Ted Allen, Former Queer Eye and host of the TV series "Uncorked! Wine Made Simple" rated Tolosa's tasting room in his top 5 picks in the 2007 winter issue of Out Traveler.
Tolosa is very pleased with this rating and would like to say "THANK YOU" to Ted! We're are very gracious for your choice and are happy to be alongside with the other top 5 wineries you chose!
Cheers!
What white wines do you prefer to cool you off for the summertime heat?
We all know that there's no wrong answer, hey you might even prefer a chilled red or of course some people just turn to a beer.
With so many whites out there, it sometimes hard to choose. I may be a little biased to our region but I definitely think our local wineries have some amazing wines to chose from. Edna Valley's climate provides a great growing region for crisp tropical flavors that show up well in white wines. With many options out there I thought I would breakdown just a few of Tolosa's new white wines and rose, that are perfect for the summer. My choice the 2007 Rose!
For more Tolosa white wines visit our website at www.tolosawinery.com
Cheers! Katie Noonan
Well here in San Luis we are experiencing record high temperatures, yesterday being 102° and today predicting even hotter temperatures. Although it's great weather to welcome the start of the summer, tomorrow June 20th, we need to be prepared! Don’t worry we have the perfect cocktail creation that is sure to cool you off and revive your overheated corpse; It’s called The Corpse Reviver!
Larry Brooks, our winemaker, is also a master mixologists and is amazing at finding the perfect drink for the perfect day. Here’s his recipe along with the history of this cocktail.
The Corpse Reviver was invented in 1860’s and is progenitor of the Margarita.
I call this cocktail the Slippery Slope because I’ve found that it’s really hard to stop drinking them once you start.
The Corpse Reviver:
1 oz. Gin
1 oz. fresh lemon or lime
1 oz. Lillet Blanc
1 oz. Cointreau
I like to shake them and serve them up, but they’re equally tasting on the rocks, and the flavor alone will pop the pennies off the eyes of a corpse.
- Cheers, Larry Brooks
Here are a few tips for wine tasting this summer. Wine tasting should be a fun and memorable experience, so here are just a few of Tolosa's suggestions! Please feel free to add any other suggestions for wine tasting to our comment box.
Most of All have a good time and be safe!
Cheers,
Brittney Blete, Tasting Room & Wine Club Manager
Like all so called arts, the art of blending a wine requires a lot of practice and hard work behind the scenes in order to make the effort look easy and seamless. I will use the 2007 Tolosa Pinot Noir as the example. The practice part started 29 years ago when I began tasting professionally. In order to make these sensual decisions you must focus your senses and quiet your mind so that you can make an accurate intuitive decision. I’ve been asked many times how or why I make a certain choice with a wine, and the honest answer is, “I don’t know why, but I am confidant that the choice is correct.”
The work part is the ongoing actual tasting which begins with tasting the grapes daily in the vineyard a few weeks before harvest. Continues during the fermentation when every fermenter is tasted every day. The wines are then tasted from barrel regularly during aging. Finally, in the late winter or early spring I taste through every single barrel and score them on a simple four level system marking each barrel with a piece of sidewalk chalk. A minus mark means the barrel does not go into the bottle. This is rare. A zero mark means it may go into our least expensive bottling, the SLO or the Estate. A plus sign means Estate level for sure. And very rarely a double plus which means 1772 quality. I then tally up the scores by lot code and age of barrel and sit down and think about what we can make. The next step is to make some confirming lab bench blends to confirm the intuitive decision. Then it’s time to pump the barrels into tank to form the blend, and finally back to barrel for a few more months aging in just the right mix of oak barrels.
-Larry Brooks, Winemaker
Just a reminder that Saturday June 7th is our official start to the summer's Wine and Cheese Experience! Guests will enjoy four reserve wines, paired with four Artisan cheeses in our private Heritage Room. Arrive anytime between 11-3pm or call ahead and make reservations.
Below is the menu for June 7th, but the menu does change weekly. Hope to see you there!
2007 Tolosa Sauvignon Blanc
Abbaye De Belloc (ah-BAY duh Bell-OCK)
Pasteurized sheep’s milk from the Pyrenees in southwest France. A smooth, semi-hard paste with a mottled rind. The sweet fruity tones, complement the quality of our Sauvignon Blanc.
