Sonoma Part I
Over the past eighteen months or so, we have had the good
fortune to have enjoyed three outstanding wine dinners at
Harvest
Restaurant at Pheasant Run Resort in St. Charles, Illinois. Not
only is Executive Chef Josef Yurisich a master at creating bold and flavorful
dinner selections, he is a genius at paring wines with his creations.
Noting that the wines at those dinners were some of the best that I have
tasted and were from the Sonoma Valley, the decision to visit the area was
an easy one for me. The available window for the visit was
unfortunately after the harvest was over -- actually late December -- but
the trip, tours and tastings were nonetheless unforgettable. If you
have not yet taken the time to visit Sonoma Valley, make every effort to do
so; for those who have been there, you must certainly know that I am not
exaggerating when I tell you that this venue needs to be at the top of your "must
visit" destinations.
Departing Chicago's O'Hare and
heading for warmer climes in mid-winter is a delight in itself; heading to
California and wine country is sheer joy -- especially after
an unusually cold and snowy start to December in Illinois. Touchdown
at San Francisco International Airport brought bright and sunny skies and
mid-fifty degree temperatures. The slick and fully-automated AirTrain
people-mover system whisked us off to the rental car center and we were
quickly headed north toward the Golden Gate Bridge and beyond to Sonoma
Valley wine country. Our flight was a tad late and traffic seemed
heavy for a Thursday afternoon, but the air was clear and the view from the
Golden Gate was breathtaking as we crossed the Great Bridge. Heading
north past Sausalito, Mill Valley and through San Rafael, we caught a brief
glimpse of the
Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Marin County Administrative
Center, commenting on the bright blue roof and long, low lines of the
structure that was built in 1938.
The heavy traffic
finally thinned and we turned east onto Route 37, skirting San Pablo Bay,
and then headed north on Route 121 to our first stop: the Gloria Ferrer
Winery in the Carneros wine district (southern end) of Sonoma Valley.
My sister had first brought me here over twenty-five years ago to taste what
later became one of my favorite sparkling wines, the
Gloria Ferrer Blanc de Noirs. The long driveway up a slight rise led to a parking lot, and a
quick walk up the expansive stone stairs presented us at heavy front doors that opened to a
small gift shop and tasting room. There were several tasting options
available, from single glasses to flights of wines; we decided to select a
flight of four sparkling wines that consisted of --
from driest to sweetest
--
Gloria Ferrer Blanc de Noirs
("lush flavors of ripe strawberries, black cherries and
vanilla"), a 2000 Royal Cuvee ("Mandarin orange, red apple, and toast
flavors, coupled with a long finish"), a 2004 Brut Rose ("Vibrant
flavors of wild strawberry, rosehip, and a crisp blood-orange character")
and a 2004 Blanc de Blanc ("Ripe pineapple, juicy pear and lemon zest").
A 2003 Rust Rock Pinot Noir ("Plum, ripe berry, and toffee flavors through
an extended finish") was also presented in the flight. Although it was
the view from the terrace and the reawakening of the memory of having been
to the winery
once before that had drawn me here today, just standing there with a
glass of Gloria's best put a
substantial exclamation point on the day. And although the terrace was
chilled by the weakness and low angle of the setting winter sun, the view
from it was as breathtaking as I had remembered; the sparkling wine and Pinot
samples just as tasty as ever. (I prefer the drier sparkling wines, but
all of our samples were excellent.) It was late afternoon; time was a
factor today and we were unable to tarry, but we did depart with a bottle of
Blanc de Noirs. Make no mistake -- Gloria
makes an excellent sparkling wine!
Daylight was fading, but I had remembered my sister
mentioning the name St. Francis. Not much farther to the north along
Highway 12 --
actually listed as being located in Santa Rosa -- we discovered the
mission-style building of St. Francis Winery, Vineyards and Visitors Center nestled alongside the
road. Although we entered with only a half-hour remaining before closing time, Phillipe -- our "guide" to the wines of St. Francis -- was as gracious and
accommodating as if it were the start of the day. We actually ended up
sampling a total of eight wines, since the price of tasting includes any
four wines on their list. Originally from France, Phillipe was the
expert and we let him decide for us. He suggested we try the 2005
Chardonnay, Wild Oak Sonoma County ("Citrus, pineapple, and toast"),
and the 2005 Chardonnay, Behler Vineyard ("Ripe apple, tropical flavors,
toasted oak, and vanilla"). Our favorite was the Chard from the
Behler Vineyard and we purchased a bottle to take along. We also sampled a
very nice 2004
Old Vines Zinfandel
("Cherry, pepper, and spice"), a
2004 Cabernet Franc, McCoy Vineyard ("Dark spice, black fruit, mineral"),
a marvelously big and bold 2003 Cabernet Sauvignon, King's Ridge, a dry but
mellow Cabernet Sauvignon, Nuns Canyon and a peppery but smooth-finishing
2004 Zinfandel, Pagani Vineyard.
We were too late to
partake of the Wine and Food Flights offered at St. Francis (~$25-$45 in
November through April) from 10:00 to 4:00 daily, but we hope that another
trip to Sonoma will be in the offing... this is an inviting venue with a
beautiful campus, and the pairings we saw on the list would definitely make another stop
worth our while. (Wine Dining is also available.) Thanks Phillipe and St. Francis for some excellent wines and a fun and informative
stop! We were only a few miles from our first night's lodging at the
Hilton Sonoma Wine Country, and after a long day of traveling -- we had
actually been up since 2:30am California time -- I was more than ready to
call it a day.
The Hilton Sonoma Wine Country in Santa Rosa was a
great location from which to sortie to a large number of vineyards.
The restaurant there also exhibited a menu chock-full of some
tasty and long-awaited vittles; we sat at a small table in the bar area and enjoyed
some excellent cuisine and -- of course -- a glass of Chardonnay before we
headed back to our room. We literally collapsed into a cloud-like king
bed; the softest of feather pillows soon sent Yvonne and me into a deep,
relaxing and well-earned sleep.
The morning would bring more of the azure-blue skies and
warm temperatures that we had looked forward to. The day ahead would
involve visits the wineries that had supplied the nectar we had so enjoyed
at the wine dinners: Chalk Hill and Sonoma Cutrer, and we eagerly looked
forward to the visits. However, first things first; breakfast was
solidly on my mind. I have never been disappointed by a breakfast at a
Hilton Hotel and today would certainly be no exception. Available on
the buffet were chilled and lean cuts of beef and ham, accompanied by some
excellent smoked salmon -- complete with chopped tomatoes, onion and capers.
There were champagne glasses filled with fresh fruit compote topped with
yogurt, mouth-watering chunks of watermelon, cantaloupe, grapefruit and
pineapple, and a large selection of healthy cereals. For those
requiring a hot meal there were chaffing dishes filled with steaming
scrambled eggs, hot bacon, sausage, potatoes and pancakes; fresh salsa was
available too. We had a complete and very healthful breakfast,
topped off by some fresh-squeezed orange juice and coffee before heading a
few miles to the north and Chalk Hill.
Join me
at Chalk Hill in Sonoma, Part II
