Holidays in Sonoma – Cline Cellars and Jacuzzi Family Vineyards

January 21, 2015 by Leave a Comment

This is my last on my series on Sonoma and my visit there for a long holiday weekend.

On Thanksgiving day, there were two wineries open- Cline Cellars and Jacuzzi Family Vineyards. These two wineries were not originally on our wishlist, but because of the happenstance of them being open, we visited. And, we had a fun time trying these value wines and visiting. Both had some really unique attractions to their grounds. Both handle groups well too and have friendly, efficient pourers.

Both of these wineries are owned by the same family venture and are located basically across the street from each other on Highway 121.
A view of the vines and a few rose bushes (with no roses in November) of the thousand roses they have on the cline Cellars property

We stopped at Cline Cellars first. Cline offers sustainably farmed wines using a great variety of grapes, which was fun to try. They do not have a tasting fee to try 5 of their non-reserve wines, or it is only $5 to try a flight of three reserve wines.
stairs to the tasting room of Cline Cellars Tasting wines at Cline Cellars Tasting wines at Cline Cellars, tasting five non reserve wines are free!

If you get a chance, pick out the Late Harvest Mouverde to sample, which is a dessert wine so comes with a little bit of chocolate!
If you get a chance, pick out the Late Harvest Mouverde at Cline Cellars to sample, which is a dessert wine so comes with a little bit of chocolate! If you get a chance, pick out the Late Harvest Mouverde at Cline Cellars to sample, which is a dessert wine so comes with a little bit of chocolate!

They also have several special attractions on the ground so you can walk around to stretch your legs viewing their carp pond (bring quarters to buy a little fish food out of their machine), their various exotic birds, and two adorable miniature burrows named Pudding and Fancy.
Feeding carp at the carp pond at Cline Cellars Feeding carp at the carp pond at Cline Cellars Some of the exotic birds saved and on display on the properties of Cline Cellars Some of the exotic birds saved and on display on the properties of Cline Cellars Some of the exotic birds saved and on display on the properties of Cline Cellars Some of the exotic birds saved and on display on the properties of Cline Cellars

We were not in the right time of year for it, but they also have thousands of roses around the property. As you walk to visit the other ponds, you will probably notice some humorous signs warning of ridiculous animals that might be in the waters(such as sharks…) – and there is California Mission Museum on the property (free admission) and a train car (seemingly used for special occasions) to peer in as well. If you stop by, make sure you walk the grounds and not just taste. If you are visiting Sonoma with family, this is one that would please everyone.

Part of the John Galt Express on the property, seemingly for special occasions at the Cline Cellars grounds Part of the John Galt Express on the property, seemingly for special occasions at the Cline Cellars grounds

Across the street, Jacuzzi Family Vineyards with their stone structure and large spaces and decorative elements seems ready for any special occasion. I also admired their amphora shaped shrubbery. Yes, this Jacuzzi family is the same one that invented the bath and spa that still bears their name.
The amphora shaped shrubbery on the grounds of Jacuzzi Family Vineyards The front of the building for the tasting room of Jacuzzi Family Vineyards The front of the building for the tasting room of Jacuzzi Family Vineyards Some of the beautiful grounds of Jacuzzi Family Vineyards

This is a place I would suggest trying their wide variety of grapes they make into wines (they have almost 2 dozen wines!), and after picking out a favorite get a glass or bottle and enjoy a little time here chatting and relaxing. Like their sibling Cline, there is no tasting fee to try 5 wines. For a few a small fee, you can get the Chocolate Shooters, which is a chocolate cup filled with a bit of wine. Our pourer was very friendly and knowledgable. I wasn’t surprised to learn that I liked several of their reds because they have volcanic rock (I always seem to love volcanic soil wines), particularly their smokey Barbera. My friend and I ended up sending a case home – and we got confirmation that they shipped it the next day. Yeah, that means the day after Thanksgiving, so efficient!

Also like their sibling Cline, they use sustainable practices. For instance, they use a “Compost tea,” consisting of molasses, fish emulsion, rock dust and microbes fertilize the vines. And, they use sheep to control weed growth and pull the rest out by hand. By hand. Wow.

At Jacuzzi’s location is The Olive Press, a whole room almost as large as the tasting room for the wine, where you can try various combinations of olive oil and vinegar infusions and seasonings. They really have some excellent combinations and ideas, such as Lime Olive Oil and Coconut Balsamic Vinegar, or Jalapeno Olive Oil and Peach Balsamic Vinegar, and I love the Fig Balsamic on a cheese plate.

