Sonoma is the perfect place to enjoy a wine country adventure after the year long pandemic lock down. The wineries are incredibly eager to have visitors back and there is no better place to relax. We’ve been busy updating our local recommendations to make it easy for you to plan your visit. Check out the Local Favorites page and get started! There are some amazing … Continue reading Planning a Sonoma Wine Trip – Updated
This is an excellent read on a very unusual year for California wines…….. These wines, which make up a case, are not only delicious — they tell the story of what happened with wine in this tumultuous year. By Esther Mobley | Dec. 15, 2020 | Updated: Dec. 16, 2020 2020 has been an earth-shattering year for the American wine world. And it would have been even without the … Continue reading 12 California Wines That Define 2020
We had the pleasure of being invited to a private dinner at the Skiptone Estate just outside of Geyserville. Patricia Smith was our host and met us with a pouring of Skipstone’s Rose de Constance Champagne. It’s produced in conjunction with Diebolt-Vallois and named after Skipstone’s owner’s wife. We had never been to Skipstone so this was a treat! A long private lane brings you … Continue reading Dinner at Skipstone
North of Healdsburg there is a spectacular landscape overlooking the Alexander Valley and the Anderson Valley off Route 128 in Yorkville Highlands. There, above the fog line with knock-out gorgeous views, a new tasting “room” called SEAWOLF has just opened. Two young, talented winemakers – Emma Kudritzki Hall and Jesse Hall have combined their experience and are producing small quantities of exceptional wine made in … Continue reading SEAWOLF
Armida Winery has one of my favorite Sonoma views. It’s set on a hillside off Westside Road just south of Healdsburg. Their view is across the vineyards of the Dry Creek Valley, past “J” and Rodney Strong Vineyards to Chalk Hill, Fountaingrove, and in the far distance, Mt. St Helena. It’s gorgeous and the perfect spot to relax, open a bottle of their wine and … Continue reading Armida
We don’t really need an excuse to go tasting but in this instance it was kind of celebratory. Our daughter was visiting and finally done with a self imposed quarantine so a day out seemed like a perfect reward. Bedrock Wine Company was our first appointment. I’ve written about Bedrock previously (link to post) but not about tasting at their facility in the town of … Continue reading 2 Steps Back……..
East of Sacramento in the foothills of the Sierra Mountain Range is gold country. In the 1840s the precious metal was discovered there. The area quickly prospered through the gold rush. At the same time vineyards were planted and wine was produced. The gold ran dry before the end of the century but the Zinfandel vines have endured. This is a terrific, scenic part of … Continue reading Gold Country!
Joan and Walt Flowers made two trips each year to California to purchase seeds for their nursery in my home turf of Bucks County, Pennsylvania. Those trips gave them more access to California wines, and most certainly fueled their growing passion for them. That passion got the best of them and they purchased land along the Pacific Coast on Camp Meeting Ridge thus beginning Flowers … Continue reading Flowers
When Governor Newsom gave the o.k. for wineries and tasting rooms to reopen we were quick to venture out. Yes, there were and continue to be limitations, rules, and masks of course, but it seemed worth abiding the rules to have a relaxing afternoon trying a new winery. We were met by Alice Hunter the winery’s manager who gave us a wonderfully in-depth background on … Continue reading Marimar Estate
August 2020 – A Paravel UPDATE – We had the pleasure of having Jon Jones join us for a birthday dinner celebration in Santa Rosa. Jon brought his wines to pair and share making the dinner and the evening one exceptional event. Jon poured his 2019 Mendocino Poor Ranch VYD Old Vine Zinfandel Rosé while he told us the fantastic story of how he discovered … Continue reading “Music to your Mouth”
John's Wine Cellar 