Touring Sonoma/Napa/Mendocino

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terroirdejeroir

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I am leaving Saturday for a week-long visit to northern California and thought I would see if anyone had any suggestions for wineries to visit. Planning to spend a few days in Sonoma (where my son lives) and visit Napa and Mendocino as well.

We have local guidance, but thought someone here may have a favorite place or two to share.
 
but thought someone here may have a favorite place or two to share.

I have one of the best places ever to visit but you need to take me with you to show you how to get there............really. :)

Have a good time, sounds like fun.
 
First, take lots of $$$$$ LOL

Avoid the weekends if possible. It is a ZOO.
Wineries charge full MSRP. Check out the trader Joe's, Whole Food's and Costco in Napa. They have amazing wine collections from the area and you will get them at 20-30% off retail.
If you have local guidance you are well ahead of the game. Take it! Most of the wineries have so many customers/tourist that they could care less about you and waiting on you.

Go to the historical wineries for pictures and to experience a bit of the rich history.

• Domaine Chandon – The sparkling wine, the gardens
• Robert Mondavi Winery – The symbol of the Napa Valley, take a tour
• Inglenook Estate – Magnificent & grand estate of Inglenook Fame
• Beaulieu Vineyards – BV wine George de LaTour
• Louis Martini Winery – 1933 start in the Napa Valley
• Charles Krug Winery – The historic Redwood Cellar built in 1872
• Beringer Wines – The Rhine House building, oldest continuous winery
• Chateau Montelena
• Grgich Hills Estate
• Stags Leap Wine Cellars (not Stag's Leap Winery)
• Opus One

And did I say take lots of $$$$$$$…….

Enjoy, take pics, share when you get back!
 
all that glowin says + make sure to spend a day just hopping the Silverado Trail all the way to Calistoga. Our favorite place to stay is the John Muir Inn.
 
Give the Livermore Valley a shot. Wente is there. Try the "Winemakers" tasting.
Also, there is an organic winery there that (once I mentioned being a winemaker) let our group into their back room and let us barrel test mixtures for them. My SIL bought a barrel future from them. Cant remember the name...
 
Day one: long travel day, but still managed to hit Kendall Jackson and Murphy-Goode. Pleasantly surprised at M-G. I thought of them as a lower end winery, but they had several limited production wines (not sold in stores) that were very nice. The Snake Eyes Zin was excellent as was the Single Deck Cab Sauv.

The drive from Healdsburg through Alexander Valley to Calistoga was very beautiful.

Russian River and Dry Creek Valley today - should be great.
 
If you're staying in or near Calistoga try the Hydro Grill, great food and a great place. Also the Calistoga Inn Brewery and restaurant is quite good. If you are heading up to Mendocino through Anderson Valley (where most of the wineries are) I recommend Husch, Navarro, Goldeneye and Elke. Tolouse was decent as well. Goldeneye is fantastically beautiful and quite pricey (though the wines are superb, they are affiliated with Duckhorn in Napa) and you'll likely need an appointment. Elke on the other hand is super small and super rustic but their young winemaker Matt Evans is great. A few places up there don't charge and those that do (other than Goldeneye) the prices are reasonable. If you're into beer definitely stop at Anderson Valley Brweing, great stuff there.

 
I am leaving Saturday for a week-long visit to northern California and thought I would see if anyone had any suggestions for wineries to visit. Planning to spend a few days in Sonoma (where my son lives) and visit Napa and Mendocino as well.

We have local guidance, but thought someone here may have a favorite place or two to share.

http://www.castellodiamorosa.com/Visit-Us/Wine-and-Food-Pairing
This lovely young lady is my cousin's wife. She Knows her stuff. Tell her Flo and Gary say hi!!
 
Day two: Lots of delicious Russian River Pinot Noir and Dry Creek Valley Zinfandel. First impression is that Dry Creek Valley is very scenic, quite beautiful. A lot nicer than you would expect a place named Dry Creek Valley to be in the middle of an historic drought.

We started off with a nice lunch at the Dry Creek Valley General Store. Great food - outstanding view.

First stop was Ferrari-Carano - very visually stunning place with lush gardens, gorgeous Italianate architecture, with wonderful views. The tasting room for the limited release and reserve quality wines was in the lower level and featured a nice view of the barrel cellar, plus lots of marble and rich wood. The wines were good, but maybe a bit overpriced (somebody has to pay for the beautiful building and grounds). The Tresor Bourdeaux-style blend was probably my favorite, but the Prevail-labeled Alexander Valley Cabs were very good as well. They had a desert wine made from black Muscat that I didn't like at all, but I rarely like sweet wines.

Next stop was a real gem that greatly exceeded expectations: Papapietro Perry. They started out in a garage in San Francisco and don't grow any grapes. They just have a small tasting room, but they were featuring five 90+ rated Pinot Noirs, four of them from the Russian River valley. All of them were quite excellent and the staff were fun and attentive. Their Dry Creek Valley Zin was also delicious. We bought several.

