Katya and I drove down to the Salinas Valley on a windy late afternoon a few weeks ago to attend a gourmet dinner at Pessagno Winery on River Road in the Monterey wine region. The west side of the Salinas Valley is called the Santa Lucia Highlands in the wine world. While there is some difference in the dirt it appears that the vineyards don’t want to be associated with their lettuce and row crop neighbors.

Anyway, River Road has about a dozen wineries along it and all produce tasty wines. Pessagno is a small family operation about half way along the trail and they host a Friday evening dinner occasionally and pack their tasting room with gourmet foodies for a great dinner and social event.

OK, so what’s the Zin Surprise?

We arrived a little early and tasted a few of their wines for the first time. While all are very enjoyable their 2006 Idyll Times Vineyard, San Benito County, Zin really got our attention. It had the nose of prunes and the taste of apricots, and neither was subtle.

I’m a former Santa Clara Valley prune and cot picker but Katya certainly isn’t (from the Russian north). I couldn’t believe what the terroir was doing to the wine so we bought a bottle, brought it home, and recently shared it with Jeff, a close friend and wine affectionado from Seattle.

We asked for an honest opinion, which with Jeff has to be a special request. I poured and Jeff did his sniffing. Prunes. He tasted. Apricots. He looked puzzled and confused. Did he understand right, we are tasting a Zin this evening?

This Zin is FUN!

- jim