Half Dome had more than worn us out, and who would have thunk Brian would have predicted that so well? We said our goodbyes to Mariposa and Yosemite and took off towards Napa. Our morning started at Mondavi Vineyard, enjoying our first flight of wine on the grounds around the vineyard. I will also try to include what we tasted if I managed to do any sort of decent documentation in the moment. Also, what we tasted will be pretty much the extent of my "tasting notes". The whole time we were out here I would inquire as to their drip irrigation systems or how they managed during the drought.
Mondavi - Fumé Blanc Reserve, PNX Pinot Noir, BDX Bordeaux Blend, Stags Leap District Cab
Peju - Sauvignon blanc, province, piccolo, 2018 merlot, 2018 cab sav
Domain Chandon - apparently I didn't put anything down here except it was hot and I'm probably not a "sparkling wine" kinda guy
Beaulieu (BV) - Tapestry, oakville, ranch 1, ranch 2, George’s de Latour
Beringer - White Blend, 2018 Pinot noir, 2017 Malbec (Bordeaux grapes that are just more commonly associated with Argentina even tho they’re French grapes), 2016 Cab Sav
Cakebread - Here we had a wonderful tour that was both insightful and entertaining. Very pleasantly surprised.
In the event you were curious as to one of the things I inquired about, the drip irrigation lines were about 1.5-2 feet off the ground. We (I) asked at three wineries and received the following answers - make it harder for animals to get at the lines, easier for maintaining around the grapes (weed whacking), and easier for the laborers to manage. I was hoping for an answer that might lead me to get our drip irrigation off the ground, but that did not happen.
After two wonderfully lazy days in Napa, although bopping around between wineries that quick is somewhat of a chore, we moved onto San Fransisco. Staying at the Hotel Triton put us close enough to Dragon's Gate that we had to do sushi in Chinatown for dinner before taking in the scenes.
Fully caffeinated and with sourdough from Boudin's sitting heavy in our stomachs we moved on to Fisherman's Wharf and the Piers to walk off our breakfast. Alcatraz was much closer to the shore than I would have thought, although swimming from there still would be pretty undesirable. After seeing a few sea lions we moved on to the Golden Gate Bridge overlook, which was lovely (for as much as you could see). After another bakery stop at Devils Tooth it was time to slow down, sit, and get back to what we're familiar with: breweries. We hit up Southern Pacific Brewing before watching more of the Copa Cup at Irish Times.
That left us with enough time to sneak back to the hotel, schedule a ride to the airport for the morning, and to keep our brains away from thoughts of going back to work.
