Bay to the Beach
After a memorable night of fine wine and a variety of cheeses, Stacey and Craig tiredly woke up to a cool breeze, some freshly ground coffee, mimosas and bloody marys. All while overlooking the Pacific Ocean. When breakfast was served they ate gourmet omeletts and relaxed, talking the San Clemente pier and lifestyle. After breakfast, Stacey was fired up and ready to hit the outlets. This is also where you hop on the San Clemente Trolley which takes you through downtown and down to the pier. The two were ready for an adventure. After some shopping and a pleasurable ride down to the water, Stacey and Craig hopped off the Trolley and set their eyes on the restaurant near the pier entrance. The heat was warm and it appeared to be busy. A fun busy though. Craig suggested oysters, so Fisherman’s they went…
Not being surprised that there was a line, it was a gorgeous day in San Clemente, so they had no problem waiting a bit. They were thirsty for some Chardonnay. The scene seemed cool and the surf was up, so when glancing over the pier, there were quite a few surfers out. It made sense since this is a world-renowned surf region. “I think I’ve heard of Trestles before,” Craig commented. The beach had this warm, Mediterranean-style temperature that only Southern California people along the coast get to experience. Craig and Stacey were from the Bay Area, so the sun was not as prevalent at home. “Time for some people watching,” Stacie said. The line and pier were filled with what looked like locals with their surf brand shirts and shorts, sunglasses, flip-flops and hats. They all appeared to look similar, they thought when scanning the crowd. There were plenty of old-timers with their casual, beachy attire and the ladies all looked extra cute and comfortable with the variety of outfits they were wearing. “Craig!” a really tan, blond-haired surfer kid hollered.
Craig and Stacey were both born and raised in Palo Alto, CA back in the mid-sixties and seventies. They loved the Bay Area and did not plan on ever leaving their beloved home town. Craig was a Silicon Valley legend from the mid-eighties and nineties selling his tech venture for $85 million dollars in 1995. He consulted when he wanted, but most of the time he was traveling or just hanging out with his high-income friends. Stacey was a gentle yoga instructor who was a little hippie dippie from growing up in the San Francisco music scene. They were very well off and loved their Napa Cabs. They visited Napa regularly, however they didn’t have to leave home too often since they had their own downstairs wine cellar with a tasting lounge surrounded by thousands of bottles and high-gloss aromatic redwood. They spent every night downstairs enjoying albums and live recordings from Miles Davis, Elvis, Les Baxter, Muddy Waters and most importantly to them, the Grateful Dead.
Stacey and Craig met on a Grateful Dead lot at the May 19th, 1966 show at the Avalon Ballroom in San Francisco. They were both one years of age and had their first dance moves together that night. The Viola Lee Blues was sizzling were Craig’s first words. They were so deeply engrained in the scene that six months earlier, their parents got them a babysitter to attend the Acid Tests where the Grateful Dead (Warlocks at their first gigs) were the house band. The couple were already tuned in as babies. They grew up at Dead shows together traveling around and following them wherever the band took them. It was a long strange trip since the day they were born at the Palo Alto-Stanford Hospital Center. They were best friends until they decided to turn their friendship into lovemaking. They got married and bought their first home in Palo Alto at age twenty two. They decided to not have children so Craig could focus on his promising business. “Kids are not for everybody.” Craig once wisely said.
Craig and Stacey were a little pooped out from a Saturday traffic-filled drive from Palo Alto to South Lake Tahoe. A big storm was coming so the weather was unusual and a little eerie. Rather than going to their room first, they were starting to get hangry and thought they would just go eat when they got into town. They were in travel clothes, so they weren’t looking their best. Stacey spent the Summers and Winters in Tahoe growing up but she could not remember the name of the place she wanted to go. Stacey’s memory was not the best. They eventually found it after 15 minutes of driving up and down the wildly busy road. As they walked into the smaller dining room restaurant, they noticed the variety of framed pictures, wine bottles and wooden wine boxes surrounding them. “Nice, a wine place.” Craig thought in his head. The potential owner obviously looked them both up and down and looked around the restaurant with his chin up. Little did he know that Craig was beyond wealthy. “Do you have a reservation?” he somewhat pompously asked. “No, we’re sorry we just got into town.” kindly voiced Craig. As the man looked around again, he asked if they wanted to sit across from the bar next to the fish tank. They were hesitant but starving so they just took the tall two-seater.”
