Laguna Canyon Winery
Laguna Beach, California
Sipping wine in a canyon is an experience all on its own. You might think this sounds like some kind of wild, bucket list item, but the Laguna Canyon Winery is as serene as can be. Sitting next door to what looks like a restoration shop for vintage cars, the winery is somewhat unassuming in its minimal yet classy design. Inside awaits a tasting experience that can be as personalized and laid back as you want it to be. Set inside a spacious building, the tasting room consists of a few long tables with high boy tables along the windows. The view of the canyon creates an ambiance of nature that lends to the wine.
Laguna Canyon Winery is set in the Laguna Beach Canyon which creates the divide between Laguna Beach’s coast and the vast landscape of Orange County. To me, it creates a sense of mystery and intrigue as you sit in the bottom of the canyon, imagining what’s on either side. With the beach on one side, its flowing, cool waters and the land on the other, the wineries grapes share in its rich soil. This winery is a must if you are ever in southern California in or near the Laguna Beach/ Irvine California area. My trip was from just a few minutes north of Irvine in Santa Ana, CA. What a beautiful drive down CA-55 to CA-73 and right to the front door of the warm and inviting boutique that is Laguna Canyon Winery.
The owner/winemaker/sommelier, J.J. Huber honed his skills in Canada learning the Italian winemaking process for two years before opening his first winery. Laguna Canyon is his third location, which he opened in order to share in the rich culture of winemaking in California. I would say his efforts have certainly paid off, as their grapes are sourced from the Sonoma and Napa regions and conveyed right to the winery for everything from processing to crushing to fermenting and bottling. All of the work is done in house and it is a beautiful thing to sit and sip right where the wine was made.
The Wine:
It is a little challenging to talk about the wine without mentioning ‘how’ you taste the wine at Laguna Canyon winery. That is because it was a really unique experience for me. But we will get to that in the next section. Let’s get into the deliciousness of flavors, tannins and sips.
Just a warning, you may read some flavor descriptions here that might be a bit odd to you, but remember, the nuances of wine vary greatly and taste buds are unique.
One of the most memorable wines I tasted was the 2021 Rosé Purple Paws California. I opted to try this one because I like purpose and this wine has it multiple ways. A portion of the sales from this wine goes to supporting homeless pets. It was a semi-sweet wine, served chilled, but what I cherished most was that it was ‘juicy’. Imagine the heat of summer and you bite into a piece of fruit, say a peach, and the juice fills your mouth and runs down your hand. In that moment, the lucious mouth-feel is so grand that you can’t even think of water. This wine was that for me except in pinot grapes. The acidity in this one is light but present, lending well to pairing with lighter fare. I imagined having it with a nice piece of grilled mahi mahi that is lightly spicy.
This next one was one of my favorites, especially for a stand alone wine. The 2020 Grenache Paso Roblés was the grand dance for me. Not to be confused with the paso doble Spanish dance, but this wine definitely made me wanna do a two step! I am a chocolate lover and this wine was seated in the lap of dark chocolate. A deep red wine, this grenache grape from the Paso Robles region in CA produces wine with plum and red berry flavors. The notes that lingered on my palate were dark chocolate and rose petals. A combination that had me swooning over it, just a bit.
*Comparable to this one for me was the 2022 Due Viti Reserve Super Tuscan Lake Cty. I mention it because it came across strongly with red fruits, specifically dark cherry. Dark cherry and dark chocolate are close cousins in my opinion because that rich acidity that comes through is mimicked in both.
