Sonoma Plaza and Surrounding
Wineries - November 2006
It is just a one-hour drive from either the San Francisco Golden
Gate Bridge or the Bay Bridge to the town of Sonoma, the center of the
Sonoma Valley wine region. We recently enjoyed a one-night stay
in Sonoma. The late fall and early winter in wine country is without
a doubt the quietest time of the year. Tourists are hardly anywhere
to be found.
Day One in Sonoma
Lunch - Girl & the Fig
Our first stop once
arriving in the town of Sonoma is to have lunch. We chose
the Girl & the
Fig, a very popular spot for lunch or dinner in Sonoma. For
locals, the Girl & the
Fig is a favorite gathering place. The food is excellent
and the atmosphere is friendly and cozy. We enjoyed a relaxing
lunch, splitting a salad and a delicious proscuitto tartine,
an open-faced sandwich.
Following lunch, a walk around the historic Sonoma Plaza
is in order. The Plaza is the perfect place for a stroll.
There are many quaint shops, something of interest for eveyone. |
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Wine Tasting
There are several options for wine tasting around the area and on
this afternoon we chose to visit wineries on Highway 12. This
road follows the Valley in a northwest direction. Along this wine
trail are many outstanding wineries.
Wellington Vineyards
Just at the intersection of
Highway 12 and Arnold Drive, we took a left and then a quick right
up Dunbar Road. In a couple of miles we came to Wellington Vineyards,
a small family owned winery. The tasting room is very non descript,
nothing fancy about the winery. The owners try and keep things simple
and focus on the wine. We very much enjoyed two white wines at Wellington,
the Marsanne and the Rousanne. Both of these wines are Rhone style
wines and very food friendly. These
two wines are a definitely a change of pace from the usual old fashioned
Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc varietals. We highly recommend
these two white wines.
Loxton Cellars
Just next door is an even smaller winery, Loxton Cellars,
a relatively newcomer to this wine trail. The owner and winemaker
is Chris Loxton. Chris was the winemaker at Wellington
and opened this winery two years ago. We enjoyed his Chardonnay
made in a lighter style, and all the reds. The Estate Syrah is
absolutely delicious. |
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Valley of the Moon Winery
Just a bit further, Dunbar Road meets with
Highway 12. We head back towards town for one more winery stop. At
Madrone Road, we turn right and head to the Valley of the Moon Winery. Valley of the Moon
is one of four wineries in this area that are over 100 years old.
There are still remnants of the original winery built in 1887, but
mostly the winery has been rebuilt into a modern facility. The wines
are reasonably priced and very good. Our favorite is the Pinot Blanc,
a good alternative to Chardonnay. Another good reason for visiting
this winery is the scenery. It is a very beautiful drive down Madrone
Road.
Lodging and Dinner
Our home for our one-night stay is the beautiful and restored El
Dorado Hotel. The hotel has 27 refurbished rooms including a
few cottages. We took a look at the cottages and, even though the
cost per night is more, we did not think the cottage rooms were as
nice as the hotel rooms.
In the hotel is the El Dorado Kitchen. What used to be Piatti’s
restaurant is now a beautiful open and spacious dining area. We
did not know what to expect when we decided on the six-course meal with
wine pairing. As it turned out our dining experience was beyond
anything we expected. Within the last couple of years we have experienced
food and wine pairing dinners at the Fleur de Lys and Farrallon restaurants
in San Francisco. Both of these restaurants have a fabulous reputation
for their fine cuisine. Our meal topped those two previous experiences,
that’s how good it was. The veal medallion cassoulet was unbelievable
good. We will definitely be back to the El Dorado Kitchen.
After
tasting about 3 ounces each of six wines, we were happy that we
only had to walk up the stairs to our room at the El Dorado Hotel. The
mid week rate for our room in November was $180. The room was
very comfortable with a small balcony. It was very quiet except,
for the squeaky bedposts.
Day Two in Sonoma
Breakfast at the Basque Boulangerie
Café
This is truly a local’s hangout on the Plaza. For a decent
breakfast and a cup of coffee this is the perfect choice. The
only down side, it can be very crowded with limited seating inside.
We got lucky as one couple left just when our order was ready.
Otherwise, we were going to have to brave the cold and sit at one
of the outside tables.
Fig Pantry
After walking off our breakfast and checking out of our
hotel we headed off for an afternoon of wine tasting. Our first stop
was the Fig Pantry on East Napa Road. The same folks who run the Girl & the
Fig own this deli. The deli bar has lots of great choices. We
packed up a delicious looking lunch and headed off to East Napa
Road to visit Buena Vista Winery and Gundlach Bundschu Winery.
Buena Vista Winery
This is where it all begin for California wine.
In 1857 Count Agoston Haraszthy founded the winery and the rest is
history. At Buena Vista today, the historic winery is owned by Beam
Wine Estates. That might be a good thing because the first thing we
noticed was a big improvement in the Buena Vista wines. They have
some of the finest vineyards in the Carneros region and with newly
installed state-of-the-art winemaking equipment it adds up to some
very distinctive wines. We were very high on the two Estate Pinot
Noirs we tasted and thought the 2004 Estate Syrah was a standout.
We visited the winery about four years ago and found the wines to
be quite average. It is obvious that the Beam Wine company has made
some great strides in its six year ownership of the historic winery.
Gundlach Bundschu
This is yet another historic winery, now in its 6th generation
of family ownership. The Gundlach Bundschu wines are
always consistently good and in particular the Cabernet Sauvignon
and Gewürztraminer. It was a cold day, but with
no wind and the sun shining brightly we found a restful spot
for a picnic. There are three distinct areas where one can
sit and enjoy a picnic lunch. This is one of the best picnic
areas in wine country. With a good deli lunch and a cool
glass of Gewürztraminer life can’t much better
than here at Gundlach Bundschu. |
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Cline Cellars
After a very relaxing lunch, we head towards the Golden
Gate Bridge along Highway 121. We turn left at the big intersection
of Highway 121 and Arnold Road and in about two miles head into the
driveway at Cline Cellars. We are on a mission to purchase one of
their wines called Cashmere. At the El Dorado Kitchen this wine was
paired with the veal medallion. What a delicious and interesting wine.
The wine is a blend of Grenache, Syrah, and Mourvèdre. While at Cline
we tasted a few other wines and found their Carignane to be refreshingly
different. It is an Italian varietal mostly used as a blending wine. Cline
Cellars has beautiful grounds and is host to the California Missions
museum. Cline is another great choice for picnicking.
There are many other wineries in the area. Please see our Sonoma
Valley wine trails and wine map for other wineries to visit, places
to stay, and dine.
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