Old World Winery
Old World Winery displays a meticulous attention to detail and craftsmanship most likely seen more often in the Old vs the Newer World. On the grounds are a lovely, painstakingly renovated 1916 Craftsman-styled home/office, green-friendly outbuildings and the welcoming tasting room. Inside the TR, the walls are a particularly lovely shade of warm, deep brick red- and the color is actually derived from brick dust, gathered when the recycled bricks in the exterior courtyard were cut to fit, mixed with a decoupage type material. The top of the TR bar is part of an old Trowbridge family redwood tree that was saved for years awaiting this perfect home. The front of the bar is dark, distressed wood- turns out it was part of a pig barn and the distressing was...
Read MoreMedlock Ames
Medlock Ames, centrally located where the Alexander Valley Road meets Highway 128, is an amazingly green, sustainable, mindful reincarnation of the former Alexander Valley Store & Bar. This graceful, beckoning structure houses the Medlock Ames Tasting Room by day, and after hours, the best-kept locals’ secret, Alexander Valley Bar. (Be sure to check out the vintage Photo Booth.) The late autumn sunshine lit the sunflowers around the Petanque court in that way it sometimes does, imbuing the interior of the building, too, with a magical light. Beautiful jars of estate-grown and produced vegetables and fruit glowed along the walls next to the estate-produced wines; Wine Club has first chance to be presented with these preserves. Embracing the Slow...
Read MoreTR’s Itinerary: Alexander Valley
Make an appointment to visit Lancaster Estate for their tour and tasting and start there, at the top of the Valley, stopping next at Field Stone Winery & Vineyard for a tasting in their rustic, partially below-ground cellar in the midst of old vineyards. Next stop is Sausal, where some of the oldest vines in the Valley can be found as well as their famous cellar cats. For lunch, stop at historic and delicious Jimtown for wonderful country-store merchandise, tasty food and wine and a great outdoor patio shaded by a grape arbor. Head south to check in and rest at your lodging, the Belle de Jour Inn, close to Healdsburg, but peacefully quiet and away from it all. Rest up before driving through town to your special, romantic dinner in the Victorian dining...
Read MoreFritz Underground Winery
Driving along in the gorgeous, pristine northern end of Dry Creek Valley, the approach to Fritz Underground Winery, along a private driveway, across a little bridge, and then up- ends in an architectural wonder: this Gaudi-inspired winery building, portions underground, looks a bit like something one would find in Barcelona, not on lovely hillside with gardens above a small pond in the countryside in northern Sonoma County. Fritz, though secluded, is not off the beaten-track- it is handily located for folks bridging their winery visits from the northern Alexander Valley (like Silver Oak and Souverain) on over to the Dry Creek Valley by way of Dutcher Creek Road. Fritz focuses on sustainability, gravity flow, the importance of terroir, and natural ways to get...
Read MoreSilver Oak Cellars
Back in the early 1970s Silver Oak Cellars emerged as a dream tied to an intrepid idea: to create a Cabernet Sauvignon of fully developed flavors and velvety soft textures on the day it was released for sale. After all, “Life is a Cabernet”- these folks are cabernet sauvignon experts. Their quest for perfection means that they believe that they have yet to make their best bottle of wine- and they will never stop trying. The Silver Oak cabs are intense, opulent, lush- velvety with great balance and depth for longevity and yet, ready to enjoy. 100% American Oak is used in the Silver Oak barrels; winemakers here believe that the American Oak provides less harsh tannins than its French counterpart- this is quite an innovative idea and...
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