TALE OF TWO TITANS-A RARE POSE and SCENES OF FUN

     Spotted at twilight a young red shouldered hawk. As Dave our bird expert neighbor tells me, the species is not dimorphic so the sex can not be determined. It is an impressive raptor. 

      TALE OF TWO TITANS

      This is the tale of two Billionaires, both of them doing business in our beloved Paso Robles wine region and what a difference there is.

      You've read recently of Stewart and Lynda Resnick admitting they "were asleep at the wheel" when their Wonderful Corporation cut thousands of California live oak trees, denuded a hill side and without permission began building a reservoir that would suck millions of gallons frightening neighbors their wells would dry up. The Resnicks, who purchased the once prestigious Justin Winery, said they were "ashamed and embarrassed" as San Luis Obispo County continues an investigation.

      Then there is a billionaire you may never of heard of but who has done much to make this a better planet. He also owns a winery.

       Hansjorg Wyss was educated in Switzerland as an engineer and earned an MBA from Harvard. He sold his medical equipment manufacturing firm for $21.3 billion. Since then he has become "one of the most philanthropic people in the world" according to Forbes Magazine. 

      In one instance Wyss gave $250 million to Harvard to establish a cross discipline institute for biologically inspired engineering. Read here about its extraordinary work.

          Around the world his philanthropic giving is making a huge mark in science, conservation, the environment and more. He's leaving an indelible mark on wine making as well.

     He purchased the Halter Ranch Winery and added another 900 acres on which he created a preserve for the California oaks, the kind the Resnicks were decimating. He also added a wildlife corridor and began diligent water reclamation and protection, the opposite of the Resnick ethos. 

     Before he created the modern Halter Ranch Winery he had a team look at the best practices of grape growing, harvest, wine making, resource use and all aspects of the industry all over the planet. He then began to establish and improve on those best practices in what could well be the most efficient winery in the world.

    His manager, Skylar Stuck is exemplary of the class of the operation.  Stuck is a Johns Hopkins economist. It is my guess an objective of the Halter Ranch operation is to create a model of the absolute best way to operate a vineyard and winery with regards to resource use and protection, sustainability, efficiency, viticulture, wine making, customer relations, marketing and good citizenship.

     Halter Ranch has some 20 thousand feet of storage caves. They have a water conservation and gray water reclamation process that would be the envy of municipalities. 

      The Resnick operation, which also sells Fiji Water and Pom Wonderful, has been to dilute the quality of a once great winery by seeking more volume and sales which led to the trouble they are in.

       Wyss and Halter Ranch are continuing to fine tune sustainability, responsible agriculture and sound practices. In the long run, and the short as well, the model for the rest of the world is the intelligence, care, quality, precision and ethic of Wyss and Halter Ranch. There is more to life than the chasing of commoditization. 

       Wyss and Halter demonstrate one can be corporate and large but maintain a conscience. And they make an excellent wine!

can you see it?

     The frame below is a kind of eye test. Can you spot the "walking stick?"  The insect hides well. Identifying it is made a bit tougher by the somewhat out of focus head. It was a challenge to shoot and the thing was terribly uncooperative with the photographer.

local culture

   a wonderful brunch in Diane's garden

very provencale'

Zongo time in Mission Plaza in San Luis Obispo

concert season is underway

the extraordinary Symphony Jeunesse

middle and high school students from San Bernardino

directed by Miche'le Brosseau-Tacchia

performing in Cambria

  

    See you down the trail.

"ASHAMED AND SORRY" UPDATING THE POST--CLEARING YOUR HEAD & GETTING IT SAID-- WITH A SIGNIFICANT DEVELOPMENT

RESNICKS "ASHAMED AND SORRY"
Make restitution in Paso Wine Region

    The Tribune reporter Lindsey Holden reports Stewart and Lynda Resnick, owners of Justin Vineyards say "they were asleep at the wheel" when their company cut thousands of oak trees, denuded a large hill side and began work on an illegal holding pond that would have sucked 6 million gallons of water, frightening nearby neighbors and farmers worried about their wells. Holden quotes them as saying they are "ashamed and sorry."

     The good news is they plan to give the 380 acre parcel to a local nonprofit group and say they are looking for conservation opportunities. They promise to plant 5 thousand new oaks.  

      As we have noted previously neighbors and other growers were worried by the Resnick actions. Since our original posts the LA Times and the San Luis Obispo Tribune and other media have given the growing story a lot of attention. Major restaurants have dropped Justin Wine from their menus and boycotts of the Resnick products Fiji Water, Pom Wonderful and Justin wine have begun. All of these products are produced by Wonderful Company. 

      The San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors issued stop work orders and is investigating potential violations.  

       Holden reports Wonderful reported income of $3.8 billion 

  in 2014.  Since the Resnick purchase of the prestigious Justin label from Justin Baldwin they've experienced staff turnover, loss of a premier winemaker, have increased production levels and begun a mass marketing campaign.

