Here at Provisions, a wine and cheese shop in Longmeadow, we are currently very excited about Kinero Cellars, a small winery producing very limited, artisanal fine wines near Paso Robles, California.
Kinero Cellars is owned and run by Anthony and Hillary, who work a tiny piece of property high up in the Santa Lucia range in the historic, rugged York Mountain AVA. After planting their first vines in 2013 — own-rooted, bush vine Grenache — they started to discover the uniqueness of this incredible site. Eighteen hundred feet above the Pacific Ocean, between the towns of Cambria and Templeton, their little vineyard boasts an incredibly diverse set of soil profiles, including rocky limestone, clay and sand. Rainfall is almost four times that of the nearby town of Paso Robles, allowing them to dry farm many of their young vines.
Anthony and Hillary only make a small selection of wines — each made with the intention of allowing the vineyard to speak louder than the winemaking. The bottlings are quite small, and they intend to keep it that way. Anthony is particularly motivated to make really great white wines in defiant homage to his father, who always insisted that a white could never be as good as a red. Anthony managed to make some white wines that changed his dad’s mind — and many others’.
We currently have between five to 10 bottles of each of the three Kinero wines at Provisions Longmeadow:
Talley Vineyard Chardonnay
This wine opens with aromas of lemon zest, pineapple, wet stones, white pepper, and jasmine. The palate offers superb depth, with flavors of babcock peach, lemon grass, Asian pear, and nutmeg that tighten up on the long mineral driven finish. $50.
“In Vain” White Blend
51% Viognier, 36% Chardonnay, 13% Chenin Blanc. A brightly pitched bouquet of lemon peel, toasted brioche, stone fruit, flint, and celery salt introduce this old vine white blend. Flavors of Asian pear, wax melon, and honeycomb give way to an incredibly textural mid-palate. The persistent finish is brightened with a briny salinity that lingers long after the wine is gone. $50.
The Royal Nonesuch Farm Red
Aromas of lavender, blackberry, adobo, black pepper, and petrichor. Flavors of blueberry, orange peel, sassafras, and hints of citronella. The mid-palate builds toward a dense mouthfeel juxtaposed by salinity and driving acidity. $75.
