Wine of the Month: Chenin Blanc!

July 1, 2013

As you may have noticed, we have been featuring the Paso Robles Wine of the Month every month on our website and in our blog. This month, however, the featured wine is a varietal that we do not produce (Grenache Blanc) but we have decided to keep the special rolling and feature our 2011 Chenin Blanc Blind Faith Reserve for the month of July! It has been a lot of fun featuring the variety of wines produced in this area and July is the only month Paso Robles is featuring a wine we do not currently produce.

I am particularly excited to feature our Chenin Blanc because this is the first time in years we have produced the wine on its own and it’s a very refreshing wine! Our Chenin Blanc comes from our Blind Faith Vineyard and the vines are an impressive 35 years old! Grown on their own rootstalk, these are some of the oldest and healthiest vines we farm, giving the wine a lush and full mouth feel.

If you live on the Central Coast or keep up on the weather, then you know we have been in the midst of a serious heat wave, with temperatures exceeding 100 degrees for multiple days. For some people the heat is too much to handle but for me the heat means it is truly summer and that means it is time for cold, crisp summer time wines. For me personally, our Chenin Blanc is just that, as it is very easy to drink, very subtle and very crisp. If you’re looking for something a little different to cool you down on these hot days give this wine a try and let me know what you think!

For the month of July we are offering 25% off our Chenin Blanc and free shipping on a case. Wine club members can enjoy 35% off and free shipping on all orders! (Discounts are applied at checkout) http://www.castorocellars.com/Shop/Wine-of-the-Month

Don’t forget to buy your tickets for Beaverstock: http://www.castorocellars.com/Beaverstock

Cheers and keep cool!

Luke

Awards and Updates!!

June 17, 2013

And the winners are . . .

One thing that never gets old, even after 30 years, is being recognized for a job well done! In the past few weeks/months we have received results from numerous wine competitions in which we were entered and the results have been great. As you know, we make a wide variety of wines and take great pride in representing the Paso Robles AVA, which makes it very rewarding to have great responses to multiple wines.

It’s also great to see old classics and new blends both take home gold medals, a true testament to our ongoing dedication to quality!

Sunset Magazine International Wine Competition:

• Pasofusion Reserve 2011 GOLD
• Cabernet Sauvignon Estate 2011 GOLD
• Syrah East Meets West Reseve 2010 SILVER
• Chardonnay Estate 2011 SILVER

San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition:

• Cabernet Sauvignon Estate 2010 GOLD
• Chardonnay Estate 2011 SILVER

San Francisco International Wine Competition:

• Chardonnay Estate 2011 GOLD
• Merlot 2010 Estate 2010 GOLD

Los Angeles International Wine Competition:

• Zinfandel Zinfusion Reserve 2011 GOLD 92 Points
• Viognier Paso Robles Reserve 2010 GOLD 92 Points
• Sauvignon Blanc Estate 2011 SILVER

BTI World Wine Championships:

• Zinfandel Paso Robles Estate 2011 GOLD 92 Points (Best Buy)
• Malbec Paso Robles Reserve 2010 GOLD 94 Points
• Pinot Noir Whale Rock Estate 2011 GOLD 91 Points
• Zinfandel Zinfusion Reserve 2011 GOLD 93 Points (Cellar Selection)

In other news we are still as excited as ever about our 30th anniversary festival, Beaverstock, and tickets are continuing to sell fast! As you know, our musical line-up is amazing (Dave Mason, Tower of Power, The Duhks etc) and we are now in the process of making the food just as amazing! Be prepared for a wide variety of food vendors to accompany any taste and if you haven’t already . . . get your tickets now!

Tickets:

http://www.castorocellars.com/Beaverstock

Cheers,

Luke

Wine of the Month: Pinot Noir!

June 5, 2013

A new month is upon us and as a result we are presented with a new “wine of the month.” For the month of June, the Paso Wine Country Alliance has chosen Pinot Noir, and what a great choice that is as we just released our new 2011 Paso Robles Pinot Noir, blending our Whale Rock and Blind Faith vineyards.

