The Adventures of Erwin and Michael, Part Two

Ever see the movie Sideways? Well, if you have that was the impetus for Erwin and me to do what we did during this part of the trip. Erwin had never been wine tasting and I suggested my personal favorite part of California, the Central Coast, for a quick education. So Sunday morning we headed north to Santa Barbara and Santa Ynez counties to make Erwin a true oenophile.

The weather was, per SoCal standards, perfect. The skys were blue (even over LA... no smog-brown awaited us). As we left around 8am we arrived at our destination, the Day's Inn, Buellton, around 12:30pm. This was the motel that Miles and Jack stayed in in the movie. Since we could not check in I decided to start Erwin's education at what is my personal favorite winery in the area, Brander and this visit did not disappoint. Brander is noted for their world-class Sauvignon Blanc wines and their hand-crafted Bordeaux-style reds. The tasting menu was of six wines and not a one was disappointing. Erwin was particularly fond of their Cuvee Nicolas and we both thought their 2006 Merlot was "da bomb". Then, as a special treat, we were offered a taste of something that is quite pricey with few bottles remaining... their 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve. The lovely lady pouring for us actually hid the bottle from the other tasters (she said that it was a delight to talk with us, was astonished with what I knew about wines and with Erwin's eagerness to learn that she just threw it in as a benefit). So here we have Erwin getting a good start to his wine education at Brander:



So we left Brander with a few bottle and me upgrading my membership.

Our next stop was Bridlewood, one of the prettiest estates in the area. Formerly a horse rehabilitation facility, Bridlewood Estate is an artisan winery focused on producing Syrah and other distinctive Rhone varietals. Bridlewood can be up and down so you never really know what to expect from them. Their 2004 Reserve Syrah and 2005 Reserve Arabesque were good enough to warrant a purchase (particularly their Arabesque which is a blend of five or six grapes).

Our last tasting stop for the day was a real up-and-comer, Beckman. Beckman produces Rhone Varietals including Syrah, Grenache, Grenache Blanc, Grenache Rose, Marsanne, and probably my favorite, Cuvee Le Bec (a blend of Grenache, Mourvedre, Syrah and Counoise). Beckman is a wonderful small boutique winery and definitely well worth the stop (the people at Brander recommended it to me a couple of years ago as a place to get to know). The do a very fine Syrah and their 2006 Grenache Rose is well worth a taste. I also enjoyed their 2005 Marsanne (nice hints of ginger). I came away with a couple of bottles of their Syrah and a bottle of the Rose.

About this time we headed back to the motel to check in and rest up for dinner. Tonight it was the place featured in the movie, The Hitching Post where we dined on wonderful steaks. I, of course, had wine (the Hitching Post Syrah which was a perfect compliment to the steak).

Finally... stuffed and all warm and happy from the wonderful wine, we retired to the room for the night.

More coming...