Staggs Leap...in MY back yard?

Tintoria; Dark and Naughty!

Year three of my personal research journey as a wine blogger has taught me much about all things grape, and I have finally reached a pinnacle...or, as some would say, a boredom with the repetitive flavors of California wine. It didn't help that a recent invite to a private tasting in San Francisco at the exclusive Four Seasons Hotel, introduced me to Greek wines, and that their winemaking style is something to definitely pay attention to. (Not going to mention that the food provided was to die for! Nope, not going to say anything.) Greek wine is sooooo different from California wine, or, from any other wine region that I have experienced, so much that, oh wait, I'm writing about a new place in the Sacramento Delta. We'll talk about Greek wine later.
Meanwhile,  to alleviate the boredom, the repetitive, never ending barrage of all things California grape juice, I have had to dig deeper into the nooks and crannies of the California wine country to find that elusive, unique, dark and naughty wine that I love so dearly.

The Journey Continues!

Because I am still a full-time student/freelance photojournalist/wine blogger, I'm cash pour, but passion inspired. Translation; the car eats better than I do, which enables me to visit those out of the way, difficult to find, rare, hidden, gems so far from where I live.

After putting five dollars in my car, Kenji's gas tank, (Yes, folks, it's like this, I'm BROKE!) me and my ever so willing to ride shotgun cousin, Sojo, departed for a day of exploration and new adventures.

We began our day, roughly twelve miles from my front yard, by visiting an old favorite haunt in Clarksburg, The Sugar Mill. Sojo needed to check on her wine club at a winery that I will write about soon, and after sampling a few wines at this unnamed facility, we decided to check out a winery on the eastern side of the Sacramento River.

As we drove away from the Sugar Mill, and as luck would have it, we spotted a sign just ahead, on the levee road, about the size of a standard piece of copy paper, perched atop what appeared to be a street barrier, behind some roadside scrub weeds. I have no idea how Sojo spotted the sign, and once I slowed Kenji (That's what I call my car) to a crawl,  and put on my 2+ power reading glasses, the sign jumped out in plain view for me to see as well.

New Winery!

The sign says it all...sort of?

Initially, the sign did not indicate how far one would have to drive on this desolate back road,and not seeing anything except endless dirt and the occasional field of unknown crops, we nearly turned around twice. But Kenji, (That's what I call my car) running on fumes by now, persevered, and we continued onward to seek out this new promise of wine.

As we drove west, the road became dotted with full, heavy fruit laden vineyards bathing in the delta sunlight. Having traveled these back roads many times, I was reminded of the days of endless sugar beet and tomato trucks ferrying their loads along the nearby winding and precarious levee road. It gives me great joy to see grapevines planted in these fields, and even more joy to see the area become a new destination for wine and tourism.

Julietta Winery

 Squinting through the glare of my windshield, we arrived at Julietta Winery, unsure if they were still open. (The Sugar Mill had just booted us for a wedding taking place at five.) Pulling into the gravel driveway, we were greeted by a couple who genuinely were glad to see us. How do I know this? Gravel driveways kick up a ton of dust, which is not good for grapevines. On more than one occasion, I have been reprimanded for driving two miles per hour on the often posted five miles per hour signs on gravel driveways that many wineries have. Thus, I was prepared to be spanked for kicking up dust...again! Anyhoo, we were spared the verbal tongue lashing for kicking up dust and greeted warmly by the owners, Craig and Julie Russell.

Julie and Craig Russell, in their tasting room

Craig Russell, born and raised in Napa, is a retired general contractor. Tending to newly planted grapevines along the driveway, as we drove in, he and his wife Julie, the director of charter schools for the State of California, warmly invited us to come in for a taste of their wines. This caught both Sojo and I by surprise. We both have a lot of experience working winery tasting rooms, and we  know what it's like for the last visitor to pull in the parking lot at closing time. Nonetheless, we took note of this genuine warm greeting and parked in the ample parking lot.

