A First Look at La Clarine Farm

Between Eric Asimov's recent post describing his personal take on just what desbribes "natural wine," yesterday's post at Do Bianchi and any number of other recent mentions around the vInternet, there's a whole lotta lovin' going on right now for the wines being produced by Hank Beckmeyer at La Clarine Farm.

I finally had my first chance to sit down with a couple of Hank's wines over dinner this past weekend. By night's end, I eventually pushed myself back from the table both pleased (quite, I might add) and intrigued.

The artwork for the La Clarine Farm label was done by Jad Fair, co-founder (with brother David Fair) of the band Half Japanese.

Sierra Foothills White Wine, La Clarine Farm 2009
$18. 13.6% alcohol. Vinolok (Vino-seal).
La Clarine's 2009 Rhône-style blend turned out to be one of the hits of a pretty formidable lineup. It displayed a rich texture without any of the overt creaminess or heaviness that often define such blends. Though it might not be a sure turn-on for the acid freaks out there, it does have just enough balance of underlying acidity to provide lift to the density of its fruit. Over the course of our enjoyment of the wine, my notes included descriptors such as beeswax coated apples, pear tarte tatin, mint and orange blossoms.... Suffice it to say it was friggin' delicious, especially alongside a plate of courtbouillon-poached cod served with a salad of sliced cherry tomatoes and roasted corn.

The wine is a co-fermented blend of Roussanne, Viognier and Marsanne (49/48/3%, respectively, for those who fixate on such things), produced from fruit that Hank sources from two vineyards in the Shenandoah Valley district of Amador County, California. You'll find the rest of the tech specs on the La Clarine website.

Normally, were I browsing the shelves in search of something new or unfamiliar to me, the "Vinted and Bottled by" nomenclature that appears on this wine's label would send me running, as it tends to suggest a lack of direct involvement by the person or entity whose name appears on the label. In this case, I purchased the wine sight unseen, so the "Vinted" stuff ("vinted" is not even a real word, dammit) came as a surprise. I reached out to Hank for an explanation and he let me know that, in this case, it's simply a legal labeling requirement as the wine was not only made from purchased fruit but also "vinted," by Hank himself, at a winery other than his own.

Hank also produced, for the first time in 2009, a white wine that underwent extended skin contact during fermentation and maceration. His Viognier "Orange" shows intrigue and promise; full details, though, will have to wait 'til a later date.

It should be noted that La Clarine Farm is not only a winery but also a full, functioning farm, situated on a total of ten acres. In addition to their vines (red wine grapes only), they raise goats for the production of goat's milk cheese.

Hank's approach in both the vineyards and winery is quite natural-leaning; it also seems highly intuitive, tied closely to the sense of aesthetics and energies that inform his overall interests, not just his wine. In an e-mail exchange yesterday (which reminded me very much of a recent post from Brooklynguy), Hank described his approach like this:

In a sense, all of my winemaking is like a musical improvisation. In the case of my syrah and mourvedre, it's a collaborative improv with another grower's grapes. For my home vineyard, it's like I get to choose the musicians and they get to choose the tune. In all cases, the vintage season dictates the form. [Of course,] some improvs are more successful than others.

As John Lennon said, "I'm a musician. Give me a tuba and I'll get something interesting from it."

The whole musical comparison is entirely apt, especially given Hank's musical past, something that I wasn't even aware of until another separate and distinct conversation (via Twitter, of all things) that preceded all of the above interchanges. Turns out Hank played for a short while with Half Japanese, a band I saw regularly during my formative years in the DC area. His stint with the group came after my time, but the band's approach always closely mirrored that which Hank pursues in his own current endeavors.



For more on Hank Beckmeyer and La Clarine Farm, be sure to tune into Saignée this Saturday, when Cory Cartwright's piece on La Clarine will be the lead-off for 32 Days of Natural Wine.

