But this time there was a high-tech DSLR camera and a meteor shower involved. We decided not to camp (I wasn't the one being a wuss) and "roughing it" in nature turned into a need for being in the middle of nowhere to avoid light pollution, so we stayed at The Tree House, a little guest suite they rent way out in the hills at Twilight Cellars Winery.
Exiting the freeway at the familiar highway 46 West, I turned onto Anderson Road to my Paso Faves. Directly to Caliza we went. Nice tasting this time, the room was vacant except for us.
Pouring their usual Rhone White blend "Kissing Cousins," the 2010 vintage, which was delicious, crisp, citrusy. Mostly Viognier, with some Rousanne and Grenache Blanc this time round. Then the 2010 Sympatico (tempranillo and grenache) was nice and dry, with a firm nose of the terroir one wants from a more muscly tempranillo.
Pouring their usual Rhone White blend "Kissing Cousins," the 2010 vintage, which was delicious, crisp, citrusy. Mostly Viognier, with some Rousanne and Grenache Blanc this time round. Then the 2010 Sympatico (tempranillo and grenache) was nice and dry, with a firm nose of the terroir one wants from a more muscly tempranillo.
On to the 2010 Cohort: a robust, jammy blend of syrah (55%), petite syrah (20%), primitivo (20%) and a splash of grenache (5%). Estate bottled, another Chronicle Wine Competition Gold Winner- it's estate grapes, with great fruit, deceptively high alcohol content (15%!), and of course Caliza's signature terroir both on the nose and palate to finish it out. Round, balanced, jammy, fruity but with hints of the *very* good side of the barnyard. I love this place!
2010 Syrah- also amazing and another Chronicle Gold winner- it's not *quite* the 2006, which was just, gosh... orgasmic. This is another winner, however, for all of those who want a serious Syrah to sink their teeth into more than drink in little sips like wussies. Great body, more rogue tannins than structure, and the signature earth and all that amazing body you want from both Caliza and Syrah made here!
Nobody knows me without Larry, and without Charmey. We came down twice a year and they all know who I am when I walk in with Larry and the Pug, but this time it was just me, with an unknown guy. I love Brett, and I love a Designated Driver, but he's bored as he doesn't drink, and I do prefer to share my hedonistic enjoyment.
We went next onto Booker, who were still open (they sell out early every year)- but left after even debating about walking through the door at all. You feel a little bit of your soul get sucked out every time you walk into their uber-sleek tasting bar with their 20 something plastic breasted, gorgeous blonde models pouring, with the clientele being their peers. Hipsters- people with 80,000$ cars and high heels trying to walk on tiny gravel, men who make fortunes and women who look good on their arms. I was debating about stopping at all, but when I was accosted with the usual "scene" coupled with poor service, we walked right back out and went to familiar territory.
Midnight Cellars is one of my 3 wine clubs, and I love them. We were, as we often are, the only folks in the tasting room upon arrival. No new vintages bottled for the wine club since my last shipment (ah, well), but I did a full tasting and put together a custom case for myself with many upgrades this time. Always jammy wines, with higher alcohol content (they usually are about 14.5%), and this very subtle attention to old world Italian technique that's evident in the product I can never put my finger on, but is signature Midnight- we had a typically good time shooting the breeze with the new tasting room staff. Alas, Nicole went her way- she will be missed every time I go down there.
Case on hand, we went to my other local-boy-done-good Fave, Grey Wolf. It was, as it often is in there, packed, so I had to elbow my way into the counter and make a space to taste. We got a good pour, if from staff who were a little stretched, as usual. The vintages they're pouring now seem to have rather unfortunate labels (not the nice sleek black ones from last year!) and of course I went back for more of the almost dizzyingly spectacular Lone Wolf as I have recently drained the last of my 2009 case.
The Jackal (2010) is all Zin with a splash of Syrah. 14.5% alcohol, it goes down smooth, a little too easy to drink, and a wine you can chew on. Big, unapologetically California Zin.