Here’s a good look at some some of the grounds at Jacuzzi: notice the statue wearing shades!

Some of the beautiful grounds of Jacuzzi Family Vineyards Some of the beautiful grounds of Jacuzzi Family Vineyards Some of the beautiful grounds of Jacuzzi Family Vineyards Some of the beautiful grounds of Jacuzzi Family Vineyards Some of the beautiful grounds of Jacuzzi Family Vineyards Some of the beautiful grounds of Jacuzzi Family Vineyards Some of the beautiful grounds of Jacuzzi Family Vineyards Some of the beautiful grounds of Jacuzzi Family Vineyards Some of the beautiful grounds of Jacuzzi Family Vineyards Some of the beautiful grounds of Jacuzzi Family Vineyards Some of the beautiful grounds of Jacuzzi Family Vineyards

This post is part of my series on my trip to Sonoma where I list various recommendations.

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Holidays in Sonoma – Iron Horse Vineyards

January 2, 2015 by 2 Comments

I’ve been a fan of Iron Horse Vineyards since I discovered them back in 2009 – I selected their Wedding Cuvee for my wedding. And, they were the winery I was most excited about visiting when we came to Sonoma. They are very small in size, but have a great big heart.

To visit Iron Horse, you need to make an appointment, which you can do online if you’d like – they want to manage the number of tasters to make sure you have a good experience and are not lost in a crowd. When you arrive, be prepared to drive up a slender one way dirt road (which was muddy for us!) until you see a little roundabout and clustering of wooden barns. The road is a little longer than you might expect. I sort of liked that feeling of confusion and whether we were lost as it is probably reminiscent of the founders, who when they discovered this property also thought they were lost until they came up the knoll to the view of the hills you are about to see. The parking area is on the dirt and gravel on the right side, where you get your first view of the rolling hills of vines.

View of rollings hills of vines at Iron Horse Vineyards View of rollings hills of vines at Iron Horse Vineyards View of rollings hills of vines at Iron Horse Vineyards View of rollings hills of vines at Iron Horse Vineyards

Later the sun came up, yielding the pictures up there that don’t include me – that first one was taken when we first arrived and it was still misty at 11 AM, much like the foggy day the founders came upon this property and bought it 2 weeks later, feeling like these grounds were like Camelot! That is only part of the reason for the horse on their bottles: a horse that looks like that was also found on a weathervane they uncovered as they were breaking ground. It really seems like fate no?

When you walk up to the tasting room, you discover it is just a simple outdoor wooden bar that you stand at. They have heaters if the weather gets chilly, and there are some benches you can sit at a bit back from the tasting bar overlooking the vineyards but otherwise no standing. There are no dogs allowed on the property.

You can choose from a sparkling flight. Or they also offer pinot noir and chardonnay. Of everything I tasted, I liked it all. And we tried to be thorough…
The delicious wines of Iron Horse Vineyards The delicious wines of Iron Horse Vineyards 2012 Iron Horse Vineyards Estate Chardonnay 2010 Iron Horse Vineyards Native Yeast Chardonnay 2010 Iron Horse Vineyards Ocean Reserve Blanc de Blancs. Iron Horse gives $4 a bottle to National Geographic's Ocean Initiative, establishing marine protected areas and supporting sustainable fishing practices around the globe. Iron Horse 2010 Wedding Cuvee 2011 Fairytale Celebration Cuvee Iron Horse 2010 Classic Vintage Brut 2010 Iron Horse Russian Cuvee Iron Horse 2010 Winters Cuvee "2007

It was so good that my friend and I joined the wine club. Just as I have wonderful memories tied to the Wedding Cuvee, it turns out she has the same story with their Fairytale Celebration Cuvee. That’s the kind of wines they have – ones that are perfect for every and any special occasion and whose flavor is so distinctive versus most sparklings that are poured that you end up etching a strong happy memory with their unique flavors.

I love how their wine club is so flexible that you can specify whether you want all whites, all reds, all sparklings, all stills, all sparkling + red, or all sparkling + white. Every wine is a vintage wine that is aged at least 3 years, if not more. And really, there are never too many bubbles in one’s life. Eac one really has its own character – and sometimes its own story.

The Russian Cuvee was made for the historic Reagan-Gorbachev summit meetings which ended the Cold War.. Iron Horse Vineyards sparkling is still now has been served in the White House to presidents and their guests since 1985.

