See Ya Next Time, Sonoma

Sonoma 2018

Day 4

Tuesday, January 16, 2018

I woke up and finished packing before going to hotel breakfast.  Glenndy met up with me and Cindy wondered why some of the food was outside, as the climate was kind of damp and drizzly.  I guess they didn't have enough room inside the building and they wanted to ostracize the people that wanted the healthier options of hard-boiled eggs and smoothies?  

Double N helped me carry all of my and Linda's wine downstairs, and we went to Bodega Shipping Company, which was near the hotel and was recommended to us by Alan at St. Francis Winery.  The parking lot was small, and so was the shipping office.  We saw lots and lots of bottles waiting to be shipped, so I guess Alan isn't the only one that recommends this place.  We decided to have the wine shipped to Double N's office so he could receive it when it arrived, since I probably wasn't going to be home.  Bye, Bottles!  See you in So Cal!

When we returned to the hotel, we got the rest of our stuff and checked out.  We decided we had a little bit of time to spend somewhere before boarding our flight, so we went to Old Town Sacramento and walked around. I wanted to find the candy store that I go to whenever I'm there, and we went to three other stores before we got to that one.  I bought salt water taffy in the first store then realized I could have bought it in my favorite store, but oh well.  They had interesting flavors like candy corn and maple bacon and chicken & waffles.  I got some of each of those, plus some others, including my favorite: peppermint.  Double N pointed out to me that they had Abba-Zabba and I had to get some because we had just been talking about it with Bro and V.  V has never had A-Z before, so I needed to get her out of her sheltered candy life.  We also went to a big toy and collectibles store and I found some stuff for other people.  I also found stuff for me, but didn't buy anything.  

We went to the airport and ordered lunch.  They were so slow that we barely had time to eat half of our food.  Our plane wasn't full, so we didn't have to all sit together, and both Double N and Cindy got window seats.  Yay!  We all ate the rest of our lunch on the plane, but my fries were cold by then, so I didn't finish.

Due to the landing time of our flight, we encountered traffic on our way home from the airport.  Ah, back in LA.  

Our trip was over, and I am left with delightful memories of our Murder Mystery-esque weekend.  Thank you to my friends for spending time with me.  I know it was quite a pinch out of your pocketbooks, but I appreciate you all greatly for accompanying me on this adventure.  I love you guys!

He Did It

Wandering Through Wine Country

Sonoma 2018

Day 3

Monday, January 15, 2018

We decided that we needed to go to Black Bear Diner for breakfast at least once while we were here.  How could we not?  The restaurant was across the street from our hotel!  Weff, Glenndy, and I walked across the street, and you know I had to get pictures of us with bears. 

My Bear Friend Family

Even the bench seat has paw prints!

We were seated in the back where there were no other customers.  I swear I hadn't warned them about us beforehand.  I was hoping that somebody would order a ginormous bear claw, but none of us did.  I didn't need anymore baked goods in my luggage.  Neither did Cindy.  Our server was very stealthy and was labeled "Ninja Server" because he'd get things to us very quickly and very quietly.  When he asked Cindy what kind of bread she wanted, she had to think for a while because she already had to choose a few things regarding her meal.  Wendy whispered, "biscuit" a few times, so she ordered one.  She then called Wendy her hypnotist on Twitter and I didn't understand until at least 12 hours later.  I'd like to attribute it to a hangover, but that's not true.  Just regular lameness.  While we waited for our food, I walked around and took more pictures around the restaurant.

Basically the goal of this weekend

We're in Black Bear Wine Country!

Our huge plates of food arrived.  I ordered pancakes with my breakfast, and got them!

Yes, I had more tea.

Sauce offerings shown with my cup of tea

I appealed to the girls again to get a bear claw, but they still declined.  I had to try!  We walked back to the hotel and said our goodbyes to Weff, so they could go catch their flight.

Double N actually looked at the book of wineries in the hotel room, which I had suggested everyone do the night we arrived, but nobody did at that time.  He found a couple of wineries with the wine types he wanted to try, so we headed out for more wine tasting fun.

Our first stop was at Anaba, (pronounced with the accent on the first syllable, like "Annabelle", but not like the creepy doll.  That doll totally ruined me because my cousin's little girl, Annabelle, is such a cutie).  The tasting room was quite small, so Cindy didn't have much shopping to do.  She did see blankets that looked cozy, but she later learned that they weren't for sale: they were to use when you sit outside.  Well, that's nice!  They're also burgundy colored to hide the fact that you've spilled wine on it.  Smart!  

