Going up, not Sideways

This week coming up I will be going in person to Santa Ynez Valley (now you get the Sideways movie reference) and also Paso Robles. Hopefully my trip will go better then theirs.

Santa Ynez is famous for its Pinot Noir. It sounds unusual for wineries to even be making Pinot Noir in such a southern latitude because the grape requires the coldest of all Vitis Vinifera (all types of grape that are good for making wine) varietals. It sounds even weirder that that it be one of the best regions in the world for it. The reason they are is the area is kept cool by ocean breezes because it's so close to the ocean. It does get warm also which exposing the the grapes to a perfect range of temperatures resulting in fully ripe grapes with excellent complexity.

We will then be headed north to Paso Robles. It's also odd to be traveling north to try Cabernet Sauvignon which enjoys the opposite warmer end of the spectrum from Pinot Noir. This area is guarded by the mountains insulating it from coastal winds. It's also still much farther south then Napa Valley who's famous for their Cabernet but the wineries we will be going to will definitely equal and even surpass many famous Napa Valley producers. Currently the area is most famous for its
Rhone varietals which mainly consist of Grenache, Syrah, and Mouvedre. What sets this area apart is its minerally soil which helps impart mineral/stone characteristics. I'll let yet y'all know how they a related this week!