Destination: Eric's San Jose, CA via Matchbook Wines, Zamora CA outside Sacramento
Sleeping at a truck stop was more pleasant than I thought it would be. I guess it depends on the travel stop. I love Love's.
We were getting to know fog. Van picked out a breakfast place on our way to the winery, then we set off. Driving backroads instead of the interstate made for beautiful scenery through canyons, hills and cattle ranches.
We arrived at Road Trip Bar and Grill which turned out to be one of the best breakfast of the trip so far! Hope, the manager, saw me looking at all the license plates from all over the US, and asked, "What are you looking for." After I told her Rhode Island, she said, "Wow, you are on REAL road trip! I'll be right back."
She reappeared with an armful of loot - travelling blanket, T-shirt and other chachkis. We enjoyed steak and eggs, and scrambled eggs on corn chips, avocado, cheddar, drizzle of sour cream, green salsa - chilaquiles verde. This would definitely be breakfast and lunch.
Our drive to Matchbook Vineyards was in the fog, through almond orchards, ranches and acres and acres of mature grave vines and harvesters. We wondered if this was a wine producer's crop or were these grapes sold to other processors? Then we saw the Matchbook Vineyard signs. They were owned by the vineyards that would be our next tasting.
The winery was "wicked" cool. Its outdoor signage, sculptures and landscaping was understated but very chic, in a rural, California farmhouse way. Van was uncomfortable with my picture taking. He was eager to start the tastings!
We were greeted by two very nice sommeliers who were happy to hear Van's story of why we had come there. Apparently, a friend who owned a wine store in NW Connecticut recommended it to Van, who fell in love with Sawbuck Malbec. Soon, our friend could not get it anymore because it had won an award. Then we stopped going to this place as we no longer passed it when the kids finished middle school. Anywhooo...
The saga of Sawbuck (Matchbook) continued as we began tasting. There was not one bad grape in the tastes, ranging from rose to deep cabs. I knew Van was claiming victory, when he asked for a bottle of their Estate Malbec, which was not on the tasting list. He sipped it and commented that he would stay right there, speaking of the glass he was holding. Since there was not an open bottle on the sommelier's shelf, he'd asked for a full bottle so he could taste it, then bring the remaining bottle back to TCB. (This was a trick we learned from Jill and Don, our taster friends who live in Virginia wine country.) We were getting good at this responsible way of visiting wineries.
We signed up for their wine club and ordered a case of the Malbec to be shipped home. One caveat - they did not ship to Rhode Island. We solved that problem, after texting Alan in Massachusetts, a close foodie-friend who enjoys a good bottle of wine now and then.
We returned to I-5 in the fog, with a short two hour drive to Eric's in San Jose. He was eager to show us his new Crosstrek. I was happy to see the shiny car too, as his old Subaru had seen better days. (Yes, Eric has inherited his dad's driving genes.) Soup, Malbec and grilled cheese made by Van in TCB's perfect galley ended the evening. Lights out, eyes closed and eyes shut, we were in Eric's backyard. (It wasn't paradise this time, as winter had arrived in the Bay area.)
Thank you, Eric for another visit to sunny California, only it wasn't so sunny this time.
