Going To Need Jobs Fast... Wine Shopping Is Killer!

Yes, we're back in Sonoma, rendezvousing with my sister who is joining us for our time out on the coast in Gualala. And when one is in Sonoma... hmmm, what could we possibly get up to?

Oh, we're bad. It's not even Sonoma we truly love — it's the Alexander Valley and The Russian River Valley areas just north of Sonoma that get us weak in the knees for Chardonnays and Pinots and has us slapping down our credit card faster than you can say, "Aged in French oak."

"Do you prefer the Pinot or the Chardonnay?"

Uh, we'll take both...

Yeah, it's bad. But the wine is just so darn good. We hit a bunch of small family wineries today, driving along the winding county lanes, with rows and rows of grapevines on all sides. It's raining on and off. There's sun, then a shower, then cloud. Then more sun, rain, cloud. The day can't decide. The good news is that the worst of the rain seems to over and things will warm up again over the next few days — we hope.

Anyway, back to the wining. We start the morning at The Robert Young estate in the Alexander Valley. Beautiful grounds, some great wines and a darling hostess named Tina make for a great experience. Tina sends us on to try nearby wineries Stryker and Hawkes. At Hawkes we meet Alex and spend some time with her trading stories about New Zealand after we learn she spent seven months there. And then we bought a bottle of cab...













Alex sends us next door to the cafe/shop The Jimtown Store for lunch. Who knew it served food? It advertises as an antique shop. It turns into a highlight of the day as we order smoked albacore sandwich with lavender lemonade and a ginger cookie. We need something in our stomachs to soak up all those wine tastings!





Then we hit Medlock Ames, another great vintner doing some interesting organic practices, before heading on to our favorite, making our big comeback to the DeLoach winery just outside of Santa Rosa. No disappointment here — DeLoach is still doing the fabulous Chardonnays and Pinots we remember from last time. First rate.




Yeah, maybe we stocked up...

And now we're in Petaluma, waiting to pick up my sister and then go out and celebrate all being together in CA. We should have just enough money to get a bucket of wings at KFC... if we can find a 2 for 1 coupon....