Meanwhile for the limited edition Ocean Reserve (which has citrusy lime tones), Iron Horse gives $4 a bottle to National Geographic’s Ocean Initiative, establishing marine protected areas and supporting sustainable fishing practices around the globe. They have a Rainbow Cuvee in support of marriage equality as well.

The Winter’s Cuvee has a touch of estate made pinot noir brandy. The Classic Brut has a bit of tartness to it reminiscent of apples, while the Brut X has a great dryness that makes it so sharp and crisp.

I guess I’ll have to stop gushing about Iron Horse now and just highly recommend that you visit them when you visit Sonoma. It is definitely a casual rustic feel, which is such testament to the down to earth winery that creates the classy sparklings good enough for the Pope and heads of state and maybe, you too will like them?

If you haven’t guessed, this was my favorite winery I visited during my Sonoma trip! And, I totally had an Iron Horse sparkling to celebrate New Year’s 2015 too.

Have you been to Iron Horse, or had Iron Horse sparklings before? Or do you have a certain specific memory tie to a certain producer of sparkling wines?

This post is the fifth in my series about visiting Sonoma.

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Holidays in Sonoma – Highway 12 Wineries

December 26, 2014 by 7 Comments

So in a previous post I highlighted Ledson Winery, famous for their beautiful Castle tasting room. Ledson is more on the north end of Highway 12, so now let’s continue to proceed south visiting Highway 12 Wineries shall we? Highway 12 is a winding road that many wineries are on, so you could easily spend a whole day just visiting wineries just on this one road. Overall, from Ledson to our last stop listed in this post, it covers only 10 miles and with wineries the whole way. You can pack a picnic to go with you on your day trip, though some wineries also have a little market to get some picnic supplies.

Literally right down the street from Ledson, just a mile down, is St. Francis Winery & Vineyards. They have a wine tasting room which has a back patio with incredible views that showcase the wineries and mountains. The other highlight with St Francis is that they offer Culinary Wine Adventures. By that, I mean wine and food tasting experiences which you can enjoy to understand how to pair their wine with food. The experiences vary from cheese and charcuterie to a 5 course food pairing to a private estate 9 course dinner that kicks off with a wine reception.

On the day I visited, wine country was lucky enough to be getting some much needed rain, so the mountain views included lots of misty clouds as the rain was beginning to roll in.
St. Francis Winery & Vineyards St. Francis Winery & Vineyards

A little less then 2 miles south as we continue on Highway 12 is Chateau St Jean. The grounds even now that it was winter was full of color from the vines and from lots of beautiful pots of dwarf Satsuma Mandarin Orange trees brimming with the fruit. The Chateau architecture takes is cue from an Italian villa style. You should also note that they have 2 tasting room areas- the Main Tasting room and also if you are interested in their reserve and more limited edition wines and willing to pay more for the upscale tasting, another tasting room with separate tasting fee in the Vineyard Room.
Chateau St Jean in Sonoma Chateau St Jean in Sonoma Chateau St Jean in Sonoma Chateau St Jean in Sonoma Chateau St Jean in Sonoma

Another mile and a half down the road is an opportunity to visit a wine cave on a tour for free on the Kunde Family Estate.  When they open the doors to the wine cave (it is also a nicely informative tour) looking into the cave, it looks like such an endless hallway of barrels which is quite an effect. They are one of the oldest family owned wineries in Sonoma, having been founded in 1904 and is now in its fifth generation. You can if you’d like do a mountaintop tasting which they offer from 11:30-2:30 PM. If you’re looking for a little exercise and have 4 hours to use, you can also choose to to inquire about reserving a spot on their Hiking tour – and they have a version that is a Dog Hike. If you do bring your dog here, the dog must remain leashed – though your furry friend can go on the cave tour with us as long as he’s quiet and well behaved.

If you love wines with volcanic soil, you will also like the wines at Kunde – my favorite personally was the Kunde 1904 Dessert Cuvee. Also if you stop, look out for the hedge dressed up as a wine bottle!

The beautiful views of Kunde Family Estate with their wine cave and mountain top The beautiful views of Kunde Family Estate with their wine cave and mountain top The The beautiful views of Kunde Family Estate with their wine cave and mountain top The beautiful views of Kunde Family Estate with their wine cave and mountain top The beautiful views of Kunde Family Estate with their wine cave and mountain top Wine tasting caves at Kunde Family Estate Wine tasting caves at Kunde Family Estate Wine tasting caves at Kunde Family Estate Wine tasting caves at Kunde Family Estate Tasting the Kunde 1904 Dessert Cuvee with a chocolate The beautiful views of Kunde Family Estate with their wine cave and mountain top Visiting the wine caves and tasting wines at Kunde Famnily Estate  Cute shrubbery dressed up as a Kunde Family Estate wine bottle

If you are looking for some out of this world cabernet sauvignon, you might also consider checking out Arrowood Vineyards and Winery, 5 miles south on Highway 12 from Kunde. We have now transitioned from Kenwood to Glen Ellyn.

