Tucked in a corner in Bacchus Landing in Healdsburg is the tasting room of Smith Story. It’s a welcoming storefront with a beautiful garden patio. Ali Smith and Eric Story are the couple behind the wine. Katy Wilson is their consulting winemaker and Dusty Rhodes their hospitality director. And not to be left out in any way is Lord Sandwich, the canine behind it all. … Continue reading Picpoul & Bourboulenc?
We headed out of Santa Barbara the next day to Los Olivos and Los Alamos to taste at Andrew Murray and Casa Dumetz. After talking with Noah from the Wine Merchant, we added the Holus Bolus tasting room to our trip. Our first stop was at Andrew Murray Vineyards in the Santa Ynez Valley Wine Country. Tastings are held at the winery in a stunning location … Continue reading Day Trip from Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara California not only has a stunning coastal location, beautiful Mediterranean style architecture, amazing restaurants and shopping – it also has its share of wineries! More than 280 wineries are located among the seven AVAs in Santa Barbara County. We made a road trip to Santa Barbara to relax for a few days and explore a few of those wineries and tasting rooms. We … Continue reading Santa Barbara Trip
On one of the hottest days this summer we visited Gary Farrell Vineyard & Winery. It’s located in one of the coolest regions in Sonoma’s wine country but we were experiencing a heat wave. The temperature was hitting 100 degrees. Tasting outdoors was not going to be an option. Their facility sits well above the river off Westside Road and on a normal day you’d … Continue reading Russian River Valley Winery
Hartford Family Winery is in the Russian River Valley just outside the town of Forestville. It’s rather an oasis tucked in the vineyards and surrounded by Redwood forests. We visited midweek during a summer hot spell which probably explains why we had the place nearly to ourselves. We’ve been here other times when its been extremely busy. This was a refreshing change! Ruthanne was our … Continue reading Hartford Family Winery
When we find a great restaurant we’re torn between wanting to tell the world and keeping it secret. That’s how we felt when we tried Goldfinch in Sebastopol, California. We’ve dined their twice. Great food, excellent cocktails, a nice wine list, smart wait staff, busy but not loud so you are able to enjoy the conversation at your table. On our second visit, our wait … Continue reading Food & Wine
We were returning from a visit to the coast in Mendocino via route 126 and made a stop at Maggy Hawk in Anderson Valley. Chad Bovée hosted us on one of the tasting room’s beautiful patios. Sadly my iphone ate my photographs of the tasting room so you’ll have to take my word for it that it is quite an attractive place. Maggy Hawk makes … Continue reading Passing through Anderson Valley….
We have definitely been busy tasting, just not writing about it. So sorry! I’ll attempt to catch up. Since the beginning of June we attended the Summer Open House and Marketplace at Grand Cru Custom Crush as well as a Rhone Rangers event in Sonoma. We visited and tasted at Maggy Hawk, Dry Creek Vineyard, Aperture, Sixteen600, Iron Horse, Gary Farrell, and Hartford Family. We … Continue reading Summer is Cooking!
We had friends from Florida visiting recently who were interested in tasting Pinot Noir wines, in particular Papapietro Perry. It has been several years since we were there so we were looking forward to a return. Their tasting room is off Dry Creek Road, north of Healdsburg alongside several tasting rooms as well as winemaking facilities. Their tasting room is what I would call “casual … Continue reading Papapietro Perry
Gundlach Bundschu Winery is an institution. It’s been around forever! About 35 miles from San Francisco the winery sits at the southern end of the Sonoma Valley. Referred to by many as “GunBun”, it is one of the oldest wineries in the state. It’s also one of the most diverse for visitors, offering venue experiences unlike any other winery I know – from cave tastings, … Continue reading GunBun!
John's Wine Cellar 