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The Passion of the Fish

This could have been an Earth Day post. Passionfish, located at one end of the precious heart of Lighthouse Avenue in Pacific Grove, CA, was the first restaurant in Monterey County to receive "Green" certification. Chef/owner Ted Walter works extensively with local, organically farmed produce and selects only sustainable fish for his seafood-dominated menu. One-half of the restaurant's $20 corkage fee is donated to the Tag-A-Giant Foundation, a non-profit organization committed to rebuilding and preserving the Bluefin Tuna population in both the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans.

Yep, this could have been about Earth Day if I weren't a day late. But timeliness is not the point of today's post, which is actually about a meal I enjoyed over a month ago while in the Monterey area for my friends Steve and Stacy's nuptial festivities. My wife and I took advantage of the one free night of the trip to sneak in a special dinner. Given the glowing recommendations from Stevie, Passionfish it was — and yes, this post is at least a little bit about the food...


We started with one of the day's specials, Hog Island Oysters, farm-raised in nearby Tomales Bay, topped with carrot-ginger granita; followed by a South Asian-inspired salad of Malaysian pole caught squid with spicy cilantro-citrus sauce and mango; and a salad of warm brussel sprouts and grapes with pancetta and ricotta salata.


Though the "Entrees from the Land" on the menu sounded delicious enough, we hadn't traveled 3,000 miles and opted to dine at a place called Passionfish to eat braised beef or gnocchi. Oil-poaching is the specialty of the house — four of the six fish entrees on offer during our visit were prepared in said manner. I opted for the striped bass with crispy sweet potatoes, romesco, caramelized onions and chard (below, at left), while my dining companion chose what turned out to be the favorite dish of the night for us both, sturgeon with lemongrass-jasmine rice, lemongrass slaw and spicy red curry vinaigrette.



The desserts were no slouch either. We tried to share a single plate — I'm a sucker for bread pudding and Passionfish's pear bread pudding with Madeira-caramel sauce was delicious — but our server was having nothing of it. She insisted on bringing us an order of bruléed bananas served with coconut mousse and lime curd, her favorite of the house-made desserts, which was plated in a playful riff on bacon and eggs.


As much as I enjoyed our meal at Passionfish, what I really wanted to write about, what still has me thinking about our experience there over a month later, is the restaurant's fantastic wine program. Sommeliere (I'll call her that even if she doesn't like the term) Jannae Lizza has put together an extremely diverse, thoughtful list. Sure, there's the occasional red that seems too big for the fish flesh-driven fare – this is California after all – but just look at her list!

Cantina del Pino Dolcetto d'Alba for $20. Domaine de la Tournelle "L'Uva Arbosiana" at $25. Clos Rougeard Saumur-Champigny for $50. Domaine du Closel Savennières "La Jalousie" at $35. Jean Manciat's "Franclieu" for $25. I mean, come on!

The wines by the bottle are priced at or just barely above what would equate to standard retail price in most markets. That's pretty unheard of in most necks of the woods, and it's a great way to ensure that a bottle ends up on just about every table.

Being that we were just the two of us, I fought the temptation to order three or four bottles and instead opted to splurge on something special. Actually, we did go for two bottles, as I couldn't say no to the thought of Champagne with our oysters and René Geoffroy's "Cuvée l'Empreinte" was calling my name from Jannae's more than respectable list of options by the half-bottle. The slighty more rapid development of Champers in half-bottle combined with a disgorgement date of April 2007 (thanks for the data, Mr. Theise) to yield a wine that was, to my preferences, more mature than ideal with our brisk, briny bivalves. Nevertheless, it was a compelling drink – slightly oxidative, with very apple-y fruit and toasty palate characteristics, fronted by an even more apple-y nose (red apple skins, to be exact).

And that special bottle? Unless you're reclining while someone else reads this to you aloud, you've already spotted the picture at right/above. It's something I'd always wanted to drink but for which I'd never been able to bring myself to plunk down the necessary cash. In a nice restaurant, on vacation and at a price equal to or better than what I'd pay in a retail shop back in the Philly area, though, I had to go for it. The 2007 Pouilly-Fumé "Silex" from Didier Dagueneau (RIP) was immensely vinous and penetrating. Its unmistakable Sauvignon Blanc character was backed by a mineral pungency more reminiscent of a fine Nahe Riesling, while its wood influence was totally enveloped in fruit richness and grapefruit oil aromatics. Most of all, its namesake flint drove through on both the nose and the mineral-laden finish. Am I going to rush out for a case of it at ~$120 a pop? Nope, but I'm glad we went for it at Passionfish.

