posted 06-19-2012 07:41 PM            

Hall Rutherford. A BIG thank you goes out to Hawkeye as this, by far, was my favorite winery to visit! The folks at Hall were GREAT! First - the trip up the hill to get there was a fun ride! A bit narrow at times - but a great intro! Once there - we were greeted by Todd, who immediately poured a glass of wine for us to relax & enjoy the art & the outdoor area as we waited for others to arrive. My favorite art piece was the glass pieces on the wall in the shape of hanging grapes. Next came a quick tour of the area and then a trip down into the cave. Our tasting was held under their signature chandalier - which even if I posted pictures could not capture the magnificance of this piece - it just must be seen in person.

We wound up buying a bottle of their "Jack" - which is a winery only purchase. It was our most expensive purchase of the trip - but well worth it!

After Hall - we chose to have lunch at Mustard's. Great place for lunch! We ate at the bar as we didn't have reservations & the place was, of course, booked. But we got there a bit early - around 11:30 & got seats at the bar with no problem. But in about 20-30 minutes - there were people waitiing for bar seats - so if you wing it like we did - definately get there before noon.

After a nice lunch - we headed to our next hotel - the Villagio. I HIGHLY recommend this place!!! It was expensive - so if you're on a budget (or just want to save the spending $$$ for wines - you may want to look elsewhere). We couldn't really afford it - but seeing as this is our 15th anniversary & my motto is usually "you only live once" - we splurged! We were not disappointed & do not regret the decision... (well - at least until the credit card statement arrives!) But seriously - we stayed in the upstairs king bed suite & it was great. The front of the room gave us a view of the pool area & the back was a view of a small vineyard. The room was immaculate & spacious. The pool & hot tub are open 24 hrs a day....and we took advantage of that when we got back from the rest of our day!

After we settled in the room for a bit - we visited Domaine Chandon. The tasting room was big & crowded - but our pourer was attentive & gave a generous pour! We did the classic tasting & wound up buying a bottle of their sparkling red (to use at the holidays). Although I enjoyed the tasting - the grounds were what I loved the most. Beautiful!

After that - we did a little shopping at V Marketplace & then onto dinner (with my brother who made the drive from San Jose) at Bottega. It was nice - but I wasn't as big of a fan as I thought I would be. Maybe I'm just a casual burger girl myself. Don't get me wrong - the dinner was nice & the atmosphere was nice - but I guess I just didn't need all the fanciness.