Sidwayz in the Heart O' the Mountain

With friends in town and the harvest right around the corner. I thought (MD did actually) that wine tasting was in order. I fired a line to Brandon - my wicked sweet cousin - to see if I could bring a couple friends up for a tasting and tour of the winery. I didn't want to loft the expectations too high, so I told the friends we'd go up and be back to tuck the kids in. Little did we know, Brandon had a hot one planned for us.

We showed up at the Heart O' the Mountain Winery tucked away in the redwoods of Scotts Valley in the early evening and Brandon was ready for us with some education on viticulture and the estate. Uncle Bob, Brandon's father, purchased the estate in the early 70's. The prior owner of the estate being Alfred Hitchcock himself.

We learned about sugar content and testing it with this funny gadget, and from plant to harvest of the pinot that blanketed the surrounding hillsides with the ocean and Monterey as the backdrop to this beautiful evening. When Hitchcock purchased the 200-acre estate in 1940, it was known as 'The Heart of the Mountain' hence the name chosen by my the family for the pinot growing on the hillsides.

Brandon showed us the room Grace Kelly stayed in on her visits to the estate, how Jimmy Stewart would stop for relaxing getaways and creative brainstorming with AH, and how it was Cary Grant's favorite Californian destination. Ingrid Bergman frequented the estate for photo shoots with AH and whatever else goes on between artist and muse.

To the wine, we tasted and tasted some more. Brandon was more that great with his level of knowledge on wine and its processes. Bottomline, it's not just about the grape, but everything from the story, the soil and treatment at all aspects of the harvesting and bottling and selling process.

The estate is rediculously beautiful, from the narrow casms of the quant cellars to the famous AH Rose Garden. We tinkered around the old cars, sat in AH's personal deck teek furniture and continued to drink the best pinot bottle in the world.

Fun all around and we finished off the night back at the winery with the stars lighting our night and Willie Nelson laying down the tracks. While a smile never left MD's face the entire night, our friend from Boston was beside himself and Hunter acted like he had a PHD in wine by the end of the night, our actions spoke to the contentness in our minds and hearts.

As in any talk with a guru, we dispelled the bullshit theory about 'legs' on wine - it has absolutely nothing to do with the quality of wine you knobs! So next time uncle dipshit's got his chest pumped up and refracting the light in his glass to see the legs better, tell him to kick rocks.

I'd like to thank Brandon, Uncle Bob and Aunt Judy for an experience of a lifetime. Love the fam!