I don’t really want to compare wines, but there are a couple here that reminded me of one another. Two of those were the 2016 Chaparral Cuvée Sonoma Valley and the 2021 Petite Sirah Reserve Sonoma Cty. The Chaparral Cuvée is a bordeaux style wine, which means that it is a blend, this one being Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec and Cabernet France. The Petite Sirah is a reserve wine from the Plum Ridge Vineyards. Both of these wines are unfiltered and showcase some of the more unique aspects of terroir. The Cuvée had the nose of dish detergent with a taste similar to the Grenache, while the Sirah had an electric burgundy coloration with the taste of prunes. I know, drinking prune juice can sound unpleasant, but think about it as the essence of prunes. They are just dried plums after all. The reason I mention these two together is because of ink. That is the flavor they both had in common to me. There was an inkiness that comes from the terroir. Now I am not sure if everyone might be able to taste this, but on my palate it was a primary flavor for both. For the Cuvée it was squid ink, and for the Sirah it was blue ink (yes from a pen). It is tough to explain the last one because even people who know me say, “I bet you did taste ink as a kid” 😆 But no, not that I can recall. In my active imagination however, I can conjure up the flavor of blue ink (not black, they’re totally different, in my mind) when I drank the Petite Sirah. So all in all, both of these wines possess a certain “inky” quality that comes from the land the grapes are grown on. With the 2021 Petite Sirah Reserve Sonoma Cty being my most favorite wine out of the eight that I tried.
This is where we break more rules. Not only am I comparing, I am also comparing a red and a white wine. However, I am not comparing them against one another, rather TO one another. As I have stated before, I am not huge on white wines, but I did appreciate the 2022 Vallée Cuvée Willamette Valley. I have had good trials with a few Pinot Grigios and this one lived up to my previous experiences. It is a dry white that is light and crisp. Think green apple, pear, on the nose and palate. Our comparison wine is the 2016 Malbec Sonoma Valley. Quite the opposite with its jammy and bubblegum nose. Also, it is a dark, heavy red that comes through with dark cherry, tanned leather and luxurious velvet mouthfeel. How can the Vallée Cuvée and the Malbe compare you are asking? Again, I bring up ‘terroir’ (the soil and climate in which grapes are grown) that lends to the flavors. Maybe it is the fact that both of these wines are made from grapes are grown in valleys but what they have in common is earth. But not just earth; gravel, rocks. To be specific to each wine, the Vallée Cuvée has flavors of dry, white rocks while the Malbec has flavors of gravel and dry dirt, with a hint of talc. Again, I did not taste these things as a kid, however, let your imagination run. That’s the fun of tasting wine!
There are about twenty wines to taste at Laguna Beach Winery so there is definitely a nice range. Check out the next section for how the tastings work (with details here about cost per experience).
The Experience:
My experience at Laguna Canyon Winery was a memorable one. I had a chance to spend time with a dear friend as we were in the area visiting her family. In addition, the atmosphere was calm and relaxing. My friend is not a wine drinker but she was very intuitive when sniffing each of the wines I tried. That allowed us to share and experience wine in different ways but to connect as well.
Laguna Canyon’s tasting style was a unique experience for me and I thoroughly enjoyed it. There are three tasting experiences for you to choose from and I am sure that one of these will fit every taster. *Pricing details about each in the “Tastings” section.
At the top tier is the Winemaker Premium Wine & Barrel Tasting Experience. This one is guided by the owner and allows you taste their Reserve wines straight from the barrel.
Next is the Wine Blending Experience. This includes a cheese board while you create your own red blend. One of their professionals leads you as you work like a scientist to create your wine.
Lastly is the Self-Paced Tasting Experience. This experience makes you feel kind of elegant, due to how the wine is poured. You receive your wine tastings through automatic pouring machines. It seems futuristic and fun! You load the required funds onto a card and use that to purchase each tasting, then you tap a button for each wine to pour into your glass. While the workers are hands-off, they are there to answer questions and help guide you in any way you need. The employee was personable and we connected over the wines and some of the projects we were gearing up for individually.
Overall, this is a lowkey and serene boutique experience. During regular hours it seems very casual and laid back. I would definitely be interested in attending one of their events as I can see the networking and connection would be positive.
Tastings:
Winemaker Premium Wine & Barrel Tasting Experience- $95
Wine Blending Experience- $75
Self-Paced Tasting Experience $36
My Takeaway:
A drive into and through the Laguna Canyon that led us to the Laguna Canyon Winery was the beginning of a crisp and calm experience. The winery itself has a look that is not overstimulating with an atmosphere that is soothing, created by the canyon and the aesthetic of the tasting room. I would certainly recommend Laguna Canyon Winery as a place for a unique experience.
For more information, go to: https://lagunacanyonwinery.com
