The incredible and newly reconfigured, remodeled and redesigned in every way Francis Ford Coppola Winery beckons!  I went to dinner at RUSTIC on Sunday, 1 August, with Peter- sat on the terrace and was totally overwhelmed and enchanted by the location, view, staff, food and wine.  Perfetto- right down to the incredible little touches like the buttonhole on the cloth napkin to attach to your shirt and the deliverance of a twirling spoon as de rigueur, not as a special request.  The details are assiduously looked after.

I especially appreciate the great wine service and have never seen wines by the glass so well presented; the bottle of the chosen wine (great, well-thought out wine list- good selection of local Wine Road wines, too) is brought to table, shown and then poured- wonderful to SEE the ACTUAL bottle on a Wine by the Glass selection.  I love this added, thoughtful touch.

Returned for lunch on Friday, 6 August 2010, with Lynn Thomas, our Office Manager at Wine Road- Beth could not make it, having a previous engagement.

Lynn and TR at FFC's RUSTIC! Wonderful! Toasting with FFC Sauvignon Blanc- I love that Cobb Salad, dressing on the side!

We have a great tour with James!

The Tucker- still goes out for spins!

The incipient pool and the Cabins- very M. Hulot!

Cannot wait to see the finished product.

Outdoor seating at RUSTIC

Ciao, Francesco....

I so enjoy the movie memorabilia- the costume displays are wonderful.  YOUTH WITHOUT YOUTH vs BENJAMIN BUTTON- I love movies and this special place captures my imagination and heart.  It just does not get any better than THE GODFATHER and what about LOST IN TRANSLATION– ?  All Coppola, all here in Geyserville….

While on my tour with the fantastic James, I saw my  children’s,  Tony and Annie’s, Latin teacher, Jill Jones, who works the TR with her husband.  Also saw my friend, Francois Cordesse, Fantastic Winemaker, in the lab.  I had to go right out and buy a bottle of FFC Claret with the incredible wire on the bottle- my father, always looking for claret with his UK roots would have gone crazy for this wine!  My friend, Steven Child, who works as Dishwasher in the amazing FFC Rustic kitchen reports a level of camaraderie and fun and friendship that makes FFC THE destination!

Ciao- more soon from my visits with ALL the fantastic members of Wine Road!  The most romantic Road I know–   TR

Lovely Murphy-Goode flower-bedecked patio on Matheson Street: Picnic, Wines by the Glass, Heaven!

One stop today: Murphy-Goode Winery.  Home to Murphy-Goode Wines and newly home to Edmeades Wines.  I am meeting with Karen and Bill-we have known each other a long time.  In fact, Bill and his wife, Zoe, had their son, Jonathan, the very same day that I had my son, Tony, on Valentine’s Day 1987.

This very day, M-G is getting wines in the Keg- going totally hip and green for folks having Wines by the Glass- which they can picnic with on the incredible patio.  Bring your picnic, buy a glass or bottle of wine, and there you go!

Bill at the Murphy-Goode Tasting Room Bar

Edmeades Tasting Bar @ Murphy-Goode Tasting Room

Grab your picnic, purchase a bottle or glass of wine, and here you go!

TR

Limerick Lane Cellars

Here you are: Limerick Lane leads to Limerick Lane

Limerick Lane Cellars awaits me under a very warm sun- after all, it is summer, though has been hard to tell with the pervasive fog and gloomy mornings of late.  I am meeting with Gina and Peter to discuss All Things Wine Road- they are busy!  Couple comes in who joins the Wine Club and enjoy a tour of the barrels and the grounds a la Gina- including the cool pool.  Delicious Zin and Syrah, Peter is master chef for Events; Gina brings a skill at marketing- the dynamic duo!

TR

First Wine Road Stop: The Healdsburg Inn on the Plaza

The perfect location for being right in the heart of Healdsburg: right on the Healdsburg Plaza, upstairs with a nice vista, a great combination of Victorian atmosphere and modern amenities and comfort, lovely common breakfast salon, warm innkeepers Jennifer and Wanda- yes, my first stop is the Healdsburg Inn on the Plaza.  I remember this Inn from 1982 when it was owned and renovated by Jenny Jenkins, a long-ago supporter of Wine Road.  Now the Inn has undergone a complete renovation and transformation and is one of the Four Sisters Inns.  Warm inn, caring staff, comfortable accommodations, smashing breakfast- here are Jennifer and Wanda while we are working together at the front desk:

Wanda and Jennifer at the Front Desk, Healdsburg Inn on the Plaza

Next stop is 2 blocks off the Plaza: Camellia Inn!

