Venturing into the street-side Alexander & Wayne tasting room, I was handed the same 81/2 x 11 folded paper tasting notes in exacting font and style as Arthur Earl. The bartender confirmed that the 2 lines are produced by the same owner. This translates into sourced grapes from the central coast and production in their local facility in Buellton.

A & W doesn’t offer root beer, but 14 wines-3 white/rose, 8 dry red wines, and 3 dessert wines. They choose to focus on Burgundy and Bordeaux French wines and sweet wines.

Seeing how many red wines were available I spent the bulk of my options on those. Scarlet Nights, their sole dark Rosé from the central coast smelled mostly of strawberries and spice with short dry mouth feel and equally short finish. The dark ’05 Pinot Noir Lot One from Santa Rita Hills had aromas of strong oak and dark plum. A smooth complex red with deep berry flavors and a velvety soft palate made it a pleasurable favorite to drink.

The deep bright red ’05 Tempranillo from Blue Oak Vineyard in Paso Robles was almost as balanced with cherry flavors that moved into cinnamon spice with a slightly alcoholic finish. The ’04 Valley View Vineyard Cabernet Franc had a deep red color with oak and cherry aromas. This was a slightly spicy wine with a soft mouth feel and a smooth ending.

Another preferred wine was the ’04 Cabernet Sauvignon from the same vineyard with a sweet strawberry aroma and full bodied palate that hinted of toast with an abrupt finish.

Whatever the reason, I felt that while some of the Alexander & Wayne wines fell prey to the same alcoholic taste of their sister winery, there were a few full-bodied winners that made it plausible for a return visit. The bartending services here were short and sweet without additional information found already in the tasting notes.

My tasting was: $6 with a choice of 5 wines including a logo glass

Alexander & Wayne

2922 Grand Ave

Los Olivos, CA 93441

805-688-9665

http://www.alexanderandwayne.com/