I contacted the vintner ahead of time and Greg Brewer graciously opened his tasting room for me outside of their normal hours, a rare occurence I'm told.
This expansive warehouse style facility is home base of Brewer Clifton and Diatom, and I believe is also shared with Palmina. The space is unassuming, casual, very sleek and modern, and inviting at the same time. The stairs that led to the second floor were crafted from bamboo. The winemaking facilities were immaculate. You could eat off the floor if you felt so inclined. Alas there was no wine being made, however, I did see one worker gal, Her job was to dip the tops of the bottles in wax and then in cold water so the wax would harden. So cool!
Huge fan of all their wines, especially Diatom, and now, after meeting Greg, even more of a fan. He told me he lets the grapes rest for awhile after being picked and before pressing begins. They were already startled and shaken up when they were picked off their vines so he gives them the extra time to relax. How thoughtful!
We tasted 3 different brewer clifton pinot noirs, my favorite was the one called cargasacchi, which was the sterner, more austere It was very interesting how 3 pinot noirs made in the same way and from the same varietal, but grown on different soil, could each be so vastly different. Also tasted 2 brewer clifton chardonnays...and my favorite: diatom hamon chardonnay and diatom hana shinobu. Instead of using the vineyard sites' names, greg is now using japanese kanji in their place. I could go on and on about diatom all day and all night... To taste a diatom chardonnay is a literal spiritual journey of the palate.
After my palate's spiritual journey, I was starving! I ended up going to Sissy's Cafe in Lompoc. For a modest little mom and pop shop the food was to die for!
Wax paper lined tables and crayons for me to draw with!!! ;)
The quiche of the day was ridiculously good and came with a small cup of soup, lentil YUM. I didn't think that'd be enough food and it wasn't, which is where the warm mixed mushroom salad with maytag blue cheese and toasted hazelnuts came in very handy. Boysenberry pie a la mode for dessert!
I felt the need to see some sand dunes after my delicious lunch, so I ended up driving to Guadalupe Dunes. Alas, they are closed Mondays and Tuesdays! Plan B, Oceano dunes, Grover Beach, near Pismo Beach in San Luis Obispo. The dunes, while beautiful, were not very vast. They fulfilled the dune craving though. A little stroll on the beach after the dune chasing, a sudden brake screeching stop at KK's Gourmet Bundt cakes in Arroyo Grande, and then Panera bread in Santa Barbara, and my day is complete.
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