Good morning Mashers… Excessive living comes naturally here in wine country, my kidneys and liver will attest to that. I enjoyed a bottle of MollyDooker Velvet Glove a couple of nights ago with some friends and I must confess, it was piss by morning.
To throw down an expensive bottle should be a ritual that you savor and embellish to your snobbish friends about, but somehow in my mind its about adding Veuve Telegraph to a stew or drinking a Dooker while getting your ass served to you while playing Taboo.
Excess can come in many forms but for 2012 one of my personal goals is to be excessively kind and giving. This is easier to write about then to actually implement in your everyday living. I want to be able to drink any bottle of my choosing regardless of price or style, think Chuck Shaw versus a Grand Cru Latour, both wines serve the purpose of enjoying what is set before you and sharing them with folks who are like minded. Life should be lived, and more then that… to the fullest degree possible. When you go out today have an excess of life to share with others, share a bottle of wine with the next table, raise a pint in your friends honor, or do somersaults in the park with your love.
Thanks Sarah and Sparky for the Velvet Glove it was a great bottle but I am pretty sure it was part of the reason we lost. Cheers
GPM Loshel
Excess
Welcome Back.
Happy New Year Mashers… It has been one year since my last post and I am not bummed at all about not posting anything. This last year has been a tremendous time for me, I am in the process of becoming a certified sommelier, I moved to Sky-Jack ranch in west Templeton, and I no longer work for corporate America. I am super excited to blog about the process of becoming a sommelier for the working man, if you know me personally then you know what I am talking about, for those who don’t know me I want everyone to feel comfortable talking and learning about wine and everything related to it. I don’t know everything but I have a desire to learn and I don’t care if your a CEO or a Cholo, if you want to share a drink I’m down. I may not be skilled in the ways of professional journalism but I do have a knack for spinning great stories. I am inviting everyone to give me a chance to show you what I have to say is relevant to your life for 2012.
The wine industry has been extremely good to me, I met my love through the industry, countless friends, and I’ve drank some of the most incredible wines this past year. I end with an invitation for you to sit back read some of my stories and then, here’s the kicker, You share your stories with others! We are all connected and supposedly all connected to Kevin Bacon somehow. Cheers GPM.. Loshel
How The Mighty Have Fallen
He sat there looking into his own reflection on the cover of the latest Wine Spectator with the caption reading, “Where did Redmond Robinson, the greatest Sommelier of all time, disappear too?” Redmond knew, he was mayor and jester to the others who lived with him on Skid Row.
Skid Row is an area in Los Angeles located between Third street to the north, Seventh street to the south, Alameda to the east, and main street to the west. It is a hard place to see and even harder to live, but Red, ‘as he is known on the street’, has made a name for himself by sticking up for the newbies and advocating for the old timers who would otherwise be lost in a system that frowns on the down and out.
Red has been living in Skid Row or “The Nickel” as it’s called down here, for the better part of five years. He is an alcoholic but regrets little as to how his life has turned out.
Red sat there wondering to himself, ‘Why the fuck are they interested in my life after five years? Those pompous fucks are just looking to capitalize on the story that that hot reporter did on me last summer’. What was her name? Shit! That was four months ago and I’ve already forgotten her name.
“Billy! wake up. Billy Goat, wake up!”
“Oh hey Red, what’s up?”
“Do you remember that hot reporter that came down here slumming for a story a few months back?”
“Hells yeah I do! She had the prettiest eyes and those titties, oh yea I remember her.” Billy said with a far away look of desire in his eyes.
“What was her name?”
“Red, you drunk son of a bitch!”, Billy said with a chuckle.
“Her name, please?”
“Let me see. Started with an E….Eliza Pittori, yeah that’s it, Beautiful Eliza Pittori”. Billy said with a twinkle in his old tired eyes.
“Thanks Goat. Need a drink? I’m on my way to Peeps for a bottle.”
“That would be great Red. Thanks buddy.”
Red stepped into the door of Peeps and got a quick nod from Tom the day security guard. Red hustled over to the wine and began searching his pockets to see how much money he had and what would be the drink of choice for the afternoon.
“Shit…. 10 dollars and some change looks like it’s two 1.5′s of some no name cab.” he said to himself.
This was the only time of day that Red gave any hint of regret about his past life. He can clearly remember drinking a bottle of Romanée-Conti 1975 and how it changed his life from the first sip till the bottle was drained dry.
His past life came back in a flash. Fuck me, he thought to himself, that was a great bottle of wine! The tannins held that fucker together with some spices from the far east. A hint of earth that made me long for one more sip. Ah.. those were heady days. Full of great times and living a grand life on the other side of this life.
Red grabbed two bottles and made his way to the register. “Hi ya Sally. How’s it going with that piece of shit boyfriend of yours?” Red half joked with the clerk. He secretly thought that she deserved better. “Fuck you Red!” Sally shot back. “He’s in rehab and doing great! How’s it going with your faggot friend, Billy Goat?” She teased him back. “Ha ha, Sally you know he only likes little girls, not a grown manly man like myself.” He proudly said with a raise of his chest showing his masculinity.
