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Visiting Our Vineyards
OCTOBER 2018
Carol’s at Baily Winery: A Lovely Setting with Exceptional Food and Wine
# ! # " Baily Vineyard & Winery, one of the early wineries in the Temecula Valley Wine Country, has thrived over the years because of the passion and vision of Carol and Phil Baily. Their winery restaurant, Carol’s, is appropriately named because Carol is the chef and driving force behind the excellent food and ambiance so many people have come to love. While Carol runs the restaurant, Phil is the winemaker. Carol and Phil, who have been married
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50 years, are hands-on winery and restaurant owners and that has undoubtedly helped make Baily’s and Carol’s so successful. We recently sat down with Carol and Phil at Carol’s Restaurant and talked with them about their challenging venture into the winery and restaurant business. They are a personable, unassuming couple who can laugh at themselves and whose combined dedication and hard work have led to their success. Their two sons, Christopher and Patrick, and now even their grandson, are also very involved in the family’s ventures. Christopher manages Baily’s in Old Town, a popular restaurant that features live music on its patio. Patrick is involved in managing Carol’s and is also Phil’s assistant winemaker. And now their grandson, Alex, is contributing his talents to both Bailys in Old Town and to winemaking. When the family moved to Temecula in 1981, they planted grapes in the new wine country that was developing. Although the Bailys had always enjoyed wine, they admit they had a lot to learn about producing it. They took courses in wine production at UC-Davis and in 1986 they opened their winery. Carol had always enjoyed cooking so a restaurant was the logical next step. With their son, Christopher, they opened the Baily Wine Country CafĂŠ in Temecula Town Center and got their feet wet in the restaurant business. Meanwhile, the winery business was also starting to thrive. The Bailys now have 25 acres of grapes in three locations and two tasting rooms. They produce approximately 5000 cases a year and have 12 varieties of wine, mainly Bordeaux varieties, such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Malbec. Phil says, “We love Bordeaux wines
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and we produce what we like.� Baily Winery has won many awards with their wines, including a Gold at the California State Fair for their 2016 Montage (a luscious blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon) and another Gold for their 2014 Malbec. Phil emphasizes that Baily’s wines are unique because they are fermented in oak barrels for 30 months, which is longer than most California wines stay in barrels. The Bailys are excited to have Shakespeare in the Vines permanently located on their property. This popular classical theatrical group produces four productions each summer in an amphitheater on the hillside outside of Baily’s tasting room and also occasionally presents other lively shows on a small stage in Carol’s Restaurant. Of course, Baily’s wines and snacks from Carol’s are available during these shows. I have been to many of these presentations and can highly recommend the shows and their idyllic setting. Carol’s location in a charming stone building is warm and inviting with an Old World feel. An outdoor patio is also a relaxing place to enjoy lunch while admiring the surrounding vineyards. Live music is an attraction on the patio on weekends. Carol says, “We want people to be comfortable when they come to Carol’s. We are not wine or food snobs. We just want our guests to enjoy good food and wine in a relaxing atmosphere.� Our server was Marla Jestice who has been at Carol’s for 18 years and obviously loves working there. She is a welcoming person who greets the many regular customers by their first names. We also enjoyed meeting the friendly head line cook, Lenny Morale, who has worked at Carol’s for six years and has developed some of his own recipes. The menu at Carol’s is eclectic. While new dishes are sometimes added, there are favorites that always stay on the menu such as Vineyard Chicken Salad and Cashew Crusted Salmon. The menu skews toward light with lots of enticing salads and fish dishes. All the produce is locally sourced, much of it coming from the Winery’s garden where they produce tomatoes, cucumbers, eggplant, zucchini, and peppers.
OCTOBER 2018
Visiting Our Vineyards
ways welcomes dogs on the patio, special attention is paid to dogs on Sundays. A Dog Day menu is available and includes such doggie favorites as Chewbarka Chicken Breast, Bow Wow! Burger, and Haute Dog Turkey Dogs. I can just see our two puppies salivating over these menu items. (I’ve promised them a visit soon.) Baily Winery is also distinctive because of its Estate Tasting Room. The day after our visit to Carol’s, we experienced a special vertical tasting in this tasting room, which is located on Pauba Road where Baily’s wines are produced. A vertical tasting is a tasting of different vintages of the same varietal. We tried five exceptional Cabernet Sauvignons, produced from 2005 until 2012. Our tasting was led by Phil Baily and Lisa "$( ' '$#( '('% " ' (# '( $'& ("$&% '( $ ' Long, the Estate Club Direc $ ''( &!$' ( !# ( '$'%!# (&( &#'( &$ ' #( & ! tor, who is also very knowl %"%( &% edgeable about Baily wines. This was an outstanding, educational experience that I would highly recommend. (How about lunch at Carol’s followed by a tasting?) While you can walk in, reservations are necessary for a full tasting experience. Just call Lisa at 951-972-9768. Baily Winery has a wine club that offers 20% off all wine purchases, 30% off cases, free wine tastings in the tasting room, and discounts at both Carol’s and the Old Town restaurant. Carol’s is open for lunch four days a week, Thursday through Sunday. Hours are 11:30 to 2:30 on Thursdays and Fridays and until 3 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays. The main wine tasting room is open daily from 11 a.m. until 5 p.m. Photos by Todd Montgomery
Third Annual Rotary
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The first dish we tried at Carol’s was Coconut Shrimp paired with a lovely deep pink 2017 Rose of Sangiovese with strawberry flavors that perfectly complemented the scrumptious shrimp appetizer, which was served with a tangy chili mango sauce. I have ordered coconut shrimp at many restaurants and these were among the best I’ve tried, crunchy and flavorful. We next tried Carol’s signature Rueben sandwich. The tender corned beef was piled high and topped with Swiss cheese, sauerkraut, and a delicious, house-made Russian dressing. The Reuben was paired with another favorite Baily’s wine, M&M, a smooth Merlot/Malbec blend. We also tried one of Carol’s special burgers (there are seven of them). The Kevin Bacon Burger featured lean ground beef with a tasty Merlot BBQ sauce, crispy onion rings, bacon, lettuce, tomato and cheddar cheese. The burger was enhanced by a silky, herbaceous 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon. Phil pointed out that the vines for this Cab Sauv came from Livermore in 1968 '( ' !%( & "%( $ '$( '&# $' ( '&%( $" % ( '' ( !# (&(#& # and are over 50 '$ "#( ( & ' ( $! ("%!"%($!% ( & "% ( '## ' (#" &#" years old. No won&% ( ' &$( '' ' der this wine is so rich and flavorful. For those looking for a lighter meal, the Cashew Crusted Salmon Salad was heavenly. The perfectly prepared, fresh Atlantic salmon sat atop crisp mesclun greens mixed with dried cranberries, almonds, and feta cheese, all tossed with a savory citrus vinaigrette. I loved this salad, which was both healthy and delicious. We learned that salmon is very popular at Carol’s. Lenny’s favorite dish is Salmon Primavera —grilled salmon sitting on linguine tossed with tomatoes, basil, carrots, spinach and parmesan. For dessert, we enjoyed creamy orange crème brulee paired with Serenity, a late harvest Sauvignon Blanc that was fresh, aromatic, and not too sweet. Another highlight at Carol’s is Dog Day Sundays. Although the "$(# " '( "" !% ( "$(&( ! #'$( '& (# '( & ' ( $ #' ( & "% restaurant al & & ( & ( '& '%
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