Double N and I did the 6-wine tasting flight. 

1) 2015 Turbine White Rhone-Style Blend, Sonoma Valley*

I liked the notes of citrus in this one.  It was like a Sau Blanc.

2) 2014 Chardonnay, Sonoma Coast

3) 2014 Cardonnay, Sonoma Coast, Dutton Ranch

4) 2014 Pinot Noir, Sonoma Coast

This one didn't look as transparent as the one at St. Francis.

5) 2014 Pinot Noir, Santa Lucia Highlands, Soberanes Vineyard

6) 2012 Late Harvest Roussanne, Sonoma Valley, Landa Vineyard*

Ah, the magic words!  "Late Harvest"!

Double N was disappointed that the 2014 Turbine Red Rhone was not on the tasting menu, since that is supposedly their signature wine.  Our server said it was usually on the menu for members, but said if he tipped her, she'd open up a bottle.  Which she then shared with others in the room anyway.  Well, thanks, Double N!  He liked it enough to buy a couple of bottles.  I bought a bottle of the Late Harvest Roussanne.  I thought of also buying a bottle of the white rhone blend, but I had already bought a Sau Blanc the previous day, so I decided against it.  

Our server happily took a picture of "Mr. Banana" with us and wished me a Happy Birthday when I told her why he was there.

I see you there in the background, Photo Bomber!

We then went to Shug Winery, and saw that they had a path we could follow and learn about vineyards.  

I wonder who gets to sit on this bench

I'd like to return here in the Spring to see this view

Part of the path was between vines, and they had recently pruned some of the branches, so we had to be careful not to get caught among the brambles.  

I'd like to see this tree with leaves,
but this is cool already.

Little House on the Lake

Made it!
Yeah, I know I didn't get that whole barrel in the picture.

Double N wanted to try some wine, so we went inside the tasting room.  It was tiny, but they had more stuff to look at than the other winery did.  I tried a bit of the Sauvignon Blanc, which I liked.  None of us bought anything, but we did learn that there are river cruises in Europe with wine tasting.  There were no prices, so I think we should be able to go for free.

We decided to have lunch in Napa, and went to Don Perico.  I had the albondigas and a shrimp enchilada.  I could have used less tomato in the soup, and the shrimp in the enchilada was a little salty, but it was fine.  

We walked around the area and I got all sad when I saw the Napa Valley Opera House because I know the inside isn't what it used to be, although I'd still like to see Rockapella play there now that it is owned by Blue Note.  I'm glad that Joe's Bar is still there, too.  I wanted to go to Morimoto to get some little dessert, so we walked by the water.

Are these windchimes?

Ohhh...Rock Paper Scissors!
Seriously, I just got that.

Sadly, Morimoto no longer has a dessert case up front to purchase yumminess, so we just took a look at the menu before going back to the car, and traveled to St. Helena.  Unfortunately, St. Helena Olive Oil company no longer has a store front, and their inventory was greatly affected by the fires (the owner and her home are fine).  So their skin care annex is no longer around, either.  I was happy to see Woodhouse Chocolates was still there, and bought some goodies.

I bought one of those chocolates
the cherub is holding.  YUM.

But how can I eat the pieces after people have been
touching them during the game?

Because Unicorn

We then returned to our hotel to get ready for dinner.  We walked to yet another side of the town square to El Dorado Kitchen, inside the El Dorado hotel.  When the host gave us our menus, he said, "Happy Birthday" and gave us menus with the same greeting on top.  I had stated on the Open Table reservations that we were celebrating a birthday, but this was the only restaurant that acknowledged it, so kudos to them!

 I ordered the Schug Sauvignon Blanc because I liked it earlier today, and it was on their wine list.  Yes, I thought I was done drinking, too, but it was our last dinner and I was OK by that time.

This is Double N's drink.
It was prettier than mine.

Amuse Bouche
Corn chip with hummus, cucumber and
togarashi

Cute butter dish.
Bread in picture for size.

Seafood Paella.  Awesome.  

Banana tart with caramel, pepitas,
 and Meyer lemon ice cream. 

Everything was delicious.  It was a perfect meal to end our Sonoma dinners.  At one point, we heard a popping sound and couldn't figure out what was being tossed into the hot oil.  Our server informed us it was the Brussels sprouts, which were also tasty.