The Pool @ Camellia Inn!

I meet with Lucy Lewand, Innkeeper- she is very busy- guests are coming and going and she is guiding them to their rooms as well as acting as concierge as they head out along the Wine Road and, later, for dinner.   I first met Lucy’s parents, Del and Ray Lewand, when I moved to Healdsburg in 1982 to innkeep the Grape Leaf Inn.  In fact, Ray was one of the first people I met in town- and we soon discovered that his wife, Del, and I were both Gamma Phi Betas- she at UCLA and I at Cal, though at different times….our Alumnae Magazine, THE CRESCENT, did a piece on both of us and featured our inns- Lucy was in that family photo and has taken over the innkeeping of the inn that her parents founded and loved.

Many old-time residents of Healdsburg were actually born at the Camellia Inn- aside from being a private, spectacular Victorian with twin fireplaces in the parlors, it also served, albeit briefly, as the town hospital.

Healdsburg is quite an old community- after all, it was founded by an unsuccessful 1849 gold miner- incredible architectural blend….

TR

Near the pool at Camellia- if you look very closely, you can just make out our Wine Road member sign!

Starting the day at my favorite One Man Rock Star Show: Frick Winery, meeting with Bill Frick- who states that when other kids were playing cowboy, he was playing winemaker- he is King of the Rhone.

Bill Frick at Frick Winery TR Bar: One Man Show!

Bill has extended summer hours there in the tasting room- he produces fantastic Rhone varietals.  His Facebook postings are always extremely poetic- I leave with a Frick Cotes-du-Dry Creek- delicious- my new favorite.

Tasting Room at @ Frick

Heading back south to Geyserville- next stop: Geyserville Inn and Barry, Innkeeper/Concierge.  Busy time of day with guests checking out and also asking for help with what they will be doing along the Wine Road.

Barry @ the Front Desk of Geyserville Inn: Multi-tasking!

Geyserville Inn is lovely- nestled right in the vineyards, with a great pool, breakfast, accommodations and the Hoffman House right next door- great staff, ready to help with all plans.  They also have a wedding venue and meeting space- who could ask for anything more?  Barry is totally gracious at all times!

The pool is to the right; even on a foggy morning, the Geyserville Inn warmly beckons to the guest!

North end of Geyserville; come stay!

My next Wine Road destination is just down the road at Locals with Manager, Diane.  A cooperative room, Diane is present to guests- and she is busy when I arrive.

Locals along the main drag in Geyserville

Inside Locals; a must see visit!

Guests are visiting from SF and seem to know this area well- Diane tastes them on the offerings and guides them with suggestions for places to eat and the next stops along the Wine Road.

Just slightly south on Geyserville Avenue is my next stop, Mercury Wine- where I am to meet Brad Beard:

Brad at the tasting bar at his Mercury Wine.

Brad compares his style to that of a mad scientist, making small lots of all sorts of wines with very palatable pricing.  His TR is ultra-modern and cool with white walls and a great open-grid of wine storage behind.

Tasting @ Mercury along the main drag in Geyserville.

The PLACE to be!

Next stop, just slightly north on Geyserville Avenue:  Hope-Merrill House with Cosette, Innkeeper/Proprietor-

The historic, venerable and romantic Hope-Merrill House in Geyserville.

Lots of hubbub around the place- the gardener is working at containing the veritable tangle of blooms erupting under the warm, temperate sun while housekeeping staff are bustling about preparing for the incipient guests.  The pool looks so welcoming and cool- wish it were later in the day!  Cosette and I meet in the back porch area, relaxing at a table just as will her guests.  She has some great specials- Make Your Own Wine sounds especially intriguing to me.

I first remember the Hope-Merrill house from 1982 when it was owned by Rosalie and Bob Hope (great name) who started the renovations and work that have been continued on by Cosette and Ron, great hosts and concierges to the area.

Cosette describing all the happenings at Hope-Merrill!

Back on the Wine Road heading slightly south along Geyserville Avenue to The Meeker Vineyard:

See, just down the street: Meeker!

Meeting with Julaine and Jean today in famous Bank Vault location.  What could be cooler?  I am further updated on the happenings in Geyserville and at Meeker as we go over their Wine Road Meeker web page.

