On Tuesday we booked a fun day at our favorite place, Hahn Winery.
They give ATV tours of the vineyards and winery and bottling areas.
George and I requested our favorite person, Malin, to be our guide.
We arrived at 10:30 that morning to get started.
The three of us hopped into the ATV, got strapped in,
and proceeded out into the vineyards.
We stopped first where the Malbec grapes were growing,
and had not been harvested yet.
We also got to taste some of the grapes,
they were surprisingly sweet!
Malin drove us up to an area that normally isn't allowed.
There was a grove of avocado trees.
They had mostly been harvested,
a few little ones were there, but not ripe.
We saw quite a few fruit trees on the property as well.
We scored a few limes :-)
It was cool to see some mechanical harvesters too.
They go right up the rows and shake the grapes
off into the containers.
I think this guy was trimming down the rows.
Everywhere we stopped the view was fantastic.
Malin let us try some Pinot grapes, yum!
Finally we reached the top, 'Inspiration Point'
where Nicky Hahn bought the property after he saw the view.
The 3 bunches, Malbec, Pinot, and Grenache.
At this point we tasted some wine,
and had some cheese and crackers.
What an incredible view!
Down below is the tasting room..
After we were through at Inspiration Point,
we got a tour of the bottling and wine making facilities.
They had just received a new shipment of barrels.
Also a new hopper of grapes..
Eventually the wine gets aged in the barrels..
Each barrel is coded with variety,
vineyard, and clone.
We got to taste some wine out of the barrel as well,
pretty cool!
The day we were there,
they were bottling Chardonnay.
It was a very informative tour, we loved it!
Yesterday we met up with Connie & Greg
and went out to breakfast in Carmel.
We started off with Bloody Marys..
..and I had a great plate of biscuits & gravy with fried cheese grits..
YUM!
We took a ride over to Monterey's Cannery Row,
where I was surprised to see a cruise ship in the harbor.
The harbor is very shallow, so they can't get close,
nor do they have a dock big enough.
The passengers ride a tender to the wharf.
It's been a busy week,
ending today with George finally getting
hearing aids! Yay!!
It's been long in coming :-)