The day after Christmas we went on a small one-day journey.  We were headed to the Santa Cruz area and decided to head to a wine region that we had heard of but not been to.  They skies were blue, it was a bit brisk but very reasonable for December.  This region is San Benito County and the city was Hollister.  Hollister is about 1 ½ hour southeast of Livermore and about 45 minutes northeast of Monterey.  Just 20 minutes off hwy 101.  There are about 40,000 people residing but it is spread out and there is a lot of visible land.  Something you don’t see too often anymore.

We drove and went to our first destination for lunch at The Running Rooster .  We were in the mood for a good hamburger and fries.  They label themselves as the “best burger ever”.  So we decided to give it a shot.  It is right on the main street of Hollister on San Benito Street.  They have their grills outside in front so that is the first thing you see.  They cook the burgers and other items to order.  I got their ¼ pounder, which was plenty.  It was good, not the best ever, but it hit the spot.

From there we went to go and find some wineries.  First on our list was Calera Wine Company .  It took us about 20 minutes from the restaurant to get there.  They have some of the best scenery from the winery.  The wine making facilities and tasting room are all at the same location.  The tasting room wasn’t very fancy; it was in the barrel room.  But they had a couple counters and a couple people pouring so it was a very nice experience.  Lori was the one who was helping us.  She was very nice and knowledgeable.  The owner and winemaker is Josh Jensen.  He has been there for 30 years.  They have a seven level gravity flow system for their wine making process.  This is very unusual but they can do it because the winery starts way up on the top of the hill. The gravity flow system allows the wine to travel from tank to barrel to barrel without much disruption, thus making the wine happier.  We bought their ’09 Viognier, Central Coast.  It has a very nice flowery flavor but not over powering.  They also make Chardonnay, Vin Gris of Pinot Noir, Pinot Noir, and a few other miscellaneous varieties.  They have a few benches and a couple tables if you want to have a picnic here.  Like I said the view is beautiful.

     
                    Views from Calera Winery                                           Grape Arbor at Calera Winery

Our next stop was at Pietra Santa Winery .  This winery is just beautiful.  It is in the style of a very old California Mission.  The outer walls were made with stone and there are bells in the steeple.  The only downfall of this tasting room is that you have to go upstairs to get to it.  If you can’t climb the stairs, no worries, they will come down and let you sample their wines, but you miss out on the ambiance.  Once upstairs they have a couple of tasting menus.  The tasting fee is $5.00.  We really enjoyed their Gewürztraminer and their Sangiovese.  We also tried their Pinot Grigio, Chardonnay, Merlot, Cabernet and Zinfandel.  They sell some shirts, caps and a few miscellaneous items.  While we were there we met a couple that are club members.  They were very nice and we had fun chatting.  We found out that they were then going to Leal Vineyards next.  So we decided to follow them there.

                         Pietra Santa Vineyards                                                             Pietra Santa Winery

At Leal Vineyards one of the first things you see is a big white tent set up for weddings and events.  As we parked we noticed that they had recently planted some new vineyards and they were also growing Agave plants.  Strange!  So we went inside.  Their tasting was $10.00 per person.  They have a nice area just outside their tasting room where they have a very large fire pit with some seating around it.  Nice ambiance for drinking wine, especially if it’s nice out, which it was.  Here they make mostly blended wines.  We tried their Chardonnay, Cabernet and three different blended wines.  They also offer some estate Syrah, Merlot and a Meritage.  We took a walk up to their two bocce ball courts.  They had a full outdoor kitchen up there as well as another fire pit.  Up there they also had tons of tables and chairs.  This is the perfect location for a picnic.  We were still mystified by the agave plants growing there until we found out that the owner, who has a love for tequila, is a co-owner in a tequila distillery. 

                Leal Vineyards New and Old                                        Leal Vineyards and Agave Plants

After leaving Leal we had about 45 minutes of sunlight left so we headed towards the Mission of San Juan Bautista .  It was about a 10-15 minute drive from downtown Hollister.  As we approached we realized that we didn’t give ourselves enough time to see the quaint town with the different shops and restaurants.  Nor did we have enough time to get a tour of the Mission.  So, we will have to go back another time.  We did however walk the grounds of the Mission and see some of the gardens.  From there it was just a 45 minute drive to the Santa Cruz area.  A perfect day. 

            San Juan Bautista Mission Gardens                                      San Juan Bautista Mission