San Miguel; A Treasure Just North of Paso Robles

Last weekend we took a trip to Paso Robles.  I love it up there.  I guess it's hard not to love someplace when you're on vacation - even if it's only for a long weekend.  We were meeting some friends who couldn't get there until later in the day, but that didn't stop us from heading out early.  So many wines, so little time.  It was the perfect opportunity to hit some more out of the way spots our friends didn't seem as interested in.  I love the thrill of the hunt and the tasty discovery of a new wine.  It's such an adventure and there's so much to see along the way.  Our destination this time, San Miguel, just a short distance north of Paso Robles.  Out of the mainstream, the wineries we visited on this early Friday afternoon were quiet and we had all the attention we could ask for.  We started off at Graveyard Vineyards which captured my interest with their tag line, "wine to die for" and the names of their wines, such as Cold Roses and Tombstone Red.  Take note of the real graveyard at the bottom of the long driveway.  It lets you know you're in the right place.  The tasting room itself overlooks a small pond conveniently stocked with fish and accompanied by geese.  A charming seating area sits under the umbrella of wisteria and also overlooks the pond.  It's a lovely location for a picnic.  Inside the tasting room be prepared for all manner of wine-related merchandise with a graveyard or skull theme.  My favorite was the coffin shaped wine gift box.  Fantastic!  Cabernet Frank poured us tastings from their extensive wine list.  I appreciated the opportunity to taste everything, but for me, it was a little overwhelming for the first stop of the day.  We took home a bottle of their Sweet Illusions - I love a good dessert wine.  Get your hands on a bottle of this and take a good look at the label - and then take a second look - you'll know why it's called Sweet Illusions.

Next stop, Locatelli.  It was mid-afternoon at this point and we didn't want the afternoon getting away from us, but it seemed to be anyway.  We were greeted by Rainy, one of the owners, who opened several bottles for us to taste.  The winery backs two labels, the namesake, Locatelli label, and the Old Mission San Miguel Arcangel label.  Rainy shared the story of how they wanted to give back to the community and partnered with the iconic San Miguel mission, located approximately 2 miles from the winery.  After being closed for six years following an earthquake, the mission was reopened, although not fully restored.  For every bottle of Old Mission wine purchased, Locatelli donates 25% to the restoration efforts.  What a lovely way to ensure the legacy of this mission and winery.  This must be the weekend for sweet wines, because in addition to a bottle of chardonnay, we took home two bottles of muscat cannel.  I enjoyed speaking with Rainy and learning about the wine and the mission.  Thank you Rainy!