CA Central Coast: Day 1
The Dude is back! I’m currently driving through the California Central Coast and stopping at all different wineries along the way. I plan to try some wines that I’ve had or heard of before, as well as some of the local favorites.
The first winery I hit on my trip was Gainey Vineyard. They were pouring 9 wines for $10. Quick side note. I pretty much stopped going to Napa because every tasting room charges for the tasting and they usually don’t waive the fee if you purchase a bottle. Sadly, this happened on my first experience in Santa Ynez 
Gainey was pouring their 2005 Riesling and the 2004 Dry Riesling, 2003 Limited Selection Sauvignon Blanc, 2002 Limited Selection Chardonnay, 2005 Rose, 2004 Limited Selection Cabernet Franc, 2003 Merlot, 2001 Special Selection Merlot, Pinot Noir (not sure of the year), and their Syrah (again don’t know the year). The last 2 were special bottles usually not opened for tasting and cost $75 each. Though they were very good, they were $75 bottles and it was too early in my trip to start buying at that price point. I did pick up a bottle of the Riesling, which had good medium acidity and body with some pear notes.
The next winery we went to was a small shack off Fox Canyon Road called Foxen. “Shack” in this case was a cool thing. It was rustic, fun, and initmate, though the wines were polished and tasty. I can’t seem to find my tasting sheet, but I did buy a bottle of their 2002 Santa Barbara County Syrah, which I’m drinking right now. This is a full body wine with dark fruit characteristics, spice and chocolate. I get some alcohol on the palette but not overly severe.
We then drove up to Shell Beach and went to our hotel, The Cliffs. I’d recommend this hotel, though it is 30 minutes from the wine regions. Tomorrow will be the first full day in Paso Robles and should be a total treat.