{"id":6513,"date":"2014-04-21T16:35:53","date_gmt":"2014-04-21T23:35:53","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/lesliedinaberg.com\/wordpress\/?p=6513"},"modified":"2014-04-21T16:35:53","modified_gmt":"2014-04-21T23:35:53","slug":"cocktail-corner-holman-ranch-vineyards-winery-and-wine-caves","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lesliedinaberg.com\/wordpress\/?p=6513","title":{"rendered":"Cocktail Corner: Holman Ranch Vineyards, Winery and Wine Caves"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Courtesy<\/a>

Courtesy Holman Ranch<\/p><\/div>\n

A spirited toast to all things alcoholic! By Leslie Dinaberg<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Looking for a fun getaway this springtime season? Why not check out the historic\u00a0Holman Ranch<\/a>, a historic ranch (and now a winery with 21 acres of vineyards) tucked\u00a0in the rolling hills of Carmel Valley<\/a>.<\/p>\n

It’s a private estate with a fully restored\u00a0stone hacienda, overnight guest rooms, vineyards, olive grove, horse stables and more. Not only that, the wines are really good\u2014and no chemical herbicides or pesticides are used on the fruit and they have received their sustainable and organic certification.\u00a0\u00a0We recently had the opportunity to try some of the wines. Among my favorites:<\/p>\n

2010 Pinot Noir Hunter\u2019s Cuv\u00e9e<\/strong>, a bold yet smooth red, aged\u00a0in 50% new French oak barrels and 50% neutral French oak barrels. This is a great pairing for just about about any occasion.<\/p>\n

\"Courtesy<\/a>

Courtesy Holman Ranch<\/p><\/div>\n

2010 Pinot Noir<\/strong>, also\u00a0aged in French oak, this pinot is a bit lighter and quite delicious.<\/p>\n

2011 Pinot Noir Heather\u2019s Hill<\/strong> has an intense berry smell and lovely echoes of\u00a0\u00a0boysenberry, marionberry and black cherry.<\/p>\n

2012 Ros\u00e9 of Pinot Noir Blushing Bride<\/strong>, as regular readers know, I’ve got a weakness for Ros\u00e9s<\/a>\u00a0and this summery bottle\u00a0has a fruity nose with a dry, crisp finish that I really enjoyed. Not that I’m a wine critic, by any means, but I know what I like and like these a lot.<\/p>\n

\"Courtesy<\/a>

Courtesy Holman Ranch<\/p><\/div>\n

The estate winery at Holman Ranch is located in The Caves and housed completely underground in order to take advantage of the natural cooling and humidity held below. The 3,000-square-foot area maintains a constant temperature of 58\u00b0F and during harvest, 6 to 8 tons of grapes a day are processed. This may seem low but it is due to the fact that harvesting hours are between 7 a.m. and noon on any given day.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

For more information click here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Cheers!<\/p>\n

Click here<\/a> for more cocktail corner columns.<\/p>\n

Originally published in\u00a0Santa Barbara SEASONS<\/a>\u00a0on April 18, 2014.<\/p>\n

\"Leslie<\/a>

Leslie Dinaberg<\/p><\/div>\n

When she\u2019s not busy working as the editor of Santa Barbara SEASONS<\/a>, Cocktail Corner author Leslie Dinaberg writes magazine articles, newspaper columns and grocery lists. When it comes to cocktails, Leslie considers herself a \u201cgoal-oriented drinker.\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n

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