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The Regions – Way Back In {July}

September 28, 2011 The Regions 1 Comment
The Regions – Way Back In {July}

So things change in a few month’s time.

We moved… again, into a different beach place much like the old beach place one (small first floor of a two-story house with a yard). Our friends vacated it when they moved to China for a year to check that out. It was a killer deal, so we packed up and came a few miles north.

… Continue Reading

The Regions – Eh, I Tried {對不起!}

July 29, 2011 The Regions Comments Off on The Regions – Eh, I Tried {對不起!}
The Regions – Eh, I Tried {對不起!}

The Regions has suffered its first defeat.

In June, we had hoped to bring you the wines of Santa Cruz and few other random wines. Santa Cruz is dear to my heart, it is actually the region that made me fall in love with wine in the first place and was the first region I wrote about on A Long Pour (here). That was way back in January of 2010.

Alas, sickness overcame us for more than half of June and our wine drinking dried up like an ice cube in the Bakersfield heat of August. This resulted in 3 or 4 reds from the area, but no whites.

So, while we are currently drinking through parts of Sonoma, give us some time to seek out a few more candidates for Santa Cruz, and we will report back on our results.

Until then! 经常喝好的酒! (是的,我可以说一点点中文)

The Regions – Monterey {May}

June 28, 2011 The Regions Comments Off on The Regions – Monterey {May}
The Regions – Monterey {May}

Fly-over country. I had never heard the term until a winemaker I met used it in a conversation last year. It went something like: “they like good wine in fly-over country too, in Iowa, and Ohio, and other places.”

The term “fly-over country” means exactly what it sounds like, those stretches of the Country we have all flown over to get somewhere else, say New York (or Los Angeles if you come the other way). It is a sad phrase, but an accurate description of many Americans’ traveling patterns. For many of us, we have “seen” the Midwest only from 30,000′ at 500pmh. Sorry Iowa, I do like those giant green blocks your State is made up of though.

But California has its own “fly-over” wine regions too, except here we drive by them at 80mph. None of these areas stand out to me more than Monterey County. While Lodi or even the Sierra Foothills can claim their own right to the designation “drive-by wine region” (particularly the Sierra Foothills), no place seems more fitting to me than Monterey. … Continue Reading

The Regions – Paso Robles {April}

June 8, 2011 The Regions 1 Comment
The Regions – Paso Robles {April}

Paso Robles. A city with a long history of pioneers and entrepreneurs, outlaws and hucksters. In Paso, the wine history runs deep too, with vineyards being planted by Spanish Conquistadors and Franciscan Missionaries as far back as the late 1790’s. Andrew York, a settler from Indiana, brought commercial grape growing to the area in the 1880’s and the last thirty years has seen a once sacramental operation exploded into a full-fledged and world renowned wine industry.

Today, some of the most revered American producers (Tablas Creek, Saxum, Linne Calodo) call El Paso de Robles home.

In more than one way Paso is a town of true grit, it always has been. Famed outlaw Jesse James briefly found refuge in Paso Robles before making a hasty getaway when the law caught up with him. Merchants hocked Paso Robles as the home of California’s finest natural hot springs and mud baths which, for a time, made the tiny Central Coast town a destination for tourists the Country over. So there should be no surprise that Paso winemakers know a thing or two about marketing and selling their wine while still doing whatever the hell they want. It’s in their blood. … Continue Reading

The Regions – San Luis Obispo & Paso Robles

May 4, 2011 The Regions Comments Off on The Regions – San Luis Obispo & Paso Robles
The Regions – San Luis Obispo & Paso Robles

For March (yes I know it’s May), we moved further North to San Luis Obispo County home of some of the best vineyards in California.

In the extreme south of the County is the Edna Valley, a cool climate paradise that produces brilliant Pinot Noir, crisp Chardonnay, and other gems like Riesling and Gewurztraminer. It is also home to famed producer John Alban and his highly sought after Rhone wines. It is also one of my favorite regions to visit. (Wolff Vineyards, Claiborne & Churchill)

As you continue North on the 101 and over the Questa Grade, the temperatures rise and the vineyards become dominated by Zinfandel, Syrah, Grenache, Rousanne, and a few dozen other Rhone and Bordeuax grapes. Paso Robles, about 30 miles North of San Luis Obispo, has built a name producing wide range of styles and varietals, a fact that is reflected in its diverse group of growers and styles (Tablas Creek, JUSTIN, Barrel 27. A March trip to the area is also detailed here). … Continue Reading

The Regions – Santa Barbara County

March 9, 2011 The Regions 2 Comments
The Regions – Santa Barbara County

The Regions. It was intended to be a monthly look at a specific wine region, it was a great idea, in theory. In reality, only reviewing wines from one region is extremely limiting. For one, what happens if I can’t visit an area during the month I want to review it? What if I find a great wine from Santa Cruz the month after we featured Santa Cruz?

So although we will continue to focus our efforts on the regions that most catch our fancy (Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo County, Monterey, Santa Cruz, Sonoma, and Mendocino), we will no longer focus on one singular region a month. We will still try as best we can to focus on a region each month, but not to a fault. If a Paso wine or two slips into Sonoma or vice versa, so be it. … Continue Reading

The Regions – Sta. Rita Hills and Santa Maria Valley

The Regions – Sta. Rita Hills and Santa Maria Valley

I remember when I first heard that a Sommelier, a good Sommelier, I mean a really good one, could decipher not only varietal and region, but even vineyard source and vintage in a blind tasting. It blew my mind. It still blows my mind. The fact that any person can know that much about wine or about anything for that matter, is impressive to say the least.

As time went on and I was exposed to more wine (and better wine), I began to comprehend how someone could accomplish such as task. While I am many long pours away from picking out a vineyard designate 1997 Burgundy from a group of Pinots from around the World, I have learned to start picking our distinct differences in California wines. The more I drink the more I am trained to recognize characteristics common to varietals and regions from all over the state.

… Continue Reading

{Archives}

Bonny Doon: Day of the Doon IX {Photo Essay}

September 22, 2011

Bonny Doon: Day of the Doon IX {Photo Essay}

We have grown rather accustomed to long trips for short stays, so much so that a 500 mile weekend is not such a big deal anymore. There are a lot of events we are invited to and we can only attend a few of them. But when Randall Graham asks you to attend, you attend. […]

Secret Project {the reveal}

August 17, 2011

Secret Project {the reveal}

A few weeks ago I posted the “Secret Project” with some shots of  a friend’s new winery taking shape. At the time, the space was still in a raw state, holes in the ground, bare walls, cut concrete. In terms of photographing a new winery, one might say there was not much to see, no […]