Note: Having recently completed a course in liability and risk management, I was particularly pleased to see that the parking lot was one of the most professionally ADA compliant designed features that I had ever seen at a winery. This gave me the warm and fuzzy's to know that the owners were cognizant of their duty to provide for those with disabilities.
We parked and marveled at the charming, rustic building, the westward, fast approaching  sunset and the meticulous new landscape. The air was full of warmth and the delta breeze had just begun to blow, cooling the air and beckoning us to stay a bit longer. We instantly fell in love with the atmosphere, but were just beginning to experience what real hospitality is all about.

Sign at entrance of Julietta Winery

In the world of customer service, and more accurately, in the wine industry...at least at wineries that I have worked at, when a customer arrives at closing time, you serve them. You do not EVER make them feel as though they are not welcome, or worse, that you have something better to do...like LEAVE, because it's two minutes till ??? I know this all too well;  in my experience, I once was asked to re-open a closed winery tasting room to facilitate customers who had been delayed due to some un- avoidable issue. Did I like doing this? No, but hey, it's what you do to take care of guests...and you do it with a genuine smile.

Craig and Julie did just this, and it was with a genuine warmth that gave Sojo reason to begin planning her birthday bash, to be held at this rare delta gem.

The Monet inspired tasting room

Leading us into the large, well lit, warm and cozy tasting room which had been a former corrugated steel building, the inviting layout held numerous opportunities for large gatherings, private dinners or just a day to watch the game on the wall mounted flat screen television. Leather chairs, located at the double door exit to the large covered patio were available for intimate conversations, and the western facing window provided a perfect opportunity to watch the delta sunset.
Julie assured us that they would be putting up a shade to control the vast amount of sunlight that entered through the windows, but would still allow guests to experience the view.

The room is designed with a then not known Monet inspiration that Craig had somehow mentally conceived. Perhaps it was a spiritual manifestation? He was soon given a book about artist Claude Monet's studio. While leafing through the pages of the book, one cannot help but notice that the architecture, material and fixtures are nearly identical to the design in Julietta's tasting room. The spiritual manifestations do not cease here, but I'll allow the Russell's to share the story of how the winery got its' name when you come for a visit.

Sauntering through the front door, I was enthralled by the outdoor fire pit. This feature alone would be enough to encourage me to visit often. (I should also mention that there is a slough that careens next to the winery with a promise of bass fishing. Just sayin'.) Craig, who was attentive and gracious at all times, offered the use of the fire pit for late evening date nights, or just a way to unwind with a bottle of wine as long as we gave prior notice that we would be on the premises. Similar to the days when folks left the keys to their house under the doormat in case you needed to get in while they were out, honesty and trust have become relics of the past. However, the Russell's have decided that this will be how they operate their winery; good old fashioned customer service.

The Wine

Dark and Naughty!

 Customer service aside...and they had already hooked us to the point of becoming regular visitors, the wine is...well, PHENOMENAL! Remember when I said that I was bored with California wine? Not any more!

Introducing Tintoria! Sometimes referred to as Alacante Bouschet, is a teinturier wine grape. Unlike most red grape varietals that have white flesh innards, teinturier, a French word meaning "tinter" or 'dyer" grapes have red tinted flesh that make significantly richer colored wines. Originally used as blending grapes, these dark and naughty (because they have flavors that are sometimes elusive and complex) high - yielding, easy to grow varietals are not for the faint of heart.

Widely planted in the Languedoc-Roussillon region of France, Spain and Portugal, and to a lesser extent in parts of Italy, Israel, Chile, Africa and California, the varietal is a clone of Petit Bouschet and Grenache first cultivated by viticulturalist Henri Bouschet in 1866. One of the grapes more historical contributions is that it was used to help rebuild the 19th century Phylloxera epidemic that devastated the European wine industry. During prohibition in the United States, Alicante Bouschet was grown in California and sold on the east coast as table grapes. For wine production, its' thick skin allowed wine makers to press the grape several times to make sure every drop of color and tannins were extracted to give wines their rich color and texture. Alacante Bouschet has always been one of my favorite varietals and is becoming more difficult to find. With a little prodding, Craig unselfishly allowed us to sample this wine more than once...lest we not be sure that we like it.

