Handcrafted, High-Quality: Cimarone & 3CV Wines Satiate Both European & Californian Palates

One of the younger and smaller wineries in Santa Ynez Valley, California: Cimarone Estate Wines, has quickly risen to the top of wine experts’ charts in recent years.

CIMARONE WINERY — PHOTO PATRICIA HIGGINS

Owners, Roger and Pricilla Higgins originally moved to Southern California from the UK, simply exploring the idea of having a small vineyard, “just for fun.” As Jetset Times personally discovered, Cimarone Wines are gems that highlight wine lovers’ passion for Bordeaux and Rhone. In order to produce a series of consistently high-quality wine, Cimarone teams up with some of the best in the industry. The result of each bottle is: clean, in-depth elegance, unwavering balance between fruit-forward traits and strong finishes. With a new tasting room recently opened in August 2012, we’re delighted to have Priscilla Higgins partake in a quick and heartfelt Q&A:

As one of the younger wineries in Los Olivos, your wines have received enormous high praises by experts and press. What are some elements of your wine making process that have led to success?

I think success comes from a great combination of several factors. Along with our enthusiasm and the desire to make lovely, food-friendly artisanal wines, we have worked with experts in both the farming and winemaking arenas. Jeff Newton, our farmer who runs Coastal Vineyard Care, was ranked 58th in the top 100 most influential people in the US wine industry for 2012 by IntoWine.com and we have been fortunate to work with Doug Margerum as winemaker for our earlier wines, and now with Andrew Murray whose winemaking skills have received numerous accolades from Wine Enthusiast and Robert Parker.

Tell us a little bit about the beautiful Le Clos Secret Vineyard, tucked away yet extremely unique.

A part of the vineyard where the Cabernet Sauvignon is grown is tucked behind a hill where no-one can see it unless they make the journey over the hill. The terroir there is perfect for the Cabernet which is the mainstay of our Le Clos Secret. The translation for Le Clos Secret is The Secret Field or Secret Enclosed Vineyard. We named it Le Clos Secret as a reference to the Le Coin Perdu vineyard in Peter Mayles’ novel A Good Year…the spot where the very best fruit was grown.

For aspiring wine enthusiasts, what is the difference between Cimarone and 3CV?

We have two wine labels: 3CV and Cimarone. Our 3CV wines are aged for one year in French oak barrels, the grapes are sorted and the wines handcrafted. The Cimarone wines spend two years aging in French oak barrels and again the grapes are carefully sorted before crush. All our wines are Estate grown.

What originally brought you and Roger (husband) to Santa Ynez and what have you enjoyed the most about this Valley?

Our original plan was to retire and plant a small vineyard, just for fun. We decided not to look in Napa and we wanted to go further south which brought us to Santa Barbara. It was love at first sight as we drove over the pass from Santa Barbara into the beautiful Santa Ynez Valley. This must be one of the most perfect places to live, a wonderful community with a thriving and supportive wine industry.

Both you and Roger are originally from the UK, how much of your palate today still remains European, or has it fully transitioned to being “Californian”?

We do enjoy French wines and had a wonderful trip to Bordeaux to visit some of the famous wineries there. In fact, Roger lived in France for a period of time, and developed a life-long love of wine whilst there. However, Californian wines are what we drink most of the time – as a friend once said, “You can taste the sunshine!”

What’s your personal favorite wine at Cimarone, or one that everyone should stock their wine racks with?

That’s a difficult question – it depends on my mood and what I am eating – or doing- at the time. If I had to pick one it would be the Le Clos Secret. We’d love you to stock your cellars with all of our wines! However, for the white wine, make sure that you have the 3CV Sauvignon Blanc, and for the red 3CV Bank is always popular – or try the Gran Premio Sangiovese with an Italian meal. For special occasions with a good steak the Le Clos Secret is a must, and for a fun food-friendly wine there is always Cilla’s Blend, which is blended with our wonderful Syrah.

For you, what has been the most enjoyable factor to having your own vineyard?

It was just lovely to walk the vineyard with our “wine dogs” at all seasons and watch the first buds appear in the spring followed by flowering through into veraison and into harvest. Really satisfying also to be there at harvest time when the grapes are picked and taken straight to the crusher/de-stemmer, just one continuous process. It’s one of the few remaining ‘products’ where one may witness the entire process, from planting all the way through to bottling.

Describe a perfect meal, paired with a bottle of Cimarone wine. What dish would it be, with which bottle?

It so depends on mood. We have access to delicious seafood in Santa Barbara County, so if I’m in the mood for white wine on a summer or spring evening, I would go with the 3CV Sauvignon Blanc and a delicious baked halibut dish with roasted asparagus. For a chilly winter or autumn evening, I would pair a hearty beef stew or a filet mignon with the Le Clos Secret.

Check out Cimarone’s latest releases on their website. Visit the Tasting Room on: 2982 Grand Avenue, Los Olivos, CA 93441, Thursday through Sunday from 11am to 5pm. Private tastings are available by appointment, tastingroom@cimarone.com or 805.688.8011

Article written by PRISCILLA HIGGINS, owner of Cimarone Estate Wines in Santa Ynez Valley, California.