The Adventures of Erwin and Michael: Part Four

Sorry about the break folks, this pesky thing called "work" got in the way. But life is settling back down to normal so it's time to pick up the adventure. When we last left them, our intrepid adventurers were sleeping soundly in Buellton after a couple of day of wine tasting and weight gaining. So let's join in on Tuesday morning...

Rise and shine. We sadly left the central coast and its yummy fermented grapes and headed to Los Angeles, or more accurately, Hollywood! We had tickets to see the LA production of Wicked. I had booked us a room at a cute little motel just off of Hollywood Boulevard and we arrived just before noon. After a quick clean check in we walked the two blocks to Hollywood Blvd to encounter:



An interesting sight. At the other other end of the block we found out why a semi was embedded in the street:



So who knows... this could be the start of a midlife change of career for me! LOL

We did the typical tourist "Walk of Fame" and looking at the hand prints outside of Grauman's Theatre:





Try as he might, Erwin couldn't get his feet into Judy's shoe prints.

We spent a good part of the afternoon just walking around Hollywood and into the adjoining neighborhoods. It was nice, peaceful, relaxing... things you don't normally think of when you think Los Angeles. It must have been the company.
So back to the motel to rest and clean up before the play.

We decided to take a cab to Kabuki in Hollywood which was only a block from the beautiful Pantages Theatre. The cab ran late but we made it there with just enough time to spare to take our seats and enjoy a wonderful evening. I felt like we were in the song from Wicked titled "One Short Day in The Emerald City":

one short day in the emerald city.
one short day, to have a life time of fun!
one short day,
and we're warning the city,
now that we're in here, you'll know we've been here,
before we are done!
...

we're just 2 friends,
2 good friends.
2 best friends.
sharing a wonderful one short...(day)

The next morning, as we were in no hurry to get back to San Diego, we went to Rodeo Drive (just to look, no shopping) and then on to one of my favorite parts of LaLa Land, Santa Monica. As luck would have it, they were having the farmer's market on the Promenade:





As the afternoon was moving towards evening we were getting hungry so I suggested we hit one one great little place to eat, The Border Grill, home of The Food Network's "Two Hot Tamales" Susan Feniger and Mary Sue Milliken! The meal was awesome (and the attractive waiter VERY attentive... I tell ya, it pays to travel with Erwin). So, sufficiently stuffed it was back down the 5 to San Diego... but more about that in the next installment.

The Adventures of Erwin and Michael: Part Three

One nice thing about vacation is that you get to sleep in. I think we woke up about 7 AM (my normal wakeup is 5:25 AM), cleaned up, and went to breakfast. Ah, but not the typical "continental" breakfast at the motel (where you have to guess it is on which continent you would actually EXPECT a breakfast like that). No indeed. As we were on vacation and looking for the exotic we headed to Solvang, "Sunny Field" in Danish. Solvang, land of windmills, "The Little Mermaid", and dozens of bakeries... but especially that fantastic institution, Paula's Pancake House where we both had the yummy, wafer thin Danish pancakes. After becoming fully loaded with sufficient carbs to absorb the coming wine we were off for more wine tasting. Of course the first decision is where to go:



We thought about going to Foxen, but just after starting we changed our mind and thought we should start at the beginning and hit Firestone. The first entrance to turn around brought the first fun surprise of the day. It was the driveway to Curtis Winery. Now I had never heard of them before and in the spirit of adventure Erwin suggested we stop and try them out. What a treasure! The lady who waited on use, Ellen, was a gem. Even Matt Kramer says they are someone to watch and if they get any better they may rival Brander in my opinion. They are producing some beautiful handcrafted Rhone-style wines. The tasting offered six wines, two of then 2004 Syrahs. The 2006 Viognier was nice, light hints of white peach with a slight mineral finish and the Syrah's did not disappoint. Then the wonderful Ellen went "off menu" and poured four more wines for us (between my "wine-savviness" and Erwin's cuteness we must have been a killer combination in wine country). Ellen provided us with tastes of a 2005 Roussanne (the only one I have found thus far), their 2004 Heritage Cuvee (which wound up coming home with me), their 2004 Mourvedre (nice, earthy taste), and their EXCELLENT 2004 Syrah Crossroads (which followed the Cuvee to my wine rack). So here we are with Ellen at Curtis:





After joining their wine club we then went to the sister winery, Firestone. Now to be honest, Firestone has never impressed me. Oh, their wine was OK, but never on my list of "gotta have" wines. I have to admit, I found something nice here to bring back with me. First, they do a nice, dry Gewurztraminer. When I say they were tasting the 2006 I said I just had to try it. With less than 1% residual sugar is was much more pleasing to my palate giving a clean finish. I had to admit I also liked their 2003 Vintage Reserve (which included Cab Franc and a Malbec in the mix) which had a nice little mint/licorice taste. And once again, Erwin smiles and the young lady behind the bar says that she has something special for us to try... their 2003 Cab Franc Reserve. Very round with some firm tannins left (it's 98% Cab Franc, 1% Merlot and 1% Cab Sauv). I think in the next year or at most two it will really peak into an outstanding wine.