As the Paso wine man alluded to in the video, many people may scoff at Pinot Noir from our area because we are known for big, warm weather wines, but like an “oasis in the desert” or “good sushi in Detroit” there are some amazing Pinots in Paso! As I have stressed in many of my blogs, our appellation is incredibly diverse and in turn allows us to successfully grow many varietals, from Zinfandel and Cabernet to Pinot Noir and Sauvignon Blanc. (And most things in between!)

For years our Blind Faith Estate Pinot Noir has been a gold medal winner, a cult favorite and a wonderfully complex, smoky Pinot Noir. Our current release, the Paso Robles Estate Pinot Noir, is a much lighter Pinot than the Blind Faith and probably the lightest Pinot we have ever made. That being said, the wine is still full of flavor and comes with a wonderful nose. You will find hints of black cherry and a subtle smoky aroma that really rounds out this wine.

In honor of the Paso Wine of the Month we are offering 25% off (35% for wine club members) and free shipping on all orders of 12 (case) bottles or more for the entire month!

For Detailsvisit:
http://www.castorocellars.com/Shop/Wine-of-the-Month

Cheers,

Luke

Show Me a Sign!

May 27, 2013

Since updating our labels a number of months ago, we have continued updating and refreshing as many things as we can and let me tell you . . . there are a lot of things! Most recently I have been working on updating all of our signage to reflect our new logo and commitment to sustainable farming. Before taking on this project I really had no idea how many signs we had, and now I know we have a lot! From billboards and vineyard signs to “staff only” and “Live Music Today” signs we’ve got them all.

From the outside it probably seems like a simple task but there are a lot of factors involved in making quality signage. First you need a quality design, which in itself can take a lot of time to refine. Once you have the design you need to choose materials, size how it will be installed/is our current system reusable or in need of replacement?

After a few weeks of tweaking designs and looking over materials I am very happy to have a number of signs replaced and looking fresh! The signs I have enjoyed working on the most so far have been the vineyard signs because they reflect our commitment to sustainability and installing them gave Erik and I a chance to visit some of the vineyards we rarely have time to see. Now that almost all of the new vineyard signs are up, keep your eyes peeled for a new billboard on HWY 46 East as you enter Paso, an update to our famous barrel sign at the Tasting Room and a refresh to our signs on HWY 46 West! Also, if you haven’t seen it already, keep your eyes peeled while driving the 101 as our famous billboard is looking very classy!

Cheers,

Luke

Wine of the Month: Viognier!

May 20, 2013

For the Month of May the Paso Robles Wine Country Alliance or PRWCA has designated the Rhone Varietal Viognier as the wine of the month. As they do each month, the wine has been paired with a video featuring the “Paso Wine Man” and his humorous description of the wine and the attitude it commands. This month’s wine of the month piqued my interest, as Viognier is one of my favorite white varietals and a wine that is so often overlooked.

Having spent a lot of my time in sales I have experienced numerous reactions to numerous wines in a wide variety of settings. One wine that has always been a challenge for me is Viognier. Often times when I am out selling Viognier I can’t wait for potential buyers to try the wine, as it is such a nice floral and aromatic wine. Hints of honesuckle and orange blossom make this wine wonderfully complex and extremely approachable. The only problem is that many people are unfamiliar with the wine, afraid to try and pronounce the name or just don’t know what to expect. Often times when I present the wine to restaurants they tell me their customers will often overlook the Viognier on the menu and order Chardonnay because they don’t want to sound silly trying to pronounce the name “Viognier.”

After hearing similar stories too many times, I have made it a goal of mine to educate as many people as I can about this wine and get them to just give it a try. In my experience it only takes one good Viognier to make you a believer and that is a priceless experience that all wine lovers deserve to have!

In honor of the PRWCA’s wine of the month we will now be featuring the wine of the month each month on our website at a discounted price! This month we are offering $99 case specials on our 2009 Viognier Reserve and that is a steal of a deal! This is a fabulous wine that embodies everything a Viognier should! To see the special visit our site here: http://www.castorocellars.com/Shop/Wine-of-the-Month and to watch the video click HERE!

Cheers,

Luke

Beaverstock Update!

