California Wine Month Guest Blog by Scot Pollard

OK, who doesn't love ex-King Scot Pollard? From his ever changing hair styles (my personal favorite was "Samurai Scott"), to his bone jarring picks, there has never been a player in Kings History (dare I say NBA History?), quite like Scot! So if you are like me and have missed watching him on the court, here is a little dose of his humor, combined with a very funny story about a wine tasting and buying adventure.

So Many Great Wines I Can’t Choose Just One!

This spring I was invited to attend the Premier Napa Valley Wine Auctin by my very good friend and ''wine guy'' Marcus Graziano. Marcus owns Capital Cellars in Roseville. This event features 200 wineries who make a barrel or two of their best. They then have a barrel tasting, and afterwards an auction (always a great idea to serve alcohol before the auction!).

We thought we would make it to all 200 wines. Apparently the buckets they keep next to the barrel are for spitting the wine into after you taste it. No one in our group felt that the deliciousness we were enjoying should be spat out! Thus, we made it to just 20 or so wines. After the tasting, we rushed to grab a bite to eat, before returning for the auction and make a play at our favorites. Marcus is old hat at this, since he has consistently been among the top purchasers of wine at the event. He had some wines in mind he wanted to purchase for his business, and I decided that I would split a couple of the purchases with him. We both agreed on our ''breaking points'' for each wine.

Soon I discovered that the price jumps quickly when the wine is so good and so rare (and then you factor in a little inebriation!). In fact, Marcus and I indirectly helped set a new Premier record for 5 cases of Scarecrow wine. I’m not gonna say how much, but i will say I have purchased nice cars for less! It ended up going to a man behind us who was simply not going home without the wine. Thank goodness for that! I didn't want to have to explain the small capital investment to my Financial Advisor!

We ended up being able to snatch up the barrel of 2005 from Realm Vineyards which I hadn’t previously heard of. It tasted wonderful, and I can't wait to receive it next spring after they bottle it. We were also able to “win'' the bid for a special Robert Foley/Switchback Ridge blend. (I put that in quotes because in an auction, a "win" means you paid more. How is that winning?) While tasting this wine, Kelly Peterson of Switchback Ridge came over to tell us about it and asked for a pic. She's a cute lil thing so I picked her up like I do my kids for photos. Hope I didn’t embarrass her too much!

I’m pretty sure I’ll be getting this release this fall, and I’m super excited to enjoy this vintage as well! The Premier Napa Valley event was one of the greatest days of my life! I learned so many things about wine, the auction, and mostly the people who make it. How great is it that a beverage can bring so many people together to celebrate it, food, and life?

I can't describe the texture, flavors, and depth of a wine. I know what I like, and I try new stuff all the time to see if I like it too. What I do know is that I've made a lot of friends talking about and trying new wines. If you can measure a man by the company he keeps, than I owe a large debt to the liquid that has introduced me to the best people on the Planet.

Editor's Note: Speaking of Planets (and Scot Pollard), follow Pollard on his Blog or on Twitter.