Sculptera is two types of art gallery: Sculpture and Wine.
Sculptera seems to be more of an art facility with wine than winery, or to me the Sculpture was more interesting than the wine. The place has a big story. Started by a Bronx family physician who fell in love with both farming and art in college. After seeing another sculpture garden, wanted one. Bought the Paso Robles 238 acres to farm and then sell grapes to others, such as Fetzer., but never intended to sell his own wine and still doesn’t per se’. He frew and sold Pistachios. However his son, Paul Frankel, wanted to become the winemaker. The tasting room is what became of an onsite iron-making facility and the iron work throughout created by the late One of the lights sconces is 700 lb each in their in the ceiling. They are pretty amazing. I’m tried to get a shot of it for the reader.
Three artists transformed the tasting room into a beautiful work of art including a concrete bar that is painted like grapes, beautiful wood crafted long bar, and of course lots of amazing ironwork. I was very impressed by the hanging iron chandeliers, apparently 700lbs each and ensconced grapes and lamps. Photo doesn’t really do justice to the immense size.
Scuplture garden is all about size too. From the huge ornate entrance to the largest and heaviest granite sculture (they say in the’world’ but I think Michaelangelo’s David?”) of a huge modern art Puma, everything is extra-large. It was cool to see a huge history photo wall they created, and walk the grounds. Visitors can buy a glass of wine to sit in the large picnic area or stroll through the artwork.
Oher cool things to note:
1). NEVER seen a winemaker painstakingly put ALL the wine processes on the back of a bottle, but Paul Frankel does. Includes on the back the processing details including the grapes, the barrel type used, etc. Never seen this before.
2). A HEROES line that puts the faces and names on the bottle of every employee that worked the farming. It becomes a commemorative bottle for them but also a fundraiser.
3). Senior Dr. Frankel leads “Flying Samaritans”, a medical charity to other countires for medical care. Our server, Isabel Shirley, joked that joining the wine club is a tax deduction club …kidding.
THE WINES WE TRIED: They have many, from individual varietals to blends.
1. Sauv Blanc. Lovely easy drinking creamy and fruity
2. Chard – unique almond nut and tangerine notes. Never tasted almond in wine so forwaard beforee. Despite being stainless steel,features creamy malactic acid weight. 784 cases produced. Really different. $34
3. Viognier, 97 points and double Gold Flagship. Some crispy golden apple, popping on that. Pretty interesting lingering nectarine in peaches fruit. Very nice malactic acid creamy. Didn’t stand up to the one we had just fell in love with at Pear Valley, but would be a good sipper.
4. Pinot Noir, never usually grown, planted in a shaded valley. Pretty big, cherry fruit. A little spicy but nice.
5. Primitivo -strawberry and cedar wood.
6. Figurine = this Wine one double gold and 97 points. Tjey say it has flavors of plum and cherry soda, I got raspberry and other black fruits with a tannin mix, but it was light.
7. Bordeaux blend Maquette, mean small prototype or replica of sculptures, keeping with the sculpture theme. Nice, spiced red with easy tannin. Not a super stand out compared to others, but it’s certainly easy.
8. Cabernet side by side of two. Nice themed bottles .
A. Cab new release of 2020 for $42. Nice easy drinking good tanning and cherry fruit. Could easily set this for quite a while but not overly powerful like some others present. . Crowd pleaser for now or later.
B. The Bentley Ironworks, and it is a reserva and it’s $76 also 2020 release. Berry-ful lingering aftertaste that just keeps going and with lots of mix of bright fruit, which is interesting. Red fruit when you expect black. Yet earthy with tobacco and hints of oak
Again, for me the sculpture was more interesting than the wine. Perhaps it’s because we have loved several other wines up till now and are looking for a WOW standout, I struggled identifying a standout. The wines were easy-drinking crowd-pleasers instead. Only purchased a Heroes bottle to give to a friend. Since they had at least 20 other wines available, maybe I just needed to keep looking for the wine gem at the art gallery.
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