Passionfish
701 Lighthouse Avenue
Pacific Grove, CA 93950-2501
(831) 655-3311

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Urban Winemaking at Dashe Cellars

Ask any hundred people what they consider the heartland of California wine country and Napa will no doubt top the list, followed closely by Sonoma. Ask the same group – and this implies the participants have at least some basic familiarity with the subject matter – about California’s new frontier and I’d hazard a guess that Santa Barbara or Paso Robles, maybe the Santa Rita Hills, would come out ahead. Yet more and more, some of the most compelling wines being produced in California today are coming from winemakers based within the urban landscape of the San Francisco Bay Area.

The godfather of this “new school” is no doubt Steve Edmunds, who’s been producing characterful wines that buck the trend of over-saturated, Californicated fruit since 1985 and doing so right in the heart of Berkeley. Perhaps it’s no coincidence that his neighbors at Edmunds St. John include the likes of Alice Waters and Kermit Lynch…. On the more freshly cut edge of the movement is the Natural Process Alliance, leading the locavore, low impact and natural wine front from its headquarters in Santa Rosa. Sandwiched between those two – both geographically and chronologically – is Dashe Cellars.

Michael and his wife Anne Dashe produced their first Dashe Cellars release, a Dry Creek Valley Zinfandel, in 1996. Over a dozen vintages later, they’re going strong, having slowly but surely garnered praise from the traditional wine press – they’ve made Wine & Spirits Magazine’s Top 100 Wineries list on several occasions – as well as from, more recently, natural wine cognoscenti. In 2005, Mike and Anne moved their winery to its current home in an industrial district of Oakland where, in the shadows of I-880, they share a 16,000 square foot warehouse/winemaking facility with JC Cellars. Dashe now produces approximately 10,000 cases (120,000 bottles) of wine per year, about 85% of which is Zinfandel.

During my recent trip to San Francisco, I had the chance to catch up with Mike and to visit Dashe Cellars in the full tilt of autumn harvest season. I’ll let the pictures, captions and tasting notes below tell the story. For more information, check out the Dashes’ website and be sure to (re)visit the interview I did with Mike earlier this year for 31 Days of Natural Wine.

Dashe Cellars shares a barn-red, relatively no-frills warehouse (located at 55 4th Street in Oakland, CA) about 60/40 with JC Cellars.

JC works the new barrels (look ma, no stains) to the left of Dashe’s three foudres, while Mike’s production inhabits the remainder of the warehouse, populated primarily by racks of older barriques and the ubiquitous phalanx (not pictured) of stainless steel fermentation tanks.

As mentioned above, we visited during a very busy day in late September, at the heart of NorCal harvest season. This was the second of three truckloads of grapes of the day for Dashe. The first, Petite Sirah, had arrived in the morning hours. This load of Zin arrived shortly after we did in the early afternoon, while a third truck pulled up with the day’s final delivery of Zinfandel just as we were saying our goodbyes. The Dashes, who own no vineyards themselves, source their fruit from primarily organic farms, with which they have long-term contracts, in the Dry Creek, Russian River, Alexander and Potter Valleys of California.




With freshness always foremost in mind, the fruit is moved quickly from the truck to the bin turner in half-ton crates. The process is pretty much business as usual, with Mike and his crew aiming to keep handling and manipulation of the fruit to a minimum. All fruit is hand sorted to remove leaves and any sub-par grapes, not to mention the occasional earwig. From there, it's on to the crusher/destemmer, from which the crushed juice is gently pumped into the waiting tanks inside the winery. All of Dashe's wines see a high percentage of whole berry fermentation; however, all of the Zins – and other wines at Mike's discretion – also receive a dose of press juice (that's Mike's pneumatic press in the bottom right photo) to ensure enough structure to support their ample fruit.


