FROM PASO ROBLES & TEMPLETON, THE BAD NEWS AND THE GOOD NEWS

Tom and I did a road trip this weekend between San Francisco and Ojai. Off of Highway 101, we zipped into Paso Robles to do some wine tastings, one good and the other bad.

First, the bad news -- PEACHY CANYON WINERY where we did a zinfandel tasting. The wines were generally disappointing (and thus also aggressively priced); in order of tasting here they are:

2002 Eastside: -- $15. mild spice, bright cherries and strawberries, light oak.

2003 Westside -- $19. more spicey. Cherries, vanilla, black pepper, cedar and cinnamon but was a little green in the finish and not as lush as we would have desired.

2003 Old School House -- $26. black cherry, clove, cocoa. Too much oak although it came with decent spice.

2003 Mustang Springs -- $26. cherry, eucalyptus, not balanced but does have more intense fruit.

2003 Snow Vineyard -- $26. mint, strawberries, plums, cherries. vanilla. 'Twas young in a pleasant way.

2003 Especial -- $30. basil, nutmeg, black pepper, vanilla and berries

2003 Luv-a-Duck -- coffee, cinnamon, warm apple pie.

This visit was disappointing to us as Tom remembered once drinking and loving a Peach Canyon wine years ago. And, geez, the aggressive sales over the tasting bar! A combination of mediocrity with aggressive sales tactic means we're unlikely ever to return here.

THANKFULLY, SOME GOOD NEWS over at TURLEY WINES, Templeton. We had no disagreement with their printed wine tasting notes (if vague, but then wine tasting notes are often vague) so I'll just replicate here (words in italics are moi dos centavos or notes):

2001 "Pesenti Vineyard" Paso Robles Zin: $40. Drink now or hold a few more years. Bottle age has benefited this wine by softening the edges and creating a velvety texture. We love the rich, ripe fruit and multiple layers. A stand out zin in our Paso Robles portfolio! Fragrant nose -- the wine apparently started to come out of its shell this spring....

2003 "Grist Vineyard" Dry Creek Valley Zin: $46. The color is as bright as the flavors which include red fruits, roses and candied berries. More than the aromas, however, it is the texture of this wine that makes it delicious -- clean, refreshing and straight forward demonstrating balance and finesse.

2002 "Dusi Vineyard" Paso Robles Zin. $48. Dusie Vineyard offers up huge aromatics from dark berry fruit to baking spices. ON the palate, it is complex and ripe with firm acidity and plenty of tannin.

2002 "White Coat" San Luis Obispo County Rhone Style Blend: $35. This blend of Roussane, Marsanne and Viognier has a seductive nose with nuances of honeysuckle and melon. Flavors of stone fruits mingle with notes of citrus, almond and honey. It finishes with crisp, clean grapefruit. Softly yummy.

Proof of the pudding? Among the wines tasted, bout was the 2002 "White Coat" San Luis Obispo County Rhone Style Blend. We also bought the 2002 "Tofanelli Vineyard" Napa Valley Charbono ($32) and the 2002 "Hayne Vineyard" Napa Valley Petitie Syrah ($75). Here are the winery's tasting notes for the latter two:

2002 "Tofanelli Vineyard" Napa Valley Charbono: AKA "Purple Haze" this superdark wine has aromas of pepper, tar and concentrated grape and blueberry fruit with interesting floral and spice notes.

2002 "Hayne Vineyard" Napa Valley Petitie Syrah: Inky dark and chewy describes this wine. Wonderful chocolate and floral aromas can be found intertwined between blueberry and spice. The wine is rounc, rich and thick and the tannins are seamlessly integrated, making it surprisingly silky. The finish is long, deep and complex, with layered flavors of dark fruits, spice and classic Petite Syrah meatiness.