In 2001 I moved to Oregon from Tennessee. Before I moved, I read a book called, “The River Why.” The book is about a young man named Gus chasing steelhead throughout the Pacific Northwest and finding his path. I enjoyed the book quite a bit, but what resonated with me is how the locals view the traveling Portlanders. They didn’t care much for those city folk coming into their towns and messing things up.

Twenty-two years later, the local folks' perspective from the book still sticks with me. The other weekend I was at the beach. There were close to a metric ton of people taking in the sun. That was the first time I had been to the Oregon Coast and said, “It’s hot!” It was a great day, and driving home that evening, a line of taillights lit up Highway 26. Being behind a person doing 40 for the first 45 minutes reminded me of two thoughts.

The first one was Chris Fladwood’s desire to enjoy life, and he is happy calling himself a slow driver. The other thought was I was one of those Portlanders who embarked on the local coastal town. I hope I showed the proper amount of respect, thoughtfulness, and gratitude during my visit. How could you not be full of all those things with incredible views such as this?

I am currently embarking on another adventure in a different town. Can you believe I am writing this newsletter almost two weeks early? Do you know what this means, though? I don’t have any links to share this week. I might have links next week, but it won't be very likely.

There are times in our lives when things magically happen. Some call it manifestation. Sometimes, manifestation takes a crap ton of time to come to fruition. Other times seconds are all that is needed. Let me explain.

It was the night of November 12, 2022. I was all decked out in a tux, volunteering for the Salud auction. The night’s festivities started with a raffle for a weekend stay at a fantastic luxury wine country retreat called AtTheJoy. I knew a close friend of mine had bought a raffle ticket, and as the auctioneer was pulling the ticket, I lightly hit another friend’s arm and said a name. We both flipped out of our tuxes in excitement and bewilderment when the auctioneer called the other friend’s name. I was delighted to know the person who won a weekend at this stunning retreat!

Before the evening of the Salud auction, I was aware of AtTheJoy. Some other friends had stayed there, and I saw pictures from a wedding reception, but I became obsessed when a majority of the episodes from Sparklers were filmed onsite at AtTheJoy. It was stunning. I was also filled to the brim with Oregon pride getting showcased repeatedly. Some of the local features included Zupans, Lytle-Barnett, and Jacobsen Honey, to only name a few.

If you are not aware of the show Sparklers. It was a reality food challenge show with wine pairings on SOMM TV, but it isn't your typical cutthroat reality show. Everyone on the show was rooting for everyone else. It was more of a team effort, but I still had my favorites on who I wanted to win. The show would consist of a contest for the perfect bite followed by a main course.

In one episode, everyone had to walk the grounds of AtTheJoy to forage for food. Other episodes included a caviar, oyster, risotto, and everyone’s “favorite” the snail caviar dish. The contestants, Claire Coppi, George Walker, Meghan Zebeck, Matthew Kaner, and Maryam Ahmed, are all from the World of Wine.

When I asked Andy Lytle how in the world did Sparklers end up filming at AtTheJoy, I adored the heck out of a story of being in the right place at the right time. It was towards the end of 2020, and as you are aware, the restaurant industry was pretty much shut down. Andy sent about 20 bottles to SOMMs in LA and San Francisco with a note saying, “I know it’s been a tough year for everybody. Enjoy this bottle of Lytle-Barnett Sparkling wine with your family and friends over the holidays. Looking forward to doing business with you in 2021.”

One of those SOMMs was Matthew Kaner, who called up Andy Lytle and said, “I need you to be by your phone in 15 minutes!” When Andy’s phone rang 15 minutes later, it was Matthew Kaner and none other than Jason Wise (the guy who made the SOMM movies). It turns out Matthew and Jason were ironing out details for Sparklers. The initial plans were to travel around for each episode, but COVID restrictions were difficult to overcome. After flying up to look at the property, Jason thought it was the perfect spot, and now AtTheJoy will be forever etched into the history of the Wine World.

Getting back to my 5-second manifestation back in November. I was incredibly fortunate to get an invite to stay at AtTheJoy and let me tell you it was a weekend I will never forget!

When plans were made to stay at AtTheJoy in mid-May, we were uncertain about what the weather had in store for us. To say we got incredibly lucky is a massive understatement. Arriving Friday afternoon with the sun shining like something fierce with gorgeous blue skies, it was something else!

