Help me complete a Sonoma itinerary

Travel, Wine Tourism, and Restaurants Forum
1

Headed to Sonoma County to taste in a couple of weeks with my wife, sister and 9 month old son. Will probably hit ~5 places.
My bias is toward low-key and rustic (ie, the fewer non-wine trinkets for sale the better) and I hesitate to make appointment anywhere because there’s always a chance my little one will revolt. (And I also prefer to avoid the awkwardness of not buying anything if I wasn’t too keen on it.)
So…I’d like to check out Joseph Swan and maybe Merry Edwards. Some others in the that Forestville/Sebastopol area that caught my eye are Wine Guerilla and Atascadero Creek.
We like almost everything, varietal-wise.
Anyone have any input? Will probably not go as far north as Healdsburg this time.
Thanks!

2

A block north from Merry Edwards is Red Car. Easy in and out, nice cool climate wines.
Wine Guerrilla in F’ville has a ton of SVD Zins to taste. Definitely worth a stop and the facility is easy on the kiddo. Nightingale Bakery next door has best Sourdough in the North Bay (Wed-Sat). Stop at Iron Horse for some bubbles and a great view. No appts necessary at any of these.

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Thanks, man! I had seen Red Car and was curious. Appreciate it.

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[cheers.gif] [berserker.gif]

5

Big +1 on your Joseph Swan choice. Copain is three miles north of Swan for a nice drop-in tasting with one of the better tasting room views I’ve seen.

6

Copain is appointment only now.

7

Iron Horse is in the area for bubbly. Great views.

8

Call Scherrer for an appointment, right in your described wheelhouse. I’d be shocked if you left there without wine.

9

And the redundancy award goes to… [snort.gif]

http://www.wineberserkers.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=1263810#p1263810

10

Try Iron Horse.

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[rofl.gif]

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Thanks, everyone. This is helpful.

13

If it Sebastopol you must visit Littorai. Low key and it is OK not to buy, but you do need appointment, can start the day with a nice walk out doors and the Sonoma fogy hills.

14

Good going in Swan! Merry Edwards has good wine the the tasting “room” is actually their offices. A very “meh” experience, but good wine. Try Hartford wines if you like Pinots. If you’re in Sonoma (city), Sejour is a must, BUT they require an appt but they’re just so awesome!!

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Merry Edwards is a great stop, but will be iffy with the baby just because of the setup (small room, nothing to interest the child). Iron Horse will work since it’s outside so I wanted to mention that in case no one else did.
If you’re planning on five wineries in one day with a baby then plan on someone staying outdoors with them for two or three of the stops. Kids just get too bored and cranky.
Also, Dutton-Goldfield is next to Red Car and puts out good Chards and Pinots.
While you’re in the neighborhood stop at Kozlowski Farms for some fresh apple cider.

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Thanks for the responses. Especially appreciate thinking about the 9 month old, Bob. He’s pretty laid back but we’ll definitely be testing his patience as the day wears on.
Iron Horse sounds right up his alley.
I’ll report back on the results in ~5 days.

17

Back from this trip. Did not spend as much time in wine country as I would have liked (for whatever reason my 9.5 month old is not as interested as me) but had a nice day in rural sonoma. My biggest regret is not scheduling a tasting with J. Swan until the last minute. They contacted me, but in the end we missed connections.
So we went to Wine Guerilla, Iron Horse, Atascadero Creek and Merry Edwards. All pleasant. Wine Guerrilla was the star, though. Small storefront in Forestville with a bunch of rotating Single Vineyard Zins. The owner/winemaker was there when we were, and he was a very likable guy. A lot of very tasty and very different Zins to taste through for $10. Really nice experience.

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Figured you would like WG. I’ve tried 7 different Zins from them and they are 7-0.

Should have stopped at Iron Horse pileon