May 13, 2013

As you can all tell by now, we are pretty excited about Beaverstock and we have no problem letting it be known! Since announcing the festival a few weeks back we have continued working tirelessly to bring more musical acts, food vendors, beer and merchandise. It is a lot of work but as promised I have some exciting updates to announce and rest assured they will keep coming!

In the musical sphere we are excited to announce the addition of Nicki Bluhm and the Gramblers, Joe Craven’s Momajowali, and local favorites the Damon Castillo Band. Not only are these bands awesome, we feel they will be a great fit for Beaverstock and our community of peace loving wine drinkers! Nicki Bluhm brings young soulful energy, Momajowali brings an afro beat sensation of the highest musicianship and Damon Castillo is one of the most rockin’ bands on the central coast. These additions are really rounding out the lineup and we’ve got more in the works so get your tickets asap!

Another addition I am very excited about is the addition of Toro Creek Brewing Company as our exclusive beer supplier for the event. Toro Creek Brewing Company is a brand new craft brewery on the Central Coast, focusing on organically grown estate ingredients and the highest quality of beer making at every stage of the process. Not only is the beer delicious, Beaverstock will be the first time the beer will be available to the public! I couldn’t be more excited about this as the mastermind of the brewery has been a good friend of mine since elementary school. There is really nothing better than supporting local businesses and we are honored to be a part of the launch off this brewery!

If you haven’t gotten your tickets yet I can’t encourage you enough to do so as the sales have been moving along very rapidly! Tickets are only $30/day and $50/2 day, which is an unbelievable deal. So stayed tuned for the next round of updates and visit the beaverstock page for more details and tickets! http://www.castorocellars.com/Beaverstock

Till the next update!

Cheers,

Luke

New Growth and Summertime Wines

May 9, 2013

They’re Baaaaack! Little green balls, soon to be plump, luscious and juicy red and green grapes are finally popping out of our vines again. At the beginning of April we saw the first buds break through the branches and now, just one month later, the vines are growing thick and fruiting. Come see for yourself and be quick because those bad boys are growing fast!
This is an exciting and awesome time of year not just for us at Castoro, but all of Paso Robles. Summer is just around the corner and once again the weather is hot! This means summer concerts, chilled white wine by the glass, laying out at the beach, picnics in the vineyard, and of course a plethora of wine tasting events and festivals almost every weekend. I’ll be at every event possible, so come say Hi wherever you see the Castoro name or logo. If I don’t see you I will be very disappointed and you will miss out on ridiculously good wine, beaver stickers and whatever else I may have up my sleeve that day.

Also, to make it all better and to give me something new to talk about we have some fresh, new wines coming your way. The always delicious Pinot Grigio is back, bottled and ready for action in its 2012 form of course. This year Sherrie describes the Pinot Grigio as round, but crisp, displaying honey suckle and apricot on the nose. The mouth is bursting with passion fruit and pineapple and finishes with subtle notes of Meyer lemon. Yum!

The Primitivo 2011 also just got bottled and it looks sexy as ever with its new sleek black capsule. The Primitivo, Sherrie says, is a lively wine filled with ripe strawberries and fresh plums with a touch of earthiness and black pepper spice.

If you’re in the mood for pink, don’t fret because we have you covered there too with our 2012 Rosato Di Zinfandel. Now in a screw cap, this delicate, dry Rosé has flavors of raspberry jam and fresh plum with a crisp white pepper finish. Perfect for any hot day

More wines will be bottled soon, but until then, come see me at A Day in the Shade in Templeton this Saturday, May 11th, from 11:30-5. I’ll be waiting for you.

Thanks for reading,

Erik

Earth Day Festival comes to Castoro!

April 22, 2013

Over the past weekend Erik, Rhiannon and I were lucky enough to attend the Central Coast Vineyard Team’s annual Earth Day Food and Wine Festival at Pomar Junction Winery. None of us had been before but we had heard great things about the festival so we were pretty excited. We were also excited to experience the event because we had just been made aware that next year’s festival will be held at our very own Castoro Cellars!! How cool is that?!?!

