A Visit to Moraga Winery in Bel-Air

Whenever one is travelling, it always seems appropriate to try the "local wine". On our honeymoon in Tuscany, Kara and I drank more local carafe wine than we can recall. In St. Lucia, we drank the local beer and rums. So, what happens when you visit Los Angeles...? Is the local wine from Napa? Is it Santa Barbara? Or the lesser known Temecula? Or could it be that there is a fully-functioning winery right in the heart of Bel-Air in Los Angeles itself?

Here's a quick video.  It's the only way to really understand how cool walking into this place is:

One wonders how this is even possible, given the price of the land in Bel-Air, the climate (including all the smog), and just who would even bother. It's a testament to Tom and Ruth Jones (not the singer...) and their vision to create Bordeax-styled wines right in the heart of LA. With vines planted in the late 1970's on a property originally built as a horse ranch, they began a fascinating journey to create world-class wine in the least likely of places.

I've visited Moraga once before and have always counted it as one of the most interesting winery visits I've ever experienced. Walking off a Brady Bunch-style residnetial street on to an oasis of hillside vineyard is miraculous. I had to drag Kara there with me this time so she could see it herself. I think she was just as impressed. It's a rare treat to be able to step foot on the property. It rarely is open to the public and invitations are scarce. Both times I have been now, someone always says, "oh - you're so lucky..." This walking tour of Moraga Vineyards featured four vintages of their "Red Wine" and two vintages of the "White Wine". Both are classic Bordeaux blends from the 16-acre estate. At tables set up throughout the vineyard, the staff began the flight:

The 2010 White was nicely balanced, but falls into what I call "CASB" syndrome (California Sauvignon Blanc Syndrome). It's good, but lacks minerality and any particular kind of character. Not much of any one thing, it shows some citrus, some melon, a touch of green, and is an easy drink, but has no particular hook. The 2004 White, with a bit of age on it, though, showed much more Bordeaux character (surprisingly so!): the light grassiness shines through with lemongrass, citrus, lime pith, a touch of soft spiciness and orange. Reminds me very much of white Bordeaux and has an intriguing earthiness. Most producers trying to make white Bordeaux in CA have a tendency to make the wines to ripe, rich, lanolin-y and WAY to oaky. I really enjoyed the restraint here and the way this is holding up.

I have traditionally not been a fan or Moraga wines, for reasons expressed in the 2008 Red: a very green character marked with tart red fruits that are far too light. This is an intellectual's wine and probably many of those people would not be interested in doing more than tasting this wine. I don't recall the weather here in LA in 2008 (likely because I was busy getting married), but I suspect it was cooler than usual. On the other side of the coin, the 2007 Red expressed much more ripeness and a friendlier character. Lots of spicy red fruits with a nice balance and a light hint of that herbal tone that seems to provide Moraga's Bordeaux-like earth. I would be more prone to add this to a wine list for drinking today. Lots more generous fruit and decidedly more for the American palate. I did also enjoy the 2006 Red which had a minty aroma, more dirty earth tones and a heftier chocolate character on the palate. Chalky tannins add texture. I found this had a stronger earthen profile, but matched with some of the ripe red fruit found in the 2007 as well. A nice compromise between the two later vintages. And a clear argument made for the fact that these wines are made for aging, which was completely exemplified by the 1996 Red poured last. The 1996 tasted like an aged St. Julien: Leafy tobacco and jalapeno pepper on the nose, bright red fruits and ash, well-integrated earth, oak presence, drinking at its peak and very impressively at that. I am pleased to say that we have about a case on the Hotel Bel-Air's list that I will be talking about often in the coming weeks.

Standing atop the vineyard and looking across the 405 freeway to the Getty Center was a special end to the tasting. Moraga is an amazing property and a special place I have rediscovered in Los Angeles. And our neighbor, committed to truly allowing me to show the "local wine" to our visitors at Hotel Bel-Air. We have a selection of Moraga wines from 1990 through 2001 available and I am very excited to start the journey of introducing them to our guests.