California Wine Tour: Day 3

Well friends, I definitely wrote way too early yesterday.  I wrote before dinner and did not have time to share about dinner that evening at Bernardus Lodge and the "treat" we received after dinner.  Right after I wrote the blog yesterday, I walked down to the wedding garden at the lodge where a reception was hosted and we were able to mingle with the general manager, Mike; grape grower, Matt; the wine master, Mark; and the executive chef, Chef Cal.  This reception consisted of walking through the beautiful vineyard that is planted in the entrance way to the lodge.  Adds a romantic touch, right?  Well the vineyard was beautiful and we listened and asked questions to Matt, the grape grower.  After that, we switched groups to walk through the garden were Marinus and Wicked (the two restaurants on the property) grow all of the ingredients they use while cooking every single meal.  During this time we talked with Chef Cal and wine master Mark about the farm to table method and the beautiful wine cellar they have below the property.  At dinner, I tried my first experience with Foie Gras.  If you do not know what that is, it's duck liver.  Everyone kept going on and on about how amazing this food was so I figured I must try it.  Well, I did the mistake and ate it by itself (Chef Leo would have killed me).  Chefs make dishes for everything to be eaten together but I grew up eating on sectioned plates that I wouldn't touch another food group until I was finished with the first one.  So, next time, I was ordered to put it on top of the beef like it was served.  During dinner, I had the honor of sitting next to celebrity Chef Cultino.  This man has done so many things throughout the years that I could only sit there and take in the wisdom he had to offer.  He has won so many awards, worked with chefs on TV shows, and has opened his own culinary school.  He began in the industry washing dishes.  AMAZING!  After dinner, we were whisked away by Lisa and brought to the spa where we indulged in chocolates, cake, cupcakes, and the biggest strawberries I had ever seen in my life!  In the spa, we were treated to coffee AND seven minute chair massages!! I have never had a massage before and after last night I think I'm going to find a way to spend $50-75 a month on a massage. I felt like a new person.  After all the sponsors and faculty left, we all sat by the fire and talked about how blessed we are to be out here at this point in our lifetime.  It's indescribable.

WOW! So that was just last night.  Today we were able to leave a little bit later but had to check out of the gorgeous Bernardus Lodge.  We drove an hour and a half to a vineyard that will never be open to the public: Pisoni Vineyard.  Unfortunately, this year, our group was unable to meet the famous Gary Pisoni who is the owner of Pisoni Vineyards.  The way business is done with him is by a hand shake and only if Gary likes you.  Luckily, we were blessed to spend the day with his son Mark (the grape grower of the family business) and his beautiful wife.  This morning was so relaxing! We enjoyed lunch in Gary's man cave (literally) of food that the Pisoni's hunt off of their land.  The meal was HUGE and it was only lunch time.  I did discover my new favorite wine and Brenden is going to kill me.  It's named Lucy and it is a Pisoni brand but it's a rosa wine that is so light on the palette.  It is extremely expensive but all Pisoni wines are. :)  After lunch, we were able to take the famous jeep ride with Mark through the vineyard and we got some amazing shots of the grapes and the scenery.  This place was a once in a lifetime opportunity!

Pisoni ended (unfortunately) and we rode on a bus from St. Lucia Highlands to Napa Valley, a three and a half hour drive!!  Our group definitely had a lot of fun on the bus but I was able to squeeze a quick nap in before we transferred to our new hotel River Terrace Inn.  This place reminds me a lot of the Hotel at Auburn University but in California they have wine in all the mini bars!  We were able to check in, put our luggage in the room, and run out the door to our next location: Far Niente.

Arriving at Far Niente, we were greeted with a glass of Chardonnay and Beth, the owner herself in a barn filled with old fashion cars.  Beth use to own this winery with her husband Gill until he passed away about seven years ago.  Her story is just amazing but the neat thing about their winery is the name.  When they discovered the old abandoned stone building Far Niente was carved in the front.  In Italy that translates to "doing nothing".  Well, as Beth told us, Gill emphasized that Far Niente was meant to be how they enjoy the wine not how they make it.  And man was their wine fabulous.  We enjoyed a four course meal in what use to be Beth and Gill's apartment in the top of this exquisite estate.  We enjoyed four wines tonight.  Far Niente specialize in the King and Queen of all wines: Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay.  But for dessert, Far Niente has a winery within the winery called Dolce.  This is a dessert wine and is made to smell like a white wine but to taste like a jubilance of flavors.  Far Niente was so nice and let us enjoy 1999 Dolce.  One bottle alone sells for $200!  AH! I don't even want to know the retail value for this trip.

But the retail value will never compare to the amount of knowledge I am gaining from this experience.  I cannot express enough how blessed I am to be on this trip.  Not only on it but on it as a junior.  My outlook on experiences and life have completely changed because of this trip.  I have learned more about what I am interested in, what I want to do after graduation, and where I want to end up.  This opportunity could not be any better.

Soaking up the greatness,

Kayla