Wine Spectator “Pick of the Month”

So to our surprise, Wine Spectator has named Caliza as their “Pick of the Month.” We are so flattered our heads are spinning. There are so many incredible wineries out there, not to mention the amazing ones right here in Paso Robles, so for this honor to be bestowed on us is just mind blowing.

You have to be a subscriber to see the whole article, but here’s what they had to say:

“One of the newest players in west Paso, Caliza is already producing a short list of impressive red and white blends from an area known as Templeton Gap. The winery’s name, Spanish for limestone, is a nod to the soils that dominate the area. Entrepreneur Carl Bowker launched a second career in 2002 when he began studying viticulture and enology. He then planted 20 acres of vines in the south-facing hills of west Paso. There’s a Rhône white blend called Kissin’ Cousins and a Rhône red blend, Azimuth; both layer complex and intense fruit with crisp and earthy minerality. The tasting room is a stylish den where you’re likely to find Bowker and his wife, Pam, pouring. ”

So a big huge “Thank You” to the folks at Wine Spectator, we sure appreciate this.

Caliza Named in SF Chronicle’s “Top 100 Wines”

Every year the San Francisco Chronicle puts out their list of the “Top 100 Wines” for the year. The list is compiled by Chronicle wine editor Jon Bonne’ and this year the focus was on small wineries. There were a log of Pinot Noirs this year and a number of producers from Oregon and Wahington made up the list.

Our 2007 Azimuth, a GSM (Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre) blend, was 1 out of 11 included in a group called “Syrah & Rhone“. The following is what Bonne’ had to say:

 ”A fantastic expression of the robust Paso style, with bright Grenache fruit and spicy Syrah in good balance, with a slight sweetness offset by lots of brine and allspice, and a bright, juicy finish that also reveals the darker Mourvedre undertones.”

Another nice surprise that came out of this was there were two other Paso Robles wineries on the list – Tablas Creek’s Esprit de Beaucastel  and Ancient Peaks’ 2008 Zinfandel . I can tell you that the Esprit de Beaucastel is always a delicious wine – it also was named #33 in Wine Spectator’s Top 100 list – and that the AP Zin is great with a turkey dinner.

Looking for the Next Saxum?

We were very excited to see this blog post from James Laube in his Wine Spectator blog. It mentions a few of our neighbor friends as well as Caliza. Pretty exciting to be in such great company. Most importantly, “Congrats” to Justin Smith of Saxum for being named #1 wine in the Spectator Top 100 list.

Pouring at Sunset’s Savor the Central Coast

We’ll be pouring at the Main Event this Saturday and Sunday at Sunset Magazine’s Savor the Central Coast held in Santa Margarita. This is a little town about 15 miles south of Paso Robles with quite a bit of history.

In addition we are participating in the Paso Glow – Culinary Experience on Saturday night with chef Tyler Florence. This should be pretty exciting. If you are a wine club member or a fan of Caliza, please stop by to say hello.

We look forward to seeing all of you.

Wine Weirdos Video Review on 2006 Azimuth

These guys found our wine at an event in L.A. and requested a sample for thier reveiw. Lucky for us they liked it. Thanks guys.

Caliza Winery At Celebrity Catwalk in L.A.

We had the opportunity to participate in the Celebrity Catwalk in Los Angeles last week which is a fundraiser for National Animal Rescue. We though this was a good cause and so we got involved. We weren’t sure what we’d get out of it other than feeling good helping a good cause, so it was neat to see our logo behind people in pictures and in videos kind of like you see on red carpet events. Anyways, we got a kick out of it and if you’d like to learn more about how you can be a part of it check out www.celebritycatwalk.com.

Here’s a link to a video of the entrance, it’s a bit long, but you get to see some of the people involved. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9B-Nxs15IJk

Caliza Presented With Best of Show Plaque

 We got a nice visit from two represntitives from the Orange County Wine Society last Friday to present us with a very nice plaque honoring our recent award. In case you missed it, we were awarded Best Of Show for our label design on the 2007 Companion. This was quite a nice surprise becuase apparently there are around 3,000 entries.

 A bit later that day, we also got a nice visit from local celebrity Lynn Diehl who owns and hosts the Wine Region News television and radio show. She did a brief interview with us and the labwl designer so hopefully we’ll be on TV some day soon (that is if we don’t make it to the cutting room floor first).

A Short Video From Wine Blogger Hoot ‘n Annie

An nice little video from a nice little gal. Here’s the link for her complete write-up. http://www.hootnannieblog.com/?s=caliza

A Cool Little Video About Us Bottling the Caliza PINK

 

Some nice folks came out to the winery to film us for an upcoming documentarty thery are working on for the Paso Robles area. Here’s the link as well… Caliza winery PINK Bottling

“Best of Show” for label Art at O.C. Fair Wine Competition

 

We were pretty excited to learn that we recently were awarded the Best of Show award for our label art on our bottles. The work was done by Redbarn Marketing here in Paso Robles. Apparently there were around 3,000 entries so to say we are flattered is an understatement. Thanks to all those that voted.

Here’s a link to the press release.

http://www.prlog.org/10793539-caliza-winery-label-wins-best-of-show-at-americas-largest-wine-competition-for-california-wines.html