Blue residue from the Tintoria

As a bonafide Rhone wine connoisseur,  Syrah is also another favorite. Julietta winery does not disappoint with this palate puckering varietal. I'll avoid the over described fruit forward, smokey, yada, yada, yada, wine speak.  This wine was...Orgasmic! Yes, a bottle of this, a Teddy Pendergast CD and the outdoor fire pit...can you say, "Date Night!"

In the words of Teddy P., "Come here!"

Winemaker Brian Brown, formerly of Trefethan and Round Pond Wineries, and now at Onyx in Paso Robles, knows what he is doing when it comes to creating wine that Craig and Julie enjoy sharing with their guests. Because they are not winemaker themselves, they entrusted Brian to do his thing in the process, but he on the other hand, was more interested in creating what they enjoyed drinking and wanted to share with their guests. This made Craig a bit uneasy in the beginning, but he soon understood that winemaking is a visceral art form and that passion is one of the most important components in the formula. Brian was able to translate their passion for wine, life and sharing of their blessings through the creation of a selection of both red and white wines that are sure to impress the most astute wine drinker or the novice who just wants to enjoy a great day on the delta.

Speaking of Staggs Leap?

Craig samples, "The Cab!"

 Remember when I said that I was bored with California wine? Pulling out all of the stops, Craig allowed me on a second visit to sample their Staggs Leap Cabernet Sauvignon. This Napa Valley/Oakville/Saint Helena grown wine is 96 percent Cabernet Sauvignon and 1/4 percent of a unknown to Craig white wine varietal. That quarter percent of something proves that Brian is a master at making red wine. It is not uncommon to add white grape varietal juice to red wine as most red grape varietals have white flesh. The skins are what give red wine its' color.
Drooling in anticipation, Craig produced the professionals choice for wine retrieval, a turkey baster, to draw a sample for me to taste. Sniffing, swirling and sniffing some more, the wine was beyond good from this standpoint. Now it was time to introduce it to my over saliva filled mouth. Boo Yeah!  Unbelievable, and indescribable! I was too engaged with my glass to get minor details such as when the wine will be ready, how much did they produce and what will the price point be. Call them and ask for yourselves, or better yet, visit! I'm still thinking about this amazing wine!

Click on label to enlarge

Another special wine, and quite nice to drink on any given day, is the red table blend aptly called, "Beverly's Legacy." The wine was named in honor of Craig's mother, Beverly. According to Craig, his mother enjoyed a popular Napa wine blend that inspired the creation of this wine. However, the most unique thing about the wine is the dual year marked on the label. This is a rarity, as the TTB (Tobacco, Tax and Trade Bureau) do not allow two vintage dates...or any date on a non-vintage wine label. Again, you will have to visit the winery to get the full story on this.

As I wrapped up my second visit, the Russell's  filled me in on future plans for the winery. A bocce ball court, dog park and small pond are in the works, and they plan to add a VIP tasting parlor to their nearby home.

For now, the warm, genuine hospitality, creative operational hours (Remember, date night?), outdoor fire pit, covered patio, large tasting room (Don't forget the careening water better known as "Duck Slough...bring a fishing pole. Just sayin') and excellent wine provide guests with enough reasons to make this new winery a destination worth visiting. I give this location three "slaps upside the head," and that's a good thing!

Julietta Winery, Get in there, Damn it! (Julie's words)

Until next time,
Salute!


51221 Clarksburg Road Clarksburg, CA 95612. Tasting Room Open Thursday - Sunday, or by appointment. 11:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. 
www.juliettawinery.com

Date night for sure!

Seriously...I've been busy!

This is going to be short...I'm tired! New posts coming this week! Salute!

I'm baaaaaack!