Long time fans have dropped membership in the wine club and complained about the drop in quality of the product. The Justin operation is "corporate" while the majority of Paso Robles appellation winemakers are smaller, independent, boutique, mom and pop and artisan.

Fresh

Moonstone Beach, Cambria Ca     

    It is always a good place to clear your head. Politics, discord, warm temperatures and whatever disappear in the breeze and lullaby of the surf.

the intersection 

 the solo walker

 the mystery of where rocks land-why here?

 closer looks

 the world awaits

In a Council Chamber not far away

   The once revered Justin Winery took a verbal beating before the San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors investigating land use irregularities and tree cutting on Justin property.

    Lindsey Holden of the San Luis Obispo Tribune reports dozens of farmers, residents and environmentalists decried practises by the winery owned by Stewart Resnick and his Wonderful Company.

     The county is considering penalties for trying to build a water storage pond and grading violations that neighbors say threaten their wells.

      Supervisor Bruce Gibson is quoted as saying "it is the most appalling demonstration of corporate greed I've seen in a very long time."

       Holden reports Chairwoman Lynn Compton told of how growers talk about how they grew up respecting the land and caring for it  "And then you have some out of town corporation....and they really come in and spoil it for everyone."

      As we posted previously, when Justin Baldwin owned the winery his product was highly regarded. Since sale to the Resnick group the wine appears to be just another commodity in a business that sells Fiji Water, Pom Wonderful and other products. Several fine dining establishments have dropped Justin and many former fans talk about a cheapening of the product. The ethos of Justin seems entirely out of place and character in the Paso Robles appellation which is gaining reputation for quality and a friendly and accessible counterpoint to Napa, a corporate wine region. 

      The Board of Supervisors is considering new Oak protection ordinances for that rural area, similar to those in place elsewhere.

The Gun Fight

    It appears the next battle ground for gun control, safety and regulation will be in state legislatures. The Supreme Court has permitted state regulation, consistent with their rulings on the Second Amendment. Further the US Congress is impotent and under the control of the NRA and their fellow gun industry lobbyists.  

    The state level fight worked for previous social issues, including marriage. In addition former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg vows to fight the NRA perversion of Congress. He's probably got deeper pockets and is a lot tougher than LaPierre.

    Interesting times we inhabit eh?

    Remember to take a walk once in a while.

    See you down the trail.

JUST-WHAT IS IT? & SWEET ENDINGS

Flag Day in Cambria

"The best way to predict the future is to create it."

Abraham Lincoln

THE BLOODY NRA

     In a parallel world where the morality of the NRA rules human hearts instead of Judeo-Christian values or those of other faith systems and beliefs, Wayne Lapierre would be gunned down by an AR 15.  In this world Lapierre has been an accomplice in the gunning down of innocent men, women and children. 

     The NRA and every member of Congress or a state legislature who has not advocated or voted to ban or restrict sales of the AR 15 have the blood of Orlando, Newtown, Auora and San Bernadino on their hands. The bullshit machine of the gun manufacturing and sales industry and the NRA has tried to sell this nation on the "sporting, hunting and self defense" qualities of the AR 15, a civilian model of the M 16 military rifle. The truth behind the fraud is greed, the sales of a gun.

     With federal trainers, ATF and FBI agents, local and state law enforcement personnel and US Army weapons instructors I have used AR 15s and many other weapons and handguns and with proficiency. There is no sound reason the AR 15 should be in civilian hands. AR 15s are designed to kill and the semi automatic nature of such weapons can be easily turned into rapid fire purveyors of death. Anyone who tells you anything else is either a liar, coward or someone who needs to prove masculinity or feminine macho with a gun.

     There are better hunting weapons. There are other weapons that require greater skill and mastery for sport and competitive shooting. There are plenty of other weapons that could be used for self defense-but God help us if we descend to the absurd theory being advocated that if more people are armed there would be fewer victims of mass shootings.

      The issues of gun safety, registration, control and all the peripheral arguments aside, the sale of assault weapons to the public is simply stupid and dangerous. Not to do something about it only moves us closer to that parallel world.

BOYCOTT JUSTIN?  

       When Justin Baldwin owned and managed the Justin Winery it was a place of quality, sustainability and a prestige label in the Paso Robles appellation. The flag ship Isosceles was an expensive wine but award winning and well respected. How far Justin has tumbled since Mr. Baldwin sold the operation to the Wonderful group owned by Stewart and Lynda Resnick the people behind POM Wonderful and Fiji Water and other enterprises.

        Presently San Luis Obispo County is investigating the practices of Justin winery. After a couple of years of complaints from the family-like Paso Robles wine industry, Justin is being seen in an interesting light.  A couple of years ago people complained that Justin had begun cutting revered California Live Oak trees, in droves. During the height of the drought Justin began clearing land and planting new vines. And they were said to be over irrigating. Many shook their heads.