While looking at the menu, Stacey wanted something refreshing and crisp. There was a Sauvignon Blanc on the list so she went for that. Stacey was exhausted and just wanted a nice glass of wine to bring down the stress from their week and drive. Craig wanted an IPA, so he ordered a large glass. As they felt a little underdressed, they patiently waited for the drinks sharing about their drive observations and plans for the weekend. The gentlemen brought out the tall beer and a wine glass with your standard smaller wine tasting-like pour. Stacey was vexed. She was looking forward to this glass the entire way. Actually the night before. She was fuming inside. She stayed calm on the outside and then Craig noticed the pour and was blown away by the amount in her glass. He made eye contact with Stacey and they telepathically read each other’s minds. “Wow!” they both thought. After the mental moment, both of them were uncomfortable asking for a full pour. After mulling it over, Craig decided to move on and get back to his comforting, perfectly balanced India Pale Ale.
When they timely got their dishes they looked incredible. Craig got the short rib and Stacey ordered the seafood pasta with their daily house-made noodles. She thought it was cooked to perfection. The noodles were some of the best she ever had. Craig was very impressed by his entree and the complex sauce. Like any restaurant the bills are high these days. “Who cares, it’s vacation!” Craig laughed. He happily paid but when it was time for the tip, he did take everything into consideration. While Stacey was in the restroom, Craig again checked out the cool pictures and wine memorabilia, recognizing each bottle and box in the room. “Thank you very much for coming in.” genuinely said the possible owner. It sent Craig out the door feeling good. He nicely held the door for Stacey and realized her stoic face. He right away put two and two together. He opened her car door and she sat down. He was grinning as he went around the trunk happy with his experience. Craig sat down and started the car. Before he could put it in reverse, Stacey looked right at him and said, “I just wanted a nice pour.”
Back in Palo Alto, it was cold, rainy and almost snowing and Craig and Stacey invited their good friend Ziggy over for some weeknight wine lounge time. They sat in three of their four unbelievably comfy leather recliners drinking the 2021 Paix Sur Terre’s The Other One from the westside of Paso Robles. It was a Mourvèdre from the Glenrose vineyard and was named after the song Bob Weir wrote for the Grateful Dead. While sipping, laughing and intellectually speaking about entertainment these days, they were watching Bravo’s Below Deck. At first Ziggy wasn’t a huge fan of Bravo but Andy Cohen is a Deadhead, so Craig and Ziggy both started checking things out. On Andy’s set background of Watch What Happens Live, he has a mosaic dancing bear on the wall with psychedelic colors and great screen time exposure. Their TV screen was 90 inches and mounted on their aromatic redwood wall. There was probably 1000+ bottles arranged around their three room wine cellar. As the reality show ended and the TV went off, it was Monday Grateful Dead night, so they pick a wine and a live show and blend the experience together. They had an extensive tape collection and they would play it in their Pioneer CT-F1250 cassette player. Their stereo system was mind-bending. That night they picked the Harpur College, New York, May 2nd, 1970 show. It was a soundboard recording with a far out The Other One so the Paix Sur Terre Mourvèd was perfect and appropriate for this cosmic occasion.
Craig found out about Paix Sur Terra from Ziggy. The owner and winemaker is a Deadhead and names his wines after Dead tunes and lyrics. Also a Cal Poly grad. They did not hesitate to set that reservation for a quick Paso trip. Their private jet flew from San Francisco into San Luis Obispo, taking a limo to the winery. When they arrived after a beautiful drive up the 101 and down Vineyard Dr. the scenery was mesmerizing looking over the Paso Robles hills and oak trees. They had the place to themselves so it was quiet and intimate when the short-haired laid back tasting room host poured them the perfect lineup. Mourvèdre/Grenache Rosé, Counoise, a unique lighter Zinfandel blend, a Mourvèdre/Grenache blend and The Other One, which is straight Mourvèd. The wines were of very high quality and reminded them of Châteauneuf-du-Pape wines from the Southern French region in the Rhône Valley. It is a deep pursuit in the Paso Robles area to have wines on that level. The wines had that elegance and style that the region produces. An accomplishment hard to obtain. The environment, hospitality and wines blew Craig and Stacey away, so they bought four mixed cases and put them in their limo, flying back to San Francisco that night. They would take quick flights and visit one winery at a time to really experience the wine and its memories.