Before I get ahead of myself, let me tell you a little about AtTheJoy. It is a luxury estate in the heart of the Eola-Amity Hills, and when I say in the heart, I am not exaggerating one bit. The estate is surrounded by 24 acres of the Anahata vineyard, where the grapes for Aubaine come from. I also know some other wineries that buy grapes from here. Outside of the Anahata vineyard, you can see so many other neighboring vineyards. You are right, smack dap in the middle of Wine Country.

The 6,500 square foot house with 6+ bedrooms is spectacular for a nice size group to get away and have some major fun. There is the main house, three bungalows, and a downstairs for everyone to have their own space. But we all know everyone enjoys hanging out in the kitchen/living room. I mean, that is where all of the fantastic food and crazy amounts of wine were at.

I remember packing the car on Friday, thinking it felt like getting ready for a weekend camping trip, but with incredibly top-of-line accommodations. Everyone in our group was responsible for different meals, and part of the raffle ticket was a catered lunch on Saturday. Our dinner Friday night was burgers cooked on the grill. Everyone sat outside while watching the sunset.

Getting up Saturday morning, I had to walk around the Anahata vineyard. I have mentioned the level of accommodations for the estate, but I still need to go into the vineyard's story. Anahata is the Sanskrit word for the heart chakra. Eight blocks of the vineyard are different translations of the word “Joy.” There is one particular block called the “SMP” block. Sister Mary Paule was Andy Lytle's aunt who served South Africa's children for over 60 years building orphanages and schools. The other blocks are named: ANULI (African), GIOIA (Italian), JOIE (French), SHIRA (Hebrew), ALEGRIA (Spanish), SOGAN, VREUGDE (Dutch), and ATHAS.

Walking around the vineyard gave me a tremendous appreciation of what the property stands for. The Vanduzer Corridor winds come in the afternoon, allowing the skins on the grapes to get a little tougher, allowing that acidity to shine in the glass. Another factor I appreciated about the vineyard was how it is surrounded by evergreens, giving it its own little microclimate. As you dive deeper into the vineyard, there are little valleys where I am sure the grapes prosper with unique qualities.

It was incredibly peaceful to walk the vineyard. I also took some time to watch a neighbor work on his barn with pigs running around. To sit and do nothing in the middle of a vineyard on a Saturday morning is something I don’t do enough of. Life Moves Pretty Fast. If You Don't Stop And Look Around Once In A While, You Could Miss It.

Getting back from the walk, there was pool time before lunch. Yes, the pool was heated, but think about that sentence for a minute. How often do you get the opportunity to get into a pool in Oregon in mid-May? Yeah, this is the stuff dreams are made of! There is something magical about AtTheJoy!

The lunch was incredible, and the wines we had for lunch were stunning. I found out our group were the first ones to taste these wines outside of the winemaking team. We started with the 2017 Lytle-Barnett Brut Rose, followed by the 2018 Lytle-Barnett Blanc de Blancs, the 2021 Aubaine Athas Chardonnay, and the 2021 Aubaine Joie Pinot Noir, along with all the food.

After that much food and wine, there was only one thing to do: take a nap!

Can you guess what occurred after a nice long nap in the middle of the day? Let me give you a two-word hint: food and wine.

It was my turn to make food for the group. I brought all of the ingredients for some killer pizzas in the Ooni. I made ten pizzas and eventually caught up with everyone because they were going fast. I had never made that many pizzas at one time in the pizza oven, but dang, it was pretty simple once we got a little assembly line going.

As Saturday night was approaching an end, we had to look at the wine we had enjoyed over the last couple of days. To say we had a blast is a massive understatement!

To spend a weekend with good friends, food, and wine in an awe-inspiring setting is what we need more of these days. It feeds our hearts and minds with everlasting memories. Throw in the name of AtTheJoy with eight blocks of vineyards with different translations of the Joy, and you can’t go wrong. I have zero doubts I will still be reminiscing about this weekend in twenty years. So the next time you plan a weekend get-together with friends, pool your resources together at AtTheJoy. I promise you will not be disappointed, and when you are making your reservation, please say the magical words, “A.J. sent me!”

With Gratitude,

A.J.