Spring Events in SLO

Last week, I took Friday off to celebrate the end of Winter. The combination of moving to SLO and having two kids crippled my snowboarding habit, so Winter has become boring (outdoor activity wise). Spring arrived on the central coast with an onslaught of fun things to do, saving me from overdosing on the indoors.

We began Thursday night at Roll Out the Barrel in downtown SLO. This is a wine tasting event paired with local restaurants. I preferred Taste of Pismo the prior weekend, less crowded with a lot of the same wine makers. Here are my favorites:

Lone Madrone: If you like interesting vineyards and interesting blends, Neil Collins is your guy.

Wolff Vineyards: We bought some Syrah from him two years ago, awesome fruit from an amazing vineyard.
Laetitia: Tie for best Pinot Noir on the central coast, along with Talley Vineyards, both tasting rooms are worth a visit.

Friday, I headed down to Santa Barbara for the AVP event there. It was windy, but we saw some decent matches. A couple of AVP observations:

1. Rodgers/Dalhauser. as dominant as they are boring. They remind me of the Pete Sampras era in tennis; fine for the hardcore fans, but bad for the sport overall.
2. Most of the players are boring. Masterful at the game, but like watching a bunch of bankers. Where have you gone Brent Frohoff? Guys you play professional beach volleyball - loosen up a little.
3. Parity. There are many young players out there that can win. Getting to the finals or semis is an accomplishment these days.
4. Santa Barbara is a sick place, I'm glad the AVP decided to only have tournaments in places where there is a natural beach + beach community. No more parking lots in Fresno.

Saturday night Maria and I went to the Hospice Du Rhone grand tasting. HDR is everything I hate about tasting events, too many vintners, no personal touch, insular wine geek vibe. However - the wines there are unreal. I can't believe how many killer Syrahs we tasted. Here are my favorites:

Cabot Vineyards: Organic vineyard in Humboldt. So much about wine comes down to the people and these are cool people that make great wine.
Wrath: If you like cool climate Syrah, this is a good one. Bonus points on the Led Zeppelin inspired name.
Skylark: San Franciscans will recognize John Lancaster from Boulevard, this is the label he runs with Robert Perkins. The Rodgers Creek Vineyard, Sonoma Coast was an excellent coastal Syrah.

Rumor had it that some chick from a small vineyard in Cambria was also packing some "hootch" in her purse. A noted wine critic described the 2007 Estate Syrah as "the best example of a cool climate Syrah in the building".

We spent Sunday on the farm. Lucas caught a lizard and took pictures of wild flowers and rocks. We had polenta lunch at a local fund raiser. It was a lazy Sunday, fitting for the activities that preceded it.