I just got back from an 11-day trip. I spent 7 days in Hawaii, where I went to the beach a few times, climbed Diamond Head, visited Pearl Harbor and bought a lot of expensive coffee. The purpose of my trip was to visit my son, his wife and my almost 3-year old granddaughter in Hawaii. That was fun! It was only the 5th time I've seen my granddaughter. On the way home I spent a few days in Santa Cruz, CA with my nephew and found the time to drive the half-hour to Los Gatos to visit Gregorio Perrucci, whom I know through another website for wine makers. It's a small family operation that makes only reds, mostly Cabernet Sauvignon they grow on site. Here is a link to one of his wines I had a few months back:
2005 Perrucci Family Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon. We did a taste a barrel sample of his Malbec (outstanding!) and we exchanged a few wines - he was more than generous. It's always fun to meet people from these forums in person. He then directed me to the Testarosa Winery, which is nearby and very picturesque. I bought a few bottles of their Novitiate wines - probably the first Syrah-based wines I've ever bought - I liked it. The next day (Thursday) I visited 3 wineries in Santa Cruz and was very impressed with some of the Pinots, but the big surprise for me was a white - 2010 Santa Cruz Mountain Vineyard, Quinta Cruz Verdelho, a Portuguese variety, with good acidity and rich, full finish. I also bought a 2010 Pinot there. I was also impressed with Silver Mountain Winery's Pinot. Their Miller Hill Vineyard was light and very clean, not typical CA at all. My other stop was at a tasting room for Serene Cellars. These are Napa wines, made from grapes grown on the property of the owner, who I had a long conversations with. His cabs are mostly 75-80% Cabernet Sauvignon with varying amounts of Cab Franc and Merlot blended in. In addition to owning the Napa vineyards, he also owns a coffee plantation in Hawaii and I was able to supplement my score of Hawaiian coffee by buying a pound of his Kona. It was a fun trip and I will report on the wines as I get through them. I brought some of my wines to the wineries in Santa Cruz - Pinot Noir and my Cab Franc/Merlot blend to break the ice and get acquainted better with the folks there. I couldn't help but think that taking red wine from NY State to CA is like taking coal to Newcastle. Perhaps they were being polite, but they all seemed to find the East Coast reds interesting - definitively not California. I could easily spend a lot more time in the area.
