l i f e ’s j o u rney The view of New Melones Lake from Villa Vallecito Winery (Most photos courtesy of Calaveras Visitor Bureau) STRIKE IT RICH Long live James W. Marshall and Rosie the Ribeter—two of the most significant celebrities in the “Mother Lode,” the recognized birthplace of California. The former is historically admired as the original 49er igniting the legendary Gold Rush in 1848, after discovering shiny flakes in the American River near Sacramento. The latter holds the world frog jump record (21' 5 ¾"), set in 1986, at the annual Calaveras County Jumping Frog Jubilee in the one-time gold mining town of Angels Camp, where Mark Twain penned his short story tale of “The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County.” Two very contrasting and storied events, yet both are attributes intrinsic to the charm and allure of California’s Gold Country. To appreciate the spirit of this gilded and rustic region, long overshadowed by the state’s rich bag of attractions, simply traverse the stress-killing northsouth Highway 49, winding through a string of tiny towns that stretches from the borders of Yosemite to the northern shores of Lake Tahoe. Along the trail your head will be spinning from the bountiful supply of outdoor adventure, historic exploration, culinary flavors and wine tasting—not necessarily always in that order. Undeniably there are enough hidden gems in the Sierra Foothills to fill a mammoth-sized jewel box, but the destination trumpeting claim to the queen’s crown is Murphys, one of Budget Travel magazine’s “Top Ten Coolest Small Towns.” In the mid-1800s, this off-the-beaten-path settlement was one of California’s richest “diggings,” with gold dreamers swelling the population to over 3,000, not much more than the number of present day dwellers. Nowadays, however, the seduction of the chemical element Au has been supplanted by other enticing ingredients, including edible treats consisting of local-ingredient signature dishes that have helped turn this one-time golden outpost into an up-and-coming foodie Mecca where patrons can get up close and personal with the chefs, shops located in historic stone or Victorian buildings, and plenty of winter and summer outdoor adventure, from skiing or snowboarding at Bear Valley to water sports to golf to zip lining to rappelling into caves or hiking through groves of giant Sequoias. 60 www.nAPAVA L L E Y L I F Emagaz ine. c om But if the locals are asked what is the most intoxicating attraction luring visitors to Murphys and the surrounding area, a good bet the answer will lean towards the 30-plus family-owned and operated boutique wineries that have turned this landscape into the “Wine Tasting Capital of the Sierra.” When the small-town ambience is factored in, this corner of the Sierra Foothills AVA is a reminder of Napa thirty years ago. “It’s definitely a destination where you can walk up and down the main street to shop, eat, sleep and drink excellent wines at a number of tasting rooms without ever getting in your car, and, in most cases, you can sip and chat with the owner or winemaker behind the bar,” says Ghee Sanchez- Hagedorn, President and Owner of Villa Vallecito Vineyards, who has reaped the rewards, with five of her six Cabernet varietals winning medals at the 2014 San Francisco Wine Competition. Sanchez-Hagedorn, who adheres to the motto “There is no bad day in the wine industry if you have good wines,” planted her first vines in 2001 and, in addition to her other wines, bottles a new estate-grown blend of Chardonnay and Viognier called Sabor A Mi (“a taste of me”), named after a famous Spanish love song in honor of her parents, who were married for 73 years. In 2001, Ron Pieretti and Wendy Sanda, founders of Prospect 772, bypassed Sonoma and Napa in favor of more accessible and reasonable land to settle on a 25-acre parcel just outside Angels Camp to plant grapes that have developed into the area’s most captivating blends of Rhone Varietals – the Brawler and the Brat. Looking for a one-stop gold and vino fix? Hightail it to Ironstone Vineyards, in nearby downtown Murphys, where an extensive selection of wines can be sampled inside their Tasting Room and Delicatessen, featuring a 42-foot stone fireplace, and then topped off with a visit to the Heritage Museum for a jaw-dropping peek at the world’s largest crystalline gold leaf specimen, weighing in at 44 pounds. That and a few bottles of red or white would make for a fun celebration! A quick leap down the wine trail paying homage to the notorious by Robert Kaufman in the Mother Lode Main Street in downtown Murphys Annual Calaveras Frog Jump Jubilee Greenhorn Creek Resort Golf Course, Hole #13, Par 3 © Robert Kaufman by ROBERT KAUFMAN
NVLife_MayJune_2014
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