Help with Trip to Monterey, Carmel, San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara

First, get reservations at Fresh Cream Restaurant, 99 Pacific St, Monterey, CA, 831-375-9798, and ask for the "Harbor Room."

Next, a few wineries that we have enjoyed (no particular order):

Beckman - Los Olivos Claiborne & Churchill - San Luis Obispo Gainey - Santa Ynez Babcock - Lompoc Edna Valley - San Luis Obispo Foxen - San Luis Obispo

A fairly comprehensive site is:

This is obviously NOT a complete list, but mostly "off the beaten path" sort of places, that one is not likely to head to, unless they are just out exploring. As you have stated, Sanford and Justin make excellent wines, though I have not visited either. I also would include Au Bon Climat, though it seems that they might be in a tasting room co-op, and not have a winery tasting - someone refresh my feeble memory, please.

Hunt

Since you like Justin you might want to spend a night there. If I remember they have three or four very uxorious suites.

Thomas Coyne was a former client, Joe? I've been very impressed with his wines... and the reasonable prices he charges for them. Also, Jean and I passed Page Mill on our way to a beautiful hike in the mountains above the San Mateo peninsula -- that's one out of the way winery, and not one for people who don't like driving mountain roads. Chalone has a unique terroir, lying just outside of Pinnacles Nat'l Monument, but I haven't had any of their wines for quite a few years now and wonder if their quality is what it used to be.

Mark Lipton

Mark Lipton

The first issue to confront, Dick, is what route you plan to take: CA's Route 1 is breathtaking (for some, literally) in those parts, running along the coast and passing Big Sur, Hearst Castle and other attractions; OTOH, US 101 can be reached easily from Monterey and travels somewhat inland, taking you through the wine areas of the Santa Lucia highlands (Monterey Co.), Paso Robles (SLO Co.) and Santa Barbara. My suggested route would be to travel 1 into Carmel, spend the night there or in Carmel Valley, then pass over the mountains to 101, thence southward. If scenery is more important than wine and you don't mind driving on a road that will at times be perched on a cliffside 200 ft above the Pacific, then take 1 the whole way.

You could probably find enough good restaurants in Monterey and Carmel for the 7-10 days, but you did actually want to go somewhere, I suppose. I'll leave the dining recommendations up to people with more current info. As for wineries:

Soledad/Salinas (Pinot): Morgan Hahn/Rex Goliath Chalone

Paso Robles (Zin and Rhone): Tablas Creek Justin Garretson Linne Calodo L'Aventure

Santa Maria (Pinot/Chard/Syrah): Byron/Io

Santa Ynez/Los Olivos (Pinot/Chard/Syrah): Beckmen Santa Ynez Inn (Au Bon Climat, Byron, Io)

Buellton (Pinot, Chard): Sanford* Hitching Post*

HTH Mark Lipton

Thanks for the suggestions. I think I might hit some of these.

Dick

D'Oh!! *slaps forehead* Yup, Larry. I can only blame this lapse on the heat (and the loss of our central AC unit).

Mark Lipton

Mark, where are you living now?

"Back home again in Indiana," as the song goes...

Mark Lipton (still entering the wines brought back from CA into the database)

With you its kind of like "wheres waldo"

Now don't you wish you had bought an SUV like I did, instead of that very " earth-friendly" Acura? The Landcruiser will hold 19 styro-shipper cases, but only if the family is left behind to fly home!

Hope the trip back was pleasant and uneventful. Next time I've got you!

Hunt

Actually, Hunt, we shipped the wine home 2nd day air by FedEx as our trip through UT would have fried the wine (completely OT note: we moved our possessions x-country most cheaply by setting up an account w/ FedEx and using FedEx ground shipment for our boxes. FedEx account holders get free home pickup and the rates for FedEx ground are about 60% of what UPS charges -- 40 lb boxes cost us about $20 to ship)

Mark Lipton

How many boxes did you ship back to Indiana?

Appreciate the note. Recently, we shipped UPS from Hawaii, and it would have cost us about 1/2 that, to just pay overweight baggage on UAL. Oh well, live and learn.

Hunt

The Turley glasses are Riedel.

Dimitri

No wonder I like them so much, but they aren't marked except the Turley Logo.