Cornell Winery & Tasting Room

As we headed toward Malibu to the beach over the weekend , we had every intention of lying on the sand taking in the rays. But, as we drove along the PCH without any luck finding parking and noticed the overwhelmingly large number of people who also had the same idea, crowding the usual calm sands- we quickly diverted onto Kanan Rd. to see what else the day had in store for us. We considered heading to Malibu Family Wines to enjoy a relaxing glass (bottle) of wine among the vineyards, but again we were not the only ones who thought this might be fun, and found another crowd and still no parking. We continued down Kanan considering our options in Agoura when we spotted a small sign reading "wine tasting" just minutes away. We had stumbled onto the recently opened Cornell Winery and Tasting Room in the Malibu hills, tucked just off Kanan on Mulholland and resembling a set from an old western film. Inside, the tasting room has a gothic feel and looks like it could have been an old church. Works from local artists adorne the walls and the winery fearures all local wines. The friendly staff greets you with a warm welcome the minute you walk through the door, though we were already greeted by the neighborhood peacock the moment we stepped from the car. It was such a beautiful day that we opted out of the tasting and purchased a bottle of the Republic of Malibu 2007 "Pink Lady" Rose, a semi-dry fruity rose made from Syrah that we thoroughly enjoyed on the patio with our new friend (and newly named, by us) "Coop". The staff gave us peanuts for him and he was our new best friend.

We also sampled some locally brewed beers inside and finally splurged and split a mini-tasting. We left with a bottle of the Republic of Malibu 2006 "La Mano Poderosa", which was our favorite of the tasting. A full bodied cabernet/syrah blend, this wine was the heaviest and boldest, rich and complex with a fruity nose and balanced tannins. We couldn't wait, it paired very well with the chicken liver crostini I made later that night!