March Sonoma trip day 1 - Wine Country travel ratings and reviews

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March Sonoma trip day 1

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Author	Topic: March Sonoma trip day 1
yesilovewine Member	posted 02-28-2011 12:56 PM Steveb- Hope you are still around...I see that you've been to Arrowwood and I would love to know if you have had their wine from the Remick Ridge vineyard? I'm still trying to find some. IP: 98.232.221.183
Hawkeye Member	posted 01-28-2011 06:43 AM Hi Steve, welcome to the board. As you probably know, there is a board on the Napa side also. Thanks for chiming in, the more we have participating, the better for all. If someone doesn't like your picks, don't be offended as wine is a very personal thing. We have never been to Arrowood or Landmark, however, our slate is full this trip but will put them on the list for the next trip. We have been to Imagry but do not remember much about their wine except that their labels were amazing, but I don't drink the lables. :-) Keep up with us and jump in often. IP: 68.169.189.111
steveb Junior Member	posted 01-27-2011 07:50 PM A couple others in the area that my wife and I really enjoy are Arrowood, right up the hill from Imagery and we love the wines and grounds at Landmark. They have some wonderful Chardonnay and their Steel Plow Syrah is absolutely fabulous. IP: 68.202.111.44
Uncorked Junior Member	posted 01-07-2011 06:44 PM Hawkeye- We stayed at the Lodge in Sonoma in Fall, 2008 and loved it. Be sure to request an upgrade to a cottage---it is so worth it. Tell Mrs. Hawkeye the Sonoma square is a lot of fun too--a couple of great cheese stores. The Lodge has a shuttle to take you if you don't feel like walking/driving yourself. We visited BR Cohn and loved it---but we are Doobie fans too. We did like their SyrCab and Olive Hill(?) Cab. I also bought several different olive oils/vinegars for gifts. Every year Sept/Oct. Bruce has a music festival--Doobies are always there--this year is 25th anniversary and our group plans to be there. We also liked Ledson. Our group had a great pourer---she just kept pouring different wines not on the 'menu'. As Damambo said also, they have a great deli area--bought some Raspberry Zin fudge sauce---YUM. IP: 99.2.140.113
yesilovewine Member	posted 01-07-2011 04:11 PM Hi Cabgirl. We went to Imagery for the first time on our last trip and I can assure you that if you are a fan of interesting artwork you will enjoy your visit there. Their varietals are unique and my favorite, the Wow Oui which won a best in class at Harvest Fair, is sold out already! If you can, try to stay away on a weekend day and hit them early in the week as the crowding there is truly unbelieveable. When we arrived there were 3 other couples at the bar and by the time we were done ( maybe 30 min?) folks were literally elbow-to-elbow and 2 or 3 deep at the tasting bar!!! So, it for sure a place to work in during the week if you can. IP: 98.232.221.183
cabgirl Member	posted 01-07-2011 11:32 AM Hey Hawkeye, Just read your final list of wineries you'll be visiting on Day 1. I see Imagery Estate didn't make the cut. Recently, I received a bottle of their wine as a gift from a friend - the 2007 Pallas Estate Red - nice balance of flavors and stood up well on it's own without even the pairing of food. I now want to try more of their wines so I'll be adding them to my list of places to visit in 2011. Also, I love art, so the wonderful combination of the two is a plus! IP: 68.121.220.114
yesilovewine Member	posted 01-03-2011 07:07 AM Then I would wait until you can go to the main facility in Santa Rosa. The satellite facility is small and located next to a small strip mall ( where Ty Caton/ Muscardini is located) without nearly the panache as the main room. If this is your only chance to go for Paradise Ridge wines on this trip, then do it, but build a trip to the main site into a future plan- that is the way to really taste Paradise Ridge. If you can manage that visit to be at sunset, then you will have really seen it at its best. Blackstone would be an interesting alternative- the patio out back is a nice place to do your tasting and the reserve flight has some surprisingly delicious wines. We like the Syrah in particular. You might like Caton/Muscardini as well- not much for ambience but its a chance to try 2 vintners in one place. Those wines were too astringent for our taste, but again, everyone's palates are different. [This message has been edited by yesilovewine (edited 01-03-2011).] IP: 98.232.221.183
Hawkeye Member	posted 01-03-2011 06:58 AM Yesilovewine.com No, I am planning to go to the one in Kenwood. The one in Santa Rosa is a little far away for this day. IP: 68.169.189.111
yesilovewine Member	posted 01-02-2011 04:50 PM I like this Hawkeye. I am assuming that you are going to Paradise Ridge up in Santa Rosa and not to the satellite tasting room in Kenwood...right? IP: 98.232.221.183
Hawkeye Member	posted 01-02-2011 12:18 PM I have done some further work on our itinerary for the March trip, first day. After some of your comments, here is what we are going to do. St. Francis - Fireside Characterie Paradise Ridge Mayo - Reserve Room Kunde - Kinnebrook Room VJB - Reserve Seated I have eliminated 1 or 2 wineries, because Mrs. Hawkeye wants to go to the Sonoma Square and do some shopping (I mentioned looking). It has been several years since we perused the square, so it might be fun for a change. Will work on Day 2 next. IP: 68.169.189.111
