A couple of weeks ago, my brother Patrick and his girlfriend Katie, along with my husband and I, stopped at Chamisal Vineyards. A first time for Rick and I but a return visit for Patrick and Katie. Chamisal Vineyards is in Edna Valley, a viticulture region of San Luis Obispo. A close distance to the ocean, the area has ancient sea life characteristics in the soil and a cool foggy morning/sunny afternoon climate which creates interesting complexities in the varietals. A personal side note: Rick and I were married in Edna Valley and the wine we had at our wedding was from various wineries in Edna Valley.
What makes Chamsial such a special winery is that it is the first established vineyard in Edna Valley, but what I liked about it was the openness of the tasting room and outdoor area as well as the exceptional views, a perfect way to spend a couple of hours and enjoy a packed lunch with great wine. The tasting room is modern and rustic, and has a great staff. I can imagine they throw a lot of great wine events and parties.
A couple of my memorable tastings was the 2009 Estate Chardonnay, now I have mentioned in the past that I am not a big white wine drinker, so when I really enjoy a white wine I always feel it is worth mentioning. I find some white wines overly tart or overwhelmingly sweet, but this was buttery and had a mildly coconut and pineapple taste. We purchased a bottle and I am still planning an exceptional dinner. Coconut nut crusted halibut? The Chamisal Syrah was also quite enjoyable with an abundant nose of berries and plum with peppery, smokey notes and a smooth finish.
Chamisal is a prime destination if you are tasting in San Luis Obispo, come for the wine and stay for the gorgeous ambiance.
Also, I must add they are having a Lobsterfest event the first weekend in August. Visit the website for more information.
We had many wines to try from the high quality (expensive) to the cheaper wine store grades. I did not really like the top of the range wines, but did find myself partial to the sweeter range. From Wolf Blass we then headed in the direction of the Kaesler winery for tasting and lunch. The drive through the valley seeing the acres and acres of grapes, immaculately tended and tidy spoke of the depth of interest in the grape and its product.