Chad& I had a little getaway trip around my work trip to San Francisco. Our time really started on Friday with a beautiful drive from San Francisco, up the coast, to Sonoma. We took the 101 across the Golden Gate Bridge and hopped onto highway 1 for the gorgeous drive. We stopped at Muier Park at several points, walking several beaches, cliffs overlooking the ocean and lush forest areas. We saw a few redwoods but didn't get a chance to stop and walk through any of these areas. We even had a yummy light lunch on the beach at a shack under the lifeguard tower! Here are a few pics of our first day!
At the end of our drive, we arrived at our beautiful hotel, The Vintner's Inn, which was an amazing, quint little hotel nestled up against a small vineyard. And lucky us, on the property was a tasty upscale restaurant, John Ash & Co. where we were able to enjoy dinner on Friday evening. The setting was gorgeous and the food was remarkable.
On Saturday, we started with breakfast at the Inn and it did not disappoint. Next up we drove into Healdsburg on the advice of a few friends. The town had a square area that we walked around before deciding to walk into a winery tasting room. We walked into Hawley and we hit the jackpot! Not only were the wines amazing but Jaime who worked there gave us a great run-down on how to enjoy tastings, some great recommendation so of wineries to visit and some local restaurants not to miss! It was fantastic! Next up we walked to Thumbprint which was a fun little winery tasting room, also on the square, with great artwork (read: superheros in yoga poses) and fun-named wines (we chose the "Four Play Rose'". Next up was lunch at HBG where we shared a burger and yummy truffle fries and then we were off! Next up we drove to Medlock Ames, which did not disappoint. Their tasting room opened to a vineyard and they offered cheese to enjoy with each of their wines! Here we discovered that we actually could enjoy a Merlot (and we bought one!). This was our first "tasting with a view" and it was very relaxing to sit out on the patio to enjoy our tasting. Our path then took us to Hawkes which was a winery that specialized in Cabernet Sauvignon. This was one of our least favorite places but it was worth trying. Last up for the day was a visit to Robert Young Estate where we found a Malbec, one of my favorites!
On Sunday, we started our day with breakfast at the Inn again before heading up to Dry Creek Road for a few winery visits. This area offered the most amazing views and some of our favorite winery visits! First up was Ferrari-Carano and this place wins the prize for the best setting (and some great wine too!). Here we enjoyed two tastings, one upstairs and a reserve tasting down in the cellar! Both were amazing and we chose a few wines from both lists. After this stop, we were ready for lunch and drove into Geyserville, a nearby town, to enjoy a pizza at Diavola upon many recommendations. After we refueled, we went back to Dry Creek Road where we enjoyed a tasting and the views at Sbragia before driving to see Lake Sonoma. On our way back to town we stopped at Dutcher's Crossing where we enjoyed amazing wines, gorgeous hillside views and met a couple from the San Francisco area that had many ties to the KC area! It was so fun to visit with this couple for well over an hour and we decided to try out one more winery before they started to close with them, Martorana. This winery was hidden in a hillside and was a fun last stop! Since we had had a big day, we wrapped up with a quick and easy dinner at In n Out Burger!
Monday wrapped-up our trip with a drive back to San Francisco for our flight. But before we left, we stopped by the Golden Gate Bridge for a quick walk out over the bay to see Alcatraz and enjoy the amazing views! The trip by went by too fast but we were ready to get home to see the kids!
1 comment:
What a great trip and beautiful pictures. So happy you had a great time!
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