Sonoma Staycation

 

I had a great time last weekend visiting Sonoma (about an hour north of me) for my first overnight wine tasting trip to the county. I've been wine tasting in Napa a bunch of times, but never made it to Sonoma. Late Thursday night after work I went up and stayed at an inn in Healdsburg, so that I could rise & shine fresh the next day (if I ever rise & shine in the morning) and already be up there. Most wineries close around 5pm, and my goal was to hit about 10. It felt like a relay race for a bit, especially since my previous max in a day I believe was 4, but I had a great time.

First stop in Healdsburg was to pick up a Sonoma Passport, which is a card you can get that has a bunch of options like discounts or free tastings to dozens of wineries in Sonoma County. They have one for Napa and other locations too.

La Crema & Murphy-Goode were two places I wanted to hit up before leaving Healdsburg. La Crema was a nice visit, where I learned about other festivals & fairs that are taking place in the upcoming months around the area. They have a nice little shop section that had cool decor for the holidays, which I probably would have swooped up some things had I been a person to host holiday festivities at my home. I had REALLY been looking forward to visiting Murphy-Goode, and oh em gee, they did not disappoint. I went for their Liar's Dice Zinfandel, but I'm pretty sure I loved everything I tasted there, which was probably about 8 different things. I left with an engraved wine glass and a bottle of 2012 Reserve Zinfandel, which I'm sure is going to be a-ma-zing in a couple years! I also joined their wine club since I've loved pretty much almost every Murphy-Goode wine I've tried over the years. Great staff too! I would have stayed there much longer than I did if I didn't have so many other places on my list that day.

Next we went to Francis Ford Coppola winery, which kind of felt like a cross between a museum & a bar. Lots of movie memorabilia and two floors - both with bars. Across the street is Clos du Bois, and their typical wine tasting room match their typical tasting wine. I like Clos du Bois, but the visit was less than climatic. 

We unfortunately didn't make it to our appointment at Jordan winery - definitely going to have to do some extra planning & fit that in next trip! But we did stop by to visit the property and didn't leave empty handed! The location is simply gorgeous, and I've been a fan of their wines for some years now. 2003 is my all-time favorite year for California wines, and my trophy for this trip was bringing back a Cabernet of that year. I also signed up for their mailing list.

Last two stops were White Oak - which was very pleasantly surprising - and Alexander Valley, where they have cave tours twice a day. I liked all the wines I tasted from White Oak and definitely plan on returning in the future, and maybe join their wine club as well - lots of great perks! Alexander Valley was a perfect last stop because the staff was so cheerful and fun, and I hope to make it to one of their cave tours in the future.

Great first trip to Sonoma! Hopefully my second trip won't be too far in the future. :)

~ Samantha Marie