Going Back to Cali pt 2

After the outrageous brews of Lagunitas we drove northeast of Petaluma to meet up with hometown boy Mike Drash of Tallulah Winery. Mike has worked for some of the best & most highly regarded wineries in California (ahem..Far Niente). Those big bombastic style wines of some of his previous wineries may not be my thing but I definitely like what he is doing at Tallulah. His sauvignon blanc & syrahs are deep, lush, spicy & delicious.

We pulled up at Farina Vineyard near Glen Ellen & were greeted by a smiling Mike Drash, his two dogs & a cooler full of wine perched on the back of his truck. He obviously knows the way to southerner's hearts. As we sipped his Farina Vineyard chardonnay Richie & Brad pulled out the dungeness crab. The sweet, succulent, briny richness of the crab matched up wonderfully against the rich, round texture of the chardonnay. Its acidity also cut through the suppleness of the crab.

The latest addition to the Drash family is Chester, a golden lab who was HUGE. Both Chester & Dexter (not pictured but a super sweet chocolate lab) romped around the vineyard as we sipped the fruits of their Dad's labor. Once it was time to leave we jumped in our vans & drove north to our houses in Guerneville. Once we changed & cleaned up a bit we headed over to Hook & Ladder winery for a little bbq amongst the vines.

The lovely people at Hook & Ladder (thanks Kate!) set a this beautiful table for us between the vines & the bocce court. Obviously a few fierce games broke out before & after dinner. Their sauvignon blanc was spicy & smelled of fresh habeneros which really got our mouths watering. I think my favorite of theirs was the carignane which had these smooth edges, an earthy spice & a nice dark core.

As you can see my girl Fiona is enjoying a bit of the sauvignon blanc herself.