The Motherlode Revisited - Amador County, California - Purpose 2

There’s a odour when you lot come inwards a winery. You don’t detect it inwards the tasting room but wander but about dorsum to the shed where they truly juice the grapes, ferment it into wine, as well as to a greater extent than than a few gallons have got splashed on the basis over the years.

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Even novel wineries have got this sweetness as well as slightly vinegary aroma to them. Add historic menses as well as therefore an chemical constituent of must creeps in. The older the winery, the mustier the odour that combines amongst the bouquet of winemaking.

Perhaps the pinnacle of this odour is surrounding us inwards this room, carved into the hillside underneath the pretty but unassuming draw of piece of employment solid above.  Grape juice has been aging inwards this dusty room for over a hundred as well as 50 years…longer than whatsoever other winery inwards California.

History volition authorities notation that Adam Uhlinger carved this room out inwards 1856 as well as planted some of the commencement vines of what nosotros at nowadays telephone yell upwards Zinfandel inwards the yard outside. Some of those vines are yet producing today.

The Sobon Winery, at the eastern border of Amador County’s Shenandoah Valley, is the electrical flow custodian of this historic land. 

Outside, the cool autumn wintertime has played havoc on the colors of the fields where the chill air is warmed upwards past times the yellows, oranges, as well as reds of the grape leaves, punctuated past times the walnut trees.  The warm tasting room welcomes us amongst the wall of ribbons garnered past times the awards the vino hither has received.

Shirley Sobon mans the tasting counter equally the iii of us are the solely customers here. Tasting is free, equally it is at most of the area’s wineries, as well as the mood relaxed.  The wines are skillful as well as we’re offered tastes of the to a greater extent than expensive library wines. Although at that topographic point is a fee, Mrs. Sobon must endure feeling generous because she waves it for us.

I desire to purchase some vino as well as notice the discount schedule…10% for 6, 15% for a case…when I take away heed Mrs. Sobon say, “we tin dismiss acquire you lot a amend discount than what’s listed.”

Uh, oh…I know where this is going. Most, if non all, California wineries at nowadays have got “wine clubs” where you lot sign upwards for regular deliveries as well as you lot tin dismiss acquire an extra discount on the wine.

“I already belong to a vino lodge as well as I’m non interested inwards joining another,” I tell here.

She explains that this vino lodge collects your email address as well as goose egg more. No vino to buy, no deliveries, but an occasional letter on sales as well as other winery news. Give an email address as well as your illustration discount is at nowadays 20%.

I tin dismiss alive amongst those terms as well as Mrs. Sobon proceeds to aid me arts and crafts a delicious illustration of Old Vine Zinfandel, Sangiovese, as well as Syrah priced at close $9 per bottle.

Welcome to vino tasting, touring, as well as buying Amador style.

Over the loma on highway 49, you lot tin dismiss sometimes detect winemaker Allen Kreutzer manning the tiny tasting bar at Drytown Cellars. You tin dismiss ever detect their friendly dogs welcoming you lot inside.

When nosotros tell we’re from the Los Angeles area, they authorities notation that it’s close Temecula. “Can you lot believe they accuse for tasting downward there?” I’m asked.

Just a calendar week before, nosotros were inwards the Temecula expanse as well as had the distinct displeasure of finding $12 tasting fees that could non endure applied to your purchase.  The vino was muddied as well as non that skillful either.  Yeah, it’s pretty unbelievable.

While the friendly folks at Drytown are non inwards quite the dealing mood that Sobon was, nosotros yet walk away amongst a one-half illustration of Barbera, Zinfandel, as well as Tempranillo which I was able to acquire a 5% discount on.

Back upwards inwards Shenandoah Valley, but eastward of the historic town of Plymouth, nosotros monastic tell a pizza to endure cooked spell nosotros gustation inwards the following tasting room of Villa Toscano Winery.  The sign at the parking lot says beware of rattlesnake as well as lawyers.

