Byington

We headed up the hill to our first stop: Byington Vineyard & Winery. Instead of taking the usual Bear Creek, which is slow and winding to the point of inducing motion sickness in the weaker of us, we followed 17 to the top, and headed up Summit. Ted insists this way is much faster. It seemed equally slow to me, but I imagine it could be faster if Ted was behind the wheel. We arrived shortly after opening.

After exiting the car, we realized we were in for a treat. The grounds were gorgeous!

The tasting room was nicely decorated, though somewhat disappointing after seeing outside. It had plenty of room at the long bar with windows opening to the operations of the winery. Byington was busy. A tour was organizing out back and a tasting class was starting soon. That said, we were the first of the day in the tasting room. We paid the $8 tasting fee, 5 of which is refunded if you purchase a bottle. The friendly and knowledgeable Richard McCaw poured for us and answered our questions. He started us off with a couple of whites, followed by two Pinots, the only grape grown on the estate, and finishing with a couple of cabs. Sue really liked the Rose. I favored the Block 4 Pinot, which was very good, but expensive at $50 a bottle.

The tasting room was nice, but outside was where Byington truly shined. There were plenty of tables to enjoy a bottle or simply relax at. Out back we found more picnic tables with great views of the Santa Cruz Mountains.

We headed up Wedding Hill. It was a wonderful area bordered by vines and another view of the mountains. Sue took in the view from ever angle and dreamed aloud of being remarried there. She wants to renew our vows for our 25th or 30th anniversary, the first of which is only 3 years away. Renewing vows aren't at the top of my list, but I can't see refusing her.

Wedding Hill

On the way to the car we noticed the bocce court.

We enjoyed one last look and headed on to our next stop.

Byington is open Wednesday through Sunday, 11 to 5.

Winery Details

Silvertip VINEYARDS

We drove a mile down the winding Upper Zayante Road to our second stop: The primary winery, Silvertip VINEYARDS.

We were pleased to see Michel had made it. Ted had warned the traffic on 17 was horrible and I figured Michel might be late, but it wasn't the case.

Paul Stroth, Winemaker

The tasting was free, and took place right outside the production building. We were the first to arrive of the day, the second time they had ever been open. The winemaker, Paul Stroth, poured, passionately talking about the wine, and answering any questions we had. We had seen Paul earlier in the year, when he spoke on the panel at Pinot Paradise.

Paul told us how the winery got its name. The family owned property used to be Nelson’s Christmas Tree Farm. In 1999 they moved 9 acres to Pinot and Syrah and looked no further than the most prized Christmas trees, Silvertips, for their name. Today they grow 20% Chardonnay, 40% Syrah, and 40% Pinot. They produce 320 cases a year, but could ramp up to 800 to 900 cases.

Paul was a great host. I thought he looked a little young to be a winemaker. He thanked me, saying he was 39, and told us his history in the wine world. He started off volunteering at Kathryn Kennedy, and later interned at David Bruce. I'm going to have to check my age-o-meter.

The location was beautiful, smack dab in the middle of the vineyard. On the hill you could see the grandfather's ranch. It was gorgeous.

Paul started us off with a nice Chard, followed by a Rose of Syrah. Next we tasted two very scrumptious Pinots: The first being the Petite Street Cuvee, and the second being the Silvertip, produced from the best barrels. Finally, he finished with a incredibly flavorful Syrah. All of the wine tasted very good.

The wine was reasonable for a boutique winery: Chardonnay $25, Rose $10, Petite Street Pinot Cuvee $25, Silvertip Pinot $35, and Syrah $25. They had good discounts as well, 10% off 6 bottles, 20% off mixed case, and 25% of a solid case. We combined orders with Michel to get the mixed case discount, though fortuitously they accidently gave us the solid case discount. We let them know, but they were fine with it. $18.75 for the Cuvee and $26.25 for the Silvertip. That's a pretty good deal for some great Pinot!

We thanked them and headed off to our third stop.

Silvertip is open rarely, by invitation only, so you'll need to get your name on their email list by sending a request to info@silvertipvineyards.com.

Winery Details

Bordeaux in a Box

As I waited for my order to be found in the back of KnL, I spied something interesting: A purple box of wine titled Le Bordeaux. I asked the guy behind the counter if it was any good, and he said it was better than most American wine; thinking about this now, I probably should have been insulted, but who knows what he meant. Bordeaux in a Box sounded funny to me, and at $29.99 for 3 liters (4 bottles) of 100% Merlot, I figured I'd give it a try.

When I brought it home I noticed the sticker on the box, stating Robert Parker's Wine Advocate had given it a 88.

It's was a little rough, though drinkable, but unfortunately, nothing special.

I was such a noob when it came to boxed wine that I assumed it had to be put in the refrigerator. My wife questioned this, since it's red, and we had to wait for it to warm up. A quick google showed only if the box says chill does it need to be refrigerated. For maximum survival, refrigeration may be the best plan.

This has inspired me to blind taste a couple of the supposedly better boxes of wine. Expect a post soon.

Planning a Wine Tasting Trip in Action - Silvertip VINEYARDS

Using my blog on How to Plan a Wine Tasting Trip, I thought I'd show an example.

Identify a Primary Winery

Silvertip VINEYARDS sent us an email that they will be open this Saturday, July 14th, 2012 from 12:00pm to 4:00pm. We tasted their Pinot at Pinot Paradise earlier in the year and would love to check them out. If you're going to go to a winery, what better day than the opening (at least I assume this is their opening). I'll plan a trip around them.

Search for Nearby Wineries

1. I bring up my winery finding tool, http://www.xperiencewine.com/
   
   
   
   
   
2. I paste Silvertip VINEYARDS' address, 16644 Upper Zayante Road, Los Gatos, CA 95033, into the address text field, select 10 miles from the distance drop down, and click the Look Up button.
   
