Open: 11:00am-5:00pm
Appt required? No
Last barlinwine.com visit: 2012 (May 16, 2012 Itinerary)
Directions:
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Tasting:
Steph and I had thought about going to Regusci on a number of occasions but never made it farther than a packed parking lot on a Saturday. Winemaker Charles Hendricks is a personal favorite of ours with his excellent Hope & Grace wines, and so we looked forward to a chance to try more of what Charles created.
When I finally made it to Regusci, it was without Steph, but she didn’t miss anything unforgettable. I did my tasting with Rita, and I must have caught her at a weird time. I was the only person in the place, but she was amazingly scattered during my visit. It was like trying to have a conversation with a cat while your friend taunts it with a laser pointer. She kept forgetting what wine we were on, she was distracted by workers walking through the tasting room, and overall seemed overwhelmed with just her one guest. I can’t imagine what it must have been like on a weekend with a busy tasting room.
I elected to skip the Chardonnay and started the tasting with the 2009 Merlot. A solid wine, but nothing amazing. I dumped what I had left in my glass and awaited my next pour, the 2008 Estate Cabernet. Except that’s not what I got. Rita swooped in, poured me the Merlot (again), and then went over to look at the register.
“How was the Cab?” Rita asked when she came back.
“Um, actually…you poured me the Merlot again.”
“Oh! I did? Well, HERE’S the Cab,” she said, as she picked up the bottle of Merlot for a third time (no joke). I stopped her, and then did eventually get that taste of 2008 Estate Cabernet. Actually, I didn’t. Rita had mistakenly grabbed the 2009 Estate Cabernet, which they were planning to release the next day. It turned out to be a bonus taste, as Rita grabbed another glass and let me try 2008 and 2009 side-by-side. The 2008 was good, but the 2009 was better. The tasting was starting to come along…
My next wine was the 2009 Patriarch, Regusci’s proprietary blend. I’d never had this before, and it turned out to be my favorite wine of the visit. 62% Cabernet, 27% Merlot, and 11% Cab Franc according to the tasting notes. Of course, if Rita was blending the wine that day, it would have had three times more Merlot than anything else in it. After the Patriarch, I tried the last wine on the list, the 2009 “Angelo’s Hillside Cabernet”, Regusci’s version of a reserve Cab. This was also solid, but not worth the $125 price tag.
At this point I thought I was done, but Rita had one more surprise: the 2010 Estate Cabernet. Of the three estate Cabernets I tried, 2009 was definitely the best. 2008 and 2010 were close, with 2008 probably getting a slight nod.
Finished with the tasting, I decided to take a bottle of the $85 Patriarch with me. The $25 tasting fee is waived with a purchase of $100 or more, but Rita wasn’t about to round up. “Do you want to get another bottle, or maybe something from the gift shop?” she asked. I was nice about it, picked out a stone coaster for our collection (which got me to $97, apparently close enough), and closed out. I liked the Regusci wines, but if wine is your focus I’d send you to Hope & Grace for Charles Hendricks wine over Regusci. That being said, Regusci isn’t a bad stop, and I was able to try several decent Cabernets. If you stop in, make sure you ask for Rita!
When I finally made it to Regusci, it was without Steph, but she didn’t miss anything unforgettable. I did my tasting with Rita, and I must have caught her at a weird time. I was the only person in the place, but she was amazingly scattered during my visit. It was like trying to have a conversation with a cat while your friend taunts it with a laser pointer. She kept forgetting what wine we were on, she was distracted by workers walking through the tasting room, and overall seemed overwhelmed with just her one guest. I can’t imagine what it must have been like on a weekend with a busy tasting room.
I elected to skip the Chardonnay and started the tasting with the 2009 Merlot. A solid wine, but nothing amazing. I dumped what I had left in my glass and awaited my next pour, the 2008 Estate Cabernet. Except that’s not what I got. Rita swooped in, poured me the Merlot (again), and then went over to look at the register.
“How was the Cab?” Rita asked when she came back.
“Um, actually…you poured me the Merlot again.”
“Oh! I did? Well, HERE’S the Cab,” she said, as she picked up the bottle of Merlot for a third time (no joke). I stopped her, and then did eventually get that taste of 2008 Estate Cabernet. Actually, I didn’t. Rita had mistakenly grabbed the 2009 Estate Cabernet, which they were planning to release the next day. It turned out to be a bonus taste, as Rita grabbed another glass and let me try 2008 and 2009 side-by-side. The 2008 was good, but the 2009 was better. The tasting was starting to come along…
At this point I thought I was done, but Rita had one more surprise: the 2010 Estate Cabernet. Of the three estate Cabernets I tried, 2009 was definitely the best. 2008 and 2010 were close, with 2008 probably getting a slight nod.
Finished with the tasting, I decided to take a bottle of the $85 Patriarch with me. The $25 tasting fee is waived with a purchase of $100 or more, but Rita wasn’t about to round up. “Do you want to get another bottle, or maybe something from the gift shop?” she asked. I was nice about it, picked out a stone coaster for our collection (which got me to $97, apparently close enough), and closed out. I liked the Regusci wines, but if wine is your focus I’d send you to Hope & Grace for Charles Hendricks wine over Regusci. That being said, Regusci isn’t a bad stop, and I was able to try several decent Cabernets. If you stop in, make sure you ask for Rita!
Recommended wine: No strong recommendations for anything here at the price points, but I did like the Patriarch.
Ratings (out of 5):
 WINE | 4.25 |  TASTING ROOM | 4.25 |
 ATMOSPHERE | 4.25 |  VALUE | 3.75 |
 OVERALL | 4.13 | ||
I tend to agree with many of the comments, I just think the wines are better in several places along the trail, many within a few minutes drive. Try Baldacci, Silverado, Cliff Lede as three options within 5 minutes. All have better wine and better tasting experiences.
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