MARCH 2016


Visiting Our Vineyards Of course it is the wines that make Fazeli Cellars such an exceptional winery.


BJ describes himself as the “blender” so the tastes of the wines are a reflection of his discriminating palate. He is thrilled that Chase Drake is his talented assistant winemaker. Chase, who has extensive experience in growing grapes and producing wine, is the son of Temecula’s well-known vineyard manager, Ben Drake. BJ strongly believes that all good wines start in the vineyard so Fazeli vineyards receive tender, loving care. Almost


all


Fazeli wines are produced from 47 vineyard acres in Temecula


that


Fazeli either owns or has leased long- term. Last year, the winery crushed 180 tons of grapes and this year they hope to crush 250 tons. We have tasted al- most all of Fazeli wines,


the in-


cluding several that have won presti- gious awards, and can attest to their excellence. The wines have


Third An- nual Ro-


Cinsault and


Mourvedre. Dur- ing this coming year, the winery will also pro- duce Uproar and Raucous. There are quite a few other su- perb


available,


wines in-


cluding a Sauvi- gnon Blanc, a Riesling, a Rose, several nice Shi- raz wines, and others, including some high end library wines. Fazeli has a wine club, the Turquoise Club, that offers discounts and compli-


Veggie Sandwich from Baba Joon’s.


mentary tastings to guests. (By the way, turquoise is the winery’s signature color since the Persian Throne is called the Peacock Throne and the peacock has gorgeous turquoise feathers. Each room at the winery has a vivid turquoise wall.) Soon the win- ery will be announcing a higher tier wine club option called the Ruby Club, which will have even more benefits and its own private lounge. Fazeli’s is fine-tuning its operations and will have an official grand opening in late


creative, meaningful names. One wine collection is based on the seasons. Norooz is a refreshing white wine with floral aro- mas that is named after the beginning of spring or the spring equinox, which also coincides with the beginning of the Persian New Year on March 21st. The hyacinth is the flower associated with spring so you will find it on the wine’s label. Boland Rooz, another lovely, fruity white wine, is named for the longest day of the year, the summer solstice on June 21st. (Solstices begin on different days depending on where you are in the hemisphere.) The flower symbol on the label is the Sunflower. Mehregan, with its tastes of blackberry, vanilla and spices, refers to the harvest which begins around September 21 and this wine has the wheat symbol on its label. Yalda, a medium-bodied, earthy red, means the winter solstice, the longest night of the year on December 21, and has a pomegranate on its label. Another collection of wine is imaginatively called Embrace the Chaos. Two


Chef Anthony Barlotta prepares delicious dishes to pair with Fazelli’s wines at Baba Joon’s Restaurant.


wines in this collection are now available: Pandemonium—a rich blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Petite Sirah, Shiraz and Cab Franc—and Mayhem—a savory blend of


March. At the end of February, the winery held a unique and very well attended Mad Hatter Tea Party where the owner and his family got to show off their whimsical sides. BJ was dressed as the Caterpillar and his wife, Wendy, was the Queen of Hearts. One of their daughters dressed as the Cheshire Cat and a son-in-law was the Mad Hatter. It’s obvious that the Fazeli family wants to have fun with their new venture and they want their guests to have fun too. We took guests to Fazeli’s last weekend and they had such a wonderful time


that they didn’t want to leave. Many more exciting events are planned for the future, but for right now BJ encourages you to stop by and have a wonderful experience enjoying the ambiance, the view and, of course, the wine.


Photos taken by Todd Montgomery.


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