Day 2 - Sonoma

Today was a great start to the wine-tasting expeditions of this vacation. We spent most of it in Sonoma and the surrounding areas enjoying cool sunny weather and great wines.

Our first stop was a wine/food pairing at Buena Vista, which happens to be the oldest tasting room in Sonoma (or maybe California...one of those). The building we sat in was actually built in 1861 and with the help of some people (and a lot of money) has been framed on the inside to make it safe for us to actually be in. The wines were really good - especially the Pinot Gris and Syrah. It was a pretty educational tasting so it helped that it was our first.

We had some extra time to kill before our next stop so we wandered into downtown Sonoma. The weather. Was. Gorgeous. And you could tell because there were tons of people out and about, picnicking in the parks, roaming in and out of the shops and even stopping to do some wine sampling along the way. Imagine that.

Gunlach Bundschu was next and ran a close second to Buena Vista. We actually did a tour/tasting here that took us into the [man-made] cave. The tour was neat in that they actually tapped into one of the barrels and let us sample the "unfinished" product. Very neat. Their Gewurztraminer and Tempranillo were our favorites. The view there was amazing as it was nestled on top of a hill. Pictures to come this weekend.

The next two places were mediocre in our opinions. Nicholson Ranch is smaller and less popular, although the wines really weren't that bad. Domaine Carneros is known for its estate and sparkling wines and as I don't really do bubbly, I let Brad take the reins there. Again, a great view on top of the hill with a really awesome building.

Our experience at Buena Vista was neat because we were one of two couples doing the wine/food pairing. Our fellow tasters were locals so we asked for some non-tourist-type things to do and places to go/eat. Eric (Mr. Sonoma Himself) suggested we drive Ramal Rd for the views and then grab a burger (he didn't know who he was talking to) at some dive on the river. We made it for the drive but already had reservations for dinner elsewhere. He was right. Ramal Rd is the place to go to see the ultimate views of the valleys. This is such a beautiful time of year because as it is autumn, the leaves are changing colors. When you look out over a valley, you see seas of reds, oranges, yellows and greens. Awe. Some.

The place to be in the culinary world of wine country is French Laundry. Minus the $1000 bill, I'm sure it would've been quite the experience. However, Thomas Keller got the bright idea to open another restaurant with a much slimmer tab and menu. They only offer one thing each night for dinner -- a four-course meal of whatever happens to be found at the markets that day. We had crab salad served in yellow squash, flat iron steak with some potatoes, figs and artichoke hearts, a cheese plate and banana ice cream sundaes. A grand slam in our opinions.

Heading to Healdsburg tomorrow...stay tuned.