7 minute read
Sierra Splendor
As you drive on Highway 108 you start to enjoy the scenic views of hills and little streams along the highway. You imagine what it would be like to escape the city and nature as it was intended, without the unnecessary noise and concrete jungles. Once you get to Jamestown, you might see winemaker Cody LePretche riding his four-wheeler between the winery and tasting of Gianelli Vineyards.
It all started with Giovani Rocca, who married into the Gianelli family in the late 1800s. After his marriage, Giovani purchased a large amount of acreage just outside Jamestown – land which today is used in part for the Gianelli vineyards. In Giovani’s day his property was the site for a working cattle ranch, gold mining camp, and was a major stagecoach stop for supplies coming into Jamestown. Giovani was quite a character, and was even reported to give food and aid to the infamous Joaquin Murrieta when he passed through town.
It was passed down for generations and eventually sold to new wine lovers. The current owners are Brett and Amy Noon who closed in the summer of 2018. LePretche looks after the vineyard and makes a large assortment of wine.
“My running joke is that we have so many wines here that I will have something that you will like,” he said. “We have 15 or 16 different varietals planted and with the blends and the champagnes, it’s like 20 different wines to try. We’re also one of the only vine to bottle estates around here, so we grow our grapes and bottle our own wine here.”
Currently Gianelli has 18 different estate grown varietals. From Vermentino to Fiano, Primitivo to Agliancio, the vineyard has varietals that are not only uncommon in the United States, but some have never been produced before outside of Italy.
Since the pandemic, the vineyards have become not as much of a secret because people are looking for a place to come and escape, according to LePretche. One of the biggest selling points of the vineyard is the view from the tasting room. The room sits at one of the highest points of the vineyard and there is a breathtaking view of the vineyard, mountains and more.
“That was a surprise to me,” said LePretche. “Being a winemaker you think people would come for the wine, but I realized it’s more for the experience. You still have to have good wine, but people are looking for more than that.”
Another thing that has been a revelation is the interest young people have in wine. When LePretche first started in the business he was catering to an older crowd, but lately young adults have been frequent visitors to the winery.
“It used to be the more established drinkers, but in the last five years, we have been seeing the millennials and Gen Z coming in,” he said. “For years we would have a lot of the same faces and that’s awesome, but the last few years we’ve been seeing all these new faces and that’s awesome.”
For LePretche, he doesn’t want people to feel like they’re an expert in wine to come and enjoy.
“People don’t want to feel like they’re stupid,” he said. “You don’t need to know all the terminology to come here, and I find people are curious to learn and they ask questions when they feel more comfortable.”
Some of their best sellers are the Montepulico and Nino. With the summer coming, the vineyard is expecting high demand for whites and champagne, including their pomegranate champagne. Currently the tasting room is open from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday through Sunday. In the summer Gianelli is expected to be open seven days. The vineyard is located at 12581 Algerine Road in Jamestown. Visit gianellivineyards.com for more information. ●
Dramatic extremes fill Inyo County. The large rural community on California’s eastern border boasts the tallest mountain in the lower 48 states, the lowest and hottest point in North America, and the oldest trees in the world. Mount Whitney, Death Valley and the Ancient Bristlecone Pines Forest all deserve attention.
Yet one need not climb high mountains, trek through arid desert or even venture far off Highway 395 to discover rewarding and accessible adventures. Consider these outings on public land of Inyo National Forest or Bureau of Land Management, all easily reached in summer and fall and free to visit.
FOSSIL FALLS
A short walk leads to a fascinating area of sculpted rock. Owens River, which flowed at far greater volume during the last ice age than it does today, carved volcanic basalt into smooth and interesting shapes. How different this area must have been during the Pleistocene Period when volcanoes erupted often and giant lakes filled this now-dry valley.
Look for a Fossil Falls sign on Highway 395
Sierra Nevada mountains and the Owens Valley desert come together in Inyo County.
A visitor takes in the view of Fossil Falls and the Sierra Nevada.
north, about 40 miles south of Lone Pine, and follow a dirt road to a parking area with picnic tables and an outhouse. Fossil Falls is just a quarter-mile walk away on a marked trail.
ALABAMA HILLS
Wind erosion created the curiously shaped arches and formations of granite in this 30,000-acre area between the highest Sierra Nevada peak and the Owens Valley. Hikers, climbers and photographers enjoy exploring the landscape which became a National Scenic Area in 2019.
Civil War-era miners sympathetic to the South named the hills for a Confederate battleship. An effort to rename the area began in 2020, but the government hasn’t done so yet.
Multiple short hikes lead through the Alabama Hills. If you only do one, make it the 1.5-mile Arch Loop, which leads by the photogenic Mobius Arch. The “money shot” looks west through the arch at dawn to capture morning light on Lone Pine Peak and Mount Whitney.
From Lone Pine, take Whitney Portal Road west for 2.7 miles and turn right onto Movie Road.
HAPPY BOULDERS
These stones live up to their name. House-sized boulders consisting of volcanic tuff rock have tumbled into narrow canyons, creating happy hiking and climbing for visitors. If you’re more of a hiker, you can still scramble low on the rocks for fun, carefully. The trail extends about a mile to the canyon’s end.
From Bishop, drive north on Highway 395 and turn onto northbound Highway 6 for 1.5 miles. Turn left on Five Bridges Road for 2.4 miles and then turn left onto unpaved Chalk Bluff Road for 2.3 miles to the parking area. The trail to the boulders leads to the north.
Outdoors writer Matt Johanson found that the Happy Boulders live up to their name.
Buttermilk Boulders and Mount Tom combine for a memorable landscape.
BUTTERMILK BOULDERS
Named for the dairy farming that was once common here, Buttermilk Boulders consists of massive glacial boulders (consisting of quartz monzonite and closer in size to mansions than houses) in close proximity to Mount Tom and neighboring High Sierra peaks. Some 500 bouldering problems attract climbers from around the world, but you don’t have to be a climber to walk around and appreciate the unique and inspiring scenery. Multiple trails lead through the area so pick one and explore.
From Bishop, take Highway 168 west to Buttermilk Road, turn right and drive 3.4 miles on a dirt road to a parking area.
HORSESHOE MEADOW
If you’ve come this close to the High Sierra, you really should try some high-elevation outings. A fourmile loop leads around scenic Horseshoe Meadow, by streaming creeks and past foxtail pines. Swimming in the creeks are small and beautiful fish which inspired the name of this Golden Trout Wilderness. Those rare foxtails grow only in the Southern Sierra and can live more than 2,000 years. Save this one for after you’ve acclimatized a while because the trail, while fairly flat, stands around 10,000 feet above sea level.
To make a loop, connect the Cottonwood Pass, Trail Pass, and Mulkey Pass trails.