Back in the winery, the work is all focused on keeping the wines pure and expressive, with as little manipulation and adulteration as possible. Mike and Anne do much of the work themselves, helped by a rotating group of interns from enology schools such as UC Davis or by visiting wine makers from other regions. Mike commented that his interns are nearly always shocked to find that very nearly nothing is added to the fermenting and aging wines. Dashe ferments all of his wines, including the white and rosé, on their native yeasts. No commercial yeast, enzymes, acids or other additives/adjuncts are ever used (and Mike does not believe that cross-contamination occurs from the commercial yeast strains being used in the same warehouse space by JC Cellars). A small dose of sulfur dioxide is added at crush and again, though only if necessary and never for "L'Enfant Terrible," at bottling.

Mike is particularly happy with (and proud of) the results he's getting with the three foudres he purchased new from Tonnellerie Rousseau. The majority of Dashe's wines are still aged in older barriques but Mike plans to move more and more toward aging in larger casks as time and cash flow (those foudres are expensive) permit.


Our pals from Monterey, Steve and Stacy, had visited Dashe a few months earlier, not long after reading my interview with Mike, so they were already well acquainted with the wines. While pouring us tastes of a few of his current releases, Mike regaled us with some pretty hilarious stories of his past days writing technical user manuals for Atari. I guess a winery profile like this wouldn't be complete without at least a couple of tasting notes, so:

• 2008 Dry Riesling, McFadden Farms, Potter Valley (13.8%). Very ripe, round aromas of yellow plums and pineapple. Firm acidity. Succulent. Not as bracingly mineral as I might like but a very fine Cali Riesling.
  
  
• 2008 Grenache, Dry Creek Valley (13.8%). California Grenache under 14% alcohol? Yep. Very fresh, vibrant red berry fruit. Aged in old wood only. Gentle tannins and, for Grenache, good acidity. This reminded me very much of the style of Mike's "L'Enfant Terrible" Zinfandel. Lighter, brighter and fresher than more typical CA varietal expressions.
  
  
• 2008 Zinfandel "L'Enfant Terrible," McFadden Farms, Potter Valley (13.8%). California Zinfandel under 14% alcohol. Yep. The fruit for "the wild child" is sourced from the same cool, high altitude farm from which Mike purchases his Riesling. Macerated strawberries and pepper on the nose. Brightly textured and fresh, though a bit richer than the '07 version. In 2007, 280 cases of the 600 case production of "L'Enfant" were sold at The Slanted Door. As hinted at in the Grenache note above, Mike is considering creating other "L'Enfant Terrible" bottlings in the coming years.
  
  
• 2006 Zinfandel, Florence Vineyard, Dry Creek Valley (14.5%). Produced from young vine fruit. Super ripe on the nose and palate, full of raisins, chocolate and plum pudding but balanced by crunchy tannins.
  
  
• 2007 Zinfandel "Old Vines," Todd Brothers Ranch, Alexander Valley (14.7%). From 50 year-old vines. This was a stark contrast to the Florence Vineyard bottling; a much more elegant, structured style, showing coffee, licorice, blackberry and dark chocolate notes but on a finer, more restrained frame.
  
  
• 2007 Late Harvest Zinfandel, Dry Creek Valley (14.1%). Harvested at 40 brix, finished at 9% RS. Mike allows the fermentation to stop naturally then filters the wine to remove any yeast cells (and to prevent the possibility of re-fermentation) prior to bottling. Pretty damn tasty served, as the Dashes did, with a nibble of dark chocolate.

Clearly less comfortable at the computer and cash register than amongst the barrels, Mike called his wife Anne down from the winery office to meet us and help with our end of visit purchases. In case you've ever wondered about the winery's logo, I can now unequivocally confirm that Mike is the monkey and Anne is the fish.


Dashe Cellars is just a short walk from the Merrit Lake BART station, a quick drive across the Bay Bridge from downtown San Fracisco, and is also easily accessible from the greater Oakland and Berkeley areas. (We popped over to West Berkeley for pizza and beer at Lanesplitter after our visit.) Their tasting room is open to the public Thursday through Sunday from noon to 6:00 PM.

