Today is Vinomaker's birthday. Whoo hoo!
For one of Vinomaker's birthday treats, as is tradition, I arranged for a winery tour and tasting for the two of us. This year I thought I'd pick a winery closer to home, so I chose Palmaz Vineyards which is located in the recently minted Coombsville AVA. So, this past Friday, we drove the 2 minutes up the road from Vinoland to Palmaz and entered through their vineyard gates to what turned out to be a fascinating visit. Neither Vinomaker or I had ever visited Palmaz before, nor tasted any of their wines, so we had no idea what to expect.
The property, originally settled by Napa winemaking pioneer Henry Hagen, was the site of a winery called Cedar Knoll Vineyard Company which Hagen founded in 1881. The Palmaz family bought and began restoring the original Hagen estate house and vineyard in 1997 - not a small, or inexpensive, undertaking as the site had remained abandoned for some 80 years. A native of Argentina Dr. Julio Palmaz invented the Palmaz Coronary Stent, so he isn't short a bob or two.
The restored property, and new buildings, are spectacular. The view from the area outside the tasting room is breathtaking, looking down upon Coombsville below us and to the south, and in the distance to the west, Mt. Tamalpais and the San Francisco Bay. The 100,000 square foot winery is a massive feat of engineering. Built entirely underground and spanning the equivalent of an 18 story building, I am afraid that any description I could attempt to make of this facility would not do it justice. Fortunately, there is a short video on the Palmaz Vineyards website that gives you some idea of the enormity of this project - and they only produce 6,000 cases annually. I can only conclude that a heart-stopping amount of money was spent to create this engineering marvel.
The food and wine pairing at the end of our tour was a lot of fun. Our host for the visit was pleasant and informed. All in all, the two hours we spent at Palmaz Vineyards were highly enjoyable, even if I did feel a bit like a mole when I stepped back out into the daylight.
Happy birthday Vinomaker!
For one of Vinomaker's birthday treats, as is tradition, I arranged for a winery tour and tasting for the two of us. This year I thought I'd pick a winery closer to home, so I chose Palmaz Vineyards which is located in the recently minted Coombsville AVA. So, this past Friday, we drove the 2 minutes up the road from Vinoland to Palmaz and entered through their vineyard gates to what turned out to be a fascinating visit. Neither Vinomaker or I had ever visited Palmaz before, nor tasted any of their wines, so we had no idea what to expect.
The property, originally settled by Napa winemaking pioneer Henry Hagen, was the site of a winery called Cedar Knoll Vineyard Company which Hagen founded in 1881. The Palmaz family bought and began restoring the original Hagen estate house and vineyard in 1997 - not a small, or inexpensive, undertaking as the site had remained abandoned for some 80 years. A native of Argentina Dr. Julio Palmaz invented the Palmaz Coronary Stent, so he isn't short a bob or two.
The restored property, and new buildings, are spectacular. The view from the area outside the tasting room is breathtaking, looking down upon Coombsville below us and to the south, and in the distance to the west, Mt. Tamalpais and the San Francisco Bay. The 100,000 square foot winery is a massive feat of engineering. Built entirely underground and spanning the equivalent of an 18 story building, I am afraid that any description I could attempt to make of this facility would not do it justice. Fortunately, there is a short video on the Palmaz Vineyards website that gives you some idea of the enormity of this project - and they only produce 6,000 cases annually. I can only conclude that a heart-stopping amount of money was spent to create this engineering marvel.
The food and wine pairing at the end of our tour was a lot of fun. Our host for the visit was pleasant and informed. All in all, the two hours we spent at Palmaz Vineyards were highly enjoyable, even if I did feel a bit like a mole when I stepped back out into the daylight.
Happy birthday Vinomaker!
6 comments:
Consorting with the enemy hey? youy will be hanging out with mr penn soon.
I think I'll be OK, Napa is still north of the border.
happy very belayed birthday vinomaker, hope you had a grand day.
thats belated....sorry
I like belayed as it gives a nautical feel to your celebrations... ahahh maties belay that birthday!
I will be sure to pass on your b-day wishes, both belayed and belated!
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