The grapes out of this region, well I consider the best. Gravel. Granite. A mineral fleck to each glass. Cool weather and crisp morning breezes from the pacific settle in between these two hills of the Salinas valley and create something magical.
In the valley, grows the spinach, the strawberries, the romaine, the lettuces we bring on our tables everyday. This is the salad bowl of America, quite literally. The soils are rich. Fragrant. And its on these hills that surround the vast miles of tender greens, its these hills that grow some of (what I consider) the best grapes in the world.
Most of the wineries are private. Or boutique. So, touring them, or even finding a tasting room, is a challenge. We concentrate our efforts on the ones that are open for visitors rather than stalk the production houses of the wineries that don't allow gauking tourists.
We first stop at Pessagno and fell in love with their port. Well, honestly, their Four Brothers Pinot was wonderful too, but that port, ohmygosh. 2002 Hames Valley Vineyard. An intimate winery. And they have a great two bedroom cute cottage in back that you can rent out (maybe next trip!) and be as close to the vines as one could get.
No comments:
Post a Comment