Herman Story is one of our favorite wineries.  If you aren’t familiar with it, you should get to know it. Winemaker, Russell P. From, makes bold, flavorful wines without going over the top.  Every bottle leaves you wanting more.  We recently had a “Herman Story Weekend”, by enjoying two of our favorites ~

2010 On The Road ~ 100% Grenache

What better way to enjoy one of your favorite wines than at one of your favorite restaurants.  We started the weekend by bringing this bottle with us to Terra.  When Emily popped the cork, her first words pretty much summed it all up, “I smell blueberry”.  This wine had heavy flavors of blueberry compote, and was silky smooth.  At first pour, it did have a little ‘sting’ on the back end.  But, this definitely mellowed out the longer it was open. If you’ve never had 100% Grenache, this may not be the one to start with… as it will ruin all others (sorry Emily!).  Yes, it is that darn good. 

2010 White Hawk Syrah ~ 97% Syrah, 3% Viognier

Clearly cooking was not in the cards this particular weekend.  The next night, we brought a bottle of White Hawk Syrah with us to Poseidon in Del Mar.  While the sunset views can be quite stunning here, the wine definitely won the night.  Like the 2009, this wine is rich in color and flavor.  Very structured and well balanced, full of raspberry, hints of herbs and notes of white pepper. 

The wines are somewhat hard to find.  The best way to get your hands on some is to join the club (well, join the wait list).  Or, visit the tasting room in Paso Robles and pick up as much as you can while there.  Every now and then you may find a bottle or two in a specialty wine store (like San Diego Wine Co.).  But, your best bet is to find someone who is already a club member and get them to share a bottle!