Tag: Red Carpet Wines

Eden Canyon 2006 Estate Cabernet Sauvignon

edencanyoncabOf the flight of several wines that Elaine Villamin was pouring when we stumbled onto her at one of our local wine stores, Red Carpet Wines in Glendale, CA, this one was easily the best of the flight.  It’s made from 100 percent estate grown cabernet.  That is, Villamin made the wine from grapes her father grew on his property – and the care they took shows.
It has a deep ruby color, in fact, it’s almost black.  There is some grassiness in the nose – which a classic trait found in cabernet sauvignon grapes grown in the cooler regions of Bordeaux, France.  Best of all, the wine is extremely well balanced – no acid or fruit leaping out of the glass. Just the rich flavor of a classic red wine.  It’s good by itself or better with a hunk of red meat and/or something good and garlicky.  It’s a perfect wine to celebrate the good things in life, like some good cheese and bread.  Or the fact that it’s Friday night and you’re still alive and employed.

Eden Canyon – Small and Interesting

edencanyon

It was just a fluke that we happened upon Elaine Villamin, of Eden Canyon Vineyards, when we stopped in at Red Carpet Wine in Glendale, California.  We were trying to kill time before our dinner reservation and had no intention of doing any tasting.  But Villamin was not only there with a nice selection of her winery’s offerings, she spent some significant time with us, telling us her story.

In 1996, her father, Danny Villemin, suddenly decided to grow grapes on his 10 acres near San Luis Obispo.  He wasn’t even a wine drinker, but being the kind of guy he is, that didn’t stop him.  Neither did the August 2006 wildfire that burnt down the vineyard.  edencanyonfire

Well, you know how you can use the process of crushing grapes to make wine as a metaphor for coming out a better person after suffering a crushing blow?  Well, the Eden Canyon is another one.  Elaine told us that all that ash from the fire has actually made a better vineyard.  Indeed, even winemaker Kenneth Volk was buying their grapes.

“That’s how my dad got started,” Elaine said.

Eventually, both she and her dad studied viticulture at one of the U.C. Davis programs, and Elaine went on to enroll in the L’ecole de Bordeaux in Bordeaux, France.

“It’s like a boot camp,” she said.

She’s now the wine maker, although her father still gets plenty of input.

You can get Eden Canyon wines through Red Carpet Wine (redcarpetwine.com) or through the Eden Canyon Website (edencanyon.com).  They’re also on FaceBook