Back in the excessive wine cellar lounge, the evening was really starting to take off. The wine was bringing meaningful thoughts and smiles to the crew, gradually elevating itself to doing its own mysterious thing. The tape was in the cassette player, so they knew it was time to blast off. Ziggy knew his wine, but he really knew about the Dead. Almost as much as Dick himself. He was always making everyone laugh with his wit and charm, continuously traveling the globe seeking culture outside of the US. He owned a thriving business that always brought Dead love into his strenuous hustle. As the show started with some sound checking, it then led into an acoustic version of Don’t Ease Me In. Pigpen had the harmonica flowing, so it was a unique opening for the crowd that night. Right as the Mourvèdre continued to fall into its groove, a Cryptical Envelopment came on. It went into a Drums, a ferocious The Other One and back to the Cryptical. The wine was peaking during The Other One which was appropriate for the wine’s name. It had perfectly timed acidity and layers of complexity that then briefly slowed down just like the beautiful short and soft Cryptical jam. They were high on wine and music, dancing around the room, spinning and tapping to Kreutzmann and Hart’s wicked drum beats. The soft jam perfectly transitioned to a powerful burst of Jerry and the wine changed again revealing itself even more. The exquisite timing was magical. As the bottle appeared empty after the final three pours, Craig had the back up ready to go in his wine fridge connected to his recliner. He pulled out and popped open the 2021 Golden Road as the Good Lovin’ started rolling. As he stood up and poured the three glasses, he electrically said “Cheers, its time to get weird!”
“Honey, can you grab my bags?” Stacey nicely asked Craig who was tired from the flight and drive back to Palo Alto. “Sure Boo, I’ll be right in.” The down to earth but wealthy couple just returned from a San Luis Obispo Coast AVA trip where It was their first time visiting since the AVA was made official in 2022. They visited San Luis Obispo years back but did not do any wine tasting so this was something new and compelling for them. This time it was to hit five wineries in two days. El Lugar, Biddle Ranch Vineyard and Claiborne and Churchill on Friday and Sinor-LaVallee and Chamisal on Saturday. “What do you want to drink tonight, I’m thirsty?” asked Stacey who was wide awake from all of the coffee she drank on the way home. “How about the 2020 El Lugar Barrel Select Syrah from Spanish Springs Vineyard?” “That sounds wonderful, I love Coby’s cool climate Syrah.” They bought a case of it and flew it home on their private jet. “I’ll meet you in the wine lounge.” said Craig who was taking down their ten new cases, two from each winery. Each winery they visited was different from each other so they loved the variety of experiences that were offered by the coastal region. Each wine was unique and had a sense of place, but they all had this SLO Coast freshness that ran through all of the wines. As Craig was putting away the cases in his fully filled ten thousand bottle cellar, Stacey walked down the steps and joyously said, “The SLO Coast is so cool.”
“Pop!” and the Syrah was open. The aromas shot out like a rocket, intoxicating the couple and transforming them back to the SLO Coast. As the aromatics closely surrounded them and filled the large wine room, they thought it was a good idea to let it open up in the bottle for a little bit. “What should we watch?” Craig said yawning, feeling exhausted from the long weekend and all of the wine he had on the flight home. “How about the new wine movie called Upside Down on Netflix?” Craig turned on their enormous TV as the wine whispered, “it’s time” to them. Stacey pulled out the crystal Riedel glasses and poured the wine into the bowls as it splashed around in slow motion. Craig then clicked the remote finding the new movie staring Jennifer Lawrence, Kate Hudson and an up and coming actress named Angela from San Diego. The three women take a trip to Sonoma County for a weekend of wine and girl time, experiencing the highs and lows of wine consumption. Without watching the trailer, they put the movie on and took their first sniff and instantly remembered the wine from the tasting. “Geez, Coby’s got skills!” Stacey said as that coastal freshness came out in the nose. They took their first taste and the brightness raised their eyebrows quickly. “What flavors and spices! The acid is perfect.” Craig said as he instantly locked in, craving his next sip.
“I can tell this is whole cluster. No new oak.” Craig confidently expressing his take on the wine. “Coby said there was only 20 cases produced, so I think we scored big-time.” After finishing their first glass, they were amused to find a movie that did wine and Hollywood justice right from the very start. Right after Craig poured the second glass, a humorous scene came on where the three stunning ladies were sitting on a plane in front of a crying baby, so bothered that they kept ordering more and more wine just to deal with the frustrating situation. As all of the passengers were also annoyed, after her third glass of wine, Angela turned around and yelled, “Shut up!” and dumped the wine onto the baby’s head and all over the Mom’s white clothes. The crowd was in shock and the Mom didn’t know what to do as she was covered in Cab. The baby then happily licked the wine off her face, smiled and stopped crying. The passengers went wild and requested that Angela stay on the plane even though the captain wanted her off. The scene had the Bay Area couple dying laughing, spilling their precious Syrah on their own clothes and all over their $10,000 handmade Moroccan rug…
