Sealed With a Pen - What Blubber, the Hearst Castle & Wine Have in Common

I see you! (Photo: Visit San Simeon)

Just days before President Obama left office he invoked the Antiquities Act of 1906, and no, it has nothing to do with antiques. What President Obama did was to expand the California Coastal National Monument, a move that provides added protections for the elephant seal colony at Piedras Blancas located just north of San Simeon and the Hearst Castle. The California Coastal National Monument, originally established by President Clinton in 2000, protects and preserves “objects or sites of historic or scientific interest” along California’s Central Coast. More than 17,000 elephant seals migrate thousands of miles to come to this secluded sandy beach twice per year, and now they are fully protected. Bless their fat little hearts.

Boys being boys.

Located four miles north of the Hearst Castle, 12 miles north of Cambria the elephant seal rookery is visible by “Elephant Seal Viewing Area” signs. If that doesn’t work you’ll see a lot of people looking over a low wood fence pointing indiscriminately. No one is certain why the seals keep showing up here, but they do.  In the winter months the seals come here to breed, in the summer months, they molt. Winter is the best time to view the males, females and newborn pups. They might seem lazy at first, strewn across the sand like so much chubby road kill. But they can be forgiven. They can dive up to 3,000 feet and swim at three miles an hour and, let’s not forget, they carry all that blubber with them. They started appearing in these low sand protected beaches in the early 1990s and haven’t left yet. The males will spar for territorial rights, the females who appear to just want to be left alone. And they are loud, making a horrible sound like a bad Chewbacca impression. The seals are around all year, though not in the quantities like summer and winter. The docents are there all year too, people in blue coats emblazoned with “Friends of the Elephant Seal” on their jackets. Ask them anything. The information is free, the show is free and you might spend more time here than you ever expected.

The Big Sur Coastline

“We’re very grateful to President Obama to include one of San Simeon’s most precious resources as part of the California Coastal National Monument,” said Michael Hanchett, president of the San Simeon Chamber of Commerce. “This elephant seal rookery has become a globally loved place. Three-quarters of a million visitors come to see them each year, which helps support and preserve local businesses and jobs.” Obviously Hearst Castle is nearby, the charming town of Cambria, the Piedras Blancas Light Station, whose tower and support building are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Just north you begin the staggeringly beautiful Big Sur Coastline. There are wineries dotted south in Cambria, Cayucos, Morro Bay, and a plethora of them on Highway 46 West, which, runs from Cambria to Paso Robles. Time to hit the road, my friends!

Chillin' (Photo: Solterra Strategies)

FRIENDSOF THE ELEPHANT SEAL

VISITSAN SIMEON

Chamisal Vineyards: A Day in the Life

You probably have never heard of the Edna Valley. It’s sandwiched between San Luis Obispo and Pismo Beach, and this small inland wine growing region, home to a dozen wineries, is beginning to get its share of attention. The first vineyard planted here was Chamisal Vineyard in 1973. It then became another winery but has now come back (forgive the pun) to its roots. Fintan du Fresne, a New Zealander by birth, is the winemaker here. Chamisal has reclaimed not only its name, but its emphasis on Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. I got to spend a few days with Fintan, Fin as he’s called, during the 2011 harvest.



Fin explains calcareous soils

Before we get to grapes, a word about Fin’s hair. In these photos it’s a mohawk. Every year during harvest Fin cuts his hair; not only a change of appearance, but a sign of the forthcoming harvest. It made me think about doing some yearly thing as a writer…I don’t know, maybe a slice of pie each time I meet a deadline (I simply can’t pull off a mohawk like Fin).