And then there were three

We walked back to the hotel.  It sprinkled a little bit while we were still inside the restaurant, but it had stopped when we left.  I lit the Duraflame in my fireplace one last time, and relaxed, thinking of our wonderful weekend.

Good Night, Sonoma!

Next up:  Travel Day

Le Jour de Quinze Cepages

Sonoma 2018

Day 2

Sunday, January 14, 2018

My room was cold when I woke up in the morning because the fire had gone out during the night.  So I didn't really want to get out of bed, but there was wine to drink, and food to eat!  So I got up and dressed and headed for breakfast provided by the hotel.  They had pretty standard, decent offerings of hot food and continental breakfast, as well as smoothies.  Weff met me as I was eating.  Wendy noticed that after JeffEvs drank his coffee, you could see a perfect letter "P" inside the cup.  We also decided that the horizontal lines were like a music staff with notes on the right side.  Yes, folks, we now read coffee drippings and have decided that we will be seeing Pella soon.  

Telling Fortunes

Then we went back to our rooms to finish getting ready for our day.

Mox and Linda arrived, and we piled into a couple of cars, headed for the Kenwood area.  I rode in Weff's car.  JeffEvs warned me that maybe I shouldn't turn off my Waze app just because we could see the winery, because he was notorious for getting lost when destinations were in plain sight.  We were OK, though.  We took a look around the grounds of St. Francis Winery before going inside.

Bridge to Entrance

St. Francis

Bell in Tower

Back courtyard

Fountain

Double N, Mox, Linda and I decided to taste some wine.  The others roamed around and shopped.  Alan poured the wine for us and learned us some stuff about wine.  He also quizzed us.  I like Alan because he educated us and had no problem having Bananaman there, even though he thought it was Patrick from Spongebob Squarepants before I told him.  We were given a list from which we could select 7 wines, but Alan pretty much chose for us once he figured out our palates.  All the wines we tasted were only available through the winery, as they were part of the Artisan Collection.  Linda was excited about the breadsticks.  I was excited that Linda was actually tasting all of the wines, even if she didn't finish all of them.

Wine Tasting list (the ones I like marked with *):

1) 2016 Sauvignon Blanc, Dry Stack Vineyard, Bennett Valley *

2) 2016 White Wine, Estate Cuvee Blanc, Sonoma Valley

Bonus: 2014 Extended Age Chardonnay, Behler Vineyard, Sonoma Valley

3) 2015 Pinot Noir, Sonoma Coast

Alan showed us that a good pinot should be light enough that you can read through it if it is rolled in a glass across paper.

Demonstrating the clarity of Pinot

4) 2014 Merlot, Behler Vineyard, Sonoma Valley*  -- good with Thanksgiving turkey

5) 2014 Zinfandel, Montecillo Vineyard, Sonoma Valley

Bonus tasting: 2014 Old Vines Zinfandel, Tres Viejos, Sonoma County

We were asked to compare the two zins.  I prefered the Montecillo.

6) 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon, Moon Mountain District Sonoma County

We were quizzed on the 5 grapes of the Bordeaux region:  they are Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Malbec, and Petit Verdot.  

7) 2014 Port, Sonoma County*

I bought a bottle each of the Sau Blanc and the Port.  Linda bought a bottle of the Port.  Linda bought wine!  And she was all fancy and talking to the wine guy!  I'm proud of her for trying something new with us.  I wanted to get a group picture of us with the beautiful landscape, and a gentleman from Australia was willing to help us out.  Linda didn't know where to sit, so she chose to pose on the table.  

Did I tell you that Linda had been drinking?

We were ready to get some lunch, so we made our way to Cafe Citti, which we had seen on the way to St. Francis, and is a place I love to go to when I'm in the area.  At Cafe Citti, you order your food at the counter, then go to your table.  I always order the Caesar salad because I love all of the garlic in it, and they use real anchovies in their dressing.  I ordered smoked chicken on top of mine this time, and it was quite delicious.

My favorite Caesar Salad. Ever.

Breadsticks abound in Sonoma Valley

 One of the other reasons I love this place is that they make their own biscotti, and it is nice and fresh and soft.  So I bought a box.  Cindy brought a bag just for biscotti, and it was covered with kitties, and Wendy named it a BisKitty bag.