Dashe Cellars
55 4th Street
Oakland, CA 94607
(510) 452-1800

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NOPA San Francisco

So, you’ve just spent an afternoon, evening or late night at Terroir (or your other SF wine bar/haunt of choice) and you’re looking for some good grub to fill that nagging void in the pit of your belly?

Even with well over 4,000 restaurants in San Francisco (Yelp lists 4,373 and I’m guessing they’re missing at least a few), I can’t think of any reason not to head to NOPA. So what if it’s half way across town? Granted, I’ve hardly put a dent in the SF restaurant scene, and I’ve only been to NOPA once. Sometimes, though, you walk into a place, feel the energy, peruse the menu and wine list… and you just know. When the food arrives and solidifies those first impressions, and when you’re already trying to suss out when you’ll next be able to visit before your meal comes to an end, then everything, at least in the moment, is right with the world. NOPA is that kind of place.


Shortly after being seated we were welcomed by NOPA’s Wine Director, Chris Deegan. It turned out that Chris was the very accommodating soul with whom I’d spoken when I called to change our reservations after our planned quick afternoon break at Terroir turned into a four-hour mini-marathon session. He was keen to get the lowdown on what we’d tasted at Terroir and was equally keen to guide us through the finer points of both NOPA’s menu and wine list.

I settled in with a glass of 2008 Sonoma Coast Chardonnay from Natural Process Alliance, perhaps the greenest orange wine out there. Kind of had to try it after reading about The NPA on just about every Bay Area wine blog at one point or another over the last year or so. It didn’t disappoint; not as tannic or oxidative in style as Paolo Bea’s 2007 "Rusticum," with which I’d started the day at Terroir, but more gently drinkable for it and really quite delicious.



Meanwhile, we all settled in with some apps for the table: warm marinated olives, wood grilled sardines, the flatbread of the day…. As inviting as some of the more creative main courses sounded, I’d already been told by Cory, among others, that I had to – not should, but had to – order the burger. No disappointments there, either. This was not the coarse ground, loosely packed burger so typical back home in Philly but a fine ground, firm, very geometrically correct yet not overworked patty. Perfectly juicy and tender, its real standout characteristic was its high yet perfectly distributed seasoning, as if a little elf in the kitchen had caringly placed a single grain of sea salt on each individual ground morsel of beef. Top it off with melted cheese, pickled onions and a grilled brioche roll… oh yeah.

What to drink with the NOPA burger? The choices were many – Mr. Deegan has put together a very cool wine program – but having chosen comfort food, I kind of wanted to drink something that was a little outside my usual range. Chris steered us toward Spain, into Galicia, and directly to Guimaro’s 2007 Ribeira Sacra “B1P.” Crunchy, juicy and fresh; medium bodied, red-fruited and just a tad on the herby/spicy side. It’s something I really must explore again, just as NOPA is a place that I really must visit again. And again. And again. Problem is it’s 3,000 miles away. Hmmm….

NOPA
560 Divisadero (at Hayes)
San Francisco, CA 94117
415-864-8643

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NorCal 2009, Day Five: The Allure of Terroir

Not having been to San Francisco for the better part of a dozen years, it was eye opening to walk through the Mission District, our first stop upon driving into town, and see just how much things have changed. It’s not that gentrification has put a complete whitewash on the neighborhood. No, it’s still got a certain undercurrent of grunge to it. But it’s become hipster central. Bike shops, record stores, cafés and indie boutiques dot every corner and – just like in Philly – it seems everyone's riding a fixie (or at least a single speed). There’s still quite a divide between Mission itself and Valencia, just one block away, where most of the hipstrification has occurred. But changed it all has. Whether that change is for the better is, I’m sure, a matter of debate among longtime SF residents.


The new development I was really looking forward to, though, was in the pipeline for later in the afternoon. A first time visit to Terroir (aka, Terroir SF), where natural wine, little if any of it from California, is served up by a handful of guys who are passionate about what they’re pouring, what they’re spinning, the vibe they’re making, and how it all comes together in a little storefront spot on a quiet, somewhat neglected block of Folsom Street.

