Central California Wine Tour, October 2009; Here We Go Again

Thursday, October 8, 2009:

I started my annual vacation with a trip to the `dentist. Perfect start to a holiday, right?

Not.

We hit the road around 8:30pm and arrived in Santa Barbara to stay with my sister-in=-law around 10. Bagel (the dog) gave us the gift of barfing in the back of the car, just before we arrived at our destination. That was appreciated.

Day one…

Friday, October 9, 2009:

Woke up to discover Bagel had peed all over  a carpet that K’s sister-in-law brought home from Turkey. After cleaning-up, we made breakfast. Discovered even more pee under the dining room table. Thanks, puppy.

So, with this auspicious start to our vacation, we decided to press on all the way to Cambria. Stopped in San Luis Obispo and grabbed some lunch at Linnaea’s Cafe (spanikopita, lentil soup, arborio rice salad – very tasty).

Stopped also briefly in Cayucos and did the annual tasting at Cayucos Cellars. Always an early stop on the tasting tour. A family run operation (the son of the winemaker was once again in the tasting room), the vibe is friendly. Other tasters had apparently been enjoying some … green, smokable appetizers, so the tasting was vibrant. For the cellar, one bottle of 2000 Estate Pinot Noir ($26; a later release – interesting), and one bottle of 2004 Syrah ($26). Nothing fancy, but a very fun and rewarding stop.

Saturday, October 10, 2009:

Harmony Cellars: for the cellar, 2 bottles of 2006 Diamond Reserve Pinot Noir (Monterey County, $28.80 each); 1 bottle of Santa’s Reserve Red Table Wine ($13.40) and 3 bottles of 2007 Zinfandel ($15.20 each). Also picked up a bag of wine casket wood chips – great for smoking in the BBQ. We got some last year and they were fantastic – added a lovely flavor to BBQ meats. This was the very last bag they had, however (discontinued).

Black Hand Cellars: neat tasting room on the west side of Cambria. The vineyards are near Paso, but the competition in Paso for tasting is fierce. So … here they are in Cambria. The labels and wine names are neat: each bottling is named for a gangster theme – predecessors of the winemaker apparently had a gangster past. And each label sports a hidden “black hand” print, symbolizing the imprint of a vineyard worker. For the cellar, one bottle of 2005 Hit n’ Run Rhone ($32; 63% Syrah, 22% Mourvedre, 15% Grenache).

Sunday, October 11, 2009:

Jack Creek: Tasted while talking to wine tour leaders who arrived a day early to “prepare” for their tour, They tipped me to Stephan Cellars, which became our next stop.

Stephan Cellars: went here based on the recommendation of the tour guides we met at Jack Creek. The vineyard/tasting room is open only occasionally (7d per year). For the cellar: two bottles of 2006 Pinor Noir (Encell Vineyard, SLO; $30 each); 2006 Pinot Noir (York Mountain Estate; $47)

Hug Cellars: Enjoyed a tasting with the owner/winemaker Augie Hug. An oilman, Augie nevertheless has found the magic touch in making wines. We’ve tried for the last 3 years to come to his tasting room – got close last year, but the tasting room was suddenly closed for a funeral.

For the cellar: 3 x Hug Cellars 2007 Mourvedre Santa Barbara Highlands Vineyard ($29 each); 3 x Hug Cellars 2007 Pinor Noir Arroyo Seco (Cedar Valley Vineyards; $30 each).

Barrel 27: Didn’t have a great experience returning to Barrel 27. A new location (they claimed they had always been there – not), and uninformed tasting staff. For the cellar, one bottle of 2006 “zotovich” Pinot Noir ($38, Santa Rita Hills).

AJB Vineyard: slow day in the tasting room. 2 bottles of 2005 Sangiovese Estate ($21 each), and one bottle of 2002 Nebbiolo ($24).

and the culinary part … Pier 46 (fish tacos!) in Templeton.

Monday, October 12, 2009:

Traveled along the coast – marveled at the elephant seals near San Simeon.

Tuesday, October 13, 2009:

Heavy rain and fog. Didn’t venture out today. The front window of the house leaked, and kept us changing towels to collect the water every 30 minutes (at most). Fortunately the worst of the storm was over by bedtime and we were able to sleep through the night.

Wednesday, October 14, 2009:

Recovering from the storm, we felt adventurous and decided to venture into Paso Robles. I chose 3 wineries to target, and 2 knitting/quilting shops somehow made it onto the menu as well. Driving along the 46, we immediately started to encounter fog. First a little, then a little more, then … a lot. About 10 miles in we decided it just wasn’t worth it, and turned around.Returning to the coast, we turned south to Morro Bay. The drive along the 1 was much clearer and we had an uneventful drive.Parking at the north end of the strip, we walked from Giovanni’s to the other end of the strand. Highlights included the sea lions basking and barking on a buoy; a pelican atop a mast of a rusting fishing boat; Bagel pooping right in front of the door to a cafe.  Wonderful weather in the bay, though. Lovely stop.Returning north, we stopped in Cayucos for fish tacos at Ruddell’s Smokehouse. Smoked ahi and smoked ono were the order of the day, and remained the absolute bomb. Ever since we’ve started to come here, the tacos have remained unique, flavorful and an explosion of flavor. Wonderful smoked fish topped with an abundance of fresh lettuce, tomatoes, apples and a lovely sweet sauce.  Yummy. Truly a unique experience.We returned home, buying 5 pies from Linn’s for the year ahead.At time of writing, it is just before sunset, but the house is shrouded in fog. We’re waiting for Alex who is driving from Davis, and for dinner, Sea Chest awaits.

