Smoke, Smoke, More Smoke and Wine

 

Why, of all the places we could be, are we in smoky California?

 

 

In the background you can see the cooling towers from the decommissioned Rancho Seco nuclear power plant.  (This is probably interesting only if you have been in the nuclear energy field 

El Dorado County Fairgrounds

In one word, wine.

 We can hear many of you (yes, Mom, we hear you). We know there are places other than California (that are not burning) where we can taste wine. But, for us, it’s about the hunt. It’s about finding the wines that best satisfy our palates at a price we can afford. We haven’t found any better full bodied, fruit forward, smooth wines that please us as much as what we have found in California (however Eastern Washington has recently gotten our attention.) We love the small, boutique wineries where each vintage is a surprise, depending on the weather and other factors. The casual tasting rooms fit our personalities and our lifestyle.

Driving through the rolling hills covered with vineyards sets the tone; somewhat reminiscent of Tuscany.

It wasn’t our plan, but over the past 12 years we have kind of created our own wine trail through the North Coast, Central Valley and Sierra Foothills regions. We understand the superior quality of the grapes is due to the cool temperatures at night and heat of the day. Our favorite time to visit is during crush when the grapes are beautiful

and everyone is excited about harvesting, barrel tastings and new releases. Needless to say, it was much more subdued this year. Due to the wildfire near Healdsburg , we were disappointed we could not visit our favorites in the Dry Creek region. However, the change in our schedule led us to return to Lodi and we wondered why it took 7 years for us to revisit.

The tasting rooms were very conscientious in keeping visitors safe. At all wineries we were instructed to wear masks until we were seated at tables placed a safe distance apart.

We only tasted where we could stay outdoors. The hosts all wore face coverings and kept the required 6-ft distance from guests.

 

Most used the “flight” system limiting the time hosts spent at tables.

 

With a few exceptions, most tasting rooms required a reservation to limit capacity and to provide contact tracing information.

Typically we would visit 3-4 wineries a day but, knowing our judgment could become impaired, we decided it would be best to do only one and chose appointments early in the day when it would be less busy.

Unfortunately some of our favorites wineries have closed, but we discovered some new favorites. Also, we have noticed a slight change in our palates, so our “wine trail” continues to evolve.

Getting our vote for the most cautious tasting room during COVID is Terra D’Oro in Amador County where we had the required reservation. Upon arrival we were greeted by a security person checking to see if we had a reservation before we could proceed to park. Checking in at the tasting room we were required to sign a liability waiver, given a welcome pack

and led to our table.

This year’s vote for the best ambiance goes to Lewis Grace in El Dorado County.

 

View from the patio at Lewis Grace Winery

Best newly discovered for our palates goes to Klinker Brick in Lodi.

Old Ghost Old Vine Zinfandel

Borjoin in Amador County continues to be our favorite all-around winery. (Outstanding zinfandels and Petite Syrahs!)

It's not what you might think; they were small tastings.

And the best surprise was our friend Bill’s Barberra, produced under his new label, William Gunn.

We knew it would be good, but didn’t expect the “WOW!”  His chardonnay is excellent and we can't wait to see what his blend "The Boss" will be like in six months to a year. 

 The smoke and COVID did not keep us from finding some very good wines. But was the aggravation worth it? We’ll let you know when our shipment arrives at our home in late October.

 The Wanderer is pointed east with “home” on the radar.

 

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