Next stop-I am heading back slightly north to Route 128 Vineyards and Winery where I am to meet Lorna Opatz, co-owner with her husband, Peter.

Route 128- home to Lorna and Peter Opatz's awesome wine undertakings!

Lorna and I realize that we first met back when our kids were at West Side Elementary School- those two particular kids are now 23- so that was some time back.  In fact, the combined amount of years that Lorna and Peter bring to Route 128 in terms of wine making expertise is very impressive (60 years!); Lorna tells me about the launch of their new Wine Club called Club 128- it will top out at 128 members: so hurry- as well as a wine named PeLu Rouge named for Peter and Lu (Lorna’s family nickname) and available only at the TR.

Lorna working with me on All Things Route 128 and All Things Wine Road.

It is the end of the day– time to head on back to the ‘burg…. more soon.

TR

7.21.10

Back in the ‘burg today, first stop is with Tom and Brenda Hearn at Belle de Jour Inn- they are featured in this current Summer Wine Road Video on Wine Road Homepage- Their Inn is located right across the street from Simi Winery-

Belle de Jour

A lovely, restful spot so beautifully kept by Brenda and Tom for the past 25 years, the Belle de Jour Inn is incredibly romantic and private- the Carriage House is one of my favorite accommodations- I would like to live there!  Brenda and I discuss innkeeper inside info- like drying sheets, folding sheets, turning over rooms (she and Tom work as the perfect team)- I knew them back in 1982 when I was the innkeeper at the Grape Leaf Inn.  The Inn is very close to the happenings in Healdsburg, but far enough away that it feels like a step into the quiet countryside.  This place is choice!

My Carriage House!

Wending south along Wine Road, back to town and Hawley Winery I go- quickly there. I am meeting with Paul Hawley (he and his brother, Austin, are also in the aforementioned Wine Road Summer Video) and Meghan Logan- we share a last name, but she is Irish and I am Scottish-go figure-  do not tell Braveheart Mel Gibson!

Meghan & Paul @ Hawley

The bar and back bar are particularly well-done- pieces of barrels and woven barrel staves, designed and executed by the family, surrounded by warm walls covered in incredible artwork by matriarch (these Latin descriptors make these folks sound older than their years) Dana Hawley.  I remember patriarch/winemaker John Hawley from my years at K-J.  In addition to visiting the tasting room in town, guests can make an appointment for a personal tour and taste out at the winery site in Dry Creek Valley.

Detail on bar, Meghan and Paul @ Hawley!

North again along Wine Road, I am heading over to meet with Peter Lenz and Pat Lenz, owners of the Duchamp  Hotel and Duchamp Winery & SlaughterhouseSpace- we are meeting at the Winery/Slaughterhouse Space.  I am greeted by their dog, Roxy, and Peter, who I met many years ago on a personal tour of his hotel, artfully renovated cottages around a lap pool two blocks off the Healdsburg Plaza.   Peaceful, serene, oh-so-nicely done!

This is my first visit to the winery and Slaughterhouse Space- Pat is an artist, and her touches and pieces abound in the vineyards, on the lawns, by the pool and in the incredible re-do and re-use of the Van Der Boon Slaughterhouse, extant as just that until fairly recently.  Like something out of  THE JUNGLE, the sadness and purpose of that old building still infuse the feel of the place, but now it is a pure space for art- and wine.  Upon entering that building my breath was truly taken away- a serious feel of past death now utilized for the living.

Duchamp Winery & SlaughterhouseSpace: former Van Der Boon Slaughterhouse Building Preserved

Sculpture by Pat Lenz @ Duchamp Winery

On the way into Duchamp Winery & SlaughterhouseSpace- by Pat Lenz

Next stop, the lovely renovated and/or completely new Best Western Dry Creek Inn where I am meeting with Innkeeper/Owner extraordinaire, Aaron Krug.  Aaron has a lovely property here- very close to the downtown Plaza, great pool, grounds, delicious breakfast, wedding and meeting site @ the Krug Event Center, concierge staff- all that you can wish for!  Romantic rooms and ambiance, reminiscent of a Tuscan village.  Aaron is a dedicated supporter of all things Wine Road!

Off to La Crema’s Tasting Room just off the downtown square to meet with Annette Powell, Wine Club & Hospitality Supervisor for the TR and Winery - the Winery is only open for visits during specific special Events while the TR is open daily.

