The FrickenI arrived in CA on 10.22 and immediately hopped in my (crappy) rental car to make my way up to Calaveras County. Calaveras County you say? Where’s that and why would you want to go there? Easy. Calaveras County is located in the foothills of the Sierra Nevadas, about 2 hours slightly north east of Oakland Airport. It’s also a place where some absolutely fabulous wines are being made, in particular from Twisted Oak, the impetus behind my trip.
Twisted Oak
A Twisted Tasting Bar
A Twisted tasting roomWe tasted quite a few things from the barrels, and a couple really stood out to me. The ’07 Spaniard is just going to be a beautiful wine. It won’t be released for a year (the ’06 Spaniard just got released a month or so ago) so I expect it will be even more delicious when it’s bottled. The next vintage of the Pig Stai Port also showed incredibly well from the barrel. I could have stayed all day tasting the sample!
Jeff and the wine thief…By happy chance, my stay in Murphys coincided with Twisted Oak’s Crush Party, celebrating the fact that all the grapes have been picked and crushed for the 2008 vintage! So the Twisted Crew was kind enough to put up with me crashing the crush party, where of course, Twisted juice flowed! Along with the current releases, some library selections also crept into the mix. I tasted the ’03 Murgatroyd, which may just take the place of my favorite Twisted Oak wine. Drinking beautifully, full of fruit, a full-bodied red that I just wanted to drink more of. The 2003 Grenache and the 2002 Syrah were also amazing, and I think I should just let my Twisted Oak wines age for several more years as they keep getting better.
Granacha Blanc, aka Nacha, Twisted Oak’s big white dog. We’re tight now.Many thanks to all the folks at Twisted Oak, especially Mary and Jeff, for being so welcoming and showing me all the hot spots in Murphys 😉
The famous Twisted Oak. Who wouldn’t want to picnic here?Filed under: California, Twisted Oak |
Wannabe Wino Wine Blog 
What a great photo-essay! Really enjoyed seeing the Twisted tasting room as it brought back some good memories! I’ve got futures of that wonderful Spaniard you were lucky enough to taste! Cheers!
Cute dog.
Thanks for the comment Lynn! It was great to meet you the other day!
Vinogirl-very cute dog…and furry, I’m still finding dog hair on my stuff!
It was nice meeting you at WBC! Nice pictures of Twisted Oak, it’s a place I definitely need to go to very time soon.
You survived the Crush Party. Very few civilians can say that – most have too much brain damage! Thanks for the lovely look at Murphys. I will have to get there soon!
Good to meet you too Chris! You should certainly check it out, lots of fun to visit!
I know, right Patrick? You should head on up soon, such a cute little town!