Everyone knows that the best way not to become lost, bored or suddenly single on a road trip is to have a) a plan and b)a good map. Unfortunately, the travel book we were relying on turned out to provide only one of those things.
Fortunately, we were able to get past not having a reliable map - but only after we scarfed down a piece of the world's greatest gravenstein apple pie at Mom's in Sebastopol. Did I say Sebastopol? Oh, what I meant was...in Graton. Which is really not the same as Sebastopol, despite what the guide book and the advert for the shop says. Anyways, the pie was worth it. I mean, really, really worth it. Everyone should have a pie of this piece before they die. It's truly that good!
Turns out the Graton Gallery isn't open on Mondays (also despite what the guide book says). Too bad because the current installation of artisans' works is called Good Dog Bad Dog. From what we could see through the window...it was really great.
After a simply amazing meal and Mark's so-so Chardonnay at Mosaic in Forestville (located on the Gravenstein Hwy which is apparently also known as Front Street) we were ready to get into tasting some wine.
The wines that come out of this valley (the Russian River Valley) are mostly Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs and there was no shortage of opportunity to sample them (as well as a very nice Gewurztraminer or two) as we wound our way up, down, and around Westside Road.
Not being a fan of Chards (yawn) or Pinots (ewww), I found myself mostly drinking in the scenery. The gardens and tasting rooms are so beautiful - who cares about the wine? (well, ok, I care a little bit). Arista's Japanese inspired gardens and yummy Gewurz was today's favorite.
Other stop spots today included C. Donatiello (beautiful gardens and a yummy "neutral" oak Chardonnay) and "J" (positively surreal sparkling wine!)
One thing that we've been surprised and a little disappointed about so far was how the tasting rooms don't feature any nibblies to enjoy along with the wine. We did get several leads on places to pick up locally-made goodies (bread, cheeses, fruits) which we are apparently quite welcome to bring along with us into tastings.
Tomorrow we'll be heading up Hwy 101 through Healdsburg, Geyserville and Cloverdale -known around these parts as the Dry Creek, Alexander Valley and Anderson Valleys - home to great Zins (yay!) and fantastic scenery. We'll be stopping at Hawkes Vineyard along the way, too. Should be a great day. Let's hope the maps are a little more helpful!
p.s. that's not flash photography...it's S-U-N-S-H-I-N-E!
Too bad about the dog paintings. I would have loved to see more of those.
ReplyDelete