We stopped in for a quick wine tasting at the tasting room for Muscardini Cellars and Ty Caton Vineyards. They were pretty busy towards the end of the Sonoma Valley Crush event, so we decided to try a few wines here before heading to our last stop of the weekend. We ended up being lucky enough to have Michael Muscardini pouring his own wine for us!
The wines we did taste were very good...the Sangiovese and the Barbera. We absolutely need to come back here when we're not limited on time and taste the rest of Muscardini's wines and all of Ty Caton's wines!
Enkidu Wine has a small tasting room with a simplistic style that matches their label. If you're wondering about their unique name, its origins come from the Epic of Gilgamesh (the oldest story ever written) which originated in Iraq almost 4,000 years ago.
Enkidu was staffed by a couple of wine pourers this afternoon...both very helpful and friendly. We tasted a few of their red wine selections and our two favorites were their 2006 Diener Ranch Petite Sirah and their 2007 "E" Label Cabernet Sauvignon.
Paradise Ridge Winery has a new tasting room in Kenwood and we stopped there during the Sonoma Valley Crush event this weekend. It was quite a thoughtful gesture of Paradise Ridge to leave fresh cucumber water for guests, since the temperatures did get pretty high that afternoon...so thank you, we really appreciated that refreshing treat!
The staff at Paradise Ridge is lively and Annette is not only a fun wine pourer, but she is an accomplished pie baker...as evidenced by her delectable grape pie. It was fabulous...one of the best pies I've ever had and I'm so glad that I got a copy of the recipe!
The red wines we tasted at Paradise Ridge Winery were very good (we skipped the white wines) but my surprising favorite was their Sparkling Shiraz, which was an excellent pairing with Annette's Grape Pie! I have no idea how or why I left without a bottle...perhaps I was too busy thinking how I would steal the rest of the pie???
Chateau St. Jean Winery
8555 Sonoma Hwy
Kenwood, CA 95452
(707) 833-4134 chateaustjean.com
Chateau St. Jean has the most beautiful and lush grounds we've seen in a Sonoma county winery so far...kudos to their landscape architect and grounds keepers! Their "Courtyard Garden" inspiration comes from French and Italian formal estate gardens and it is a magnificent, peaceful setting. They also have a bocce ball court and host private/corporate events and weddings (for up to 200 guests).
We skipped the whites (Pinot Blanc and Chardonnay) and tasted three of their reds, the Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah. Although the wines were all pleasing, we didn't take home any bottles because we weren't as passionate about them as we were about other wines we had been tasting this weekend...there is some pretty tough competition in Sonoma Wine Country!
Kenwood Vineyards gives me a very comforting and cozy feeling, not only from its rustic, wooden structures but continuing on to its warm and welcoming staff. The tasting room itself is small, but behind those pair of doors lies a fabulous barrel storage room...where they keep their chocolate and cabernet tasting...shhhhh. Besides that ultimate pairing, my highlight of the visit was the discovery of "Sauvignon Blanc Juice" which they poured first. It was similar to a sweet nectar of the gods with a lighter consistency and I really loved it! Too bad they don't bottle and sell it...I would have bought an entire case! Instead, we bought a couple of bottles of their 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon, just like what was paired with the chocolate. :)
Kunde Estate Winery & Vineyards 9825 Sonoma Hwy Kenwood, CA 95452 (707) 833-5501 kunde.com
The Kunde Family Estate Winery has been around since 1989, although the property has been in the Kunde family since 1904. German-born Louis Kunde purchased 1,000 acres (which encompass approximately 2 1/2 miles along the Sonoma Highway) from Wildwood Vineyards. They have a beautiful facility and well-kept grounds including an outdoor patio overlooking a man-made pond, a demonstration vineyard and even a very cool aging wine cave with free tours on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
We started day two of the Sonoma Valley Crush Harvest Celebration event at Kunde Family Estate. Their tasting room reminded me of a Napa-style lodge with soaring wood-panel ceilings. The tasting for Crush participants was in a separate room from the regular tasting and they had crackers and dip laid out, as well as four varieties of grapes from their vineyards to taste.