“See you tomorrow Sally.” with a wave of his hand Red was out the door.
Piss off you crusty drunk.
Sally and Red have been having the same banter for the last three years since she made it off the streets with the help of Red and one of the local shelters.
Sally had a soft spot for Red as he was the one who encouraged her to sober up and get herself and her boyfriend off the mean streets of the Nickel.
Sally wondered why someone with Reds education and demeanor would enjoy living in the Nickel when he could work in the finest restaurant in all of North America, She never pressed the issue but had heard stories of where he had come from and who he once was and she was mystified by this lovable but insufferable prick.
15C and Josh Brolin
Happy New Years Mashers, What a year it has been here in the beautiful outpost of North America we call San Luis Obispo County CA.!
There has been triumph and tragedy,relationships have dissolved and new friendships have been forged; to put it mildly 2010 was shithouse crazy. I started a blog along with the rest of the self-absorbed aspiring media whores out there. I tweet and check my stats to see who has looked at my posts all the while pretending I could give two shits about what people think. Guess what? I do care. I want to put quality posts and stories out there while retaining my own voice and character.
Yesterday was the last day of 2010 and the day I met a celebrity! Josh Brolin came into 15 Degrees C wine shop and bar, and he was a really legit person! The day started out pretty good. Custies were buying bubbles to ring in the New Year that was approaching and it was mellow until around Two o’clock then all hell broke loose! If you are from these parts and have been in 15C when every seat in the house is filled, the wall is packed with retail folks, then you know what the hell I’m talking about!
It was retarded busy! Ali was on food, I was on drinks and retail. Adrienne, our accountant, was yanked out of the office to run the cash register. It was nuts! After a few hours of this Josh Brolin comes in looking for some Pinot Gris to bring back to the ranch he owns outside of town. I came up offered my help and we struck up a conversation about different wines and living here in the CC. I made a suggestion that maybe a Pinot Gris wasn’t the wine he really wanted, tonight the Mura Pinot Noir by M.S Emmanuel Kimigi with grapes from the Pisoni vineyards would be more appropriate for the nights festivities. He fully agreed with me and it was kind of surreal but so natural.
Minutes into our conversation he asked my name. I responded and he came back with his name. I said I know who you are and I extended my hand. He reciprocated and I could tell that he was a very genuine person. I’m not gonna lie people. I’m serious about that last line. I was stoked to meet Josh and realized he really is part of this place and cares about the Central Coast as much as I do. You can hear it in his voice when he is talking about how he is treated by folks from here because they keep him accountable to being true to himself.
That was a little gay but fuck it, I met Josh Brolin and we are besties now! Loshie…
Life In The CC
It’s been too long Mashers! I have been super busy lately with establishing a new relationship with a wonderful girl I call Daisy.
We have had a wonderful time getting to know each other and exploring some of our favorite spots on the Central Coast. We have dined at some of the finest eateries here in San Luis Obispo County. There is Artisan in Paso Robles, one of the top spots in our county. The Range, ahhh home on The Range, in Santa Margarita, I love that place! So simple yet some of the best damn food in the area. There was the Sea Chest in Cambria, straight out of the 1980 Popeye movie that was crusty yet so appealing even the most ardent hater of oysters would wet themselves over the “Devil On Horseback”!
We toured Rabbit Ridge and had the best time seeing their facility, and the production is off the hook! Thanks Joanne.
Lets not forget to mention 15DegreesC Wineshop and Bar where we met and have spent numerous evenings chatting with local personalities, laughing, living and loving this life that we have sought out. I could give a shit ton of stories about 15C alone but I won’t as some are not suitable for younger readers.
I am super excited to see what 2011 has in store for us here on the Central Coast! We are going to start the New Year with a big bang and run full steam till 2012. Thanks for checking out my blog this year and one of my resolutions is to be on top of posting on a regular basis for the up coming year. Happy New Years and Cheers. Loshie
My Best Friend is J Lassalle
Buenos Días Mashers
It’s good to have friends, and I would like to introduce you to my best friend and sometimes worst enemy, J Lassalle.
Jay is French and it shows in his character every time he opens his mouth. He comes from the famous town of Reims France. Reims is pretty historical, as it was the town where the french monarchs were generally crowned so the folks there feel they have historical importance in the world, guess what? they do.
Jay has brothers and sisters in his family, it’s trippy cause they all share the same name, the only difference is there nicknames and their characteristics that set them apart.
Jay is a brut, who has a beautiful lite salmon color to his complexion is always wearing the best smelling colognes, He smells slightly of raspberries and strawberries, not over powering like some french whore, more like a farm girl who just picked fresh berries. He also has a slight yeastiness to him that I find so attractive, not in a weird way, but in a way where you just love your friend and like how they smell.