Thursday, October 15, 2009:

Four Vines A favorite stop, Four Vines was fun yet again. Love the O glasses for tasting and am working to complete the collection. For the cellar, one bottle 2007 Zinfandel (Dusi Vineyards; $35), and one bottle 2006 Syrah (One Tree Hill Block; $40).

Turley: Another favorite stop, I very much enjoyed our chat about favorite places to eat, and the tasting room manager’s desire to not drive on busy roads. Tricky business. Very much enjoyed chatting about staying close to home. For the cellar, one bottle 2006 Zinfandel (Pesenti Vineyard; $40).

Vina Robles: located on the eastern outskirts of the city of Pasa Robles, Vina Robles boasts atruly massive tasting complex, also used for weddings, corporate events. I felt very removed from the vineyards here. For the cellar, one bottle of 2006 Syree (84% Syrah, 16% Petite Sirah; $39) and one bottle of 2008 Penman Springs Petite Syrah ($42).

Maloy O’Neill: an extremely unique vineyard. The winemaker produces something like over 30 different wines, and seems to enjoy the most unconventional blends (cabernet sauvignon and pinot noir!). Certainly the most unique winery I’ve ever visited, and among the most fun. I settled for something trending towards more conventional: 3 bottles of 2005 Gioi (65% Sangiovese, 25% Cabernet Sauvignon and 10% Merlot; $28 each).

Friday, October 16, 2009:

Day of tasting with Alex.

L’Aventure: one of Paso’s “fancy” vineyards. For us … it was loud, and the tasting staff was trying hard to pick up on some young girls visiting from Texas. He did set-up a “date” for Saturday, but we had our doubts whether those hot, young girls would actually show. Such is the life, and part of the motivation, of the tasting room staff…

For the cellar, 2 bottles of L’Aventure 2007 “Cote a Cote Estate” (40% Mourvedre, 40% Grenache, 20% Syrah; $85 each)

Fratelli Perata: very … unique place. Specializing in “big” wines that will age, the tasting room seemed genuinely surprised to see us! They may not always get a crowd, but given this was day one of the Harvest Wine Festival, the room quickly filled. We enjoyed a special place as the taster was from LA and a member of FOTR for Griffith. As a huge astronomy fan, he gave us “special tastes” and generally instilled in the other patrons a sense of “what do we need to do to get that?!”. Even Alex was unimpressive, for a change, when saying he was a particle physicist – this was an astronomer’s lair.

For the cellar: two bottles of Fratelli Perata 2005 “Bambino Grande” ($28 each; Sangiovese blend)

Windward: revisited an old friend, and found that their Pinots continue to improve and impress. Paso is not Pinot country, by and large, but Windward has found a microclimate that seems to work. Unlike most tastings where I decline to take home the winery glass, I made sure to get my Windward (Riedel) tasting glass – it is a “third generation” glass since the last two have been lost to my granite counters. For the cellar: Windward Estate 2007 Pinot Noir ($38 – 15th vintage bottling), and Windward Estate 2005 “Gold” Pinot Noir ($60)

Saturday, October 17, 2009:

Last day of tasting with Alex.

Justin: my guest’s request. Parking was tricky, but we endured. Enjoyed a nice tasting, and got another Riedel glass. Enjoyed at dinner 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon ($26.25), and for the cellar, one bottle of 2007 Justification ($45).

Sunday, October 18, 2009:

Breakfast tacos in Morro Bay at Chapala (2 tacos al pastor, 1 carnitas taco). Bought a neat dresser/nightstand at the craft fair in Cayucos. Fretted considerably aobut how to fit it, and all the wine, in the car for the drive home. The solution turned out to be to pack stuff in the drawers – little extra space was thus required for the dresser. Clever us.

Monday, October 19, 2009:

Last day of tasting! Hit an old favorite, Adelaida, and got 2 bottles of Version (91 points from Robert Parker; 38% Mourvedre, 28% Syrah, 22% Grenache, 7% Counoise, and 5% Cinsault – $30 per bottle), and 2 bottles of 2006 Syrah Anna’s Estate (90 points from Robert Parker, $28 each).

On the way to Santa Barbara, and home, stopped in the extremely wonderful town of Los Olivos. Tasted at Qupe and, ironically, brought home a 2006 Ethan Santa Ynez Valley Syrah (Purisima Mountain Vineyard) at $39.99.

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