When we arrived at Pomar Junction to set up, it was immediately clear that this event is very well organized. Our things were transported to our table for us and everything was very straightforward from the beginning. (Some times these events can be pretty hectic as a vendor). Once we got our table all set up we had a few minutes to explore before the madness began and explore we did. It was almost overwhelming to be honest as there was an abundance of great local food, wine and beer. Everywhere you looked you were drawn to some amazing treat and everyone was very friendly.

We are very lucky here on the Central Coast to have access to such a wide variety of agricultural goodies. One of my favorites from the day was the local asparagus salad being served by Summerwood Winery and Inn. They had cut asparagus into small pieces with red onion, oil and goat cheese and it was to die for! I may even attempt to make it tonight!

As the day went on, my excitement for next year only grew. We have such an amazing location in our Whale Rock Vineyard for the event and I can’t help but let my imagination run wild with possibility. When you have great food, wine, beer and live music it’s hard not to have an amazing event. Couple that with a beautiful location and you have something special!

For a limited time only, the CCVT is offering a $25 discount on 2014 general and premiere admission tickets. For more information visit http://earthdayfoodandwine2014.eventbrite.com/#

Cheers,

Luke

Celebrating 30 years with Beaverstock!!

April 11, 2013

When you reach milestones in your life, career, marriage etc. it’s usually a good idea to celebrate and enjoy what you have accomplished. This is a big year for us at Castoro Cellars, as this year marks our 30th anniversary! It’s hard to believe we have come this far from our humble beginnings and the least we can do is give back to the community and those who have supported us over the years. We have decided to celebrate with a festival “Beaverstock” over Labor Day weekend that will feature two days of wine-loving, peace and music! And, to top it all off, the event is a benefit for the local non-profit MUST!, which focuses on sustainable health and hope in the Northern Region of SLO county.

We (especially Niels) couldn’t be more excited for this festival as it truly embodies everything we love. What could be better than being outside, listening to music and enjoying great wine, food and beer? On top of that we have decided to keep the festival very affordable with single day early bird tickets only $30.00 and two day passes for only $50.00!! That is a steal of a deal; especially considering the talent we have booked.

Now on to the talent . . . drum roll please . . . We are proud to announce we have booked Dave Mason and Tower of Power as our Saturday and Sunday headlining artists with other acts including The Duhks, Joe Craven, Guy Bud, Luke Byron, Up in the Air and more exciting bands to be announced! We made it our goal to have a combination of national acts, local favorites and upcoming talent and I think we have done a pretty darn good job! Keep in mind there are more acts to be announced, a couple of which I am particularly excited about!

So . . . unless you happen to have some other amazing plans, mark you calendars now, dust off the lawn chairs and get ready for an epic weekend! If you can, try to attend both days, as each day is sure to take on a unique identity. For more information on the festival and to purchase tickets go to: www.castorocellars.com/beaverstock

See You All on Labor Day Weekend!

Cheers,

Luke

Paso Wine of the Month and a VIP Welcome!

April 3, 2013

April is here and each new month brings many exciting things to the Paso Robles wine region. For example, the wine of the month, according to the “Paso Wine Man” is Cabernet Sauvignon. This is great timing for us as our Estate Cabernet recently took a gold Medal at the San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition! It is really a nice full-bodied cab and it goes great with food and even better with friends!

I’m glad Cabernet has gotten its turn as wine of the month because it is one of the most interesting wines out there. I say interesting because Cabernet is expected to be so many things to so many different people in different parts of the world. Cabernet may easily be the top selling red wine in the states and yet every region wants to claim the wine as their own. Napa, for example is known for Cabernets and I will say they make some very nice ones. Paso is also known for Cabernets but I wouldn’t compare a Paso Cab to a Napa Cab as they are, in my opinion, very different wines and that is what makes wine so exciting.

In other exciting news, we are still introducing our new website to the masses and have gotten great feedback so far. Fingers crossed, there haven’t been any major hiccups and everything seems to be working. If you haven’t already, take a minute to explore the site, log in and appreciate its ease of use. If you’re in a really good mood, buy a bottle and enjoy an easy, secure checkout! This week only, use the code VIPWELCOME at check out for a 35% discount. Good till Friday April 5th.

Time for a glass of Cab!

Cheers,

Luke