MORE - Palumbo Family Vineyards

70 / the tasting panel / november 2010
Palumbo Vineyard & Winery
PHOTO: LiFT PROMOTIONS
As our readers, especially wine
buyers, are already aware, Temecula
wines are far from ubiquitous; indeed,
they are undeniably missing on retail
shelves and virtually non-existent on
wine lists. Why? The reason lies in
simple geography and economics.
“This Devil’s Triangle—San Diego,
Palm Springs and Los Angeles—surrounds us,” comments McPherson; “it
encompasses about 15 million people,
and they’re all going somewhere.”
Temecula Valley has become a magnet
for wine tourists. In fact, the region
boasts more visitors than any other
wine region in California. With this
built-in flow of visitors, Temecula
has been content to sell locally, from
the tasting room and online.
McPherson confirms that with
steady sales from winery visits
and wine club orders alone, why
bother going to market? The wines
certainly have the taste profile and
palate status, as THE TASTING PANEL
discovered on a recent visit, but the
buck may stop at the tasting room
when the expenses of distribution, sales
teams and marketing are considered—
not to mention the ultimate courage to
venture outside of Southern California
for the first time.
Cindy and Nick Palumbo.
PHOTO: LiFT PROMOTIONS
Marketing Temecula Wines
PHOTO: LiFT PROMOTIONS
“Jim was planting vineyards at
his high-elevation Wild Horse Peak
Vineyard in the mid-‘90s,” McPherson
tells THE TASTING PANEL. “He was
producing a lot of fruit, and eventually
we both knew it was time for him
to start his own winery instead of
selling his premium fruit—Cabernet
Sauvignon, Merlot, Sangiovese,
Syrah—to other wineries in the area.”
In 2002, Carter not only started a winery (albeit in the midst of a grapefruit
orchard) headed up by McPherson and
his protégé Javier Flores, but also created a one-stop tourist destination for
Temecula: South Coast Winery Resort
& Spa. And the fact that Carter owns all
his vineyards is a plus for McPherson
and Flores, who ensure the right clonal
selection for the “picnic basket” of
varieties grown on a total of over 300
planted acres on several of Carter’s
properties. He no longer sells his fruit
to any other winery.
“I
am genetically programmed for this line
of work,” says Nick Palumbo, owner/winemaker of the stunning Palumbo Winery.
Hailing from a family of restaurateurs, the San
Diego native continues to be fascinated with
all things culinary. He believes he fortuitously
landed in Temecula. “I was at the right place at
the right time,” he affirms, but he had no idea that
the move would steer his career in the direction
of winemaking.
His small production Bordeaux blends, refined
Viognier and Rhône reds are superbly balanced
and noteworthy; and, although Palumbo’s wines
can be found in high end properties in San Diego
County, his growing wine club membership and
huge sales through his charmingly rustic tasting
room keep Palumbo’s portfolio a virtual hand-sell.
“The consumer is the tail that wags the dog
here in Temecula,” insists Palumbo. But THE
TASTING PANEL believes that wine buyers need
to open their minds and palates to these wines.
Palumbo 2009 Viognier “Buon Vicino” Honeyed
white flowers emerge in this crisp-textured white:
no viscous body, no high-alcohol properties, but
rather an ethereal nature with a stony back. SRP $18
Palumbo “Tre Fratelli” 2007 This Bordeaux
blend of 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot
and 20% Cab Franc showcases a Pauillac nose,
yet plunges into California’s sunny fruit. Sage and
tobacco make a play and showcase Temecula as a
rising star. SRP $38
www.PalumboFamilyWinery.com