I don’t “whine” on a rainy day, I wine, because they are days that God created so we would make time to enjoy good books and good wine. In January I had a customer visit in Half Moon Bay which is on the Pacific Ocean about a 45 minute drive south of San Francisco. It’s an adorable little town with lots of antique shops, coffee bars and restaurants. Lucky for me, the Ritz is the only approved hotel in Half Moon Bay
The truth is that the night I had a room there I checked in at 10:00 p.m. and checked out at 6:30 a.m. so I did not live the life of a princess, rather a road warrior. The next night I moved into a much more sensible hotel in San Jose, but I was in the hotel long enough to see that going back for a day trip during the weekend was a MUST. The picture above is taken from the wine bar which has floor to ceiling views of the ocean in an area where there are no people on the beach and you can allow yourself to be mesmerized by the waves.
The service at the Ritz is so good it bordered on creepy. I pulled into valet the car and check in; the valet radioed the front desk told them I was coming and what I was wearing. As I approached the desk I was greeted by name, after leaving the desk three other employees greeted me by name and when I went to the lounge for a late night dinner-snack, they greeted me by name. As I was alone, the staff made an effort to talk to me but sensing I wanted to dissolve into my glass of wine and the ocean they let me have my alone time as well.
On Sunday morning, the day I had planned to return to the hotel wine bar with my book (I am the last person in the food world to read Julie & Julia which has since spawned an obsession that will fuel future columns), I awoke to heavy rain. Most people would be disappointed, but I was thrilled. The Pacific Ocean is a beautiful, dark, mysterious lady during a storm and I could not wait to see her. I had my favorite breakfast in San Jose and made my way to the Ritz only to discover that they put on an incredible Sunday Brunch. No matter — how can a day with a book and wine be bad?
I sat with my glass of wine, the book and the ocean for about an hour and a half. Again, the staff was impeccable. As I paid my bill and prepared to leave I discovered that Stage Left Wines was hosting a tasting at the wine bar so I decided to stay. What a treat! This is one of the best experiences I’ve ever had.
Stage Left was pouring three wines, their Viognier, the 2006 Syrah and the 2006 Breadwinner. I selected a seat at the bar between a couple and a woman who was sitting alone. The couple to my left who were celebrating their anniversary were having so much fun it would have been impossible not to “catch” their good mood. In another stroke of good fortune, the woman to my right was none other than Melinda Doty, owner of Stage Left.
Stage Left is a small operation that gets its grapes from some of the best vineyards in California and Oregon. The company grew from passion and enjoyment of wine. Anyone who reads my blog knows I have a soft spot for the smaller vineyard and Stage Left hit that spot. The wine is hard to come by, but you can join their mailing list if you are interested. You can find Stage Left on twitter @stageleftist
The first wine was the Viognier. For my pallet it had a little too much acid, but then again I was drinking it without food so it’s quite possible that if I’d had food my opinion would have been different. It had a lot of citrus and a creamy texture. This was the only tasting glass I did not finish.
Next up the Syrah: The grapes for this wine come from the central coast of California so they get a nice cool down period after dark but sun during the day — not so much sun that it’s over ripe though. There was a great fruit opening that you’d expect, berries all over the place, but it had a complexity at the end that made me think of wines that are more aged than this one. I really enjoyed it. This wine would compliment any of the typical “red wine foods” but it made me think of a good grilled burger.
The Breadwinner, this is the flagship wine for Stage Left. It runs $42 a bottle if you can get it. If you can get a bottle, you should. It’s a blend of Syrah and Grenache made with more central coast California grapes. I tasted this one immediately (I know, I know, light to dark but I couldn’t help it) then came back to it. In the 45 minutes or so it was in my glass the wine opened up immensely. The first taste was mostly fruit. When I came back it opened up with many other flavors including an earthiness that they call “stone” on the website. I’ve never eaten a rock so I can’t argue with that description but I probably would have just gone with earthy and maybe a hint of mineral.
The best part of this tasting experience was the “bartender.” Bartender is in quotation marks because I feel like I’m insulting him and his knowledge by using that word. I beleive he was studying for his sommelier exam. He kept pouring blind tastes for Melinda and then they’d discuss what they were tasting. It was very educational and enjoyable.
I can’t think of a better way to spend a Sunday.
Oh I LOVE stormy ocean views like the one you described. I can’t think of anything BETTER than sitting looking at the stormy ocean with a glass of wine and a good book!
Maybe sitting with a glass of wine in a Paris Bistro with nothing to do but read and people watch!