In light of the timing of Eric Asimov’s piece – in which I play a referentially credited supporting role – on New York wine bar The Ten Bells in this week’s New York Times (with a cross-post at The Pour), comparisons between Terroir and The Ten Bells seem only inevitable.


Terroir's by the glass list on the day of our visit.
In one sense they’re actually quite different. The Ten Bells (check out my recent write-up) is a bar that just happens to feature a small but eclectic and fantastic selection of natural wines. Terroir, on the other hand, is actually a wine shop, albeit one that looks and feels much more like a casual wine bar. Their by the glass list is similar in scope to that at TTB, with a dozen or so decidedly natural wines poured by the glass on any given day. The bottle list at Terroir, though, is long and deep, the kind of list that can take an hour to digest if one is so inclined. And every one of those bottles is available for retail sale. For now, the wine bar is the dominant part of the business but that may change as the shop matures, especially if the owners are able to execute their goal of establishing an e-tail presence.


Terroir co-owners, Luc Ertoran and Dagan Ministero.
In a larger sense, however, the two spots share a great deal in common. I’ve found few wine-oriented bars in this country that share a similar sense of spirit, fun, passion and comfort. As dangerous as is The Ten Bells for a certain ilk of wine lover, Terroir might just be even more potentially addictive. It’s warmer, softer or “homier,” as my pal Wolfgang, the “wine writer from San Francisco,” called it. There’s pretentiousness to be found in both, I suppose, if you go looking for it. But at root, Terroir is just a place run by guys who take their wine seriously and want to share the common experience that great wine can evoke with the people who find their way in the door. There’s no guarantee you won’t be greeted with a mild dose of attitude, though that’s perhaps less likely than in the past given the recent departure of founding partner Guilhaume Gerard, who has left Terroir in order to pursue other ventures in the wine world. But you’re much more likely to be turned on to something new and to have fun, whether it’s geeking out or just enjoying the company of friends, in the process. The inimitable Joe D. sums it up:

“The sad thing is that only 10 Bells and Terroir in San Francisco have this ambiance. You would think there would be copycats cropping up all over the place. Part of what makes these two wine bars unique is the owners and staff at both places travel frequently in Europe, meet and make choices in the cellars, and know the vignerons on their list. They are not waiting around to taste wines from importers and wholesalers, but are going out into the vineyards to find wines that they love.”

Joe’s thoughts may be considered a little biased given that his portfolio features heavily on the lists at both Terroir and The Ten Bells, but I think he’s actually pretty dead-on. It’s the clear love of wine at the very root of the shop’s mission that makes Terroir such a fantastic place to hang (though the excellent vinyl collection certainly doesn't hurt).


Our starting pours. Bonus points to anyone who can ID all three. (Hint: they're all from the by-the-glass list.)


In a somewhat freakish twist, it turned out to be an almost all New Jersey affair. At one point or another, just about everyone in the place (Sunday afternoon is a very mellow time to visit Terroir, btw) had lived in the Garden State – my wife and I, our friends Steve (at left, above) and Stacy (far right), their friends Dan and Maria (center), the chef from a local restaurant, another guy who just happened to stop by for a glass on his way elsewhere…. Co-owner Dagan Ministero, it turns out, grew up at the Jersey shore. Only Luc was left out....


Our Sunday afternoon visit, conceptualized as a quick stop for a glass or two before dinner, quite naturally morphed into a four-hour affair. No one wanted to leave, plain and simple, so we didn’t, at least not until the closing bell.

Terroir
1116 Folsom Street
San Francisco, CA 94103
(415) 558-9946



Addendum:

Such was the draw of Terroir, and my comfort/fun level once there, that I felt no compunctions about spending a solid chunk of Sunday there even in full knowledge that I’d be right back the next night for a little pre-planned wine blogger mash-up. Monday night’s get together almost had its legs cut out from under it, though, when it was reported that Terroir had suffered water damage late the night before as the result of flooding in the apartments located upstairs. Luckily, things were cleaned up enough for the show to go on, so Joe Manekin of Old World Old School, Cory Cartwright (who now works at Terroir) of Saignée, Wolfgang Weber of Spume (and Wine & Spirits Magazine), wine nut and Disorder man extraordinaire Slaton Lipscomb, Emily Straley, Dagan (who had no choice in the matter), and I all got together to share a few glasses and talk about life, wine and, of course, music. I won’t even attempt tasting notes from the evening’s festivities, as Joe’s already provided the full lowdown at OWOS.