   
   
   
   
3. I click the Open Weekly check box to get rid of wineries that are open only at odd times likes the third weekend of every month
   
   
   
   
   
4. I click around on the wineries, looking for something that looks interesting
   
   
   
   
   
5. I decide on Byington Winery & Vineyard and MJA Vineyards because I want to make a blog on the Summit Road wineries and I don't have any pictures of these places. I don't even remember what Byington was like, it's been so long, but I remember it was beautiful.

Make an Itinerary

Since Silvertip VINEYARDS doesn't open until 12, I put Byington Winery & Vineyard first.

11:00 AM - Byington Winery & Vineyard

21850 Bear Creek Rd.

Los Gatos, CA 95033

1(408)354-1111

12:00 - leave, Travel Time - 9 mins

12:15- Silvertip VINEYARDS

16644 Upper Zayante Road,

Los Gatos, CA 95033

1:15 leave, Travel Time - 20 mins

1:35 - Grab lunch at Summit Store or bring a lunch, your choice

1:40 - MJA Vineyards

24900 Highland Way

Los Gatos 95033

1(408)353-6000

Lunch before or after tasting

Verify the Wineries are Open, Make Reservations, if Necessary

I sent Byington and MJA a message to make certain they were open.

Be Aware of Event Days

Summer Passport is July 21st, so it will not interfere.

The Wine Tasting

• Byington
• Silvertip
• MJA

How to Go Wine Tasting

After planning your wine tasting trip there are some things to keep in mind.

What to Wear

You can wear pretty much anything to most wineries. I try to dress a little nicer than I normally do, but that's only because my normal attire is a t-shirt and shorts. I typically spruce it up, with a short sleeved button down shirt and shorts. If you're really lucky, I wear my wine tasting shirt that Bob and Carolyn bought for me at David Bruce. You can see why "they" call me a wine snob.

Me in My Wine Tasting Shirt

What Not to Wear

Make certain not to wear any cologne, perfume, or odorous body cremes. These will interfere with the wine tasting by over powering the subtle smells and tastes of the wine. You'll also annoy other patrons.

Eat Breakfast

It's important to have a full stomach at the start of the tasting. You might hit two wineries before you get some lunch. You'll be hungry, and the alcohol will go to your head much more quickly if you didn't eat breakfast. Sue usually makes us a two egg, sausage, and cheese sandwich for breakfast. It always hits the spot.

Don't Forget a Designated Driver

Depending on how many wineries you are visiting, you will probably need a designated driver.

How to Plan a Wine Tasting Trip

If you're going to go wine tasting, it's best to make a plan.

Identify a Primary Winery

I usually start with one winery that I want to visit for whatever reason. A wine from there may have won a blind tasting, or made a good showing. Perhaps a friend recommended it, or I read something about it. Maybe I've just never been there before. Something usually drives me to want to visit the place.

If you can't find a reason to go anywhere, shoot me an email and I'll give you one.

Search for Nearby Wineries

Sure there's one winery you want to make certain you hit, but to make a trip you typically want to visit 2 or 3 wineries. I use my winery web site, http://www.xperiencewine.com/, but google maps can work as well to search for wineries nearby.

Make an Itinerary

Start Early

Always arrive at the first winery when it opens. You'll get the most attention and the best service if you are the only ones there. Later in the day you will have to contend with crowds. This will also maximize the amount of time you have while the wineries are open. Wineries are typically open 11 - 5. If you have to travel an hour to the first one, you'd rather have this travel time not take away from the 6 hours of possible winery time.

Plan on an Hour per Winery

When laying out the schedule, plan on at least an hour for each winery.

Include Travel Time

It's easy to forgot about travel time if you don't include it. Don't make this mistake. Use Google maps, or whatever you prefer, to compute the travel time.

Plan Lunch

After your first or second stop, work in a lunch. Just like skipping breakfast is a bad idea, so too is skipping lunch.

Add an Audible or Two

Add one or two audibles to the list, just in case people are in the mood for more.

Verify the Wineries are Open, Make Reservations, if Necessary

Winery websites are notorious for containing out of date information. Call or email the wineries ahead of time to verify your plan works.

Some wineries require reservations or a heads up, depending on the amount of people in your party. When you call or email them, let them know how many are coming.

Be Aware of Event Days

Wine regions have all sorts of special occasions to try and get as many people as they can out tasting. These occasions can be really fun or really annoying depending on what you are looking for. Be aware of what is going on, and participate or avoid them depending on your liking.

Enjoy!

Yes you made a plan, but don't get all uptight about it. If you spend longer than an hour at some great winery, then so be it. Enjoy the tasting!

SuperBowl Pinot Tasting

Earlier this year we had some friends over for the Super Bowl. I put out a blind tasting of Pinots from highly rated bottles I had selected from K&L. The wines were tasted and discussed at everyone's leisure. At half time we tallied the ratings and ripped open the bags.

Results

Top to Bottom from Left to Right

A - 2010 Failla, Sonoma Coast came in first place with an average of 3.60. It cost $35.

D - 2007 Marimar Estate, Don Miguel Vineyard, Russian River Valley came in second place with an average of 2.84.  It cost $43.

C - 2008 Dierberg, Sta. Rita Hills, Drum Canyon Vineyard came in third place with an average of 2.80, so close to second place. It cost $40.

B - 2009 melville, Estate - Sta. Rita Hills came in last place with an average of 2.55. It cost $28.

There was some discussion about all of Carolyn's 1s. The thought was that this affected the outcome, but I ran the numbers and while it lowered the average ratings, it did not change the order.

Ratings Minus Carolyn