Skip to main content

Pierce Ranch Vineyards {Wine Tasting}


What do you do when you're kid-free for a few hours? Well, when the Nonni said that they would take the boys for the afternoon - to a local theatre production - I figured lunch and wine-tasting would be fun. So glad that we did. Great date...great wines.

There is a tasting room near Cannery Row that I've been eyeing for awhile: Pierce Ranch Vineyards. A small, family-owned operation centered in southern Monterey County's San Antonio Valley appellation, they produce limited-run, estate-grown wines with an emphasis on Spanish and Portuguese varieties. And their tasting room, surrounded by fragrant hedges of jasmine, salvia, and Cecil Bruner roses, is adorable! And, did I mention the wines?!?

We started with their 2011 Arinto. Light and citrusy. When we got home, I did some reading about Arinto since I was wholly unfamiliar with that grape. Beloved in Portugal, winemakers use Arinto mostly as a blending grape; but in the northern region of the Minho, Arinto shines as a monovarietal. Pierce followed suit and created a perfect summer wine. I am, admittedly, not very fond of white wines, but this one I would drink happily.


We moved onto reds with their Grenache which was a light, solid red. But it was the third wine in the tasting that I fell in love with: 2008 Cosecheiro. Odd to say that I "fell in love" with a wine, but its uniquely rose-heavy nose with spicy notes and a fruity finish made me swoon. It's a red blend - 52% Tempranillo, 38% Touriga, 6% Graciano, and 4% Petite Sirah. Handcrafted on a limited scale it was fermented in small lots and aged in American, French, and Hungarian oak for 18 months. Truly. Impressive. 


We progressed to their heavier reds, a Zinfandel and a Petit Syrah, and though I left with a bottle of both the Petit Syrah and the Cosecheiro, I will share the Syrah; the Cosecheiro I'll squirrel away for a special occasion.

And there are some Sundays when they have live jazz. So, next time the Nonni take the boys on a Sunday, you'll know where to find me and Jake.

After our wine tasting, we strolled down to the more touristy part of Cannery Row to check out the new menu at Taste of Monterey. But I am definitely planning another stop by Pierce Ranch Vineyards' tasting room. Soon.

Saúde!

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Connecticut Lobster Rolls, Canned Lobster Bisque, and a 2019 Henry Fessy 'Maître Bonhome' Viré-Clessé #Winophiles

This month the French Winophiles group is looking at affordable wines from Burgundy.  Host Cindy of Grape Experiences wrote: "Burgundy, or Bourgogne, is known for its wines of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir... as well as Aligote, Gamay, Sauvignon, César, Pinot Beurot, Sacy, Melon in lesser quantities. Many of the well-known wines are quite expensive, but there are plenty of values to be found." Read her invitation here. And there won't be a Twitter chat for this event, so you will have to dive into the articles themselves to read about our pairings and findings. Here's the line-up... Wendy Klik from A Day in the Life on the Farm enjoys Domaine Chevillon Chezeaux Bourgogne Hautes Cotes de Nuits, 2018 Paired with a Maple Pecan Chicken . Camilla Mann from Culinary Adventures with Camilla shares her love of Connecticut Lobster Rolls, Canned Lobster Bisque, and a 2019 Henry Fessy 'Maître Bonhome' Viré-Clessé. Jeff Burrows of FoodWineClick! explains why we should Look t

Homemade Lorna Doone Cookies #SundayFunday

Today the Sunday Funday group is celebrating childhood favorites. Thanks to Stacy of  Food Lust People Love , Sue of  Palatable Pastime , Rebekah of  Making Miracles , and Wendy of  A Day in the Life on the Farm  for coordinating this low-stress group. Today Stacy is hosting and she's given us the following prompt: "Childhood favorites. Did you have a favorite dish growing up? It could be something your family cooked or a restaurant dish, even a Chef Boyardee canned good or packaged ingredients like Rice-a Roni or mac and cheese. Recreate THAT dish from SCRATCH for this event."  Here's the #SundayFunday childhood favorites line-up... Chili Mac from A Day in the Life on the Farm Ham and Mushroom Breakfast Burritos from Making Miracles Homemade Lorna Doone Cookies from Culinary Adventures with Camilla Homemade Wonder Bread from Karen's Kitchen Stories K-Mart Sub Sandwiches from Palatable Pastime Kempakki Dosa from Sizzling Tastebuds Meat Chilly Fry by Sn

Meyer Lemon Custard-Filled Matcha Turtles #BreadBakers

#BreadBakers is a group of bread loving bakers who get together once a month to bake bread with a common ingredient or theme. You can see all our of lovely bread by following our  Pinterest board  right here. Links are also updated after each event on the  Bread Bakers home page .  We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme/ingredient. This month Stacy of Food Lust People Love  is hosting and she wrote: "Your bread can be large, as in one big animal, or small - animal-shaped rolls. Use your imagination! Points for flavor and shape!" If you are a food blogger and would like to join us, just send an email with your blog URL to Stacy at foodlustpeoplelove@gmail.com. Here's the animal-shaped bread basket from the #BreadBakers... Beef and Sweet Onion Dim Sum Pandas from Karen's Kitchen Stories Bird Bread Rolls from Ambrosia Easter Bunny Buns from Cook with Renu Ham and Cheese Elephant Rolls from Food Lust People Love Hedgehog Bread from Making Mir