Whew, that was a drive!
Whether you prefer the LL Cool J or the Notorious B.I.G. version of the song above I think most would agree they're solid tracks and in my opinion a fitting title for this blog post. As I'd mentioned in the last blog post travelling to wine country over the Labor Day Holiday has become something of a Fenske family tradition. This year Tracy and I headed out from Portland, Oregon at 5 AM bound for California. For the un-aware our final destination is 903 miles from our front door. Yikes!
The first day we may have been overly enthusiastic as we headed to Sequoia National Forest in search of the General Sherman and after traffic in Sacramento and Fresno we reached the park towards dark and though we captured some amazing sunset photos in the park we got to see the tree under the cover of darkness courtesy of our trusty Honda Pilot's headlights. It was still an awe-inspiring sight to behold and the sheer size of these trees has to be seen to be believed. Getting out of the park was over an hour long adventure filled with much engine braking and nervous, slow turns. Upon reaching the luxurious (okay perfectly adequate) Best Western Town & Country Lodge in Tulare, CA (they allowed Reggie) I determined I'll be needing new brake pads VERY soon.
Well Hey, Paso Robles
Friday We left Tulare about 10 AM bound for Paso Robles as we'd heard great things about it and hadn't visited there yet. On the suggestion of a friend we made two stops in Paso and the first was Daou Vineards where we decided to rest our weary bones for a few hours to split a bottle of their Cuvee' Lizzy. From Daou we ventured out to Justin Winery where our server, Carson, took EXCEPTIONAL care of us. We'd heard good things about Justin (one of which was in the follow up novel to Sideways in Rex Pickett's Vertical -which if memory serves is where the story opens with Miles having a three-way) and our expectations were met and exceeded. Their entire flight was a delight and we ended up buying a bunch of their delicious Sauvignon Blanc, Isoceles, and a few others. By the time we were finished it was unanimously decided that adding a third wine club to our aresenal was in order-full disclosure this is showing amazing restraint on our part as we were once in six.
We left Paso Robles in the mid-afternoon and come hell or high water we were getting to Buellton. It wasn't that exciting-I'm just trying to have a flair for the dramatic. The drive was pretty uneventful and our AIRBNB was hosted by a gal named Val (rhyme much?) and her two doodles (Lucas and Charlie) were sweet and after some growling and butt sniffing got along great with Reggie. Our final stop for the evening was Wandering Dog and I was very happy with their Mourvedre
Saturday!!!
We braved the heat around 11 AM on Saturday morning headed for Fess Parker because we like it (also bonus points if you know which winery it is in Sideways) and we'd been asked by a friend to pick up some of their "The Big Easy" only to find the temperatures in the mid 90's already. We sought the cool comfort of the tasting room and sampled a few of their wares and because September is California Wine Month we were treated to some special, off menu, pours. I do love a good bonus pour! We hung outside for a few minutes getting some shots of grapes on the vines and I was a happy camper.
From Fess Parker we headed to Foxen 7200 (lovingly referred to as "the Shack" by wineheads like us) for a tasting and were surprised to meet one of the nicest bachelorette parties I've ever encountered. Seriously....they also left like 4 minutes after we arrived. If you're not sick of the Sideways trivia yet this is where Miles and Jack liberate a bottle from behind the bar to fill their glasses when their server is not looking. I don't condone that behavior and I also understand why they did it because their wine (especially at the shack) is beautiful!
From Foxen we headed to Firestone Vineyard where we're club members as it's very close to Fess Parker. I should, at this point, mention that Tracy and I split our tastings when we go out for the preservation of our palates (and more importantly) preserving the ability to drive. We picked up some great wines at Firestone and our favorite was the Proximity 26 Cabarnet Sauvignon (which if you see scoop up because they're discontinuing the label and there are great deals to be had). Once our tasting had finished we headed out to the vines to grab some more photos of berries on the vines. The heat was overwhelming and I punted in short order-not before getting an obligatory couples photo in the vines.
After some lunch we stopped at Lincourt Vineyards with a renewed palate and focus. As this is a Foley property (see also Firestone) our tasting fee was waved and we tried some great wine. I really enjoyed the Gruner Veltliner and their Willie Mae Pinot Noir. In the process we met some of my favorite new people, Tricia and Jeremy, who we hung out with the remainder of the day. We traded stories, recommendations on food and wine, and generally had a great time.
Finally, after another breather we headed for dinner at the Hitching Post II which is probably my favorite place to eat in the entire world. Seriously! For those that know me I don't take that lightly. Anyhow I had the Duck and Sirloin entree which (as it was on my birthday back in January) one of the finest things you can eat. Tracy and I shared a bottle of their "Big Circle" Syrah which is another of my faves. Grabbed some images of the cooking process (very cool) and the highlight of the dinner had to be the very specific, yet confused millenial gal with her boyfriend at the neighboring table. After a very detailed martini order she inquired about wine-saying she wanted a Pinot that was "more consistent and less dry". I was proud of me for NOT turning around and mansplaining and manquestioning WTF that meant. Fat and happy we headed home.
