It’s rare for the Decanting Monterey Wine Pod to be caught by surprise – but Austin Harlow Winery & Mid Life Crisis Wines surprised us! They recently opened a new tasting room in Carmel Valley Village – right next door to I Brand and just down the row from Parsonage, Corral, Chesebro and Windy Oaks.
I had never heard of Austin Harlow so it was time for us to get educated! There were 9 wines on the tasting menu with 2 options: half flight for $10 and full flight for $20. Now, that’s enticing! We chose a half flight, so I still need to go back and try his other wines.
Bill Austin was in the tasting room that Friday afternoon, so we had a chance to talk a bit. We learned about how he sources his grapes, including managing and farming one of the Hollister vineyards himself. Other local vineyards are well known to us, including Zabala Vineyards down in Arroyo Seco AVA and Manzoni Estate Vineyard in the Santa Lucia Highlands. He prides himself on bringing quality wines in attractive and fun bottles at reasonable prices. This is a sentiment echoed by several of his neighboring vintners and one of the reasons I admire Monterey/Central Coast wines.
“Drawing grapes from some of the finest vineyards in California, Austin Harlow Winery prides themselves in showcasing some of the best wines being produced in the area.”
About Austin Harlow Winery & Mid Life Crisis Wines:
“Austin Harlow Winery was established in 2014 by Bill Austin of Monterey Peninsula, a long time wine enthusiast. The flagship brand is “Mid Life Crisis Wines”, officially released in March 2015. Drawing grapes from some of the best vineyards in California, the Mid Life Crisis Wines offer both intense and complex flavors at a great value. The Mid Life Crisis lineup consists of Old Vine Lodi Zinfandel (from a vineyard planted in 1935), a San Benito County Zinfandel, a Lodi Cabernet Sauvignon (from grapes planted in the Clements Hill region), a Santa Lucia Highlands Monterey County Pinot Noir (from an appellation considered to be one of the best in the world), and Santa Lucia Highlands Monterey County Chardonnay.
“All of the Mid Life Crisis Wines have been patiently aged in small, French and American oak barrels of the highest quality and then bottle aged for one year so that they are delicious immediately upon release, but they also will increase in complexity with additional bottle age…
“…Did you ever taste a $60 or $80 bottle of wine for under half the price?! Mid Life Crisis Wines are truly luxury wines at affordable prices.”
Today’s Wines
Today I am presenting 5 Austin Harlow Winery & Mid Life Crisis Wines. Please note they have 2 websites, with the second being Mid Life Crisis Wines. I could not locate winery notes for the wines. Any errors are mine and mine alone.
2022 Austin Harlow Reserve Marisol’s Moscato, Napa Valley AVA, 12.5% ABV, $22 (#1042)
My Review: Sweet stone fruits on the nose, followed by a sweet palate. This was a fine Moscato. June 2023
2022 Mid Life Crisis Wines Savignon Blanc, Zabala Vineyard, Arroyo Seco AVA, $22 (#1043)
My Review: Melded tropical fruits and fresh cut grass on the nose. Tart tropical fruits and citrus on the palate. June 2023
2021 Austin Harlow Reserve Puggy’s Pinot Noir, Santa Lucia Highlands AVA, 14.4% ABV, $38 (#1044)
Winemaker’s Notes: From the Manzoni Estate Vineyard.
My Review: This was the last wine we tasted – after we had the bigger reds. My apologies, but I have no notes. My recollection is that it was representative of the region. June 2023
2021 Austin Harlow Reserve Zinfandel, San Benito AVA, 14.9% ABV, $28 (#1045)
My Review: Intense raspberry jam on the nose, carrying over to the palate. Notes of buttered caramel popcorn on the finish. June 2023
2021 Austin Harlow Reserve Cammie’s Cabernet Sauvignon, San Benito AVA, 14% ABV, $48 (#1046)
My Review: Dark garnet in color. Intense dark berries on the palate with bright red fruit (red currant) on the finish. We all thought this very young wine, with more time in the bottle, has the potential to be a very good wine. June 2023
Where to Taste
Austin Harlow Winery & Mid Life Crisis Wines Tasting Room: Located at 19 E Carmel Valley Rd. Suite G, Carmel Valley Village. Open Friday – Sunday from 11:00 am – 6:00 pm.
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