Another big breakfast this morning, a last one at the hostel, and I packed all my stuff into my bag and headed out for my pickup, because Lesley was coming to get me so we could drive to Napa Valley for wine! And thus began the adventure of Lesley & Cathy's Great Joyride through the Vineyards, with a little help from the car navigation system.
We headed over the Bay Bridge, which we determined is not a scenic drive heading out of SF, because the Bay Bridge has two level to it, and the bottom level, which is like driving through a tunnel, and NOT over a bridge, is the one heading OUT of the city. We passed miles and miles of dried up hills and valleys turned dry and crispy by the drought, like most of the state.
 | | Driving by vineyards |
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 | | Andretti Winery |
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We stopped for a refilling break and coffee about halfway, and then again once we reached the town of Napa, visiting the information center for advice on how we should chose which vineyards to visit. The kind volunteer we spoke to directed us to Andretti first, home of racecar driver Mario Andretti, as well as a wealth of other vineyards throughout the valley. We gladly took her advice and headed to our first tasting of the day.
 | | Tasting at Andretti |
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 | | Back corridor to the restaurant |
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Andretti is a beautiful Tuscan-style villa built to remind Mario Andretti of his home in Italy while he spent time here in California, and it is a smaller, more-familial feeling place in comparison to the larger houses. Lesley and I shared a Tuscan tasting flight of 5 wines and were so charming and lovely to the taster that we got 2 more varieties added to our flight! Nice!
Back in the car, we rehydrated since the thermometer was reading 106 and the wine was taking effect much too quickly, then plugged in our next coordinates and away we went to Mumm Napa for a little bubbly!
 | | I think SOMEONE has been watering their garden... |
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 | | Reserve Rosé |
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Lesley had read about a really good tour offered by Mumm, including viewing the wine-making process and tastings, so we joined the 3 pm tour and learned the intricacies of making a sparkling wine here in California. Interesting fact: Did you know that to call a wine a Champagne, it has to made of 100% Chardonnay grapes? I was pretty sure it had to be made in the Champagne region, too, but I digress.
 | | Driving through the mountains to Sonoma |
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 | | Nice views if it weren't so hazy |
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We tried to visit Robert Mondavi, but the tasting room was closed for a private function and the shop was closing up, so we continued along, heading instead to our Hotel in Sonoma by way of the steepest, twistiest road ever. I didn't think we would make all the turns, and there were NO guardrails to keep us from plummeting off the side of the mountain in the valley below...And sadly, all the trees were blocking the amazing views.
 | | Lesley with her duck liver mousse |
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 | | Dessert cheese plate with local port |
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We reached town safely(phew!) and checked in at the Sonoma Hotel, located right in the heart of the cutesy little town. After dumping our bags, we heading next door to the girl & the fig restaurant for an amazing dinner, with local wine to compliment our meal, local cheeses to finish and a local port to top it all off. After all that and a quiet walk about town, we returned to our room for an early night, and dreams of more wine-tasting tomorrow.
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