Most wine tasting rooms offer flights, designed as a progression starting with the most light and pleasant wines, burrowing toward the boldest reds. But say you plan to visit several tasting rooms in one go. Why not develop a flight that builds from one place to the next?
The idea is to try one glass at each venue and have them select a starting point, middle and finish. It’s a tricky prospect, as the wineries may focus their attention on different styles. And it does force them to change tactics a bit. For example, Blair Estate normally opens with a rosé. In this instance, however, their 2018 Pinot Gris takes the lead – a friendly bouquet of juiced pear and stonefruit with a whisper of orange blossom that follows through on the palate, adding notions of toasted almond and pickled ginger. It’s a neat opener – dry and crisp.
Hahn Estate generally rotates through two whites, followed by three reds in their flight. Pared down to a single offering, for the middle portion of the flight they selected a 2021 SLH Chardonnay. It’s weightier than the Pinot Gris, with rich pineapple and resinous zest trailed by comforting impressions of split oak and vanilla. But there’s a bright, fresh apple snap that leaves the palate primed. It’s a smart choice that allows Wrath Wines to pour a 2020 Pinot Noir from the San Saba Vineyards. Modest in body but dense in its earthy savor, the wine unveils black cherry, smoldering oak, dusky spice and the languid poise of distant tropical flowers. It’s the right finish to this expedition, a flight of wine around Carmel Plaza.