Hey Y'all,

Yes, I have been MIA, but...let's see, where to begin? Okay, grad school, going well. The pain associated with research, annotated bibliographies of no fewer than 300 journals, articles, book chapters, interviews and endless, mind boggling, pointless, but necessary, reading of long winded, egomaniacal, "I need to be published, or I'm going to die!," rhetoric, feels good! It is finally coming together. Now, we begin the first of many in depth research projects that focus on my true passion, nuclear physics. Just kidding. It is obvious where my passion flows,wine. Literally and figuratively. (I actually know quantum physics...just sayin')

As I navigate through the myriad of peer reviewed journals associated with all things grape, I will be sharing my findings with a broader audience. Please keep following.

Until next time,

Salute!

Got to love "FREEDOM" of speech!

I recently participated in a discussion on the validity of amateur wine bloggers as journalists, versus traditional journalist, and came away with a few tidbits of interesting information. But, before I go into what was learned, please, before you stop reading, let me say that bad or improper writing, especially writing that is full of grammatical and typographical errors is never enjoyable to read. In my opinion, and by the way, this blog is all about my opinion, anyone, who at least warmed a chair in a primary english class, should recognize proper writing skill.

Using personal opinion based on the true or false question format, here are my findings. Please note that the discussion involved a small group of highly experienced, so-called wine experts with a collective dislike of traditional journalists.

1. Amateur wine bloggers, who write while partaking of the grape juice make a tremendous amount of typographical errors...and are proud of it! True.

One such blogger who participated in the discussion, was unapologetic about her lack of skill in writing and proud of the fact that she could read and fully comprehend her numerous typos and blatant grammatical faux pas. She was especially astute at making these errors while ranting about a wine she did not like. She further explained that the best way for her to develop a clear evaluation of a wine, was to consume the entire bottle in one sitting and write about the offensive, vile, liquid while she had the frame of mind to do so. Remind me NOT to read too much into what she shares with her audience. Just sayin.'

2. Professional journalist who visit two or more wineries in their lifetime...which is all of 24 years for one in particular, do have the necessary skill to inform the public that they are wine experts. True.

There is nothing more enjoyable than being bored to death by a journalist who has been handed an assignment to go "wine tasting" and report what they found interesting about a particular wine.
The participants in the discussion took great care in ripping this J-guy to pieces. Admittedly,  I took a few below the belt shots at him for writing skills that would send a wine drinker to the nearest beer tavern. Seriously, J-folks...and this is an acronym for journalists,  unless you write copy for the wineries visited, acknowledge plagiarism and don't repeat the tasting notes word for word...without citations! By the way, not all Chardonnnays...(Yes, that's how he spelled it) have an oaky clairvoyance, that is indicative of innumerable months spent in oak casks made from oak trees grown in oak forests. Moving on..

3. Amateur wine bloggers, especially those who just started writing their blogs...and drinking wine, because they recently went wine tasting and have always wanted to write a wine blog, know everything about writing a wine blog because they have always been told that they can write, and should write about something that they know very little about, but enjoy nonetheless. True.

I suddenly understand how my college english professors could check their emails, update their Facebook posts and balance their checkbooks while listening to endless, mind boggling, unapologetic, poorly written essays as they are presented by chair warmers who suck the life out of their classmates who actually DO know how to write! I wanted to friend this lady on Facebook just to become her personal grammar Nazi as well as someone who would tell her that she should perhaps try writing after a glass or two of something a little stronger than wine. Just sayin.'

4. Professional journalists hate wine blogs, wine bloggers, and social media writing with it's influx of acceptable bad grammar and spelling errors...(got to love those tiny keyboards and the abundant amount of space between each letter), but have been forced to learn the intricate nature of Tweeting which has made it perfectly fine to LOL and say WTF, it's just grape juice! True.

Many self respecting journalists do hate bloggers...simply because it is now acceptable to be a bad writer...and get away with it! Nuff said.

5. Lastly, blogging is not going away. True.

Until hell freezes over and heaven requires that one pass an english grammar class before entering the pearly gates, bloggers will continue to expose us to all things grammatically incorrect. Additionally, we will have to accept that after a glass or six of a good Chianti, those bright red underlines beneath misspelled words seem to enhance a bloggers inability to care whether caps lock is perpetually stuck in the on position or if the word or words are actually misspelled. (Admit it, have any of us ever paused and questioned spell check?)