Chocolate covered biscotti, almond biscotti &
hazelnut cookie

We were ready for more wine tasting, so I asked everyone to meet up at Chateau St. Jean Winery.  I've been to this place before, too, and it's pretty, so I thought my non-wine-tasting friends would enjoy walking around the grounds.  It took us a while to get there because we all thought we were supposed to go back toward Sonoma, but we were supposed to go up toward whence we came prior to lunch.  My Waze girl Kate kept telling us to turn, and we finally listened to her.  When we arrived, we saw hundreds of birds flying above us.  I wanted to get a picture of them because there were so many of them, so I walked toward them after we parked the car.  I tried to get a recording of the spectacle, but my videos don't do it justice.  It was actually a perfect sight to see after our discussion of coming back to the area someday to see Bodega Bay, where "The Birds" was filmed.

We walked around the grounds a little bit, and saw the damage from the fire.  Alan had told us that this was one of the wineries that got hit.  

The grounds inside the walls fared much better.  I didn't realize when I was here before that they had bocce ball available to play.

Double N taking a shot

Then it was time to taste some wine.  Mox, Double N and I chose the 4-wine tasting.

Linda sat out this one.

1) Brut Rose Sparkling Wine

We were celebrating my birthday, after all!  Might as well have something bubbly.

Cheers, Bananaman!

2) 2014 Lyon Vineyard Fume Blanc, Alexander Valley

3) 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon, Alexander Valley

4) 2013 Eighty-five Fifty-five, Sonoma County*

This one is named after their address, and is a Red Bordeaux Blend.

Double N and I were curious about these bottles:

Turns out Cinq Cepages (which means "5 Varieties", even though we were told it meant "5 grapes") won international awards.  So Double N asked to buy a glass.  He let us taste some of it, and it was excellent.  Rhonda also poured a little bit in our glasses since the bottle was open, so I got to have more of the yumminess.  Thank you, Rhonda!  I did not buy this wine, but I wanted to.  I also wanted to have enough money to buy it.  Nope.  Instead, I bought a bottle of the Eighty-five Fifty-five.

We sat outside for a while so Double N could finish his Cinq Cepages.  I bought a hat because they had really cute hats.  Then we went back to our hotel.  I put my wine and Linda's wine in my hotel room, and on the way down, I saw a little boy wearing a Batman hoodie.  I said, "I like your sweatshirt, little dude!"  His mom said, "Look, she's wearing a Batgirl shirt!  He loves Batgirl."  That's my kind of a kid.  Mox, Linda and I hung out at Glenndy's place until Mox and Linda needed to leave to catch their flight.  We opened the free bottle of wine that Linda received at her hotel.  I miss you, Fairmont Sonoma!  I didn't drink very much of it because it was the 15th wine of the day for me.

Yes.  FIFTEEN.

I was ready for food.  We had reservations for the remaining five of us at OSO.  We had seen OSO on our way back from dinner the previous night, and I pointed it out to them because I had made our reservations already for all of our dinners.  I opted out of the alcohol as my stomach was a little queasy.  Or maybe my liver was attacking my insides due to overuse.  I ordered chamomile tea instead.  Because, you know, why not have a big old tea service on the table where barely anything fit?

Soothing

Then came the food.  The very yummy food.  This place turned out to be the majority's favorite for the weekend.  I had miso-glazed salmon with kale and roasted yams.  It was delicious.  But Cindy's Dungeness crab-topped deviled eggs were even better.  So were her yummy tacos.  Hands down for me, though, was JeffEvs' pork ribs dish, which had a wonderful sauce that tasted like the Filipino soup Sinigang.  It made me want sinigang so much that I made some a week after I got home.  

My Salmon

I ordered the Butterscotch Pot de Creme for dessert.  It came with a whopping serving of whipped cream.  I like the jar they used, which I think was the same kind they used for the chocolate fudge sundae others ordered.

The shortbread cookies were a perfect touch

Cindy made it her own personal quest to try to open my tea server, because I had trouble opening it.  I don't think it was the alcohol.  It was just difficult to open. 

Mission Accomplished!

We really enjoyed this dinner.  I highly recommend it if you're in the area, and you're in the mood to share food.

And Then There Were Five

Happy and full, we walked back to our hotel to rest.  Cindy offered me the bottle of wine we hadn't finished from Linda's hotel, but I wondered if I was done for the weekend.  At least the tea helped.  I turned on the heater that I didn't know was there the night before.  Thanks, JeffEvs for letting me know!  I tried to stay up a little bit before falling asleep, but I don't think I was very successful, because I don't remember anything beyond lighting the fire and opening up my book to read. 

What a lovely day!  Thank you for being there, Mox and Linda!   I'm glad you could spend at least a little time with us.

Next up: MORE wine?!