|
We began the day with a winery in Sebastapol (the next town west of Santa Rosa) at Red Car Wine. Our host, Rick, was knowledgable, witty and made the experience most enjoyable.
Our picnic today was at Hanna Winery. While the patio was pleasant, we weren't impressed with the wine nor the presentation; we'll change to another winery for next week.
We ended the day with three wineries located in an industrial park. That's not at all unsual in Sonoma county. Many tiny, low-volume wineries share a physical plant. Winemaking is capital-intensive.
The first was Inspiration Vineyards and were hosted the winemaker John Phillips. What an entertaining, passionate and knowledgble guy. And his wines are outstanding!
We spent so much time with John that we ate into the alloted time for Dylan, owner and winemaker of Sheldon Wines. Dylan is the production guy and shares space with Inspiration. Talk about passionate; I've never met anyone who cares more deeply about the intricacies of winemaking - his way. We'd met Dylan and his wife Tobe some years ago when their tasting room was in a railroad caboose in Sebastapol.
And then we walked about 50 yards down to an old favorite, Westerhold Wines. We were hosted by the owner John Westerhold. We'd discovered him and his wines four years ago when he was making prize-winning Syrahs. In the intervening time he's converted his vineyard from Syrah to Pinot Noir. Bold? Dangerous? Yes -- but he really pulled it off!
Dinner tonight in Santa Rosa at Sea Thai Bistro, a wonderful American/Asian fusion restaurant. Excellent!
|