Vibrant Wasp~

Hi Wine Friends!

In preparation for fall Steve and I planned a trip down to Central California over Labor Day weekend to visit with my oldest daughter Katie and her husband Sam. I wanted to explore some of their favorite wineries in Paso Robles where GSM's are the rage. (Really I wanted to visit with my perfect chocolate lab grandpuppy Cooper, but don't tell them that) Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre blends are perfect fall weather wines, pairing well with hearty stews and comfort food meals. My French Basque son-in-law is an expert. "I want to compare GSM's from Washington to GSM's in California" I said to Sam. We were driving from Cambria to Morro Bay to meet his parents and grandmother for dinner and talking about our wine tasting itinerary on the way. "Well, I brought a Paso GSM for tonight that I hope you'll enjoy as much as your Gramercy Third Man," he said as he passed back a bottle with a black and white label that looked like a zebra.
"Gramercy, Rasa, Rotie Cellars, we've got a bunch of fantastic GSM's" I boasted while grabbing the bottle of wine from Steve who was laughing at our Washington/California wine banter. "2007 Saxum? James Berry Vineyard? 100 pt. flawless by Robert Parker? Wine Spectator wine of the year for 2010?" I almost passed out. Little did I know that Sam's Saxum surprise would shrink in comparison to what they had in store for us a little later in the evening.