The Big Bad Wolf is another Zin/Syrah blend with slightly different concentrations but what a different wine- 14.5% again. It's over the top what you want from a California Red Zin- huge, big, fruit, dark, grapey goodness. A jammy slam on the tongue! The Big Bad, as it must, hits hard and lasts long. Finishes with surprising subtlety. In like a lion, and out like a lamb this one.
Innuendo 100% Zin- also 14.5% alcohol. Again, totally different. You miss the Syrah, a wee bit. It's not quite the typical Zin you're expecting, over the top, fruit stuffed in your mouth, and a heavy, deep but often fast finish. I would have thought this one less alcohol, it doesn't quite have that taste to it- this is on the drier side, still very fruit forward, but with an unexpected dryness as it hits the mouth that is unusual from a Zin. You get the heavy fruit in the mid-palate, mid-taste, but it finishes drier. Not surprisingly with the driness, it finishes longer. The fruit goes on a little while and mingled with the dryness on your tongue, a fight to the last. Subtle, but it's there.
After Grey Wolf, I left with a case of the 2010 Lone Wolf (no possible comparison to the 2009, that was just spectacular), and went to dinner. My other usual fave in downtown Paso- Pappy McGregor's for some pub grub and hearty beer.
After eating, we drove out to Twilight Cellars, who I thought I had visited in the past, but no, I've never been here. A winding, long road up way into the hills- we knew this was going to be great for Brett's night sky pictures. I hoped we would get some great streaking meteors!
We got up the hill (Daou cellars was also up there, but it was 4:50 and we had to check in, and there was no time for more tasting) and went into Twilight. I could have sworn I had been there before, but not a chance, this was totally new. It really is up the hill, in the middle of no where, with a tasting room. The husband and wife team are the owners, vintners and tasting room staff, along with what looked like a crazy bored teenage daughter.
We checked in. The husband and wife, winemakers and owners are nice enough, but tended to bicker the whole time which made us feel a little awkward. I made a reservation for Saturday through Sunday, but she had mistaken that for Fri-Sat, and I'm not sure who made that mistake, but I ended up being blamed. I don't make too many mistakes like that...
None the less, the Tree House was available tonight, and they gave us the key and we checked in. And I did a tasting of their wines. Honestly, at this point, I had been to enough wineries that you really would have had to amaze me for the wines to be note-worthy. These I recall today as being okay, decently made and structured for everyday drinking, but not sophisticated or too complex. We did our tasting and went up to the room. For $150 a night, it's fabulous if you want privacy, and charm. No dogs, unfortunately, but it's a great spot for a little romance and silence among the birds and vines. The AC works, there is a TV with satellite, plenty of space in there for two and a little kitchenette. The owners don't stay on the property over night- home must be elsewhere, as we were completely alone after the tasting room closed. The crush pad is up there on the hill, and at night it's pretty dark and all the noise you hear is the whirr of the AC unit.
We napped then went out for a meteor shower (a very slow one) and to take pictures of the night sky with Brett's new camera. He doesn't drink, so this was an arrangement where I could taste wine, get out into the middle of no where, and he could take pictures.
At 11pm, we went out onto the hill where the road junctions with Daou winery and there was a kind of plateau in the hill. Brett set up shop, and we both sat (or lounged in the car, as I did, wishing I had bought a convertible) and took pictures, or just watched the night sky. I saw about 6 meteors, one spectacular and vertical, the rest fast and small and horizontal. Brett got a lot of amazing pictures, but none of the meteors. Ah, well. We packed it up about midnight, and took off in the morning early back for San Mateo and SF.
I love winey weekends. And I always love my usual standbys. I'm a creature of habit, but when you expect the best, you have a hard time with the rest. :) That said, I miss tasting with a fellow hendonist with whom I can share the experience, and prefer to explore a couple of the new places (they have a hard time keeping up with so many new wineries opening down there, they have to change the tourist maps every year!) each time. So much wine, so little time!