Annette @ La Crema TR

La Crema, best known perhaps for their Russian River Valley pinot noir, is aces, too, in chardonnay. The Tasting Room is just steps off the Healdsburg Plaza- young, happy, eager, knowledgeable staff.

Heading north again, this time to Bella Villa Messina and Jerry Messina: this is the spectacular Villa visible from Highway 101- with llamas (llamae?)- built on the remains of the historic 1892 Simi Winery reservoir.  Jerry notes that from his terrace you can see bits of all three of our AVA’s: Alexander, Dry Creek and Russian River Valleys- 500,000 acres visible- as well as Mount St. Helena, off in the distance.

Jerry's Terrace Rocks!

Hey, I think I can almost see my house here from Jerry's!

Jerry brings Southern Hospitality with Italian Charm and Romance- #1 on Trip Advisor for Healdsburg Lodgings– incredibly comfy with wine, cheese, hors d’oeuvres, breakfast, concierges right there in Jerry and Harold- wow- what a way to end the day along the Wine Road-

More soon– Wine Time TR

7.19.10 by TR

Heading over to the RRV today- my first stop:

Lynmar Estate

Anisya Fritz & Andrea Kaplan

Welcome to Lynmar- sign on Frei Road

Heading past the gates... great light fixtures!

We are there!

Lynmar- great pinot and chardonnay- and rose- incredible site, fantastic building.  Patio, with picnics and food & wine pairings by Executive Chef Sandra Simile (one of my favorite surnames) served paired with Lynmar wines on the spectacular, beautiful terrace overlooking not just the Laguna di Santa Rosa, but also the Quail Hill Vineyard where the vines are laid out according the most optimal conditions as dictated by the sun and the prevailing winds.  The gardens disarm me and I am lost in a sea of blossoms and bees (see I AM LOVE  with Tilda Swinton for similar feel).

Looking toward Quail Hill.

Lynmar terrace.

Heading over to Martin Ray Winery

Tiffany Garcia

Martin Ray, under the famous water tank- you cannot miss it, must be one of the highest landmarks in the area!

The Water Tower @ Martin Ray!

Martin Ray is incredibly historic- very old winery buildings.  They offer a great tour- the place has concrete fermentation tanks- so interesting and so unusual (not used now) and redwood tanks-it is HUGE!  One of my favorite tours- call ahead to make sure and ask for Tiffany- she is an awesome historical tour guide- very knowledgeable and kind.  They also offer a red field blend that changes constantly that you can request and have filled into a gallon jug- ask Tiffany.  They are undergoing a renovation and the gardens and picnic areas are just fantastic- linger here and enjoy some fantastic wines and history.

Follow me down THIS garden path at Martin Ray!

Picnic spot extraordinaire!

Tiffany @ Martin Ray- perfect tour guide!

Heading over to Joseph Swan Vineyards to see Rod and Lynn Berglund- here I am- but turns out that we have our signals a wee bit crossed- so I am all alone…. Rod = KING of pinot noir.  Here are some lovely photos!:

The door!

Here were go!

Joseph Swan: Rod Berglund iconoclast pinot maker and sometime kilt wearer!

Heading out along the Wine Road now to a new member:

Sonoma-Cutrer

Mark Elcombe and Michelle Wing

I have never seen croquet courts like these- they are something between a Mayan sport court and a Stonehenge day on the green. Call ahead for an easy to make instantaneous appointment.  This place is spectacular-lots to see, do and TASTE!

Medieval? Mayan? or just croquet?

Sonoma-Cutrer: WELCOME!

Beautiful Sonoma-Cutrer Winery!

Geese and lake- just what we need!

7.16.10

Back from two weeks off- incredibly lovely vacation; we had such fun!

Raring to get out on the Wine Road again today- false start with a member with a lost calendar- part of the angst of being on the road- oh well- lovely drive back over to Sebastopol via the Wine Road offices to say “hey” to Beth and Lynn and pick up maps- off to West County!

7.16.10

FAIRFIELD INN & SUITES Sebastopol

Cynthia, Shiva and Richard

Welcome to Fairfield Inn & Suites, Sebastopol!

Day is heating up as I arrive at the-bustling-with-guests-heading-out-for-the-day-lobby; Cynthia and Shiva great me and I meet Richard too.  Hotel is very conveniently and well-situated in the lovely town of Sebastopol, which charmingly reminds me on the drive in that Sebastopol is a Nuclear Free Zone.