Chamisal makes 50,000 cases a year of wine, predominately Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, but there is also Syrah, Grenache, Pinot Gris and a very intriguing stainless steel tank Pinot Noir (virtually all Pinots are barrel fermented or barrel aged). Though Fin has a preference for indigenous yeasts (those yeasts which live naturally in the vineyard) he uses some cultured yeasts – those grown specifically for the purpose of making wine. “With cultured yeasts I can still direct the flavor profile,” he says, meaning he doesn’t have to rely on wild yeasts that may do something unexpected during fermentation. He produces three Chardonnay’s (ranging in price from $18 to $38) and three Pinot Noirs ($38 - $80). I’m a fan of the lesser expensive Chard and Pinot, not because of the price, but because the Chard is stainless steel fermented making it light and crisp with terrific acids, but used to match with food.

The Pinot is a blend of 9 different clones and has traditional soft raspberry notes. The other Chards and Pinots use more oak, not a bad thing; I just prefer a lighter style of wine, but check out their entire portfolio and find what your like. They offer 2 different tastings of wine priced at $9 and $15, and many of their wines are tasting room only, so you won’t see them on store shelves. They have a lovely outdoor picnic area where you can get a bottle of wine and share it with your friends (call me I’ll be right over!). Chamisal is SIP certified, (Sustainability in Practice) a Central Coast-based sustainable farming certification process, which is more rigorous than many sustainable programs on the state and federal level, and takes into account whole farm integration of its resources. To that end the wines are made in concert with the environment. After all, it’s important to have respect for our earth with our farming practices. But harvest is not all work.



Just pressed Pinot Noir grapes at Chamisal

We kayaked at Morro Bay with a crew from Central Coast Outdoors, who provide a great selection of adventure trips, and paddled the back bay observing shore birds, seals, sea lions, and making a brief appearance - an otter.

At one point a seagull hopped aboard Fin’s kayak, looking for food, but the bird decided to just hang out and, apparently being a free-loader, stood on Fin’s bow for about 10 minutes. Back at the winery we tasted through tank and barrel samples of wines he’s currently working on.



Fin and the free-loader seagull

Specific to this, he lets me taste Pinot Noir clone 667, picked and crushed the day before. The bright pink juice is sweet (as wine grapes are) and still has scents of the dirt and the vineyard. Another tank sample, in the thick of the fermentation process and also clone 667, was picked and crushed a week prior. There is little tannic structure and the fermentation causes a nearly astringent mouth feel but it is a more mature example of the first tank sample, a simple grape-juicy beverage. Eventually these Pinots will be blended into either their estate wine, or maybe their Monologue, a high-end Pinot Noir made only in certain years when the exact conditions are right to create an outstanding wine.



Barrel samples of Pinot Noir



Chamisal Vineyards is, like many of the wineries along the Central Coast, an operation making terrific wines from the calcareous soils in the region and taking advantage of our particular growing seasons. And this is what life is like on the Central Coast, it is work mixed with play, a sense of urgency counterbalanced with a sense of the long view. So stop by Chamisal in the Edna Valley, or any Central Coast Winery and you will be engaged by these juxtapositions. Enjoy, educate yourself and experience what the Central Coast has to offer.

Working at Chamisal Vineyards



Chamisal Vineyard: www.ChamisalVineyards.com

SIP:

http://www.sipthegoodlife.org/

Central Coast Outdoors: http://www.centralcoastoutdoors.com/

Spring into Action: Spring-time Activities on California’s Central Coast

There’s something about spring that makes you want to get off your couch, toss off the long johns and get outside. No where is this better expressed that being on California’s Central Coast, from Ventura through Santa Barbara and Morro Bay to San Luis Obispo, there are a litany of great spring activities. First off though, spring time on California’s Central Coast doesn’t mean summer, and the temperatures will be cooler, especially in the morning and evening, so pack a sweater. Spring has the most pristine weather and the skies are usually crystal clear, the crowds of summer haven’t arrived yet, and you pretty much have the run of the place. Here are a few suggestions:



The featured painting at the 2010 I Madonnari



Santa Barbara-

The I Madonnari Italian Street Painting Festival is held at the Santa Barbara Mission every Memorial Day weekend (http://www.imadonnarifestival.com/). When you were a kid you probably used chalk to deface things. As adults we don’t allow that, with the exception of this festival. The Mission parking lot is transformed from bleak black to more than 200 chalk paintings as artists, both local and from across the globe, take chalk to asphalt and create beautiful reproductions of classic works and original drawings. There are plenty of food vendors, live music, or bring a picnic and watch art in action.



