Luke and Smiley knew they could borrow the old grocer’s model A truck if they promised to bring him back a crate of lettuce. First they needed to find a can of gas and one decent tire with at least enough tread to make it from Cannery Row to the Salinas Valley where they knew they could find work in the fields. The old truck limped towards Salinas early the next morning. When they came to the hill separating the coast from the Santa Lucia Highlands Smiley knew that the only way to get that decrepit hulk over the rise was to go up the steep hill in reverse. They would have made it too if the carburetor needle hadn’t broken off just before the engine overheated. They wandered on foot for a few hours until they heard the sound of tractors. They crested a hill and saw a breathtaking sight, even for their jaded eyes. It was Soberanes Vineyard and harvest was in full swing. They soon found themselves signed on and picking with the crew. When the pickers broke for lunch, Luke and Smiley were pleased to be included in a meal of pit-cooked wild boar, roasted spuds and, of course, asparagus. They were even more pleased when the wine they were served drew them in with its red rose petal color, complex aromas of sour cherry, pomegranate, raspberry, bay, thyme and tobacco. On the palate, this dynamic wine displayed red fruit, great acid balance and a super long finish.
“What are we drinking”, they asked.
“Why that’s 2017 Complant Soberanes Pinot Noir,” the foreman told them.
“Hell Smiley,” declared Luke, “maybe we should get real jobs, so’s we can drink like this every day.”