The full-breakfast in the great breakfast room is just finishing up-delicious aromas of coffee and waffles still linger in the comfy setting- hotel also offers a small meeting room and lending library, not to mention a lovely and sunny pool and spa- wish I could linger, but the road beckons!

Don't call me late for breakfast....

Last one in ...!

The Arts & Crafty Lobby @ Fairfield Inn

Sebastopol Inn

Ashok and staff

Very much reminiscent of an apple drying building with cool, corrugated metal roofing pieces, The Sebastopol Inn is tucked away at the Gravenstein Station.  Comfortable, walking distance to lots of fun stuff!  Ashok welcomed me!

Apples, anyone? Sebastopol is FAMOUS for them- along with great wines in this area! Welcome to Sebastopol Inn!

Graton Ridge Cellars

Barbara (and Sue & Bell)

Welcome! From Barbara @ Graton Ridge Cellars.

Wending my way north along the Gravenstein Highway, aka 116, I arrived quickly at Graton Ridge Cellars where Barbara greeted me with 8 month old amazing puppy, Bell.  Daughter Sue, usually on site, was away for a bit today.  I learned from Barbara that each and every day of the year, Graton Ridge donates a portion of all their proceeds to the Sutter Breast Clinic in Santa Rosa.  We chatted about their lovely success with this year’s SF Chronicle Wine Competition where they won the Sweepstakes Award for their 2007 Estate Pinot Noir.  I spend some incredible puppy petting time before heading out to see the brand-new, shady and very comfy picnic area– I am a sucker indeed for Adirondack chairs you may already have noted!

LOVE those chairs @ Graton Ridge!

The perfect shady, flowered spot for a picnic!

Time to head out, and now I am on the Road back towards the north and then east- find myself on Guerneville Road and turn left on Olivet- I suddenly remember that today is the day that Kathleen Inman at Inman Family Winery will be in her new digs, the completely brand-new GREEN winery on the corner of Olivet and Piner Roads- cannot resist- I am there!

Inman Family Winery

Kathleen Inman

Inman's new digs just barely open- the new buildings are undergoing final touches- totally green there is a place to charge your car in the parking lot.

Kathleen is ever-gracious.  Sporting a sun-hat she looks the part of an English heroine, and she is filled with knowledge about all aspects of the production of wine and is pouring to a group from Las Vegas, here in the area for a wedding.  There is great, comfy furniture along the side of the winery almost in the vineyard with a view of the Inman Family Winery Farmhouse that is for let for guests.  We sit and relax while Kathleen pours to us and talks about the grapes and her philosophy on wine.  It is so perfectly warm and still- one of those moments that makes me amazed that I live here and that I get to travel the Wine Road and work with our fantastic members- truly a day in wine paradise.  I leave with a bottle of Inman Rose of Pinot- a perfect remembrance which lasts only until I later arrive home.

Kathleen Inman just outside the new Tasting Room- incredible clear, sunny Sonoma county day!

Kathleen and the group from Las Vegas- great new location right in the vines!

Back on the road, I take Olivet to River Road and head east to my next House Call:

Vintners Inn

Sue Burnet

I always so enjoy visiting Vintners Inn!  We held our Wine Road retreat here this year and had dinner at their John Ash & Co. restaurant- in 2009, their Executive Chef Tom Schmidt wrote the foreword for our TASTING ALONG THE WINE ROAD volume 11 for our A Wine & Food Affair that year.  I applied here for an innkeeping position in 1983 so have a soft spot for this lovely, European flavored property.

An oasis among the vineyards- and look at those Normandy poplars! Just like being in France.

I meet with Sue who works extensively with guests and weddings (Vintners Inn is famous as a wedding site) and all sorts of similar…she is very knowledgeable and gracious!  Vintners Inn starts the guests’ day with a great breakfast in a great setting and often ends it with a complimentary pouring of Wine Road wines from a specific winery, often with the winemaker and staff there to schmooze and pour- tonight it is Bob Mueller from Mueller Winery with Maureen Flaherty from Hospitality.  What a great set up!  Lovely room, incredible wines, hors d’oeuvres and the winemaker and staff right there!  (On vacation in the Sierras, specifically Graeagle and Blairsden, saw lots of Mueller wines on restaurant lists.)

