First of all, thank you so much for all the recommendations of places to visit in the Napa/Sonoma area. Although we could not visit them all, we did hit several and we had a great time!
Going to wine country can be daunting with so many wineries to choose from. We had been to the Napa area once before and spent most of our time in two valleys - The Russian River Valley and Napa Valley. We decided for this trip, we would focus the first day on Sonoma Valley and the second on Napa Valley.
Our first day was a short day, as we started in San Francisco by picking up some good friends from the airport and then made our way up north. Our first stop was Matanzas Creek Winery, located near Santa Rosa. It is, of course, a winery but it also is known for its lavender fields. This is actually why I wanted to visit Matanzas Creek, as I had read the lavender would be in full bloom during our visit. The setting is beautiful with the road winding around the lavender fields and then ending at the base of a beautiful wood building. Inside, we had our first flight in our wine country tour and also sampled the many lavender products. Although we didn’t buy any of the wine, we did purchase some cooking lavender, which I am looking forward to experimenting with soon.
After our wine, we took some time to wander through the lavender fields. With the lavender blowing slightly in the breeze and the sun shining bright, we all took a sigh of relief and realized that, yes, vacation had officially started.
Our next stop was to pick up some sandwiches at a nearby deli to take to Gundlach Bundschu Winery, located just east of downtown Sonoma. We really loved this winery. First of all, it is a sustainable, organic vineyard, which I think is really interesting. And secondly, it was such a laid back winery experience, which is such a breath of fresh air in wine country. We quickly side-stepped the tasting crowd, bought a bottle of Tempranillo and settled outside on a hill to eat our picnic lunch. Nothing can be better than drinking a bottle of wine and knowing that the grapes were grown and the wine was made on the very farm you are sitting on. Truly amazing. After lunch we took a walk down to through portion of the vineyards - no guide, no fuss, just a leisurely stroll amongst the vines. Lovely.
Once the crowd was gone, we went back to the tasting room to try more of their wines. I really loved that as you were tasting, they would take out a map of the farm and show you which plot the grapes were grown on that made the wine you were drinking. We decided on a couple bottles to buy and were pleasantly surprised when they packaged them in a Gundlach Bundschu bag. The bag holds up to six bottles of wine and is reusable or, if preferred, completely recyclable. These guys have got their act together.
After a quick nap at our B&B, we headed back to Sonoma to wander the plaza before dinner. Unfortunately the stores were closed, but I’ll have to make a note to do a little shopping there on our next visit.
Dinner reservations were at a restaurant just off Sonoma Plaza at The Girl and the Fig. Now, I know that I tend to get excited about food and restaurants, but I want to make something clear…All four of us left this restaurant agreeing that this was one of the best meals we had ever had. Ever. I know it was partly the combination of being on vacation in wine country with great friends, but we all agreed that from the setting to the food to the service, it was fantastic!
We were seated outside on a large patio with lush plants and blooming flowers throughout and two fireplaces and strings of lights that set the scene so perfectly. After much pondering of the menu, my friend and I decided to share several items. We started with steamed mussels with garlic, leeks and herbs and also a cheese and cured meat sampler. The mussels were so fantastic that after we finished them, we mopped the sauce up with the grilled bread and then wished we had more. Our next course was a fig and arugula salad with toasted pecans, chevre, pancetta and a port vinaigrette. Yummy! Our main entree was the flat iron steak served with green beans and a truffled goat cheese macaroni and cheese. I would have licked my plate clean if it would not have been impolite. Dessert (yes, we ate dessert after all of that) was shared among us all - a plum crumble and a chocolate tart. This was all washed down with two bottles of wine and some coffee. Two and a half hours later, we stumbled out of The Girl and the Fig. Bellies full, we were ready for a full night’s rest in preparation for our adventures in Napa the next day.
Posted on June 26th, 2008 by katiejocannon
Filed under: Entertainment, Food, Travel
Ah, Matanzas Creek! My wife and I took a personal tour of that place last summer, thanks to a work-related connection. Really, really enjoyed it — beautiful grounds, friendly staff, and, as far as my inexperienced eyes could tell, a very professional grasp of the wine-making process. Also, gotta love the lavender.
We wound up getting a couple bottles of one their whites (Chardonnay, maybe?) and thought it was just tremendous… crisp, mellow and surprisingly deep in flavor without being at all syrupy or oversweet.