We wake up with barely a hangover. Win! Refuel with a little morning java and enjoy our patio before getting ready for the day and more importantly, before our limo arrives.
Since we already had a mug of coffee down the hatch. We figured it’s time to get the party started.… poppin’ bottles. Before you get worried about our alcohol intake, please remember, the whole point of renting a limo for this trip was the sole fact that we planned to be inebriated. As classy and sophisticated as we could… but definitely not sober.
Our first stop is one that we highly recommend for those visiting the Sonoma area.
St. Francis Winery & Vineyard. We scheduled their Food & Wine Pairing experience for 11am on a Friday afternoon filled with sunshine and cool breezes. This vineyard is built on some beautiful landscape (aren’t they all?) A very popular place for people to get married. Gorgeous mountains in the background.
The pairing took place inside a lovely structure, the doors open to the fresh air outside. There were two tables positioned half-circle style with the seating on the outside of the curves. The wine experts walked through and around as they introduced each pairing.
Each place setting had a leather-bound portfolio with the menu details & a notepad to write tasting notes in. I vaguely remember doodling hilarious stick figure pictures and Bob Marley quotes on mine… at one point during the experience, Brett looks over and exclaims, “My feet feel like cotton!” He is entirely enjoying himself, on top of the dosage of DayQuil (for his head cold) taken 30 minutes prior. It’s amazing what a little vino and a little acetaminophen will do to ignite the senses!
To be honest, I don’t even remember what all we had {so zoom in on this picture & read it!} Nevertheless, it’s true when they say pairing wine with a specific food enhances the flavors, it really works! The whole experience was a delight. Something we would do again in a heart beat.
Back in the limo we go. The next stop, Ledson Winery and Vineyards. Originally, it was being built as a home, with 17 acres of Merlot planted on the grounds. But as the structure was built, and the public became more interested, they ended up turning it into a vineyard and tasting room. (well played Ledson clan!) The structure is built with a French Normady-esque style, 16,000 square feet of woodwork and marble staircases. Never missing the opportunity for a photo op, we enjoyed the front garden area with beautiful white roses and fountains.
Their tasting room had wood floors and a beautiful bar area. We sidled up and started to learn about their vines. Little breadsticks were my saving grace as we sipped and sipped some more.
After the tasting, we bought a bottle and went out back on their patio. Some of us took naps in the sun : star-fished on the ground & loving life {cough, Carley}. We toasted to friendship & love, as we looked at the rows of vines grown there. What a neat place to have a summer party or a murder mystery dinner!
A pretty spectacular roundup of the troops and we’re onto the next one! Benziger Family Winery for the win! This next one is a little blurry for me. Understandably so; three vineyards in and I’m reaching my limits.
We made a pit stop potty break upon arrival (extremely necessary says the girl with the squirrel-sized bladder). Then we hop on an extended golf cart for a tour of the vineyards. Our tour guide explained the wine-making process at their location and the background story of the family that built Benziger into what it is today.
I’ll be honest, a lot of what he said went in one ear and out the other. We stopped along the tour at a little wooden hut and cracked open a white bottle of wine. He served it to us in logo-etched wine glasses – nice touch.
Cool little place. Gorgeous farm animals to fertilize the soil. Fluffy, mop-headed cows and little baby goats. Ten points to Gryffindor for the golf cart ride, as I was not about hiking all over those poo-filled rows of vines.
The middle of the tour took us into the wine caves where, guess what we did?… had some more vino. It’s a lot of traveling small distances and then drinking wine. Rinse & repeat.
There was a really neat room deep into the cave that we all grabbed a spot at. It felt very Knights of the Roundtable-esque, with tapestries hanging on the wall and unique art pieces.
In the wine cave, I got in trouble for trying to snag some more breadsticks, but, please, this was a girl looking after herself! Atleast some part of my mind knew I needed water and food. Stat.
We circled around the vineyards on the golf carf and finished the tour in their Main Bar / Tasting Room. I couldn’t tell you what took place in that space. The next thing I remember is getting into the limo and somehow making it home in one piece.
Now, THAT was a tour of Sonoma.
Dinner plans were supposed to involve a bacon-infused local hotspot called Zazu, but we couldn’t make it happen. We grabbed a variety of chicken breasts and brats at the grocery store to grill-out instead. And it rocked our socks off.
Oh yeah, and we drank water, lots of water.
xo,
e
tolifewithlove 