Breakfast Room @ Vintners Inn

I do, I do! (and right in the vines--too romantic!)

Frances and Bob from Mueller Winery pouring for the guests @ Vintners Inn.

The sun is setting as I head back to the ‘burg- more later with my Wine Road Concierge House Calls!

TR

6.28.10

First day on the Road as the Wine Road Warrior: Member & Guest Concierge!  Traveling, wending along the Wine Road to visit each and every member!  I call them Concierge House Calls- Beth says it sounds like I am delivering babies- well, only if the opportunity presents and maybe in my spare time!

Darci @ Foppiano

Hotter than the blazes even at 10am- 83 and climbing.  Amazing Self-Guided Tour dedicated to Margot Doss Patterson, the great, intrepid lover of all things outdoors in the Bay Area.  See the vine called “Riley” celebrated in the Wine Road Facebook page, Life of Riley, a year in the life of a vine- Darci and Danielle pose at the tasting room bar on my way out—oldest family owned winery in RRV.  The caboose is still there- still fun- finally realize that I knew Darci from AVV.

Jim @ Toad Hollow

Abby’s first day behind the bar!  Even hotter now that high noon has passed.  Toad Hollow Sparkling being served in the delicious juice concoction for brunch next door at Costeaux Bakery- a lovely summertime treat.  Groups of 7 or more now need to call ahead, but wow- such an incentive- a surprise to be given at the end of the visit!  Lots of visitors to the TR- crowds wandering downtown in search of summertime fun.

6.29.10

Cindi @ Truett Hurst

Cooler today or maybe I am just getting used to it.  Winery and vines are vivid in the still hush of summertime morning as it heats up.  Cindi takes me down through the gardens to the incredible sitting area by Dry Creek which is shallow, but nicely flowing due to the influence of the Dry Creek Dam and Lake Sonoma slightly upriver.  Bright red Adirondack chairs are randomly yet artfully arranged here- amazingly peaceful spot.  Wonder what it is like when thoe salmon are coming back to spawn.  Wish I could stay here all day but onward and upward.  Air conditioning feels great in the bright tasting room- white walls and wood accents- love the lighting fixtures- and hey, the wine is impressive too.  Realize that while out on the Wine Road in this position, specs about wines are not at the forefront.

Have known Cindi quite some time- including her time at DeLoach- really is a very small world up here….

Jim & Anita @ Forchini

It IS like a visit to Tuscany- or at least as my not-yet-been-to-Italy mind imagines it might be like- looking around for Diane Lane and all that Under the Tuscan Sun business.  The Winery Dogs greet me and Jim and Anita and I head to the office to go over the website and such—did not realize how much innovating Jim has done- a mechanical engineer by education and avocation, he has brought winery equipment from Italy or has innovated it here.  A tour is offered for those who wish who call ahead to arrange it and since Jim and Anita are usually there, it is easy and pretty much usually immediate.  This is truly hands on family stuff.  The motto:

“Un bicchiere di vino Forchini e buono per lei”-
“A glass of Forchini wine is good for you.”

Donnis @ Topel

Turns out that we have both lived extensively in Berkeley- both Cal alums- small world casserole as my

children used to mis-nomer (apologies to Walt Disney).  Awesome tasting room. Great supporters of the Animal Shelter here- produce a Dog Calendar that is just fantastic- event in the fall where your dog’s portrait can be painted for something like $50- amazing.  Donnis is a dancer.

Lisa & Rob at Vintage Wine Estates

Custom Labels—even one for the Fourth of July and for saving Healdsburg’s own Memorial Bridge!  Great location on the downtown Plaza- folks are already gearing up by reserving space- though technically too early- on the grass by the bandstand. for tonight’s Tuesday concert and Farmers’ Market.

Michael & Lynnie at Vintners Signatures

Former Murphy-Goode location in the Alexander Valley with some spiffy new upgrades- huge spaces- room that can be rented out for meetings- nice set up and great view out over the vines.  Opened just in time for Taste the Alexander Valley some weeks back.

Michael has worked all over in the wine business- knew him most recently at Alderbrook- just like Lynnie who sits at a desk that is adorned with princess stuff—as she is one- and also The Perfect Husband Doll who says all the right things and looks rather like Tim Allen on a good day.  We get a chuckle out of all that-

Two days along the road- so much information, faces, miles.  Off for two weeks now- back soon.  Cheers- TR