Before the growth explosion in Oklahoma City restaurants, before MAPS 2 and the temporary relocation of the NBA’s New Orleans Pelicans, before the national attention for Ludivine and the growing awareness that Oklahoma City was becoming “a thing” on a larger scale, there was Galileo Bar and Grill in The Paseo. The space is now occupied by Picasso Cafe, 3009 Paseo, which opened in 2009 shortly after the death of Galileo owner Craig Roche.
Galileo was one of the very few places in ’90s OKC that didn’t feel like the outside world’s assumptions about what OKC was. It was a gathering place for poets, artists, musicians and hospitality industry drinkers. Back then, we dared to use the word “Bohemian” to describe our experience of Galileo. One of the indelible memories of that place was the wine pours in small, squatty water glasses. And one of the best sellers was Peachy Canyon Winery’s Incredible Red, a straightforward, approachable Zinfandel blend that was easy to drink and easy to afford.
Beginning with the rise of rockstar wine reviewer Robert Parker’s very mixed impact on the wine industry, wineries began to pursue Parker’s attention. And because he loved straight booze and cigars, his highest marks were reserved for massive, enamel-ripping wines with excess fruit extraction and alcohol, and very few categories suffered as much from this style preference as Zinfandel.
In the hands of a great winemaker like Mike Grgich, Zinfandel was a balanced, approachable, dry wine with great fruit that paired well with food. Post Parker’s rise, brands like Gamba Vineyards & Winery and Rombauer Vineyards made Zinfandels of such weight, density and sweetness that they were occasionally used as part of wine dinner dessert courses affogato style.
Standing in Picasso Cafe in May, tasting the new iterations of Peachy Canyon’s line of California wines, the past was present. Because while Peachy Canyon also pursued Parker’s style for too many years, it is now back to making the kind of wines we fell in love with in the late ’90s and early 2000s, and the price points are still affordable.
Scott Woodward is the managing partner at Appellation Wine Company, an aggregation of family-owned domestic wines, the portfolio for which contains Peachy Canyon. He spoke to Oklahoma Gazette at Picasso Cafe and via telephone from Colorado.
“In the early ’90s, Zinfandel was hot, chic, fun — a dry wine that was getting lots of interest,” Woodward said. “Some brands, like Rosenblum [Cellars], scaled up and then sold for a lot of money. Other brands, like Turley [Wine Cellars], scaled up but didn’t sell. The Beckett family decided to scale Peachy Canyon.”
Twenty years after deciding to scale up, the Beckett family realized they weren’t making any more money, even though they were making much more wine.
“I loved the attributes that made Peachy Canyon what it was in the ’90s,” Woodward said. “But when you chase the Parker-style — high alcohol, high octane — you lose the distinctiveness of the brand. There were fifty other Zinfandel producers making the big Zinfandels. And for Peachy Canyon, when you scale up, you have to use fruit over which you have no control. You’re buying from vineyards you don’t manage. They lost the appellation specifics.”
Original approach
Peachy Canyon is a Paso Robles winery. The terroir of Paso Robles was important to establishing the brand, and in California, where many wines are priced based on real estate, not quality, Paso has always been an appellation that over-delivered for the price. Yes, you can find big, beautiful and pricier Zinfandels from wineries like Turley, but much of Paso Robles hits a lower price point. Woodward broke down the major Zinfandel growing and production areas.
“Lodi still produces cheap and sweet. Sonoma is still the biggest producer, and they’re pricey with great quality. Napa is expensive, but not great,” Woodward said. “Paso Robles is geeky, artisan and high quality. And yes, wineries like Turley can be pricey, but most aren’t.”
Three years ago, Woodward revisited the line after Jake Beckett told him Peachy Canyon had gone back to its original approach.
“They reminded me of the wines of the ’90s,” Woodward said. “They went back to estate-grown fruit, back to what made Peachy Canyon what it was then. And the price is still what it was at 100,000 cases now that they’re back to 10,000. It was never their intention to dumb things down, but volume is easier to grow than price point, and Peachy Canyon fans are value driven.”
One of the primary reasons Peachy Canyon was successful in the ’90s was because it made great value wines without sacrificing quality, and the newest line has clearly embodied that approach. Ian Bennett, James Beard Award nominee, certified sommelier and co-owner of The Study (701 W. Sheridan Ave., Suite 100), a wine pub in Film Row, has added Peachy Canyon’s Westside Zinfandel to his impressive list of wines by the glass.
“Peach Canyon was the first winery I ever visited before I was even in the industry,” Bennett said, “so it’s got a little of that sentimentality for me. However, it’s a great example of the dark fig and ripe plum that Zinfandel can show. It’s like eating a Fig Newton dipped in Chambord. It’s opulent, decadent, unapologetically luxe.”
Even more affordable is Peachy Canyon’s Incredible Red, a Zinfandel-heavy (91 percent) red blend that the company built its brand on. Liquor store and wine shop owners have responded to the resurgence of Peachy Canyon, so you can find Incredible Red, a Bordeaux blend, delicious Petite Sirah and the Zinfandels at stores around the metro, including Edmond Wine Shop, 1520 S. Boulevard; Modern Liquors, 2918 N. Pennsylvania Ave.; Joe’s Place, 1330 Alameda, in Norman; and The Spirit Shop, 109 S. Berry Road, in Norman. The Crain Lounge & Kitchen, 12220 N. MacArthur Blvd, Suite A, is pouring Westside by the glass.
As for Picasso, operating partner and James Beard Award nominee Kim Dansereau said that the next wine list, which will be for the fall (October), will include Peachy Canyon by the glass and bottle, which means past really will be present as long as it gets some of those squatty water glasses and an angry poet.
Visit peachycanyon.com.