Admittedly, I do make a lot of grammatical mistakes, and occasionally do battle with spell check. However, at the end of the day, I am, a blogjournalist, and proud of it!

Until next time,

Karen

...and my favorite winery is? Todd Taylor Wine.

I have mentioned this a thousand times, my life sucks! Ok, not REALLY, but it is pure joy visiting as many wineries as one can in the space of a year. In all of my travels, I have met some of the most interesting wine makers. Their stories of why they do what they do, are varied. However, their passions are very similar. Of them all, Todd Taylor stands a notch above many in his own unique way.

Why?

Well, the guy can cook. Emeril Lagasse, look out! Members of the wine club at Todd Taylor wines are treated to a release party at least twice a year. What is a release party? As members of the wine club, whenever a new wine is released, whether it is a new vintage of a previous offering, or something that Todd has never made before, (we'll go into that later. Think barrel tasting), Todd throws down...(this means he can SERIOUSLY cook) on the grill. With the help of his son, T.R., and his wife Gloria, there is no end to what culinary feats he can create.

On a recent visit...who am I kidding, I stalk this winery, Todd and Gloria happily allowed me to use them as guinea pigs for my new skill of video production and editing. As compensation for my efforts, I was treated to a phenomenal lunch of Grilled pork loin and brussels sprouts. Just my luck, I was not feeling well this day, thus I was only able to nibble on a little of the food. Worse yet, I could not enjoy any of his awesome wine. One small sip, and, uhhh, where's the sandbox?

As I mingled among the guests and tasting room folks, Todd gave me a history lesson in his humble beginnings. Believe it or not, he hails from an exciting career as a package salesman! Oh wait, it gets better. His first wines were made in his garage, and...he never intended to make his blessing a life long vocation. I'm so glad that he did. He doesn't take himself too seriously, which is refreshing, and underneath his mellow personality belies a man who seriously enjoys spoiling his wine club members. Note: Everyone who enters the tasting room is equally spoiled, wine club member or not.

I could go on for days about Todd and Gloria's good natured, old fashioned kindness, but I really want all of you to enjoy this production. This is the first time that I am embedding a full length video into this blog. Please, do not bite your PC screen while watching Todd and his son prepare a feast for their wine club members.

As you can see, Todd can cook! Lord, I wish I had some aluminum foil for a to-go plate! Anyhoo, about those barrels? Yes, Todd sells his wine as futures. What are futures? Well, when a particular wine becomes popular and people begin to deplete it's supply, wineries will sometimes pre-sell a wine before it is finished. Why? Usually it is because the previous vintage was stellar, and wine connoisseurs...or those who just love wine, will buy a wine based on the prospect that the new vintage will be better, different, unique, etc. The reality is, they get first dibs and usually a healthy discount if they buy the wine as a future. The good news is, that if the wine turns out to be a whole lot better than the previous vintage, the price usually goes up. This means that a person who invests in a "future" could be the holder of a rare and unique vintage of a particular wine. (Note: futures are often sold in case (12) quantities which is why they are sometimes discounted)

Ok, enough about futures. Did you like the video? I hope that you did, because I plan to add these little productions to future blogs. A lot of work goes into putting these promo's together, and some feedback would be appreciated.  Thanks to Todd, Gloria and T.R for sharing their day with me, and thank you everyone who reads this blog.

PS...visit Todd Taylor Wine in the Old Sugar Mill in Clarksburg. He is open Saturday and Sundays or by appointment.

Until next time,

Cheers!

Karen

They came; they were charged a tasting fee. They didn't like it, but they will be back.

On a recent visit to a nearby winery, a change in personnel resulted in a few customer service glitches. Because of this, I will withhold the name of this winery and only write about my experience. Unlike previous winery visits, where I would visit a winery as a novice wine taster, I approached this winery as an aspiring researcher. My goal was to fine tune a few skills in information gathering and to practice video taping. Although I was able to get a few good clips of footage, the experience of being on the inside of the operations of this particular winery were troubling.