2005 Tolosa Chardonnay
Humboldt Fog
Goat’s milk from “earthy” northern California, where the men are weak and the cheese is strong! A wonderful creamy, chalky paste with a vegetable “ash” center. Sourced from small family farms.The creamy smoothness makes it a fitting partner for our dry Chardonnay.
2005 Tolosa Pinot Noir
Manchego
Sheep’s milk, from the high plains region of La Mancha, Spain.
Aged for six months developing a salty flavor.
The zig zag striations are imprints of esparto grass, woven together for the draining mold. Most appropriate for fruity red wines, such as our Pinot Noir.
2005 Tolosa Syrah
Red Hawk
Cow’s milk from Point Reyes Station, California. A well balanced and complex cheese.
Aromas of chalk and hay. A salty tang and creamy finish.Best suited with a rustic, spicy Syrah.
Join Tolosa winery at Native Lounge in San Luis Obispo on Wednesday May 28th from 4-7pm!
Enjoy four Tolosa estate wines paired with four artisan cheeses hand picked to pair with our wines by chef Charles Aghajanian.
Native Lounge, voted Best New Restaurant in SLO, is a great place to unwind after work so bring in your friends for a great evening of wine and cheese.
$14 per person
“Lets fly lets fly away. If you can use some exotic booze, there’s a bar in far Bombay!”
One of my favorites, penned by Sammy Cahn and sung by Ole Blue Eyes himself, had me thinking in the shower this morning. Why would anyone think of flying away today as adventurous or romantic? Particularly after arriving at the airport three hours prior to your flight, hungry, only to have time for concession food prior to your “pat down” and walk thru; shoes in hand, beltless trousers slipping off, only hoping your lap top makes it through the scanner. Ugh- - - just the thought of it!
But wait, I have an idea for a flight, which takes place every Saturday at 11 am, beginning June 6th in our Heritage Room. No lines or security pat downs. Just arrive, pay ten dollars (complimentary for wine club members) and relax to quiet soothing jazz ballads while enjoying a wine tasting flight!
Wine flights include selections from our winery library as well as new limited release varietals. A theme one week could be Chardonnay, old to new or perhaps Pinot. What about the Rhone itself with both northern and southern expressions. Our Syrah is crafted in the style of northern Rhone, which for the most part utilizes only the Syrah grape. With that spicy pepper like characteristic, it is unmistakably “cool climate”. We even have a Southern Rhone style blend, which includes both Syrah and Grenache.
At the same time, and in the same “terminal” (VIP lounge), we will be offering our wine and cheese pairings for the week. We usually work with Monterrey Street Wine & Cheese and change the menu weekly to reflect our mutual curiosity, resulting in the best pairing possible. We offer four cheeses paired with four wines for $20($15 members) served in a Riedel glass.
At your trips final destination, we will be able to mark your ticket (menu) with purchase choice to take to our register to be packaged (not lost like an airport bag) and rung up. Now how civilized is that!
Captain John, Concierge
We concluded this years four day event, Roll Out the Barrels, on Sunday May 4th, and I've finally caught up again! It was a great event that is put on by our San Luis Obispo Vintners in early May, beginning with Barrels in the Plaza on Thursday evening. I would have to say our Friday night winemaker dinner with Claiborne and Churchill Winery was definitely a highlight. We had an amazing six course meal prepared by Jose Dahan, which was incredible and complete with eight different wines. My favorite pairing would have to be the rack of lamb with the Tolosa 2004 Heritage Blend!
For Saturday and Sunday’s passport event, we decided on the Italian theme. I think we had decided on our caterer first and then centered the theme on them! Our catering company was Bello Forno, who did a great job preparing over 150 pizzas in their mobile wood fire oven! What could be better than homemade gourmet pizzas, wine and an accordion player 
in the background??
Well thank you to all those who were able to join us for any of the ROB events and we hope you enjoyed the wine, staff and food. Please let us know any comments or feedback you have!
Ciao- Katie Noonan
Mother's Day is just around the corner, and if you don't have plans we've got them for you here at Tolosa. For the weekend of May 10th & 11th, 2008 Tolosa will be offering cheese plates that pair with both our red and white wines. Guests can enjoy these artian cheeses on our patio while relaxing with thier mom or playing bocce ball or croquet. Cheese plates will be $10 for club members and $15 for non-members. We will have tables reserved, but if you have a larger group give us a call.
Cheers!
