This was the first stop of Grapestorm’s Napapalooza and they set the bar quite high. We arrived bleary eyed after the drive from San Francisco, and tired after we emerged from what we now know is called the marine layer (also known as the layer of clouds that appear as though someone just cut them at one point and said “San Francisco, you take all these clouds, everyone north of here enjoy a nice clear blue sky”). Anyways, after driving along an incredibly windy Rt. 128 to the vineyard, I thought I might be too queasy and windblown to enjoy any day drinking (weird, I know!) especially since I indulged The Colonel on an open-window drive to fully appreciate the sweet, sweet maneuvering of our reasonably priced midsized sedan rental car. From the second we walked in, we were greeted warmly, offered use of the restrooms (my hair and I were thankful for that), and most importantly, poured a glass sauvignon blanc. I can’t accurately say if I thought it was good wine or not, because it was so crisp and refreshing after the drive. I have to admit that we weren’t overwhelmed by any of the wines we tasted there (cabernet sauvignon, zinfandel blend, and the sauv blanc) but the experience of the tasting was difficult to match. We were able to tour the property, including watching wines being pressed, saying hi to a handful of the winemakers, and the best part easily was riding in an open-air buggy around the vineyard. Not only did we learn more about the wine making process, but we learned more about how the grapes are grown, tasted a few different varietals (Grenache won, hands down), not to mention we ate our way through the other fruits grown at the vineyard. It was an unexpectedly down to earth experience that caught us completely off guard, but it served as the sigh of relief you take when you finally realize that you’re on vacation, and it’s going to be awesome. Appointment only, gorgeous views, just be ready for the drive there.
Grapestorm 