The initial idea of this blog was to experience wine tasting on the other side of the tasting bar as an African American woman with several years of wine server experience.  It is obvious to anyone who frequents tasting rooms that people of color are rarely if ever seen working in tasting rooms. Having visited more than 245 wineries, I have only witnessed three African Americans working  as wine servers within the last year. Since that time, none of these individuals currently work in the tasting rooms where I observed them. With the recent exception of people of Asian descent, I have not seen any other easily identifiable peoples of other racial groups serving wine. I am not saying that they do not exist; there are more than 3400 wineries in California*.  I am only writing from personal observation.

On a recent visit to the aforementioned winery, I noticed that the tasting room had several new people working. I was pleased to see that two of the new people were of Asian decent. This was very positive as I am well aware that American wines, particularly California wines,  are fast becoming popular in China. Several wineries have recently forged strategic alliances with large Chinese companies to provide them with some of the best California wines. Having firsthand experience with a winery that is actively forging alliances, California wines will be prominently consumed on major airlines and enjoyed in the best restaurants in China.

Entering the winery, it was difficult not to notice that the atmosphere seemed heavy, and everyone in attendance seemed anxious. Unlike before, where this tasting room felt warm and inviting, the tension among those working was almost smothering. Incidentally, I only returned to do more research due to receiving a complaint from an associate that I had referred to this winery. When I entered the tasting room, those who were familiar with me were cordial. The two new people though, were suspicious, aloof and watched...yes, I said watched, every move that I made. Of the two, the person behind the tasting bar never acknowledged me, never offered wine and seemed to be frozen in place. The other repeatedly looked up from working at the computer to ear hustle every word spoken between the manager and myself. Perhaps being a new employees, there was some nervousness. However, observing from an adjacent corner of the shared tasting room, it was obvious that this person was more cordial to other customers...who were not people of color. Perhaps they were familiar with the people observed, but after 20 minutes and several waves of customers, this was most likely not the case.

The media has parodied the relationships between Asian business owners and African American's in movies such as Friday, and Don't be a Menace (to south central while drinking your juice in the hood).
Produced, and gleaned from personal experiences, by African American actors Shawn and Marlon Wayans, the films depict Asian business owners as being rude, suspicious and confrontational towards African American patrons. Having seen both films, I can acknowledge that the depictions were a bit over the top. However, in the past, I have a few personal experiences with these type of behaviors, thus, I do not believe that I was being overly sensitive to the treatment received from the new hires.

 To further understand this experience, I spoke on the condition of anonymity to someone who was familiar with the winery and who expressed concerns about the new hires. The racial identity of the new employees was not a concern of this person; it was their age. Both appeared to be in their early twenties, and that working hours for long term employees were being reduced to accommodate the new hires. With several years of experience in wine sales, customer service and hospitality, it appeared to this person that the more mature wine servers were being squeezed out in favor of younger employees.They also indicated that the new hires had no experience in wine sales that they were aware of, and little in the way of customer service.

Additional validation for a lack of customer service, came with a complaint from a group of people that I referred to the facility that this winery is located in. The group of people was comprised of African American's visiting from Sacramento and New Jersey. They reported to me that as they walked past the tasting room of this winery, they were accosted by a employee who lead them into the tasting room to taste wine. They were seated, and served cheese and crackers. After sampling most of the wines on the tasting list, they were coldly informed that they owed $20.00. This caught them off guard. Had they been informed that there would be a tasting fee beforehand,  they indicated that they may have elected to not visit this particular winery. However, after protesting the fee, they were still willing to buy wine. They paid the fee and bought a bottle of wine. (At some wineries, tasting fees are waived if a bottle is purchased. In this case, it was not)

In hindsight, one of the people in the group informed me that they felt that the person was probably new, but also added that they did not see anyone else paying a tasting fee. This annoyed them, as they had never wine tasted before and did not know that tasting fees are becoming a standard protocol. However, as they visited a few other tasting rooms nearby, they were informed before being served that there would be a tasting fee. (note: the group was not familiar with wine club member protocol; tasting fees  are usually waived. It is possible that some of the people observed not being charged a tasting fee may have been wine club members of the winery being visited) It should also be mentioned that at no time were any members of this group offered the opportunity to join a wine club. They all agreed that no one at any of the wineries engaged them in conversations or educated them about wine. By their observations, none of the tasting rooms were overly busy or  appeared to be understaffed.