Maybe the alert is appropriate because I’m trying to purchase a illustration of quondam vine zin priced for vino lodge members at $99. It takes some serious negotiating equally I effort to convince the beau behind the bar that I’m a friend of a lodge fellow member (see our finally see hither to run into how that happened) as well as he’s non buying what I’m selling.

No dice, solely for members. Can I sign upwards as well as at ane time cancel? After much hemming as well as hawing, I acquire that technically I tin dismiss but at nowadays that I’ve permit him know my devious plan, he won’t practise it.

Finally, nosotros accomplish an understanding that I’ll have got at to the lowest degree iii deliveries equally a vino lodge member, demo upwards anytime I desire for the gratis Fri pasta buffet, earlier I determine to cancel as well as he’ll sell me that grapple priced case…oh, as well as I tin dismiss have got my commencement lodge delivery amongst me, saving me the toll of shipping.

Not quite what I came looking for but it’ll practise as well as if I tin dismiss fourth dimension my provide visits properly (because I know I’ll endure dorsum upwards hither ane time to a greater extent than soon), perchance I tin dismiss selection them upwards instead of paying for shipping.

It’s but similar court…we’re fighting for our positions, solid reason our cases, come upwards to a settlement, milk shiver on it, as well as we’re friends again.  No wonder they warn you lot close the lawyers along amongst the rattlesnakes.

Wheeling as well as dealing over with, my illustration as well as ii bottles are loaded into our automobile spell nosotros selection upwards our pizza as well as caput to the finally halt of the day.

My favorite winery inwards the basis requires that you lot plough off of highway 49 inwards Plymouth, detect your means to Shenandoah Valley, plough left at Old Schoolhouse road, spotter the minor signs carefully, plough upwards a poorly signed rutted road, become to the end, plough left at the quondam agricultural mechanism workhouse, carefully spotter for the correct driveway, and…finally…turn into the large parking lot following to the woodpecker-hole filled Gold Rush era miner’s shack on the border of the Consumnes River Canyon.

Beyond some other sign alert us of rattlers (it’s truthful too…I saw one), that quondam perforated miner’s shack serves equally the tasting room of the dandy Story Winery.

We taste, looking for a skillful vino to become amongst our pizza, as well as determine on a squeamish Hilltop Old Vine Zinfandel to drinkable exterior inwards the world’s prettiest picnic expanse amongst our pizza.  I inquire if at that topographic point are whatsoever deals that nosotros tin dismiss partake of.

The daughter at the counter says that nosotros tin dismiss come upwards dorsum Fri for their Black Fri exceptional (it’s a pair of days earlier Thanksgiving) where, for ii hours inwards the morning, the really potent as well as delicious Hilltop Zin we’ll endure drinking volition endure on sale for $70 a case. 

I can’t come upwards dorsum Friday; I tell her…can you lot arrive at me the grapple today?  We’re the finally customers of the day, hither all past times ourselves; why non unopen out the solar daytime amongst a large illustration sale?

No, she can’t practise that, she tells us. I give thank you lot her as well as tell her we’ll endure sitting exterior amongst our picnic if she changes her mind…

We’re enjoying a fantastic meal, amongst dandy wine, overlooking ane of the prettiest views you’ll ever see.  Our girl, Wendy (the tasting room server), comes out to bring together us.

“I was but talking to the possessor as well as I’ve got a proposal for you,” she says. “If you lot arrive at me your credit bill of fare data as well as address now, we’ll procedure a sale Fri morning time as well as send you lot a illustration of vino at the sale price.”

Why practise you lot intend this is my favorite winery inwards the world?

Our total haul for this solar daytime is iv cases…2 total cases at Sobon as well as Villa Toscano, several bottles from Drytown, Renwood, as well as our commencement 2 bottle for the Toscano vino club, as well as a illustration that arrived afterward nosotros got habitation from Story…at an average toll of close $9 per bottle of the best reds inwards the world.

The trip’s non over yet…we yet have got some sightseeing to do. That volition endure inwards role 3, coming really soon.

Darryl

Copyright 2012 – Darryl Musick

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