Touring the Wine Country Zaca Mesa Zaca Mesa is an estate winery dedicated to Rhône varieties. Since 1972, we have hand-crafted wines from grapes grown in our vineyards to express their distinct character and genuine quality, offering a unique experience to share. Enjoy our scenic grounds, hiking trail, life-size chessboard, oak shaded picnic site, and authentic wines that reflect our unique terrior: Syrah, Viognier, Roussanne, several Rhône blends, and Chardonnay.
Located in scenic Foxen Canyon an area northwest of Santa Barbara, Zaca Mesa is an easy drive from Santa Barbara up Highway 101 passed County Road 154. Still on 101 just beyond County Roas 154 you should see Zaca Station Road. Turn right onto Zaca Station Road headed north, pass Firestone Winery. Just as you pass Firestone Winery, the road becomes Foxen Canyon Road. Continue on Foxen Canyon Road passed Curtis Winery, and Fess Parker Winery. Just up the road is the Zaca Mesa Winery located near the foothills of the San Rafael Mountains. What ever time you arrive at Zaca Mesa, you will fine thrilling views of the foothills and mountain range.
One of the earliest adventures into wine since prohibition, Zaca Mesa's properties were purchase in 1972 by investors would be wine makers. The first vines were planted around 1973 with Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Zinfandel, Riesling, Pinot Noir, Grenache, Chardonnay, and Syrah. My tasting notes show that 1978 was the first tasting of a Zaca Mesa product, a Cabernet Sauvignon, which I found thin and light for California Cab's being produced at the time; but I thought the wine had breeding. I told my fellow tasters that this was a wine to watch. Later in the wine sales business I sold case after case of Zaca Mesa wines and each year their quality continued to improve. I am pleased I found a wine that I like that has continued to grow, change, and improve it's product line.
In the 1990's Zaca Mesa made a hard right turn and headed into the production of Rhone Valley style wines like Syrah, Grenache, Mourvèdre, Viognier, and Roussanne. The decision to focus on these grape varieties of the Rhone has lead to many of Zaca Mesa's wines being accepted, recognized and awarded prize recognitions. The 1993 Syrah #6 received Wine Spectator's a top ranking that placed the wine in this world renown publication's top 10 for the Syrah grape varietal. The awards keep on coming with Silver Medal and Gold Metals adding up.
The Cushman family, part of the original investors had participated in 1978 in the building of the winery on the estate, which was expanded in 1981, and by 1988 had acquired ownership of Zaca Mesa. With The Cushman families' passion for wine making and their long-term commitment the quality of Zaca Mesa will always be know for quaility "Estate Bottled" wines. All Zaca Mesa's grapes are grown on their own 240 acres of vineyards. The wine is produced, bottled, and shipped from the estate making all their wines Estate Bottled. To qualify for the labeling of "Estate Bottled" the wine in the bottle must meet the requirement of the
The Federal Regulations Code that controls the wine label in the United States which is Title 27 Part 4 of the Alcohol, Tobacco Products and Firearms Bureau a Department of the Treasury. Estate Bottled may only be used if the conditions of Part 4.26 of Application code is meet. Zaca Mesa has meet the following qualifications:
"4.26 Estate bottled. (a) Conditions for use. The term "Estate bottled" may be used by a bottling winery on a wine label only if the wine is labeled with a viticultural area appellation of origin and the bottling winery: (1) Is located in the labeled viticultural area; (2) grew all of the grapes used to make the wine on land owned or controlled by the winery within the boundaries of the labeled viticultural area; (3) crushed the grapes, fermented the resulting must, and finished, aged, and bottled the wine in a continuous process (the wine at no time having left the premises of the bottling winery)."(1)
Less than 2% of grapes grown, wine made and bottled carry the "Estate Bottled" designation and are allowed to include "Estate Bottled" on the label. To accomplish this designation requires a lot of love, passion, and hard work to achieve.
Zaca Mesa makes wines with distinct character and quality as testified to by others in their tasting notes.
"California's Best in 2006" "The Wine News, December/January 2006/07" "What a good job Zaca Mesa has done over the years with Syrah. Their block and barrel selections are typically the best, but this is their best Estate bottling yet, a rich, dense, complex wine brimming with blackberry, cherry, coffee, dry chocolate and wild herb flavors and a distinguished mouth feel." 91 Points, Editor's Choice. Wine Enthusiast, October 2006."
