So, here’s something a little out of the ordinary. And yes, I’m stretching a bit for topicality. I went on a wine-tasting trip over the weekend to Paso Robles, CA. The topical part is I used [url=http://maps.live.com]Microsoft Live Maps[/url] for all the directions from place to place in real time on my Windows Mobile 6 phone. It went off without a hitch!! All the directions were spot on and at least as easy as my Garmin Nuvi gps. Even after 10 wineries it got me safely back to my hotel.
Here’s the rundown for any wine lovers out there:
The drive down 101 from the bay area to Paso was easy. I left San Jose around 8am and reached the first winery about quarter to eleven. I don’t recommend hitting 10 wineries in one day, especially if nobody spits… Here’s the rundown in order visited.Tobin James – Okay, one of a few places we stopped for the atmosphere more than the wine. Usually the tasting Saloon is bustling with excitement. A few limos in the parking lots, lots of loud, fun people inside. This time it was almost eery. No boisterous Toby to be found and gone are all the attractive college girls working the tasting room. The wine was the same as I remember; uninspiring probably says it best. I got a bottle of the sparkling, but I may just take a bath in it.Garretson – I had the luck of finding Amie running the tasting room Sat morning. Jamie was out on leave and Mat home with the kids. Perfect! I love Mat’s wines but Amie’s descriptions and recommendations seem to mesh better with mine. Amie ran us through the full gamut of wines on hand. I think this was my first time tasting the G white after skipping in on a previous visit. I was very pleasantly surprised. Makes for a great everyday wine. It’s not simple, but it doesn’t require a lot of thought to sit down and enjoy. Every summer I wish I had a few good dry rose’ wines to enjoy in the heat. The Celeidh fit this role well and I’ll stash it in the cellar until the weather warms up. The Aisling continues to be one of my favorite Paso Syrahs. I wasn’t as fond this time of the Craic as I had been in years past. The only disappointment, with Amie working the tasting room, how could they be out of Mon Amie?! Thank you for the wonderful time Amie! Hug Cellars – What a great place! Edgar in the tasting room was a very gracious host. In spite of my mentioning some stylistic similiarities to Alban, no one countered with John Alban’s actual involvement as a consultant of sorts. I guess I should have done my homework before tasting. The wines seemed a little disjointed throughout the tasting. They were all good, they just seemed to be so different from one wine to the next. I really enjoyed the Arroyo Seco Viognier. The Bassetti Syrah was very fruit forward and I got a bottle thinking it would meld well with deep smoked meats. I also picked up a bottle of Edgar’s project E2. Anyone know anything about it? Eagle Castle – Stop #2 of not for the wine… The castle was really pretty, complete with a moat and a rooftop (garrison?) patio. The wines were average at best, actually below average. Our host kept pointing out “oooh this won a silver medal at… No, don’t try that, see no medals (pointing)”. Like wine for dummies, but the dummies are behind the bar and apparently making the wine. In spite of the experience, I purchased a bottle of the late harvest viognier proof that even a blind squirrel makes a good wine once in awhile. Brian Benson – Oh, if I had only known this was in the same lot as Dark Star and their mystic fuzzy science gravity-junk. I thought “Well the website does say Brian works the tasting room everyday” so I thought I’d at least hear a good story about the wine and why he was passionate about it. Instead, there was a young girl who seemed more interested in her nails than the wine. About the nicest thing I can say is the highlight of the visit was playing with the two boxers in the tasting room. Four Vines – This was the first visit I planned. After buying a bottle of the “Biker” Zin, I figured it was worth a visit. I love the hedonistic attitude and calling their only white “Naked” sealed the deal. There is a lot of marketing at work here, maybe more dedicated to marketing the wine than making it, but it was still a very worthy stop and something unique. The Naked, yes I really love saying it, was quite good. It could be the less polished, just outta jail little brother of Clos Pepe’s Homage to Chablis. The Sophisticate was a deep, inky zin with a touch of Petit Sirah. I know what they were going for here, but I think they missed the mark. The wine lacked structure. It was the iron fist without the velvet glove. The biker was aptly named; unrefined, a little flabby, but a lot of fun. The Maverick reminded me a LOT of Turley Zins. If you’re a fan, this might be a fun alternative. I’m wondering how I can get my hands on some of the freakshow wines. They look interesting, especially the Phoenix.Linne Calodo – I really, really wanted to like this place. And $-aside I think I did. Great wine, but at about 50-60% of the price they’re charging. $10 tasting for 3 wines and basically getting ignored by our hostess. The Slacker was good but nothing special. I don’t remember the second wine that was poured, then came the Nemesis. It was a really good wine, maybe the best of the trip, but at $60 each I only picked up one and even that left a bit of a bad taste in my mouth on top of the excessive tasting fee. I had very high expectations, which is always dangerous, but this fell well short overall.Tablas Creek – This is always a favorite of mine, but this was perhaps my least favorite visit. I’m sure my palate was gone at this point, but nothing was as exciting as I remember it. All the wines seemed a bit flat. The Cotes de Tablas white was refreshing, but not special in the way I remember. I think this may fall off the “gotta visit it” list for me.Halter Ranch – I had never been here before and chose it due to its proximity to Tablas. I had no idea what to expect. In contrast to Justin, we were greeted by friendly faces excited to have us visit. Mitch, the winegrower, hung out and offered gems of wisdom on the various wines we tasted. The experience was refreshing and a GREAT way to end the day! Thanks Mitch!! I left with 4-5 bottles and great memories. Justin – We were up at Tablas and a friend really wanted to go to Justin. We show up a 4:45 thinking we’d have no problem as they close at 5. Instead we were greeted rudely and told tasting was done for the day. WTF? The sad look of the dog by the door said it all. He didn’t want to be there either.Melody Ranch Inn – Definitely a bargain at $60/night. There was ample parking and everyone was very friendly. However, the beds were the most uncomfortable I think I’ve ever slept in. I use the term “slept” generously. I woke up with my back and neck hurting pretty bad. The heater loudly turned on and off all night, waking me up each time. Maybe other rooms were better?Artisan – A great meal after a LONG day of wine tasting. The staff was extraordinarily friendly. In spite of ordering wine, we were wined-out and our server was nice enough to recork the bottle and send it home with me.
My hangar steak was very good. Tender, cooked perfectly and full of flavor! The menu itself didn’t live up to expectations. I was expecting something more along the lines of Alexander’s or Manresa, but the execution of what they did offer was spot on. A solid recommendation and great small place.
I took route 1 all the way back up to the bay area. I saw a minimal amount of cars in either direction, but I did have a close encounter with some elephant seals on the beach maybe 20 feet from the highway. Really cool to see! I’ll be back onto tech posts next week. I hope everyone has a great holiday!
