Jacob's Coat

So far Jacob's coat seems to have only one color - red. We met Jacob Toft at his day job in the tasting room at L'Aventure. As is so often the case, tasting room workers are fascinating to talk to. The tasting room provides a day job, a resting place, a second act in retirement. Jacob was extremely knowledgeable about L'Aventure and the Paso Robles scene and recommended the restaurant Artisan for dinner. There I sat at the bar and chatted with the couple next to me who were from the coastal village of Cambria. These guys obviously loved wine and had ordered a Treana Chardonnay. Like so many Northern Californians, they could talk about anything - wine , food, politics, business. They offered a taste of the Treana and I offered a taste of my flight of three reds. I chose the Red Rhone Flight because I spied 2004 Jacob Toft "Mary Jane's Cuvee" Syrah/Mourvedre/Grenache. Ah, Jacob's hidden motive.

The Toft S/M/G was accompanied by 2004 Halter Ranch Syrah and Edward Sellers 2005 G/M/S "Vertigo". Wow! What a flight? The Halter Syrah was pure Syrah with a classic nose, good black fruit and an ever so slightly tangy finish - creamy texture and cherry vanilla flavors. The Sellers G/M/S had a toasty nose. It was big and fruity with somewhat harsh tannins in the finish. The Toft S/M/G was deep, huge and rich . Very much in the style of his mentor Stephan Asseo. This was a special wine from a talented winemaker. You can still get on his mailing list by going to Jacob's website: http://www.jacobtoft.com/ Oh, yes, I almost forgot, food was served on this amazing flight. The Artisans came up with a spectacular medley of scallops, served over asparagus risotto. Bravo!