At Breakaway Tours and Event Planning, we are constantly on the lookout for the next best thing in the Central Coast Wine Country to share with our clients. Throughout more than 14 years of guided wine tours in the Central Coast AVA, we have taken clients to a variety of tasting rooms and vineyards.
They have been as opulent and expansive as the facilities at Robert Hall (Paso Robles), Firestone (Santa Ynez), and Edna Valley Vineyards (Edna Valley). Others are more conservative, but speak to an adherence to the winery's historical connection, such as the hand hewn construction at Lone Madrone (Paso Robles), the rice straw bale construction at the barrel and tasting room at Claiborne & Churchill (Edna Valley), or the nearly 100 year old school house turned tasting room at Baileyana/Tangent (also Edna Valley). Something new on our radar screen at Breakaway Tours proves that you don’t need a palatial tasting room, or a more agrarian or historical setting to craft and market excellent wines. One of our newest stops on the Paso Robles trek takes us to an industrial park just off of Hwy 46 in Paso Robles. That’s right! An industrial park! This unassuming location off the beaten “wine trail” is home to Barrel 27.
Barrel 27 is the passion of winemakers McPrice “Mac” Myers and Russell From. Reviewing their mission statement you will find that these guys understand that we all work hard, and that life happens: “Our goal is to make wine that works hard at helping hard working America relax for a minute, take a load off, and remove the nose from the grindstone for a while. We hope you enjoy them.” They seek out the best Rhone varietal fruit (Syrah, Grenache, Viognier, Rousanne, Marsanne) as well as Pinot Noir, Tempranillo, and Petite Verdot from some of the finest vineyards along the Central Coast. Then they are classically fermented, lovingly aged, blended, bottled and marketed all from their cozy industrial park location.
What more could you ask for? Amazing Rhone varietal wines and blends, crafted from grapes sourced from all over the Central Coast, produced and marketed in a manner designed to keep value at the forefront, and a head turning up and coming reputation recognized by no less than Wine Spectator (10 Emerging California Rhone Producers, March 2009).
Ask Breakaway Tours and Event Planning to include Barrel 27 on your next trip through the Paso Robles wine country. In the mean time, try this delicious pairing with one of Barrel 27’s amazing Rhone bedrock varietals, Grenache:
2006 Barrel 27 "Rock and a Hard Place", Central Coast Grenache:
Winemaking team Mac Myers and Russell From have long searched for that perfect vineyard (or two), that would yield a Grenache worthy of Barrel 27. That search has ended. The result is a stunningly beautiful wine with a medium ruby-black color and a captivating nose of sweet raspberry, milk chocolate, hibiscus, Logan berry, cranberry and caramelized sugar beet. On the palate, the wine shows the same pure red fruit characters filled out with notes of black tea and orange rind with a hint of vanilla. Soft and rich, with beautiful, broad mid palate, the wine's fruit and spice notes continue to build through the long, long finish. Certainly one of the best Grenaches made in California.
4 Servings
Ingredients
- 4 American lamb shanks, (about 1 pound each)
- 1 cup flour, for dusting
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 4 garlic cloves, chopped
- 1 pound wild mushrooms (such as shiitake, oyster or chanterelle)
- ½ cup red wine
- 2 cups lamb stock*
- 1 teaspoon fresh rosemary, chopped (or ½ teaspoon dried)
- Salt and pepper to taste
* A high-quality vegetable stock could be substituted
for the lamb stock.
Preparation
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Dredge the lamb shanks in the flour, then set aside. In a roasting pan on the stove over high heat, heat the olive oil until smoking hot. Add the lamb shanks and brown them well, 4 or 5 minutes per side. Add the garlic and mushrooms, and sauté until the mushrooms are tender, 3 or 4 minutes. Add the wine and cook for another 3 or 4 minutes, or until the wine has evaporated. Add the stock and bring the mixture to a boil over high heat. Add the rosemary, salt and pepper to taste.
Cover the roasting pan with a lid or aluminum foil and place it in the oven. Bake until the lamb is tender, 1 to 1½ hours. Serve the lamb shanks with the wild mushroom sauce accompanied by rice.
CHEERS!
Eric G. Hensel
Court of Master Sommeliers Certified Sommelier
Breakaway Tours Wine Guide
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