Sonoma, Part Three

After two intensive, carefully planned out days, we took a more casual approach to our last full day in Sonoma, which we spent in the middle part of the valley near Windsor and Santa Rosa. We visited three wineries in the morning, took a break for lunch in downtown Santa Rosa, and hit up four last tasting rooms in the afternoon.

Hook & Ladder was our first stop, per Dad’s request. Their tasting room is a non-descript warehouse-like place, with lots of fire department t-shirts hanging from the ceiling, brought in from all over the country. But who really cares what the room looks like as long as the wines are good, right? (They also had really delicious olive oil.) We all enjoyed the tasting, and a few purchases were made to be shipped home.

Next we went to DeLoach, where Lesley poured us many different wines, including a tasty Pinot Blanc, a variety which none of us had had before. Long story short, Dad is a wine club member now, and we shipped more than a case home. DeLoach was much more enjoyable than our next stop at Harvest Moon, which was less than memorable (although they did provide very delicious chocolate with their zinfandel port).

So we called it quits on the wine for a bit and, on the recommendation of Miranda from Hook & Ladder, headed into downtown Santa Rosa to Third Street Aleworks for lunch (and beer….and awesome chili). Kenny was happy.

 

Our first two stops after lunch were right next door to each other in Windsor: Rodney Strong and J. Unfortunately, the best thing about the two of them had nothing to do with their wines. An umbrella outside of Rodney Strong’s tasting room was home to a nest of baby birds, while the pond outside of J was full of lily pads and flowers.

Luckily, our final two stops of the trip were a success. Hop Kiln was on the water, had a building reminiscent of Germany, and their wines were very good. Arista had gorgeous grounds, an oversized Hummer golf cart, and tasty offerings. 

Thus ended the wine tasting portion of our trip. But we weren’t quite finished yet. Mom had found a brewery in downtown Sonoma that she thought we might like to try, so we headed to Hop Monk Tavern for dinner on our last night in Cali. Once again, Kenny was happy. And, shockingly, even Erin, who really doesn’t like beer, ordered a brew! We also got her to try Dad’s “Death and Taxes” black lager, and she actually liked it! Talk about blowing our minds.

(By the way, Death and Taxes is absolutely delicious. Too bad it’s only available in California. Bummer.)

Livers working overtime, we drove back to our rental house one last time. We thoroughly enjoyed where we stayed and were so glad the house was available for our four nights in Sonoma. Three bedrooms, spacious common areas, huge back deck, outdoor kitchen, and our own private vineyard to walk through if so desired. We couldn’t have asked for more. We all highly recommend this house if anyone out there is looking for lodging in California wine country!

Mom and Dad, we cannot thank you enough for this unforgettable trip. I think I can safely speak for us kids when I say that we had an absolutely wonderful time. This may just have been our best Christmas present ever!

So, where are we going next year? :)