Third stop was Geyser Peak, which also exceeded my expectations. I know them as a maker of middle-shelf Merlots that are good values, but they weren't bothering to pour those. The Thermopoli Rhone Blend was absolutely delightful as was the Ascentia Alexander Valley Cab. My favorite was the Kuimelis Vineyard high-elevation Cab - very concentrated flavors, nice and chewy. The Petit Verdot was also very good. The best moment was when they poured the Barrel Aged Tawny Port. Phenomenal. My wife liked it so much I thought we were going to need a private room for her! We will be going back there on Wednesday prior to heading north.

The final stop was most excellent. Stephen & Walker have a nice tasting room in downtown Healdsburg. There wines were presented with outstanding artisanal cheeses and were astoundingly good. All small batches with an emphasis on selecting fruit from vineyards that are best suited for the varietal characteristics of the grapes. My son is a friend of the winemakers and a frequent visitor, so we were treated very well. Sampled every red that was available, bought half a case and joined the wine club. Loved them all, with particular fondness for the Howell Mountain Cab. Also sampled Petit Syrah and Zinfandel from Dry Creek Valley, Pinot Noir and Zinfandel from Russian River Valley, and a Pinot Noir from Monterrey County. I don't really drink whites, but my son and wife were very enthusiastic about the 2012 Late Harvest Botrytis Chardonnay from Mendocino Ridge. Two best of shows and 13 gold medals. More info at www.trustwine.com

Leaving for Napa and lunch at Brix in about an hour....
 
If you need a break from tasting, try hiking in the john muir woods. It is only 3 miles, but very scenic with lots of the giant red woods!
 
If you need a break from tasting, try hiking in the john muir woods. It is only 3 miles, but very scenic with lots of the giant red woods!

Thanks for the suggestion, but we are already planning to hike the redwoods at Montgomery Woods State Natural Area in the coastal range between Ukiah and Mendocino. I have been to Muir Woods before and it is gorgeous, but Montgomery Woods is a lot less traveled.
 
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Day three: Beautiful drive up Valley of the Moon Drive and over Oakville Grade into Napa Valley. Started with a spectacular lunch at Brix near Yountville, followed by three winery visits.

First visit to Mondavi was primarily intended as eye candy as they have stunning grounds with a lot of rare art and wine antiques including a massive 16th century Spanish wine press. The wines were OK, but pretty underwhelming as expected.

Next stop was Charles Krug as we wanted to see the historic building and facilities. Krug was the first winery in Napa Valley, established in 1861. Wines were much better than Mondavi. As primarily a red drinker, I don't typically like white wines much, but they had a chardonnay that was barrel fermented and aged eight months sur lie with battonage that may have been the best white wine I have ever tasted. The Carneros Pinot Noir was pretty good, but not up there with the Russian River ones we previously tasted. Of course, I liked the Estate-bottled Cab. I always like the Cabs.

Final stop was Chateau Montelena where the wines were great and the setting was even better. It is located north of Calistoga at the very top of Napa Valley and was extremely beautiful. Nestled in the redwoods on a scenic lake with swans and mountains in the distance. We didn't have time for a tour, but the chateau is phenomenal. Built in 1888 with stone walls that range between three and twelve feet thick, with lots of rich wood doors and trim, it just oozed magnificence. The wines, as you would expect, were wonderful. We tasted primarily Chardonnay and Cab, but there was also a very nice Riesling. Highly recommended.

Taking a break today to enjoy the Santa Rosa/Sebastopol area, sampling artisan cheeses, visiting the Luther Burbank Home and Gardens and spending the night at a really cool bed and breakfast on the Russian River call The Raford Inn. 19th century Victorian home that features a small vineyard and estate-bottled wines.

Heading north tomorrow for Redwoods and Zinfandel, plus my best friend since fourth grade (about 45 years ago). Supposed to be 105 degrees in Ukiah then heading to Mendocino where it should be in the low 60s.
 
,,,,"with visions of sugarplums (grapes in this case) dancing in their heads". We're all on the trip with you!! Any chance you're already planning a return for further exploration?
 
Finally back and recovered from the frivolities. Didn't really visit any other wineries although the proprietor of the Raford Inn in the Russian River Valley has about 200 vines on the hillside of his property and gets about two tons of grapes of mostly Zinfandel and Pinot Noir from his organic, head-trained vineyard. We went on a tour and got to barrel taste some 2013 Zinfandel that was very nice. Really a cool experience at a very nice property.

From there we spent a couple of nights at the beach in Mendocino with friends and family.

The final night was at my brother's house in the Berkley Hills in the East Bay. Wonderful weather and a delightful dinner paired with:

ImageUploadedByWine Making1435713084.177984.jpgImageUploadedByWine Making1435713105.180611.jpgImageUploadedByWine Making1435713131.950783.jpgImageUploadedByWine Making1435713150.020190.jpg

I am a lucky man.
 

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