"California Dreamin'" the Wine Way

         Dawn Galante wanted to create wines that had a certain lightness to them, a soft complement to the big, bold "fruit forward" wines of her husband's Galante Vineyard wines.  And so she created Dawn's Dream (www.dawnsdreamwinery.com/), the latest tasting room to open in Carmel Valley.

With a clever logo and a philosophy that includes creating "vintages that reflect the refreshment of the satisfied life and the gentle magic that can be captured in a moment," Dawn is giving valley wine visitors a real treat.

Her wine tastings cost $5.00 per person, and all wines are $24 a bottle.  You can also have a glass of your favorite wine for $6.  Simple.  We like that.

And we like her wines.  Her 2011 Carmel Valley Sauvignon Blanc is light, fruity, crisp, and very easy to drink.  The 2011 Arroyo Seco Chardonnay is bigger, yet not as buttery as many Chardonnays.  It's almost closer to a Chablis in body and taste.  The 2010 Carmel Valley Pinot Noir is very good, lighter than many Pinots we've had, with a wonderful spiciness.  All the wines were served with crackers and cheese, a nice touch.

Our final wine was a 2009 Carneros Pinot Noir, a year older than the local Pinot, fuller, more traditional, and made with "grapes from Napa Valley but with a Carmel Valley flair," to quote our server.  With dark chocolate, it was grand.

The tasting room is light and airy, with fun products for sale--wine glass sunglasses (these are a hoot), wine flavored salamis, wine carriers and sweatshirts with the Dawn's Dream logo. We like the whole casual ambiance of Dawn's Dream.

Open daily from 1-6 p.m., the tasting room is at 19 E. Carmel Valley Road, Suite H (659-2649).  Dawn has "dream themed" her wine club, too; you can be a Dream Catcher or part of Cloud Nine.  All part of the clever, light approach to some fun good wine.