If you will be there March 1, I highly recommend doing the hike & taste at Kunde Estate. It may not be the best wine you’ll have during the trip, but it is a wonderful way to take in the scenery and taste among the vines. Kunde, BTW, is where they filmed Bottle Shock, so you’ll have to put up with the mini marketing schpeel, but it is actually pretty cool to see a number of the places and set pieces from the film during the hike. This was the top highlight from my last trip there with my wife. It is only offered half dozen times a year.
McPhail has a nice tasting room near Healdsburg
About four years ago we visited Bedrock (still in the old chicken coop) and had a wonderful visit with Morgan.
Now, Chris has taken over those duties, and I’m sure you will enjoy the new digs and, of course, the wines…which are truly outstanding.
We also had a nice lunch at The Girl and the Fig on the square.
^^ echo comment about Girl and the Fig, it is a great restaurant for lunch or dinner
+3 for Girl and The Fig … had a fabulous dinner there on Christmas Eve.
sorry, a little late to this thread. i agree with a lot of the suggestions, and here’s a few more for Sonoma Valley:
- En Garde (tasting room in Kenwood) small producer, high-end juice. probably my favorite tasting in SV.
- Talisman (tasting room in Glen Ellen) really nice Pinot Noir from RRV and Carneros.
- Repris (by appt. tasting on Moon Mountain) great experience, great property, great wines
Jeff, if you decide to stop in at Enkidu let me know so i can be sure to be in the Tasting Room that day. also, since you’re planning a March visit, a couple of dates/events to be aware of:
34th Annual Wine Road Barrel Tasting (RRV, DCV, AV) - March 2,3,4 and March 9,10,11.
2014 Savor Sonoma Valley (Sonoma Valley, Glen Ellen) - March 15 & 16
both of those events bring a LOT of visitors to the respective areas (in the thousands), so be advised if you are out and about on those weekends. if you have any specific questions, just let me know.
Paul, thanks for the info. We’re hoping to visit your tasting room. I’ll let you know as our plans are starting to come together - we have 3 of us trying to arrange visits.
Would recommend Ridge up in Dry Creek for your Zin fix, and Nalle if you’re interested in something a bit unusual and small.