        Aside from staff departures, the destruction of a beloved rose garden, they increased the volume of wine made. Under Baldwin the label found a level of case production that assured the quality people expected. That changed. Californians, familiar with Justin, found the wine on shelves and restaurants as far as Florida, where the once vaunted wine tasted nothing like the old limited quality product. 

      I pass this along and label it as gossip-I cannot prove the  veracity though anecdotally this has gained wide circulation in the local wine industry-where Baldwin produced something like 200 thousand cases a year, the Resnick regime is trying to push it to 1 million or more. They do sell a lot of pomegranate juice and bottled water, but a high quality wine is different. Baldwin loved wine and winemaking as do most of the Paso winemakers. It appears the new Justin is simply the manufacture of a commodity in pursuit of more sales.

      In the meantime they are being investigated for killing many prized California Live Oak-something you can not do-scraping hillsides and lying to the county about their intentions. They display the arrogance of a "one percenter" in a community known for friendly, cooperative, environmentally sensitive practices where there is a devotion to quality wine. We know people who are dropping their membership. Others are talking about a boycott. And the local government may have sanctions in store for a bad neighbor. It's my take the Resnick operation would be more at home in Napa.

A BETTER TASTE

    An apple rosette made by my daughter Katherine.

    A Zuccotto made by Chef Giovanni of the Harmony Cafe at the Pewter Plough Playhouse in Cambria.

GREAT PERFORMANCES

    Bryan Cranston as LBJ in the HBO adaptation of the stage production All The Way. Melissa Leo as Ladybird, Bradley Whitford as Senator Hubert Humphrey, Frank Langella as Senator Richard Russell.

    Also first class Ian McKellen and Anthony Hopkins in the teledrama The Dresser.  Good work too from Emily Watson and Edward Fox.

    See you down the trail.

OSCAR HERESIES & TOO MANY GRAPES?

EMPTY ENVELOPES

     Did you hear that loud sigh?  Caterers, hair stylists, make up people, limo drivers, clothing designers, traffic cops, security people, hospitality employees and who knows how many more can take a deep breath now.  The show is over.  I suspect talent agency offices, production companies, managers, publicists, journalists, craft and guild people and actors all have a lot of open space on their calendars for these first few days after the big show. Except for those who maybe hustling new deals.  And executives who study the ratings and the performance of the show.

     Seth McFarlane is one of those multi talented people and he found moments to shine last night.  Some of the writers however did not.  I felt sorry for a few of the presenters, who in the early portions of the long show, had to deliver lines that simply were bad or did not work.  The production numbers and the award presenters without gags, those with class and even dignity, were, to my taste, the best.

     AN BAD OMISSION

     Count me as one who thinks Andy Griffith should have been in the memorial tribute.  True most people know him from television but his performance in A Face in the Crowd is one for the hall of fame and at least he deserved a memory.

BIG CONTROVERSY IN WINE COUNTRY

      Many acres of the far west side region of the Paso Robles  appellation are striped by new plantings.

    In some areas the crops extend as far you can see. 

   Not everyone is pleased and a big name player is involved.

  Justin Wines, whose Isosceles is considered one of the world's premier wines, is under new ownership.  Justin Baldwin who mentored the winery to an august reputation that drew an estimated 50 thousand visitors a year, sold the operation to Lynda and Stewart Resnick.  
   The Resnicks are marketing wizards.  Their FIJI Water, Pom Wonderful and Paramount Farms are international brands and the Resnicks appear on a track to take Justin to a "new level."
  Justin has a new winemaker, Scott Shirley who comes from Napa Valley where large operations are the norm. The Paso region, which for decades has provided grapes to large Napa wineries, has emerged as California's darling wine region because of the artistry, science, passion and skill of owner operators, small boutique and mom&pop wineries and the kind of personal touch and contact missing in Napa Valley.  
   The Resnicks appear to be planning an increase in volume of production.  Most of Paso's high volume wine makers are on the east side or east of Paso Robles and the 101. It is a delicate thing to maintain the quality while increasing quantity. While that is true for any business, it is especially so in wine making. So lovers of Paso wines and its reputation for being accessible, friendly and less corporate are keeping an eye on Justin.  
    The mass plantings have annoyed some who worry about a loss of Oak trees and the increased demand on water, at least in the early life of the vines.
    Something you hear repeatedly from Bay Area or northern  California visitors to the Paso Robles region is how amazed they are you can often speak with the wine maker, or that wine tasting room people are experts, friendly and add to the social value of the visit.  Even though Justin was considered a "high end" winery, the same was true there.  We trust that while increasing plantings and vastly remodeling the Justin environs, they will maintain the Paso attitude and ethos. 
    Stay tuned.
    See you down the trail.