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Open: By appointment only. Contact the winery for availability
Appt required? Yes
Last barlinwine.com visit: 2012 (April 18, 2012 Itinerary)
Directions:
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Tasting:
A weathered, rusty iron gate guards the beautiful property that houses Allora as well as owner Terry Klein. After buzzing us through the gate, Terry greeted us with a big smile and welcomed us to the property. We strolled toward the cellar door while Terry pointed out the vineyards and talked to us for a minute about where each varietal is grown on the property. Then he drew our attention to a wall by the pool. “See those four pots above the door by the pool? That’s the most asked-about feature of the winery.” We gave him a quizzical look. “The door underneath those pots leads to THE BATHROOM.” I knew we were in for a good time.
We wandered down into the cellar, past the barrels (“the difference between us at 1000 cases per year and some of the other guys is we actually know what’s in these”) and to a cellar with a tasting table in the middle and an aquarium in the corner. Allora has their own custom-made wine glasses, and I don’t mean a standard glass with the winery logo on it. Terry had a glass designed – dubbed Vino2 -- with an indentation on the side of the glass that protruded up into the bowl of the glass like a weird goiter. This was to allow for expanded surface area and additional aeration of the wine in the glass. It wasn’t a Rojaus or Vinturi, and I’m not sure how much it changed the wine, but it was certainly interesting.
Terry poured through the selection of wines while we traded quotes from some of our favorite stupid comedies (Dumb & Dumber, Anchorman, Zoolander) and Terry told us stories of his primary job as a master plasterer who had worked on a number of significant properties in the area. When I told him about my background working with Siebel, he recounted a story about Tom Siebel’s visit to the winery, not for wine but for a plaster work consultation. As Terry tells it, in typical Tom Siebel fashion he demanded Terry guarantee he’d have zero cracks in his plaster.
“So now you have enough money to change the laws of physics?” Terry wondered.
Tom apparently said that he has no cracks in any of the concrete at his property and offered Terry $1000 for every crack he could find. As Terry put it, the interview goes both ways, and this was not going to be a working relationship that would function well for either party.
Let’s not forget the wines! The company and laughs would have made this visit a winner, but the fact that Allora makes some damn good wine made it all the better. We tried in order (take a breath – this make take a while): the 2009 Lieta, their Savignon Blanc / Viognier blend; the 2008 Cielo, primarily Sangiovese(82%) blended with some Petite Sirah; the 2008 Cabernet Franc; the 2007 Petite Sirah (recommended by Tim from Corison); the 2007 Tresca, primarily Cabernet (90%) blended with some Cab Franc; the 2007 Lusso, Allora’s reserve Cabernet; and finally their 2010 Sussurro, a delicious late harvest Petite Sirah. There wasn’t a dud in the bunch, and there were definitely some superstars, in particular the Cielo, Tresca and Cabernet Franc.
Great wines here – a case would soon be on its way to our home. We settled up with Terry (no charge for the tasting after we purchased) and left happy to have stumbled on such an excellent tasting experience.
We wandered down into the cellar, past the barrels (“the difference between us at 1000 cases per year and some of the other guys is we actually know what’s in these”) and to a cellar with a tasting table in the middle and an aquarium in the corner. Allora has their own custom-made wine glasses, and I don’t mean a standard glass with the winery logo on it. Terry had a glass designed – dubbed Vino2 -- with an indentation on the side of the glass that protruded up into the bowl of the glass like a weird goiter. This was to allow for expanded surface area and additional aeration of the wine in the glass. It wasn’t a Rojaus or Vinturi, and I’m not sure how much it changed the wine, but it was certainly interesting.
“So now you have enough money to change the laws of physics?” Terry wondered.
Tom apparently said that he has no cracks in any of the concrete at his property and offered Terry $1000 for every crack he could find. As Terry put it, the interview goes both ways, and this was not going to be a working relationship that would function well for either party.
Let’s not forget the wines! The company and laughs would have made this visit a winner, but the fact that Allora makes some damn good wine made it all the better. We tried in order (take a breath – this make take a while): the 2009 Lieta, their Savignon Blanc / Viognier blend; the 2008 Cielo, primarily Sangiovese(82%) blended with some Petite Sirah; the 2008 Cabernet Franc; the 2007 Petite Sirah (recommended by Tim from Corison); the 2007 Tresca, primarily Cabernet (90%) blended with some Cab Franc; the 2007 Lusso, Allora’s reserve Cabernet; and finally their 2010 Sussurro, a delicious late harvest Petite Sirah. There wasn’t a dud in the bunch, and there were definitely some superstars, in particular the Cielo, Tresca and Cabernet Franc.
Great wines here – a case would soon be on its way to our home. We settled up with Terry (no charge for the tasting after we purchased) and left happy to have stumbled on such an excellent tasting experience.
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| Steph with owner Terry Klein |
Recommended wine: Really not a bad wine in the bunch. I particularly liked the Cielo, Tresca, and Cab Franc.
Ratings (out of 5):
 WINE | 4.75 |  TASTING ROOM | 4.75 |
 ATMOSPHERE | 5.00 |  VALUE | 5.00 |
 OVERALL | 4.88 | ||
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