prominent in the festivities is another big plus for the old home town!
The Barton family started Grey Wolf Cellars in Paso Robles in August of 1994 along with Bakersfield residents Gary and Becky Porter. Both families were in the construction business locally. Joe Sr. and Gary had studied wine in college. Both families were also active at West High School in the parent Booster group and Becky worked as a teacher at there. She is currently the activities director at Centennial High School.
Joe Sr. and his wife, Shirlene, purchased full control of the winery in January of 1996. Shirlene also taught for the Kern High School District while commuting to the coast to assist at the growing winery.
Grey  Wolf Cellars is the second winery in our discussion of the Bakersfield wine connection as one part of the answer to the question posed in the last issue, “Are there any big-time winemakers from around here?” Joe. Jr is the current winemaker. He studied viticulture at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, and together with his mother and father planted their own vineyard in the spring of 1998. They had previously made wine from grapes purchased in the area that comprises the Paso Robles appellation.
 One of my favorites of their early wines was a Meritage blend of the 1994 (a great year!) Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Cabernet Franc grapes released in 1997 under the Barton Family Reserve label. I feel a question looming in many minds:  “What is a Meritage blend?” Let’s pause to discuss that, as the Bartons would want you to know, too.
First, it is not a French word pronounced “merry-tahge.” The name rhymes with “heritage.” In 1981, The Los Angeles Times held a competition to name a new blend of the Bordeaux varieties of wine. The winner  “blended” the two words merit and heritage.
Secondly, this is a trade-marked name and is available to  American wineries who join the Meritage Association and agree that any such designated wine will be one of the two most expensive wines produced by the winery.  Also, the wines will be made from a blend of the five Bordeaux varietals: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Malbec, and Petit Verdot grapes. That’s if the wine is going to be red. If white, one must use Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon and Muscadelle. The production must also be limited to no more than 25,000 cases a year. Now you, too, can raise your eyebrows when you hear that name being mispronounced, and hasten to correct the perpetrator. They will look at you pityingly as if you don’t know French, so tell them the story of the origin quickly. That will add new luster to your wine personage.
Now back to the Bartons and Grey Wolf Cellars.
This popular winery is located in Paso Robles. Their tasting room is in a 60-year-old farmhouse on Highway 46 West, 2.3 miles west of Highway 101. It’s open daily from 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Ask about their wine club. This is a good way to get to know the wines of any winery whose product you find you like! This is also a good way to assure yourself access to wines in the event a particular wine, or wines, become so popular they sell out fast, or you can’t find them locally.  In the tasting room you will find a friendly staff always ready to talk about their wines and willing to share their success with you. Make it a stop on your next trip to the coast.
And check out the coming 15th Annual Zinfandel Festival in Paso Robles. This is always a great experience for wine lovers and it is well attended by Bakersfield folks. Over 90  wineries will be pouring their wines, holding winemaker dinners, open houses, and meet-the-winemaker events. There will be numerous tastings and auctions of special wines as well as many opportunities over the long week-end to buy your favorites. The Saturday Marquee event, the Grand Wine Tasting, sold out last year, so get tickets ahead of time. For more information and to purchase tickets, call 800-549-WINE.
Another very, very popular event for the Bakersfield crowd is the World of Pinot Noir wine tasting scheduled for Friday and Saturday, March 2 and 3, at the The Cliffs Resort in Shell Beach. This relatively new event has been sold out for months. Yours truly is a long-time Pinot Noir lover and I will report on this event, too, in plenty of time for you to sign up for next year. In the meantime, check out the Zinfandel Festival as a great way for both new and old wine lovers and learners to participate in wine festivals and events close to home!
Incidentally, we older folks need to be as quick as the younger ones to turn to the Internet and to explore Web sites of wineries we want to learn more about, or to sign up to be on the mailing lists for events like World of Pinot Noir or the Zinfandel Festival. The rewards are many for belonging to the 21st century!
Questions or comments? E-mail: acierley@etcrier.net