The next stop was Club Deluxe on Haight St. for drinks and live jazz. Not my normal kind of scene by any means, but it was a lot of fun nonetheless. The music was no joke--about 10 musicians, most of whom looked no older than high school age, jammed the entire night with a surprisingly adult sound. There was also a bartender who was positively a 21st century reincarnation of Rasputin, complete with creepy mustache, hypnotizing gaze, and ability to summon fire on the bar at will. We eventually booked and retired at Nate's house for the night.
Sunday's first order of business was a healthy-sized brunch. The Beach Chalet above Golden Gate Park delivered well, but nothing could prepare us for the absolute misery of trying to find parking at the San Francisco Vintners Market at Fort Mason...
(click for big on all images)
The short lense of my Captivate does this view no justice. The hillside, ocean, and beach were breathtaking.
Go here for brunch! You wont be let down... This was also the last happy memory before the parking debacle.
The SF Vintners Market event brought together 200+ wineries from the region for unlimited tastings at the Fort Mason Center in downtown SF. Sounds cheery, no? A giant, part open-air, part aircraft-hangar-looking space with food stalls, vendors of every sort, gorgeous views of the bay, ocean and Golden Gate Bridge, and of course, tons and tons of wines to sample. But the world colluded against us... the weather on Sunday was balmy and sunny, which partially contributed to an influx of people to the area. Couple this with a mini-marathon, the traffic for the Vintners market, and the actual resident parking situation of the neighborhood, and the result is about an hour of pure frustration, screaming, stressing, sweating (followed by chills), gnawing, clawing, and unadulterated hatred for anyone in the immediate vicinity walking to or from a vehicle. Ok, I suppose it wasn't that bad... We were just dying to park, get to the venue, and start tasting right away. Greg finally found a small spot, just barely accommodating of his yacht (better known as the Aurora), and we were off.
Entrance to the Vintners Market.
I'll spare any lengthy paragraphs about the setup of the event, as the pictures below illustrate the scene. Many, many stalls with plenty of wines for sampling, along with cheeses, chocolate, various wine products and gizmos, and the occasional cupcake stand. Did I mention the drunk people yet? Yeah, there were about 2,000 of those, too. On to the tasting.
Greg and Geoff creepin' on a come up. The space was huge.
Heavy-duty glass with commemorative printing. Collectors item for sure. Ha.
JAQK 2007 22 Black Cabernet Sauvingon. We tried another of their selections, as well, but hell if I recall what that was. The event was sensory overload, so the tasting notes are going to be brief!
Westwood 2007 Annadel Estate Pinot Noir. No recollection!
Tudor 2006 Anderson Valley Pinot Noir. Another Pinot was sampled, but I failed to snap a picture of it. The guy pouring couldn't tell us much about the wines... In his own words, "I'm just a friend of the owner, you'll have to talk to him (points to dude on the other end of the table)."
Cloak & Dagger 2007 Smoke & Mirrors Pinot Noir. We checked these dudes out because they had a funky name and logo. Their website has some crazy Illuminati stuff going on.
Robledo Family Winery 2006 Los Braceros Red blend. Good stuff.
Maldonado Vineyards 2006 Peter Newton Vineyard Cabernet Sauvingon. I recall this being really floral and all-around good.
Cesar Toxqui Cellars 2009 Russian River Valley Pinot Noir. Very good from what I recall. Mexican vintners know their stuff.
Cesar Toxqui Cellars 2007 Sonoma Coast Cabernet Franc. A unique varietal among the stalls full of Cab and Pinot.
Cesar Toxqui Cellars Dulce Paloma Red (Port-style). The aroma and syrup of this port stuck in my glass for the rest of the event, even after rinsing. It definitely influenced the wines to come. Oh well, I didn't care.
D'Anbino Cellars Quadraphonic Paso Robles Red blend. This was really good!
Greater Purpose Bold & Smooth Blends. Bold = 55% Cab, 35% Zin, 10% Syrah. Smooth = 60% Cab, 40% Zin. The composition of blends is pretty nebulous and unapproachable from an identification perspective for me at this point, so it was nice that the percentages were clearly defined. Each wine had its own unique flavor.
Due Vinge di Familia 2006 Dolcetto, 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon, and 2007 Nebbiolo. Big, mouthy, and tannic Italian reds... Left our mouths dry and sour. Good stuff. Would pair well with a stale heel of French bread. Love that.
John Anthony 2008 "Jam" Cabernet Sauvingon. The name implies exactly what this wine tasted like... Really sweet jam. Imagine dumping a Splenda packet into Smucker's strawberry jam and there you have it. Not the most appetizing.
J&J Cellars Autumn Flight Barbera (Non-Vintage).
Yes, exhausting. But we survived by way of spitting each sample. Thanks to Greg for encouraging me to do so.
The trip back to San Ramon was relatively painless, and we eventually paired up with Greg's mom and step dad for a wonderfully authentic sushi spread at Danville's Sushi Bar Hana. We took down plenty of yellow tail, octopus, eel, bonito-flaked mystery rolls, soft shell crab, and Sapporo. The King's are most excellent hosts.
So there ended another successful day and night in wine country. We got to bed around 11:00 in preparation for Monday's activities--chiefly, meeting Greg's boss, hitting up a few more wineries in Healdsburg, and heading to Oakland to see Queens.
Part 3 coming soon.
P.S. This is Landu, the King family household guard dog and mascot. He greeted me each morning by hopping up on my bed and surveying the living room. Vicious yet lovable.
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