A Weekend In Paradise...

This past December my parents celebrated a monumental occasion - the 50th anniversary of their marriage. Fifty years of marriage is almost unheard of these days and I am proud to say my parents worked together through the good, the bad and the ugly that come along in life and are still standing strong.

To celebrate this event my brother, sister-in-law, The Señor and I loaded-up Moma and Daddy and flew to northern California for a few days in paradise.  While there we stayed with our dear friends the Brocks and the Comstocks (who are the ultimate hosts), gazed upon majestic sights, ate amazing food, drank amazing wine, learned the art of Petanque and made memories to last a life time.

To quote my dear friend Bob Brock, "Friends are your wealth in life".  This weekend reminded me that we are very wealthy indeed.

Moma and Daddy - Bella Vineyards...

The whole gang (minus Sandy) Bob, Cathy, Linda, Bob, Reece, Sandra, Bob, Kim & The Señor...

The whole gang (minus Cathy) Bob, Sandy, Linda, Bob, Reece, Sandra, Bob, Kim & The Señor...

A grape row marker from the gorgeous Bella Vineyard...

My brother and The Señor toasting a beautiful day...

The Señor and I enjoying an amazing morning on the Comstock's deck...

My sweet parents...

My sister--in-law and brother enjoying a beautiful day in the wine country...

Ou family at the entrance to Comstock Vineyards...

Daddy enjoying a day on Dry Creek.  Can it get any better than this?

The beautiful hills of grapevines...

Breathtaking views...

LOVE this deck...

Wine tasting at Mauritson Wines.  Fabulous wines - and people...

Daddy and I enjoying the creek...

Moma playing fetch with Bailey and Lucy...

Wine Country Days 3 and 4

The morning of day three I was moving a bit slow.  While I laid around and enjoyed the peaceful quiet of the vineyard the Senor and brother-in-law went with our friend Bob to "punch down" the wine for a wine-maker friend of Bob's.

(Brother-in-law observing Bob punch down the wine.)

(The Senor punching down the wine.)

"Punching down" is done to keep the fermenting wine and skins mixed up during red wine fermentation.  As the wine ferments, the skins rise to the top of the tank and form a thick "cap."  It is important to break up the cap a few times a day to increase the extraction of color and flavor and to prevent the cap from drying out and/or developing bacterial problems.  A punch down means the cap was manually pushed back into the fermenting wine using an instrument that looks like a huge potato masher!

Our first stop on Day Three was Michel Schlumberger Winery.  This is a beautiful winery set back in the hills of Dry Creek Valley.  Our host, Francesco, was charming, knowledgeable and down-right funny.  The facility is not only gorgeous but is completely organic and is home to sheep, chickens and bees.  They also have an organic garden on the property.  According to Francesco it is not surprising to see mountain lion, bobcat, deer and many other wild animals roaming there.  On top of all this they produce first class wines that I love!

When we finished at Michele Schlumberger it was lunchtime and we had just enough time to pop in to The Ravenous for bite to eat.  The Ravenous is located in a funky old house in Healdsburg and the food was, well let's just say I was once again in "foodie heaven"!

Next, Sandy had arranged for a taste and pairing at Jordan Winery.  The Jordan facility sits high on a hilltop and is absolutely stunning.  Jordan is known for their "tradition of fine wines" and the tastings did not disappoint.

The remainder of the afternoon we tasted wines from the Longboard, Seghesio, Mauritson and Dutcher Crossing Wineries.

While at Mauritson we had the opportunity to meet the wine maker, Clay Mauritson.  Despite this being the busiest time of his year he was generous enough to take time to talk with us and share his passion for wine making.  It was so refreshing to speak with someone who holds such a love for what they do every day.  The Mauritson zinfandels were fabulous and, again, a case or two will be showing up on our door step any day now.

Our last night in Sonoma county we all convened on Willi's Seafood and Raw Bar.  I can't tell you what a pleasure it was to spend the evening visiting with these dear people.  Bob and Sandy and Bob and Cathy are truly some of my favorite folks and to have the opportunity to spend time with them in this amazing place was priceless.  As we shared small plates and glorious wine it occurred to me that our visit was drawing to an end and I was overcome with emotion.

Bob and Sandy are the ultimate host and hostess.  Bob met us on the deck Friday morning with mimosas.  The Senor, brother-in-law and I enjoyed our last morning on the vineyard deck while he and Sandy were busy in the kitchen whipping up breakfast.  After breakfast it was time to load our things and drop by one last winery before heading to the airport.  Bob had shared a bottle of Limerick Lane with us the night before and wanted us to see their facility before we left.  Limerick Lane's 1023 is a blend of Syrah and Zinfandel and is totally lush and fabulous and, yes, three magnums have already shown up on our door step.

Bob and Sandy escorted us to the airport.  Once again, I was overcome with emotion.  I'm terrible with good-byes and there simply were no words to adequately express our gratitude.  So we said our goodbyes, not knowing when we will see one another again, but knowing when we do it will be just like it was yesterday.

Wine Country - Day Two

Three walls of the guesthouse are windows - I awoke on day two to a view of the most beautiful hillside draped in grapevines. The sunshine danced over the hills creating the most gorgeous array of colors imaginable. The scene changed quickly and dramatically with the rising of the sun. I would love to have been able to freeze each moment in time and replay them over and over again.

We slept with the windows open. The temperature dipped down in to the 40's overnight and it was lovely to slowly wake up under the warm blankets surrounded by so much beauty. It was like an instant shot of energy! The air was crisp and cool and we were definitely ready for another day.

Our first stop was the Robert Young Winery. Sandy had arranged for a private tasting and tour at 10:00 AM. Our host at the winery was Bill and we couldn't have asked for a nicer or more knowledgeable gentleman to discuss the wines with us. The Robert Young wines were delicious (the Senor believes them to be the best he sampled during the trip) and a case is scheduled to arrive at our home any day now. Bill also graciously took us on a tour of the Robert Young caves while we were there which was quiet a treat.

Next we met up with some more dear friends, Bob and Cathy, at the Sausel Winery. There we paid a visit to Bob and Cathy's good friend Dave Demostene. Dave showed us around his winery and even allowed us the opportunity to partake in two barrel tastings one of which was from their Century Vines - some of those vines were planted over 130 years ago!

We stopped and had a quick bite of lunch with Sandy, Bob and Cathy and then were on to more wine tasting adventures. Thank goodness for Sandy who was deemed our "designated driver"!

The remainder of the afternoon we visted the Simi, Ridge and Mazzacco wineries. Each had its own distinct character, the folks pouring were fun and informative and, again, several cases will be showing up on our front steps in the next few days. (Yes, you'll notice a pattern here!)

The lovely Cathy joined Sandy, the Senor, brother-in-law and I for dinner that night. We dined at the fabulous Bistro Ralph in Healdsburg. The food and wine were flawless. The friends and family I shared it with are more special than any of them will ever know.

As I drifted off to sleep that night all I could think of was that perhaps I had died and gone to foodie heaven!