Wednesday, September 14, 2011

wine, antiques, & a honeymoon reunion

Joe and I have spent the past week in one of our all-time favorite places on the planet- the California wine country. It's been absolute heaven-- wine tasting, relaxing, shopping for antiques, (aka: new props!!)

This part of the US boasts the most stunning coastline, huge Redwoods, mild weather, and a food and wine culture that is among the best in the world. While we try to visit as often as possible, this trip was something special-- we stayed at the same hotel where we spent our honeymoon 8 years ago, the incredible Applewood Inn in the Russian River Valley. I cannot recommend that place highly enough. It's wonderful.

There is far too much to share from our trip, so I thought I would make a little list of the wine highlights:

St Supery in Napa-- one of our long-standing favorites, (we're members of their club)

Preston Vineyards in Healdsburg-- great wine but I am particularly enthralled with their DELICIOUS olive oil

Robert Young in the Alexander Valley-- if you like huge red wines, this is the place for you. I am currently OBSESSED with their wines. OMG.

St. Francis in Sonoma-- their old vine Zinfandels are outstanding. In fact, everything from their Wild Oak vineyard was amazing.

Amista Vineyards in the Dry Creek Valley-- one of our new finds! Great reds that are earthy, full-bodied and not overly-jammy...just how I like them.

Acacia Vineyards in Napa-- hands down, my favorite producer of Pinot Noir. Of course, this is all a matter of personal opinion, but I prefer the dark fruit and earthy qualities of Pinots from the Carneros region, rather than the more fruit-forward Pinots from the Russian River Valley.

ZD Cellars in Napa-- great Chardonnay and Pinot Noir

Trentadue in the Alexander Valley--another new find for us. They produce a great everyday red, the Old Patch Red, which is a delicious score.

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5 comments:

Paola Thomas said...

Wow Clare, fabulous photos as usual. They make me a) want to go to Napa and b)drink wine, lots of wine.

How do you do put together your photo collages by the way? They look so good. Is it just a feature of Blogger, or something you do in Photoshop or something?

Clare said...

Thanks, Paola!
I do the collages in Photoshop. :)

Gina Ibarra said...

LOVE Trentadue! That's where one of my best friends had her wedding reception! Wonderful pictures, Clare!

Jann said...

Beautiful, Clare~looks like a wonderful trip!

Anonymous said...

Beautiful photos. Beautiful scenery.