His humor is dry with enough wit to make even the most callous of souls to smile slightly.
I was introduced to Jay by my friend Ali, they are also besties, it’s funny how Jay has so many best friends and they all know when they spend time with him it’s their time with him. I love J Lassalle.
Loshie..
Throwing Away $500 Dollars Worth of Wine
How would you feel after a great night of friends and wine, you awoke the next morning to realize you threw out a bottle of 2009 Vieux-Château-Certan, Pomerol (1.5)? Now that I have your attention, I was thinking about this the other night after a great dinner as there were 10 bottles of great wine sitting empty on the counter. What do you do with all those great bottles you spent weeks or years pining over and in a fit of drunken madness you opened them drank them with no cares in the world and woke the next day as I described earlier?
Why you keep living and do the same all over again with no regrets!! Don’t be a pussy about expensive wine, share it with your best friends and enjoy the fact you had a great bottle of wine.
Loshie…
Live Love Life
Buenos Tardes Mashers,
Life has been crazy around these parts for the last couple of weeks I believe for everyone. There is harvest going on and Mother Nature is on the rag wicked like! “Sorry ladies for being crass”, First there is heat, then rain, then heat, then cold, and then more rain. I think the collective word from vineyard people was F@#K! I believe it was very appropriate because of these circumstances.
Next on the list was a possible thyroid cancer scare for me. I have a shit ton of respect for anyone who has to wait out the results for something like this, it was so nerve wracking I didn’t sleep proper for two weeks! Great news is I am the picture of perfect health just some non toxic growths, although if you ask around, some people think im a toxic mothereffin growth, ha!
Friday was the day I got the results from the doctor and I was a mess all day, it was awesome to have someone super special there with me as I waited for the results, Thanks Daisy!. My talented son,Van, and his sweet mother,Amy, were also waiting for the results as we are still a functioning dysfunctional new world family. I wept on and off for the rest of the afternoon out of pure joy and relief, thank you everyone for the prayers and good vibes that were sent out for me!
So while all of this is going on, I had in the back of my mind the wedding I had to officiate on Saturday.
I had been asked to do a wedding for two of the sweetest kids I know. Micah and Jenay really are so special and I was honored to be a part of their special day.
The wedding was at the historic Loading Chute in Creston Ca. If you have never been there you need to get out there for some serious central coast cowboy food. This place is A-MAY-ZING! The Prime Rib is world famous and the soups are outta site. This was the venue for the wedding and if your into a simple yet professional place to get hitched you need to call them they do a great job.
The wedding was one for the record books. There are photos from Moore Photography on their website if you would like to see the fun that was had by all.
I would have like to keep going with all the side stories that have occurred during this time but I think they are going to be in a separate blog. I love the central coast and all it has brought me in my life. I have a deep love for the people and the places that I call home. Thanks everyone for the support… Loshie
Savor This Part 2
Buenos Noches Mashers,
Savor the Central Coast was a hectic weekend for the crew at 15DegreesC, there was a busier than normal Friday that I am about to tell you about, so grab a glass of Paso Robles high alcohol, kick you in the mouth, big boy wine and listen to this.
The day started at eleven am and Anna and myself were the only two at the shop as everyone else was working the Savor event, Ali was there to give us a heads up that Farm Credit was coming in later in the day to celebrate the closing of a deal. We love the crew at Farm Credit, they love to drink great wine and I can usually get a glass of some kick ass wine that would be half my rent, for free! Ali left for the event and Anna and I started preparing for the day, we didn’t know what to expect for the day, was it going to be busy or not, who was coming in?… Just questions that were running through our heads as the first customers started thru the door.
Joanne Russell from Rabbit Ridge was one of the first customers for the lunch rush and she promptly ordered the Champagne and oysters which is always a favorite for the locals on Fridays.
Next in was Daisy to pick up some keys that I had gotten from her and I offered her a beer as I fished around for the keys.
Things were running pretty smooth, Daisy and Joanne struck up a conversation, it looked like there might be an employment opportunity for Daisy, as the two girls were becoming acquainted the Farm Credit crew rolled in with Billy of Four Vines fame.
This group was a sight to see, Billy was leading the way being himself,” if your from Paso you know how Billy is”, followed by the sweet big spending loan officers from Farm Credit. Anna already had three bottles of Krug chilling as there was about to be a very festive celebration getting under way. Four Vines winery had just been sold for a very nice chunk of change to Purple wine Company. You can click on the link to read about it, for me the best part was they wanted to come to the shop to celebrate, remember that for free comment earlier? I wasn’t shitting you on that, these are very nice folks and on occasion when they have put away a grip of wine there is left overs! I’m going to leave off right here, Part three will be up by Tuesday, this is a really great story, the cast of characters gets better and the gossip that could be generated by this could be hella funny!!
Loshie