Fortunately, this experience did not deter the group from considering a follow up visit to this and other nearby wineries. As first time wine tasters, the experience was eye opening, but not discouraging. Additionally,  one of the members of the group stated that their behavior was exuberant and loud and that perhaps the wine servers that they encountered on this day may not have had experience in dealing with these behaviors. It should also be mentioned that their complaints were brought to the attention of the winery manager who promptly offered a complimentary bottle of wine to be forwarded to the group.

Good save manager X!

Until next time,

Karen


*2010 statistics found here:

 http://www.wineinstitute.org/resources/statistics/article124

Sippin' suds...at a winery?

Breaking news; There's beer at that there winery! 

Yes good people, there is beer at Draconis winery in Clarksburgh, California, and oh my, is it GOOD beer! (...and their wine is really good too!)

Logo design:
Galt High School students

By now, if you read this blog regularly, you know that my car is named "Kenji." So, Kenji and myself are on one of those research trips looking for all things wine and anything remotely interesting that we can sample and then share with all of you. We pull into one of our favorite locales, "The Old Sugar Mill," and discover the newest addition to the family of eclectic little wineries.

Tucked way in the back next to what used to be the boiler room of the now defunct mill, is a rare gem of a winery. Rare because owner/wine slut, Matt Powell not only makes some slap mama upside the head good wine, but he also enlists the expertise of a team of brewmasters to craft a pair of beers.

APA/IPA or IPA/APA whatever?

But, before we talk all things beer...at a winery no less, let's spend a few minutes talking about how and why we like this place, and Matt,  SOOOOOOOOOO much! (He is so freekin' HOT!...just sayin.')

To begin with, entering this sweet, (no pun intended) little derelict of a sugar shack, Matt openly expressed his delight of my presence by clapping and screaming, "YAAAAAAAYY! Mind you, there were only a handful of people in the large, empty, crashpad of iniquity, thus to be greeted so genuinely warm and fuzzy by the owner/wine slut, I knew this was going to be a great experience.

Matt Powell is a local dude made good. His self effacing sense of humor conceals that he is the holder of several degrees in subjects ranging from neuroscience to quantum physics. He is charming, HOT, energetic, HOT and articulate to a fault with a vocabulary peppered with expletives. What I love most about this childhood Dungeons and Dragons junkee, is that by his own admission, he considers bowling as the pinnacle of his college education.

He chose the location at the old mill because of it's wide open double doors that give him a view of the large heaps of leftover demolition debris as well as the opportunity to see tow trucks dragging vehicles along the adjacent and precarious River Road. With so much enthusiasm and charm...and HOTNESS, I think it is only best to let Matt tell us a little about his wares.

Was that cheesy or what? Matt was such a caught off guard good sport in making this little video blurb. Thanks Matt! We should also mention that Matt does what he does with the help of two awesome chicks named April and Lee Ann.

Queen April

April is a transplant from Santa Rosa. This up and coming barista, (she works for those java peeps from Seattle as well) is a natural behind the tasting bar. (Did you catch in the video that the bar is named, Bob 1 and Bob 2?) She is calm, cool and conniving in how she encourages (bends the will of) people to buy wine. Note: Do not stare into those large blue eyes, it's a trap. 

Lee Ann, AKA, "The Pouring Wench,"and purveyor of high quality dog food, is equally conniving. Her dry humor, ebullient demeanor and shyness are evident as soon as you enter the door. She, like Matt, greeted me warmly  as if she had known me for at least 30 seconds. In fact, I get all giddy thinking about how she repeatedly asked me what my name was.
Nonetheless, everyone in attendance was exceptionally well behaved.

