Beckmen Vineyard November 2023

​The plan was to caravan north with two large groups, but fate intervened.  We lost Doc Ed early to a granddaughter performance, two to a surprise wedding, and then one to COVID.  What remained of our fearless and very thirsty crew took the long trail north and west to the place where the Pinot Noir grows, though our first stop was at the place where the Syrah grows, namely, Beckmen Vineyard.  When we arrived, we learned that four of our members were delayed and would not join us until the next day.  Anyway, true to Doc Ed’s reporting, the Beckmen Syrah’s were quite nice and our server (Carlos) fantastic, but as you know I never name names (Carlos) so you’ll just have to find out for yourself.  Some pictures and then on to the wine:

​We actually started out with their wonderful Viognier and a bit of Grenache.  But to me the stars of the show were the Syrah’s.  I particularly liked the Block Six Syrah.  We brought a couple home with us.  Now more pictures…

​After leaving Beckmen, we found a very strange town where we would stay during our trip.  It seemed not to fit California, more of a Danish place.  Even the name was a bit strange – Solvang.  The next day we visited our good friends at Cambria to see their upgraded tasting room – truly where the Pinot Noir grows – and taste their latest vintages.  To be continued….