"[Zaca] Mesa is on a roll, especially with wines made from Rhone - grape varieties viognier, roussanne, grenache, mourvedre, and especially syrah. The good Zaca Mesa wines display plenty of ripe, sun-drenched California fruit flavor, but they never seem excessive. Instead, with spicy, often earthy undertones, they taste elegant and refined.
This recently released syrah tastes of ripe plums and dark berries, with a peppery accent and hints of leather and spice. Those secondary characteristics give it complexity, making the wine interesting to contemplate as well as delicious to sip. Most impressive is its sumptuous texture, the result of fine-grain tannins that contribute structure but never feel pasty or astringent."
Wine of the Week, The Washington Times, March 29, 2006, Paul Lukacs"
"Gold Medal - Cincinnati Wine Festival March 2007"
"Another excellent bargain is the 2003 Syrah Estate. Made in a mainstream, somewhat commercial style, it offers a deep ruby/purple color, lovely purity of fruit, good texture, medium body, and no hard edges. This luscious Syrah will offer plenty of enjoyment over the next 3-6 years." 88 points. Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, August 31, 2006.
and
"Appealing in a rustic sort of way. Aromas of white pepper, roasted herbs, plum and licorice lead to intense flavors and chewy, cedary tannins. Drink now through 2008." 85 points, Wine Spectator, March 31, 2006."
What did Zaca Mesa have to say about the production of the 2003 Syrah, Estate Bottled wine:
"2003 Syrah, Estate Bottled Santa Ynez Valley
Growing Season and Harvest A cool spring brought uneven berry size in most varieties, but the weather remained moderate all the way through the growing season and harvest, which gave a very evenly paced crush. With low yields and no adverse weather, 2003 gave us exceptional quality and one of the easiest harvests to date.
Winemaking Our grapes were hand harvested and quickly delivered to the winery where they were gently destemmed and placed into open-top fermenters. During fermentation, the rising grape skins were punched down three times a day resulting in wine of intense color, rich flavors and fine tannins. This wine was aged for sixteen months in French oak barrels; 25% of them were new. The finished wine was minimally filtered before bottling.
The Wine Our Syrah displays rich blackberry, cassis and our signature sage spice aromas and flavors. The finish lingers from the ripe tannins and smoky oak. This full-bodied wine should be enjoyed over the next ten years. A traditional pairing for this wine is a leg of lamb marinated in rosemary and garlic. However, a peppercorn steak or mushroom risotto would work incredibly well."
My opinion of Zaca Mesa wines have never waivered from my very first tasting. Zaca Mesa makes a wine in the style I enjoy and am happy to suggest and recommend such a fine "Estate Bottled" wine. You can look for these other releases to please your palate.
Wine Release Information
2005 Wine Releases
* February 2005; 2003 Estate Bottled Viognier, 2002 Estate Bottled Z Cuvee
* March 2005; 2003 Estate Bottled Roussanne
* September 2005; 2002 Estate Bottled Black Bear Block Syrah
* October 2005; 2003 Estate Bottled Chardonnay, 2002 Estate Bottled Syrah
2004 Wine Releases
* July 2004; 2001 Estate Bottled Z Cuvee
* August 2004; 2002 Estate Bottled Viognier
* September 2004; 2001 Estate Bottled Syrah, 2001 Estate Bottled Black Bear Block Syrah
* November 2004; 2002 Zaca Vineyards Chardonnay
2001 Wine Releases
* February 2001; 1997 B3 Black Bear Block Syrah
* March 2001; 2000 Z Gris Dry Rhone Style Rose, 1999 Z Cuvee Red Rhone Blend
* June 2001; 2000 Zaca Vineyards Chardonnay, 2000 Zaca Vineyards Viognier
* July 2001; 1999 Zaca Vineyards Syrah
2000 Wine Releases
http://www.winerelease.com/WineryInfo/0000695.html
Zaca Mesa
(Foxen Canyon)
Tours, Tasting, and Sales Daily 10am-4pm
Picnic area. Private Tours by appointment.
Groups of 8 or more by appointment.
6905 Foxen Canyon Road
Los Olivos, CA 93441
(805) 688-9339; Fax (805) 688-8796
www.zacamesa.com
zmail@zacamesa.com
Research From:
(1) http://www.atf.treas.gov/regulations/27cfr4.html
http://www.zacamesa.com/about_us.php
http://www.zacamesa.com/our_wines.php
http://www.winerelease.com/WineryInfo/0000695.html
http://www.sbcountywines.com/wineries/pages/zacamesa.html
jGibney "Tasting Notes," Not Published
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