It turns out that the flood damage has taken its toll after all. I don’t have full details on the extent of the damage but I do know that, as of this past Monday, October 5, Terroir has closed its doors for approximately one month to allow for repairs. That’s a long time for a small business to close, but something tells me these guys will come back ready and rarin’ to go, maybe even with a few new discoveries made in the course of their forced vacations.

Be sure to check Terroir's website for updates before planning your next trip and, in the meanwhile, please join me in wishing the guys best of luck with the repairs.

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NorCal 2009, Day Four: Carmel Valley and Big Sur

After a few days on the run – working, shopping, cooking and bopping around town – this was our day to relax and truly enjoy Monterey before heading north to San Fran.

Day 4 AM: Carmel Valley.


On to another hike, full entourage this time, to burn off the previous night’s celebrations of the Jewish New Year. Heading south from Monterey toward Carmel by the Sea, a quick turn east took us inland into the low mountains of the Carmel Valley and through the heart of one of the less heralded areas of California’s northern Central Coast vineyards. Not long after spying Bernardus Lodge nestled in the hills to the north, we turned off the main road, bypassed the state park entrance, and headed for a trailhead that promised lighter crowds and the possibility of more than a little elevation gain. Our outbound ascent led us through old redwood groves, scarred by decades of wildfire damage, while the return descent revealed beautiful vistas and the occasional glimpse of late morning fog rolling over the hilltops.

Day 4 PM: Big Sur.

Having missed out on any wildlife sightings on our morning hike, we headed to what our hosts refer to as Condor point –a particular scenic overlook along CA Coastal Highway 1 that they’ve found a near foolproof spot for California Condor sightings. Sur(e) enough, within five minutes or so of our arrival the big birds started to arrive. A red-tailed hawk, several turkey buzzards and then, not long after, the anticipated Condor. A severely endangered species, rescued from the brink of extinction through captive breeding programs, the California Condor is North America’s largest land-dwelling bird. A beauty it’s not but unmistakable it is, dwarfing the other birds of prey and bowing the top of the full grown tree on which it landed. Birdspotting mission accomplished, we lingered cliffside, taking in the breathtaking views of the Big Sur coastline and enjoying the warming setting of the sun.


After all the condor watching, steep trail hiking, whale sighting hoping and twisty road driving? Dinner, of course. Big Sur Bakery’s roadside location – sharing a parking lot with a gas station and its structure with a collection of arsty-craftsy galleries – makes it the kind of place most pass by without a second thought, assuming it’s just another tourist trap or basic greasy spoon. Too bad, as there’s seriously satisfying food to be had. A bakery by morning, BSB opens its doors wider at night to become a full-on country inn, with a menu that focuses on seasonal California cuisine and a daily selection of wood oven pizzas.

Though I’m told the wood grilled steak is damn good, the $35 price tag steered me more toward other options, while our waitress steered me on to the house specialty, the meatball pizza. Well seasoned and ridiculously amply spread meatball slices, fresh mozz and judiciously applied, tangy tomato sauce made for a fun meal, just right to cap off our day. Just a touch more spring and yeastiness to the crust and it would have been dead on.

To drink? Affligem blond with our appetizers, then a bottle of Beckmen Vineyards 2007 Santa Ynez Valley “Cuvée le Bec” red with the ‘za, a good deal at only $32/bottle on the rather sparse wine list. It’s a Rhone-style blend I’ve sold for ages yet one I hardly ever drink for pleasure. In tastings over the last few years, I’ve noticed it getting darker and darker, oakier and oakier, to the point where I’d nearly written it off in spite of the fact that I kind of want to like it (it’s estate grown and biodynamically farmed after all). On this night, though, it was tasting surprisingly good. Fresh, not too big, well-defined fruit, not overtly manipulated and, most surprisingly, barely oaky at all. Not what I’d remembered. So yes, I actually do drink and enjoy Cali wine once in a while. When in California....

