Becker on Beckmen

It's so easy to remember a name that is so similar to mine.  And when that name is also attached to a vineyard, it's easy to remember the wine, too.  And if the with is particularly good, then it's even easier to remember it.  So, I'm writing a few words about Beckmen Vineyards.

I visited the winery yesterday after leaving my daughters off in Goleta and Solvang, respectively.  I pretty much drove by Braille knowing I would eventually find it and my instincts were on target, perhaps from a map I looked at a while back? 

No matter.  I found the winery and it's in a beautiful location.  There's a few turns to make but the rolling hills, rose-lined roads, and fantastic landscaping next to the winery make the drive a very pleasant one.  It's a very mellow location, great place to kick back, taste some really good wine, and engage in great conversations. 

The tasting room is small but roomy with a nice balcony overlooking a wide and beautiful green valley.... well, it's May, so the valley is green.

Beckmen offers three tasting options.  I don't remember all of the wines in each tasting, but I chose the premium option which gave me a chance to taste the Marsanne, the Purisima Mountain Vineyard Grenache, and three of the premium Syrah's offered at Beckmen.

To simplify my opinion, all of the wines are very good.  The Marsanne surprised me with almost a smoke and melon flavor that finished delicately.  The Grenache, blended with a small amount of Syrah, is fantastically balanced and framed in the soft peppery tannins of the Syrah.  Each of the Syrah's I tasted were unique and stood up on their own.  It wasn't much of a progression as it was a triple display of three distinctly different styles of Syrah, all delicious, all age-worthy.

Beckmen vineyards is not located amidst other wineries and could be overlooked if one isn't specifically looking for it.  I found it based on a friend's recommendation coupled with a few bottles that I tasted a few years ago - at another friend's house.  It would have been fun to taste all of the wines.

The only recommendation I would have is, instead of having 3 different tasting groups, let the customer pay a single tasting fee then select 5 or 6 of the wines.  For example, it would be fun to maybe taste all of the Syrahs, or just focus on the Grenache wines - both of which are really delicious.

There's lots of Beckmen wines to go around and, unlike some wineries that make one or two really good wines amidst otherwise average offerings, I truly enjoyed all of the wines I tasted. 

I highly recommend a visit.

Cheers!