By: Brian Robertson
The First Annual Barrel Tasting Party at Propaganda Wine Co. happened last Saturday September 21st to great results with the introductions and sneak peeks to the future of their wines. Their new lineup of upcoming wines and the tasting consisted of eight wines with robust, fruitful, sweet, dry, and a wealth of flavors being tapped straight from the barrel. The first pour of the night we started off with was the 23’ Pinot Noir-Pommard Clones Petaluma Gap/Carneros, a light, airy, and medium body Burgundian red that is a great early autumn drink, coming this November. The second drink on the list, poured by Claire, was the 23’ Old Vine Zinfandel Lodi. Labeled as a medium body wine with a youthful way about it consisting of bramble fruit and was not very tannic. It was a very smooth but not overly sweet drink. The beautiful cool weather at CoLab in Vista where Propaganda is situated led to a great pairing with the new wines being introduced. As we moved down to the next pair of barrels we were introduced to the 23’ Alexander Valley Merlot which is a medium wine that sits heavy on the back of your pallet. There is definitely a dark oaky flavor to it that I happened to quite enjoy. Next up we were given the 23’ Lake County Tempranillo. The sign says it’s Spain in a barrel, and they weren’t wrong, with a bit of cabernet in it, a slight vanilla kick, and a nice spiciness to finish it off. It went well with the side crackers and accoutrements that Jo Deutsch, one of Propaganda’s proprietor’s, was carefully placing out for the oncoming wine tasters, when he’s not pouring the wine himself.
Moving onto those next barrels we started with the 23’ Bordeaux Blend. Listed as Right Bank heavy. 60% AV Merlot, 30% AV Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% AV Petit Verdot. This was a smooth tasting and light wine that had a lovely, sweet aftertaste that was very different but with a surprisingly refreshing contradiction to the last wine. The next barrel was another favorite of mine for the evening, the 23’ Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. The smooth oaky dryness with a hint of chocolate made me want to sit outside by a nice campfire. It was dry enough, smooth enough, and with a touch of sweetness that one might forget that they would have to go back to work on Monday. During the evening of wining and dining, we had the pleasure of having live music by Ed Burtnette during the first portion of the day and Sam Onzo for the second. Speaking of dining, part of the tasting came with a complimentary slice of pizza from the newly added to CoLab and soon to be opening Mom’s Pizza and Pasta. I will admit it here that the pizza looked and smelled too good to not take a bite before I took the picture. But that should attest to how good it tastes and what to expect once Mom’s Pizza and Pasta fully opens. Here we had a slice of Prosciutto & Figs, and Ricotta & Spicey Honey.
To round out the day and the new release wines, Propaganda’s Chief Alchemist and Proprietor, Steve Michaliszyn, was at the last station of barrels pouring. When asked what got him into making wine, he mentioned how as child he had traveled with his father to Europe, and France, and hung out in vineyards a lot. Then later, he was the person who would bring a box of wine to the parties instead of a six pack. He said that as an adult, after having a desk job for a while he was tired of that lifestyle, and he had gone soul searching in the woods and wilds of Colorado. One day he had found something that he could love doing when he woke up in the morning, and that was making wine. He started us off with the 23’ Alexander Valley Petite Sirah. A very dark wine with that boysenberry sweetness that he says is black as night and swimming in juicy goodness. Last on the tour of the eight new barrels, we have come to Steve’s favorite, the 23’ Alexander Valley Petit Verdot. It appears that I am not quite in the know as the label says, “But the brothel is back, watch out. If you know, you know”. Minerally heavy, and like licking a wet slate, it was a wonderful wine to complete the perfect tasting of the First Annual Barrel Tasting Party at Propaganda Wine Co. The new releases of their eight barrels were a cornucopia of wines with all types of bodies full of strong flavors, sweet, dry, fruitfulness, smokiness, and oakiness and was a great beginning to Fall and the Autumn Equinox.