yesilovewine Member	posted 12-24-2010 12:25 PM Greetings, Hawkeye and Happy Holidays to you and yours. You too, Damambo! I think that you have a good array of visits. I agree with Damambo that Ledson will probably have something you will like- with a tasting menu of 70+ wines it would be hard to not find something to enjoy. I would suggest that a private tasting there might really be to your liking. I feel that I should say that our experience with the tasting room staff has been hit-or-miss and our first trip was a BIG turn off, but Left Brain insisted we give it another try and we were glad that we did. We particularly enjoyed the Barbera they were pouring in October, and the Sauv. Blanc as well. They have another tasting room/wine bar in Sonoma Town at the Ledson HOtel and they pour the Zina Hyde Cunningham label wines there ( and only there). Do stop in for a taste. We love Paradise Ridge, and the views from up there are really fantastic. I hope that you have good weather so you can appreciate the setting; sunsets are jaw-dropping. Their Rockpile appellation wines are very good, and their blend, The Posse is delicious as well. They also make a nice Sauv. Blanc. Its a bit tricky to find the first time as you go through a corporate park, but just keep going even when you think you are lost,and you will get to the winery. Enjoy the sculptures along the way. We are not fans of Mayo wines in general, but I have read great things about the food/wine pairings at the Reserve room and look forward to your opinion about it. Chris Loxton's place is not far from the Mayo faciity and if you have a chance, and enjoy Shiraz, then you should stop by. Just talking with him is a joy in itself. And he makes a wonderful Shiraz port. Eric Ross is not one of our favorites, neither is BR Cohn. I guess their wines just don't fit our palates. Imagery is spitting distance from Cohn, however, and I really think that you would enjoy the experience there- but try to avoid a weekend day if you can. They have the most interesting varietals! And the collection of wine label art is really a surprise. I need to go back one day just to amass a collection of the label art to decorate with. I think if I had to make a change regarding itinerary, I'd probably take out Ledson and Paradise Ridge to save to another day since they are close together and a bit "out" from the rest of the places. You seem to savor the visit as much as the wine, and I think that you might want to stay a while at both of those places! As an FYI, which you probably already know, St. Francis has a food pairing option that also gets good reviews. That is one of our favorite stops not only for the wine but for the members' tasting room as well. We have yet to try the pairing, but it is under consideration for the next trip. IP: 98.232.221.183
damombo Member	posted 12-24-2010 08:23 AM Hi Hawkeye! Merry Christmas to you and yours! Don't know if Santa can navigate around the boxes of wine to find my stocking, but if he wants to leave me wine, I'll take it! We do enjoy Ledson and they have a substantial wine list, so hopefully you will find something to your liking. And if you enjoy mustards, go check out their deli area. Your wife might find a few chocolate items she enjoys We have only tried one Eric Ross wine. We were members of a small coop-type club out of Geyserville called Locals. They sent us a case of assorted small winery wines and an Eric Ross Struttin Red was included. It was drinkable, but not one we needed to buy again. VJB isn't far from Ledson and we enjoyed tasting there last September. There wines are Italian influenced, like Seghesio. You might think about giving them a try. Isn't the planning stage fun!? IP: 96.8.187.200
Hawkeye Member	posted 12-24-2010 06:52 AM I have been dillying and dallying over WineCountry.com, attempting to put together some type of itinerary for March. The first two days we will be staying at the Lodge at Sonoma, an area in which we have never stayed. So, I started this process early because I am not familiar with the wineries in the area and would like some feedback from all of you. Here is my tentative schedule day 1: LEDSON - Have not been here since the year they opened. We were not impressed at that time but some comments on this board make me think we should try again. PARADISE RIDGE - A new one to us. Looks like they have the normal array of wines. MAYO RESERVE ROOM: This is a separate location from their main tasting room. here they offer a wine and food pairing. We have tasted their wines in their regular tasting room, and found them to not be to our liking. Maybe we will find the reserve wines better. KUNDE WINERY - Kinnebrook Room. The winery is not new to us, but the Kinnebrook Room is. The Kinneybrook Room focuses on Kunde Grand Estate Series Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Century Vines Zinfandel, and select small-lot wines. Looking forward to it. ERIC ROSS WINERY - This is a new one to us. Don't know anything about it. B.R. COHN WINERY - This is one of our favorites. Not only do they produce some nice wines, but they have some great olive oils and vinegars. B. R. is the manager for the Doobie Brothers, so they play their music in their tasting room. I would really like some input. What should I delete and what should I add. This being Christmas Eve, I would like to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and may you find your favorite bottle of wine in you stocking. IP: 68.169.189.111

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