Artists work dilligently to create very cool works



The International Orchid Show (www.sborchidshow.org) may seem like just flowers, but ask any lover of orchids and they will tell you passionate stories. The festival, held each March, is thousands of unique and in some cases bizarre looking plants. Experts are on hand to discuss orchids and there are a large number for sale. Santa Barbara enjoys a mild, Mediterranean climate with temperate nights and soft ocean breezes and orchids took root at the turn of the century when wealthy industrialists came to Santa Barbara’s burgeoning spas and resorts to escape harsh, Eastern winters. Many of them stayed, building estates and commissioning world-class horticulturists to design elaborate gardens.

Ventura:

Music to your ears is what the Ventura Music Festival, (http://www.venturamusicfestival.org/) held the first week of May, is all about. Diane Schuur, Pink Martini, and Herbie Hancock are just a few of the acts that have claimed center stage in a variety of unique and intimate venues throughout the county. In addition to concerts there are lectures, live talks, and interviews with the artists.

Artwalk (http://www.artwalkventura.org/) held the middle of April is a free, self-guided walking tour of 200 established and emerging artists at over 80 galleries, studios and eclectic gallery-for-a day venues in Ventura’s Downtown Cultural District. The event is held just steps from the beach and the Ventura Pier. Participating art venues include restaurants, salons, antique shops, boutiques, coffee shops, most any place with walls.

 

Solvang:

The Taste of Solvang (http://www.solvangusa.com/) is a food and wine event starting with a dessert reception, and considering the pastry and sweets history of the Danes, that’s enough right there. Following that is the walking smörgåsbord which features about 40 stops in town where you pop in and sample what they might be serving, usually Danish food. Ten wine tasting rooms are pouring their vintages, and this is finished off with live entertainment in the park where people bring a picnic and relax.



Solvang makes the ideal quaint backdrop for the food & wine



Pismo Beach: Each March the World of Pinot Noir, (http://www.worldofpinotnoir.com/) an all pinot noir event, is held on the bluffs overlooking the ocean. This three day event is filled with seminars about growing conditions and regions of pinot noir, there’s a vintage tasting and a chef’s challenge. The pinot noirs are not exclusive to California either; winemakers come from Oregon and Europe. It’s a focused time on one varietal; a pinot propaganda program.

Avila Bay:

So wine’s not your thing. Then hop to the California Festival of Beers, (http://www.hospiceslo.org/) held each May at the Avila Beach Resort, which is nearly 50 brewers from the West Coast and beyond who gather beachside to celebrate all things beer. Get your pretzel necklace, enjoy the live music, the golf tournament, and know that the proceeds from the event support hospice of San Luis Obispo. This event always sells out.

Paso Robles:

If you enjoy wine and food but are concerned about the toll on the environment, then the Earth Day Wine & Food Festival (held the weekend closest to Earth Day, http://www.earthdayfoodandwine.com/) is right up your carbon footprint. Food is served on, and with, recyclable and compostable plates, bowls, forks and spoons. All literature is produced using post-consumer recycled materials, and even the entertainment stage is solar-powered. About 200 producers of sustainably grown food and wine gather to let you sample dishes sourced from locally grown fruits, vegetables, meats, cheeses, olive oils and, of course, wine. There is live music, a silent auction, and the chance to kick back and meet the farmers and vintners who are committed to sustainability.



Kites like this one cover Morro Bay

Morro Bay:

Every April the Morro Bay Kite Festival (http://www.morrobay.org/) transforms the skies around the bay with colorful kites undulating in the breezes. Kites up to 100 feet long and of every size and shape are welcome. The festival starts off with the ceremonial Blessing of the Wind by local Chumash Indians, and there are displays, vendor booths even choreographed kite ballets. The skies never looked so colorful. It’s free to attend.