Of the list of wineries I’ve shared, this is a more smaller, intimate tasting room though the prices were also significantly higher. Really great Cabernet though!
Visiting Arrowood Winery, which offers outstanding Cabernet Sauvignons Visiting Arrowood Winery Visiting Arrowood Winery which offers outstanding Cabernet Sauvignons Visiting Arrowood Winery which offers outstanding Cabernet Sauvignons Visiting Arrowood Winery which offers outstanding Cabernet Sauvignons Visiting Arrowood Winery which offers outstanding Cabernet Sauvignons Visiting Arrowood Winery which offers outstanding Cabernet Sauvignons

Clearly, I’m also smitten with visiting vineyards in the winter for the lovely colors of the leaves!

The last winery I am going to highlight is Imagery Estate Winery and Art Gallery, which is at the same initial driveway as Arrowood off Highway 12 – you just have to turn left at the fork instead of right.

While most winery stops were 30 minutes to an hour, we spent our longest winery stop here and the other couple we were traveling with signed up to be wine club members (and I admit I also bought several wines to take home).

They have a huge variety of different varietals to try. They create original art for their bottles, some of the art which is displayed in a little gallery in the back, and F and I spent time looking through their prints and magnets of that art as well. Sadly I was so busy drinking I didn’t get many photos except for these.

Imagery wines are only sold here, so this would be your only chance to get them. Each artwork for each bottle must include the Parthenon in done way which makes it a bit of a hunt to find it on some, or interesting to see how it got incorporated in others. And there’s hundreds of these labels to peruse. They also have a little garden on their property which helps supply local restaurant The Girl and The Fig!

Visiting Imagery Estate Winery Visiting Imagery Estate Winery Visiting Imagery Estate Winery Visiting Imagery Estate Winery Visiting Imagery Estate Winery

What is your favorite time of year to visit vineyards- spring, summer, or fall/winter?

This post is the third in my series about visiting Sonoma. For 2014 I have one more Sonoma post where I will recap the holiday (Thanksgiving) meal at The Girl and The Fig, and after the New Year, the series will continue with more wineries, and also looking at beer by visiting breweries in the area.

 

 

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Holidays in Sonoma – Ledson Winery

December 24, 2014 by 6 Comments

Today, I wanted to share the beautiful grounds of Ledson Winery & Vineyards.”The Castle” as it is also known is an impressive looking building that is a massive tasting room. I unfortunately was a little wined out on tastings by the time we got this far up on the road, and it was also pretty crowded as this same weekend of my visit was also the Heart of Sonoma Valley Open House event. I only took photos on the outside, where it was quieter than the bustle inside the tasting rooms. The next time I’m in Sonoma, I definitely will need to plan better – and if you go to Sonoma, you should definitely plan to stop by at least for a look see like I ended up doing.

Ledson also has a small deli and marketplace so if you haven’t already packed your picnic, you can purchase food here to picnic on the grounds (no outside food allowed). They have quite a variety of wines that I saw – more than a dozen varietals and a good mix of white and red wines.

As you can see, they had their seasonal soldiers guarding their massive front doors with a gorgeous view of some of their vines, and a foyer totally decked out for the holidays.

Ledson Winery & Vineyards Ledson Winery & Vineyards Ledson Winery & Vineyards Ledson Winery & Vineyards Ledson Winery & Vineyards Ledson Winery & Vineyards Ledson Winery & Vineyards Ledson Winery & Vineyards Ledson Winery & Vineyards The seasonal soldiers guarding the front doors to the tasting room of Ledson  The cheerful foyer decked out for the holidays at Ledson Tasting Room in Kenwood The cheerful foyer decked out for the holidays at Ledson Tasting Room in Kenwood The cheerful foyer decked out for the holidays at Ledson Tasting Room in Kenwood The cheerful foyer decked out for the holidays at Ledson Tasting Room in Kenwood

Whether you celebrate Christmas or not, I hope you are having a holiday month that is full of cheer and good memories and delicious food. Happy holidays to you!

This post is the second in my series about visiting Sonoma

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