Thornton - Temecula

Wow, where to start. Well, first of all, that's part of the problem. Unlike every other winery I've ever been to, Thornton does not have a wine tasting bar. Instead you have to sit down in the "Champagne Cafe" at a table, get a menu, talk to a waitress etc. Rather than a traditional flight for tasting they have preset "groups" that you can pay to taste. The whole experience is very odd, and very expensive. $15 to taste four wines and no glass? Yikes!

But are the wines worth it? In a word: No. We tried two Champagnes and two reds. The Champagnes weren't bad, but were terribly overpriced. As for the reds? Well, the Cabernet had a nose of pickles. Pickles! Unfortunately, it didn't taste any better than it smelled. I still can't figure out how they managed to make red wine smell like pickles.

So in summary: No wine bar, expensive, bad wines, and snooty as well. What's not to like? Everything.

Joel