OK, two wineries and about 20 tastes... the pancakes are beginning to become saturated but we do one more for the morning and go to Fess Parker. Like Firestone, I never expected much from ol' Fess, but having grown up watching Disney I still remember Fess Parker as Davy Crockett and in fact the logo is Davy's coonskin cap. Once again, I was glad we went because this was the only winery we hit that was tasting a Riesling. Their 2006 White Riesling was quite nice. Normally I don't care for the sweeter stuff but with a residual sugar of less than 2% it wasn't syrupy and the finish was pretty refreshing. My favorite though, and the one that followed me home, was their 2004 Syrah named "The Big Easy". Black cherry with notes of licorice and mint combined with a really nice finish made this a keeper.

For lunch we decided to give Fess a little more of our money and we had a very light lunch at Restaurant Marcella at the Fess Parker Inn in Los Olivos.



After a light lunch and rest we decided to give Fess just a little tiny bit more time and headed to Epiphany. Actually, we went there because we received a card for free tastings there when we hit Fess Parker earlier in the day. But it was nice and close, a short stagger across the street. Six tastings with their dry 2006 Grenache Rose begging to come home with me (it did) and their 2004 Grenache close on its heels. Then again, we went off menu. The pourer brought out some spicy dark chocolate and popped open their 2004 Petite Syrah. What a fantastic blending of flavors!

We decide to hit one more before going back to the hotel for a nap and decide to travel out to Foxen, only to discover that unlike the other tasting rooms that close at 5, these guys close at 4! Saddened, we took their advice and drove up to Kenneth Volk. Again, glad we did because Mr Volk is actually doing a Negrette! Wow! Six wines on the tasting including the Negrette (berry and black licorice) which jumped in the car with us. Their 2005 Pinot Blanc had wonderful hints of caramel and vanilla was a delight. I was also pleasantly surprised with their 2005 Chardonnay, Santa Maria Cuvee (very mellow and almost no alcohol in the taste).

We made our way back to the hotel and took a short nap, then cleaned up for the finishing touch to our "Sideways" trip... dinner at Los Olivos Cafe, where Miles and Jack dined with their dates. To complete the experience we both ordered from the "Sideways Menu" and ordered (in honor of Miles) the Pinot to accompany it. Oh, it was sooo good, but the dessert was just a little too much.

We made our way back to the motel and tucked ourselves in for a good rest. We'd need it, tomorrow was Hollywood!

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...

The Adventures of Erwin and Michael, Part One

Vacation this year is domestic. I finally decided to do the responsible *groan* thing and take the lions share of my bonus and pay off debt. I was so fortunate when my friend Erwin had talked about taking a vacation to SoCal and scope things out for a possible move. I offered to share my place with him and take him on a bit of a tour to which he readily agreed, so the wheels were set in motion. I've known Erwin for about 12 years now and except for a time where I was a jackass (long story) we have kept in regular touch. Erwin and I share many things including musicals and wine (among others of a less public nature *grin*) and I immediately bought tickets for the San Diego production of Chicago with George Hamilton playing the lawyer Billy Flynn. Since San Diego was a bit limiting for the entire trip I had persuaded Erwin (with little arm twisting)to go wine tasting along the Central Coast and then spend the night in LA to see Wicked.

Erwin arrived Friday and we went to dinner at a local landmark, Nati's and then a quick walk around along Newport and the beach. The next morning we started the city tour and met up with a friend of his, Mel, who is in the navy and stationed here.



After a long, fun lunch at Gordon Biersch, we continued our little tour of SD and then headed home to prep for dinner and play. Being San Diego, dress was NOT formal (Oscar popped his head up and did the expected "tisk, tisk" but did ask for the Playbill from the production). We went downtown about 6pm and had a small pre-play bite at Ra Sushi (touch pricey for sushi but LOVE their Spider Monkey roll). It was then off to the musical where we had a blast. Overall the production was quite good (and whoever made the dancers' costumes deserves some award for most revealing without revealing all on both male and female dancers). I thought Mr. Hamilton kinda walked through his part but hey, George Hamilton playing Billy Flynn is just George Hamilton playing George Hamilton. All-in-all a great night out. For a little taste, check out this clip from the Tony awards for Chicago.

We arrived back home a little after 11 and got some giddy-nerves sleep in anticipation of the next leg of the vacation, wine tasting in my personal favorite area of the state. More on that next time, but just let me say that Brander's 2006 Merlot is kick ass!.

More To Come

Forgot to tell some of you that I was on vacation. Just in case you wondered what I was doing, here is a sample (I'll write more later). I've made some great discoveries and enjoyed spending my time with a wonderful friend.