Pouring Wench Lee Ann

On to the Beer!

With a combined resume of more than 20 years of experience, the brew dudes make an IPA and an APA style of beer. What's the difference?  Re-watch the video!

 Personally, the triple Belgian APA was my favorite. I have come to enjoy Belgian beer, and favor the hops being added in the beginning of the brewing process which leaves a slightly citrussy, (is this a word?), sort of sweet taste. The mouthfeel is almost buttery and you can hardly hear the contents of your stomach sloshing about after knocking back a few. Additionally, the process of adding the hops in the beginning eliminates the after bite associated with IPA beers.

Incoming!

On to the wine

Draconis produces currently about 300 cases of wine. Offerings include a Petite Syrah, Syrah and a Zinfandel. Each contain 100 percent of the listed varietal and are sourced from nearby...within 50 miles give or take, leased vineyards.

Drink this wine!

 Matt does not rack, fine or filter his wines, (Google these terms, it's cool information) and he also steadfastly refused to reveal his methode de madness on camera. Beginning with the Petite Syrah, and a personal favorite, blah, blah, blah, blah, was really good. The Zinfandel, blah, blah, blah, blah, was also good. The Syrah....well, it was orgasmically good!

How they measure up!

Never allowing my glass to be empty, but mindful that a acceptable pour should be no more than two ounces...or less, I was spoiled rotten with good conversation, unpretentiousness and killer chocolates provided by a neighboring winery. The atmosphere was warm, fun and engaging. For those who may be intimidated by a lack of wine knowledge, wine speak is only spoken to visitors from other planets.( There is ample space to land a spacecraft among the rubble in nearby fields.)
The totally cool thing about this winery.

Having visited more than 200+ wineries in the last 22 months, (seriously, my life sucks!), Draconis was genuinely the coolest. Here's why.

 Autonomy is something that everyone in the working world would like to aspire to. However, due to the handcuffs of political correctness and the fear of a bad Yelp review, everyone at Draconis was, without fail, well behaved...snicker, snicker, snicker. Seriously, I have never experienced a tasting room where the mastery of smartass-dom and off the cuff, politically incorrect banter...without crossing any blurry lines or offending anyone, (yes, it is a skill) was the norm.

 Everyone had their own way of relating to whoever was in front of them without any preconceived judgements. It was refreshing to see wine people put aside their egos and just pour wine. No complicated verbiage, no noses in the air, and a willingness to say, "hmmm, I have no idea what you are asking me, but here, let me Google that on my iPad." In short, this place, ROCKED!



Final thoughts...and Captain Jack Squirrel.

After sampling...and I do mean sampling, wine tasting is not an opportunity to get your free buzz on, two beers and the wine offerings for the day, it was time to depart. The ladies made sure that I was well taken care of and shared their contact information if I needed to follow up. (I had to. All of my notes were lost  on my stupid-assed smart phone!)
As I bade farewell, I could not help but notice a pair of eyes following me out the door. (Okay, the wine was VERY good!) Somehow attached to the heavily painted brick interior wall was a picture of a squirrel in a pirates hat.

Meet Captain Jack Squirrel! According to Matt, he spotted the campy art piece at a show and thought it was the ugliest thing that he had ever seen. Naturally, and to the chagrin of the artist, he had to buy it. It now hangs proudly, and far enough away behind  tasting bar, Bob1, so that incredibly good eyesight is needed to see just how tacky it is.

Great beer, awesome wine and a squirrel in a pirate's hat are just a few reasons to visit Draconis Winery. Future plans call for the installation of large stuffed chickens, a beer counter...probably named Bob3, and other works of art. Matt is excited about the direction the winery is headed and can't wait for you to visit so that he can steadfastly refuse to tell you how he does what he does.

I give Draconis three slaps upside the head...and that's a good thing,  for their mastery of all things customer service and un-snobbish, (is this a word?) way of making everyone feel at ease.

Until next time,

 BUUUUURRRP!

Karen