Next up: on to SF.

Big Sur Bakery
47540 Highway 1
Big Sur, CA 93920
(831) 667-0520

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NorCal 2009, Day Three: or Yes, I Went to Monterey for Rosh Hashanah

The irony doesn’t escape me. I’d gone from the suburbs of Philadelphia to, well, the suburbs of Monterey to celebrate Rosh Hashanah. At least it seems ironic to me. Perhaps I’m just ignorant of the depth of Judaic culture in the Monterey bay area. In any event, it was pure coincidence that my trip happened to coincide with the beginning of the Jewish New Year. I’d gone for vacation, to relax, drink and eat of course, and, more importantly, to visit friends, some of whom just happen to take their high holidays pretty seriously.

While most of our day on Friday would be spent shopping and prepping for the evening’s feast, we did manage to keep the morning free to explore some of the natural beauty in the environs of Monterey. Images of the breathtaking vistas and windy roads of the California coastline tend to be conjured first when thinking of this part of the world, but there’s a different kind of beauty, perhaps even more pacific (yes, the pun’s intended), to the arid interior of the northern Central Coast. During a loping, two-hour hike that criss-crossed Fort Ord and adjoining acreage overseen by the US Bureau of Land Management, only a bobcat (far too quick for my camera yet very cool to spot), the occasional jay and scampering lizard, and a few other nature lovers shared the landscape with us.

Clockwise, from top left: California oaks more than dot the landscape, looking old and wise yet lacy and fragile, their beauty enhanced yet their health undermined by adornments of hanging moss. Recently abandoned cliff swallow nests, built under the eaves and ceiling of a decaying pagoda, part of an abandoned military picnic ground on Fort Ord. A playground of another type, built and showing the signs of regular use by the local BMX crowd. From flat and wide open to hilly and twisting, the trails here are great for both hiking and fast, relatively non-technical mountain biking.

Smart enough, at least I’d like to think so, not to shop hungry, we sated our hike-driven hunger with a lunch of fish tacos and shrimp burritos in downtown Monterey, followed by a stroll around the marina.


A classic local scene: California sea lions have made a permanent sun worshipping station of the breakwater along the Monterey pier. Less common were the swarms of jellyfish, not little guys, mind you, but big suckers, the size of basketballs and sporting waist-length dreadlocks of potential nastiness.

Lunching and tourism done for the day, we finally buckled down to the biz of preparing din-din. Dinner would start with a loaf of round challah (not raisin, all sold-out) served with honey, the shape of the loaf and sweetness of the accompaniment both symbolic of health and happiness in the new year to come. The rest of the meal would be less traditional, perhaps, but still very much in keeping with the spirit of the holiday and the observance of culinary customs.

My pals had gone off to visit Dashe Cellars after reading my interview with Michael Dashe a while back and had come back with a cache of 2008 L'Enfant Terrible, a bottle of which we happily dispatched while working in the kitchen.

As seriously as my pal Steve takes his holidays, his observance (happily) doesn’t extend to diving into the depths of Kosher wine, so we were able to put together a pretty decent little line-up to accompany the meal. In spite of my general distaste for grocery store wine shopping, I did find wine worth drinking at the local Whole Foods, including something I’d been meaning to try anyway, the Touraine Sauvignon from François Chidaine, one of the products of his recent expansion into the négociant end of the wine biz. Mind bending juice, no, but at $12 a bottle it’s a solid value and made for a nice pairing with roasted tomato and pecorino bruschetta. The star of the night, wine-wise that is, was undoubtedly the 2008 Bandol Rosé from Domaine de Terrebrune, one of the little gems I’d picked up at Kermit Lynch’s shop the day before. Firm and herbal, I’d love to check in on it a few years down the road but it was hard to say no to now. Spot on with Stevie’s orange-braised artichokes and the fillet of halibut I grilled up and topped with olive tapenade.

The evening's dead soldiers.

So, happy belated new year to those of you who observe. And stay tuned for more CA adventures to come.

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