A Day in Russian River and Healdsburg
The other day I was touring in the Alexander Valley with a lovely couple from the Washington DC area who had found us at the last minute via Bungalows 313 in downtown Sonoma. They had reservations for a hotel in downtown Napa, but when they arrived the room that was ready for them had two double beds, bolted to the floor, not what they had reserved. Isn’t that just what you want when you come to romantic wine country? Despite having a reservation made by a travel agent the hotel had no solution for them; they were sold out and unwilling to help them find another room. Honestly I find that remarkably inhospitable and surprising for a small hotel in Napa.
Fortunately their agent was able to find an open room, with a king-sized bed, just a couple of steps from the Sonoma Plaza. Bungalows 313 is a charming location, and Napa definitely lost some dinner reservations because the guest could walk to the wonderful restaurants. Tthe night of our tour they cancelled at Etoile (Domaine Chandon) in favor or the Girl and the Fig. Both are great restaurants, although I think the Girl is more romantic, and being able to walk home after dinner is a plus with the kinds of wines we pour around here.
Since I was picking the clients up in Sonoma, and since they liked great chardonnay, I suggested that we head up to the Russian River, and then over to Dry Creek Valley. Well, we started at Lynmar which keeps getting better and better. We arrived in a gap and had the place and the manager to ourselves, and he did a spectacular tasting for us. Now, while I always say that I’m not an expert in wine, I do admit to having a great nose, between the Italian blood, and early training in perfume blending, my sense of smell is better than average. They opened a bottle of a library chard they are running a special on and I could smell it across the room, and it was delicious. Every wine they poured that morning was so good that I had to stop myself from buying a case (there’s no room left in my little cellar and I don’t have time to excavate more aging room). My clients agreed so much that they not only became members of their club, but shipped several cases home. The folks at Lynmar couldn’t have been nicer.
From there we headed to the Williamson Family winery tasting room next door to the Oakville Market in Healdsburg. Even though they had two rooms full of clients sitting down to tastings, both Dawn, and then Bill (the owners) sat with us and led my clients through the wonderful wine and food pairing adventure that is their particular genius. I’ve been fortunate to sit through a number of these tastings with clients and I learn more each time. My clients were so blown away by this, they are serious chefs, but they had never experienced wines and food together in such a wonderful way. Of course a whole bunch of their wines are headed to Washington. For me the most remarkable part of Bill’s wine making approach is that he makes the wines with the foods in mind, and he uses patience, gentleness and strength in their proper places in his techniques so that he brings the best qualities out of the grapes and leaves the less desirable qualities behind. I also want to congratulate them on the publication of their book, I’m looking forward to reading their story.
After two such stellar performances by Lynmar and Williamson my client’s palates were so saturated, even with lunch, that all we could do was visit beautiful wineries with great views, and enjoy the magnificence of a day in northern Sonoma.
Ralph & Lahni de Amicis are authors of the Amicis Winery Guides, and owners of Amicis Tours. They are authors of over twenty books on health, design, business and travel. Their iPhone Apps, The Napa Valley Wine Tour, and The Sonoma Winery Tour are a tour guides approach to these beautiful area, complete with 1000’s of photos and insights. Their articles and products can be found on the sites http://www.amicistours.com and http://www.spaceandtime.com
Wine,Tours,Sonoma, Healdsburg, Russian River
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