L’Aventure translates to “The Adventure”, and this story was “The Adventure” of our trip. If you read the previous story on Pelletiere Estate, this adventure immediately followed. If you haven’t and have a minute, go back and read it, it’s short.
For this adventure we need to go back to home in LA, Oct 1st, 2023, the morning of our trip to Paso Robles for Maita’s birthday getaway with some friends (Rob, Janna, Brian & Mariko). That morning from 6am till maybe 7:30am just before we were planning on leaving, I spent in the bathroom…yes, I don’t need to be graphic, and i wasn’t throwing up…we’ll call it “stomach issues”. I wasn’t feeling sick or anything, not did I have any idea where that came from, but in any event, I didn’t want to drink too much liquids or try to eat too much since I knew we were driving to Paso Robles that morning (3.5 hours) and I didn’t want to have to go and have nowhere to stop or stop somewhere in time lol.
I was sipping on Gatorade and eating a banana and a dry piece of bread. All was good. Stopped for lunch Thomas Hill Organics in Paso Robles with everyone at 11:30am. Had a glass of champagne and a little bit of the chardonnay, a few sips of water, and a little bit of French toast, but I wasn’t going to take a chance on anything so I was taking it easy.
Felt fine. Stopped at a winery (Pelletiere Estate) for a quick tasting, had 3 tasting pours (I now had food in my stomach and it was staying there lol), and then off to our 2pm tasting at L’Aventure. Listened to David (our host) for maybe 1/2 hour talking about the history and winery. I took a sip of one the pours, that’s all I had, literally one sip, (wine tasting) I had way more water at this point. I was feeling a little off, like when I’m close to a panic attack (from long ago, but I’m good with that now), so I got up and went to the bathroom, washed my face with some cold water. Couldn’t tell if I needed to throw up or sit on the toilet, but something inside of me said “if I passed out here in the bathroom no one will know for a long time”, so I went back out to the table, (we were outside doing the tasting). Then the cold sweats came on and I was bent over trying to avoid passing out, since it sort of felt like that, and just wait for it all to pass. It didn’t and I finally said to Maita “I’m not feeling good, maybe I need help to the bathroom”. Brian and Rob started helping me, each on the side of me holding me up, but i didn’t think I could make it so I told them to let me sit down right here (still outside).
I sat down, and then I thought I said “let me lay down”, and then I said “this ground feels good”, it was nice and cold, so I just laid there. Well, unknown to me, they said I wanted to sit down, so I did, and then passed out for about 20 to 30 seconds. My eyes rolled back, I was white as a ghost, they even said my lips were blue. So between the time I said let me sit down to when I was laying on the ground I had passed out cold. No idea I had passed out.
Those guys said they were talking to me and trying to determine if I was breathing. It seemed like forever to them lol. I finally woke up and just laid there for a few minutes and then said move to the back wall over there so I’m out the way as other guests were coming in, but they were already being diverted to the inside. Walked over to the wall and sat on the ground with my back up against the short concrete wall and waited as one of the staff said they called 911. Paramedics came and asked a bunch of questions, I was coherent at that time so I knew where I was and what was going on. Although Maita said Chloe (GM of L’Aventure) came over to talk to me, but I have no memory of that conversation.
They recommended I go to ER and get properly checked out. I assume partially for their protection in case something else happened, and of course, for my own good to make sure it wasn’t heart issues. Though they preliminarily said they didn’t think so.
So they rushed me to the ER, sirens blaring , Maita close behind following them to the ER… just kidding, we were going the speed limit, no siren, but Maita was close behind (ambulance ride). Tilden @terroir_matters said it best. “Seriously?!? Only an instagrammer would take a pic while in an ambulance!” haha! So keep in mind, this day Oct 1st is Maita’s birthday. I got to take an ambulance ride, get 2 hours of IV fluids in ER, chest x-ray, EKG, blood work, blood pressure monitored the whole time, and all was good. (ER Templeton) No stroke, no heart attack or no heart issues, just dehydration I guess, though strangely enough they never used that word. But I am, because that’s what Dr Miyake thinks it was lol. Maita was mad at me…she said don’t ever do that again or I’ll kill you! lol.
Got to the hotel, changed, freshened up a bit, and met up with everyone for dinner about 1/2 hour late, but made it, and was feeling fine from that point on. Finally got to celebrate Maita’s birthday at dinner! Had 2 tastings the next day, well, actually 3, and drank a lot of water at each one! Lessoned learned the hard way.
Part 2 of L’Aventure
The next day, Oct 2nd, again, we had time to do something in between lunch and the next appointment so everyone was saying maybe we can go back to L’Aventure since I messed up our first visit lol. So I called them and I said “do you remember that guy who passed out yesterday?” She said “yes”, I said “well I’m that guy and my friends are pissed off because the didn’t get to finish the tasting, can we come back in about 1/2 hour?” Well, we got the tour of the caves and a quick tasting of their Estate Cuvee Blanc, and a pic with our new friend Kate Helm @kate.helm.
When we came back I was hoping to see Chloe and thank her but she wasn’t available, I was a little disappointed that I wasn’t able to thank her in person, but did get to send an email. But then night we had dinner at Les Petites Canailles, and Chef Julien is the son of Stephan Asseo, owner of L’Aventure, or the brother of Chloe. So as we were eating dinner, guess who comes walking in! Maita looks at me and says “I think that’s Chloe”. We got eye contact and she came over, we hugged, and I got to say my thank you personally. Funny how things work out some times. And that was the end of that Adventure! Photo Gallery