LXV Wines named for the arts of the Kama Sutra

Neeta and Kunal Mittal opened a new tasting room in downtown Paso Robles over the weekend that celebrates the couple’s love for art, passion and wine.

LXV’s new downtown Paso Robles tasting room.

LXV Wines’ new tasting room at 13th and Pine streets is itself a work of art. The walls are painted a vibrant dark blue. Luxurious day beds are covered with bright, decorative pillows that bring to life the culture of India, the Mittals’ native country. Lanterns and works art of the walls complete the picture.

The name LXV is the Roman numeral for 65. The Mittals take inspiration for their wines from the 64 arts of the Kama Sutra and craft them “in honor of the divine sensuality within you… the 65th Sutra.” Each bottle is decorated with art of beautiful women.

The Mittals visited Paso Robles four years ago and fell in love with the area. Neeta says it reminds her of the landscapes of her native India. Kunal works for Sony Pictures in Los Angeles and commutes to their home in Paso Robles.

For their grand opening last week, the Mittals paired their wines with spice blends. It was a refreshingly new take on traditional wine and food pairings. The Mittals brought in Angela Payton a food and wine pairing expert to create the unique taste creations. A neutral flavored sheep milk cheese was offered on toothpicks to dip in bowls of spices. The spice blends brought new and delightful flavors and mouthfeel to the wines.

LXV Wines paired with spices

• 2012 Heart Note, a rose of syrah, grenache, merlot and viognier, was paired with cinnamon.
• 2012 Summer Satine, a white viognier, was paired with white green and pink peppercorn.
• 2010 Crimson Jewel, a sangiovese and petite sirah blend, was paired with lavendar pumpkin spice
• 2010 Rising Tempo Reserve, a blend of grenache, syrah and tempranillo, was paired with cumin.

Kunal and Neeta Mittal.

The Mittal’s hired acclaimed local winemaker Amy Butler. Butler, a UC Davis graduate, made award winning wines for Edward Cellars and Red Soles wineries and has a proprietary label called Ranchero Cellars.

LXV’s winery is located in the exclusive Willow Creek area of the westside of Paso Robles near Linne Colado and Saxum. The Mittals currently source their fruit from other vineyards nearby, but have land set aside for planting some day.

The new tasting room is located at 1306-B Pine St. at the corner of 13th and Pine streets in downtown Paso Robles. LXV is open Monday, Tuesday and Thursday from 1 to 7 p.m. and Friday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.