The wines available for tasting today were their Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Zinfandel, Barbera and Cuvee. Everything we tasted was good, although none were memorable enough for us to want to take home. Our wine pourer was very friendly and knowledgeable about the winery and told us that the estate had been the setting for scenes in the movie "Bottle Shock". We wouldn't mind coming back here for a wine cave tour and perhaps they might even be pouring something different that may catch our attention!
Doce Lunas Restaurant is the perfect place for brunch before a day of wine tasting in Kenwood and/or Glen Ellen. It's located amidst all of the wineries and they have excellent traditional eggs benedict served with home fries. They have an outdoor dining area as well, but we preferred to stay cool indoors. Service was very good and attentive, so we plan on coming back here whenever we're in the area again...soon, I hope!
Stadium Pub 1420 Lincoln Ave. Walnut Creek, CA 94596 (925) 256-7302 thestadiumpub.com
Stadium Pub ROCKS...they televise all major UFC fights, including Pay-Per-View...WOO-HOO! Sure, they have an extensive, typical pub menu and 18 beers on tap...but I'll be honest and admit that the reason to come here is to watch UFC and eating is just a bonus!
Caffe Delle Stelle
1532 N. Main St.
Walnut Creek, CA 94596
(925) 943-2393
Caffe Delle Stelle gave me a wonderful first impression...the Main Street location in downtown Walnut Creek, the pitcher of sparkling water with a slice of orange that was left at the table and the bread with the tomato dipping sauce...yum!
However, the Gnocchi con Pollo AND the Sogliola ai Caperi (Filet of Sole with Capers) were both AWFUL. The gnocchi was chewy and the chicken breast was well on its way to being chicken jerky. The filet of sole was so rubbery, you needed a knife to cut it...you couldn't cut it with a fork!
Service went downhill right after they brought out our entrees. We ordered a white chocolate gelato to share for dessert, as they were out of regular chocolate gelato...and it turned out to be vanilla! No one ever came back, so we ate a little bit and left the rest...I don't even think it was real gelato because it was terrible (and how can real gelato EVER be terrible?) We sat waiting for our bill for about 15 minutes and we finally had to go get someone's attention...by that time, we were relieved to walk out of Caffe Delle Stelle and never come back. Ugh.
Imagery Estate Winery 14335 Hwy 12 Glen Ellen, CA 95442 (707) 935-4515 imagerywinery.com
Imagery Estate Winery was our last stop of day one during the Sonoma Valley Crush event. They are a sister winery to the Benziger Family Winery, also located in Glen Ellen. An interesting factoid about Imagery Wine: they have an artist who creates all of their wine labels and the common denominator among them all is the ever-present Parthenon symbol! Here's a short video clip of their vineyards by the entrance:
They have quite a large facility with a large tasting room and a wine bar island, art gallery, retail sales section and outdoor patio that accommodates a live band...and even a bocce ball court!
Here's a quick panoramic video of their tasting room:
We sampled a variety of wines at Imagery this afternoon, including a variety we had never tasted...a 2005 Lagrein...interesting, but not something we liked enough to bring home. On the other hand, their amazing 2007 Petite Sirah Port did come home with us!
Audelssa Estate Winery 13647 Arnold Dr. Glen Ellen, CA (707) 933-8514 audelssa.com
Audelssa Estate Winery's owners came up with their unique winery name by combining parts of their three daughters' names...what a sweet personal touch!
Their tasting room is very tastefully decorated with unique, faux-finished walls, coved ceilings and a cozy feel.
We tasted 7 different magnificent wines today and although we really, really loved their 2007 Summit Estate Reserve wine...we bought our second favorite Audelssa wine, their 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon. Perhaps we'll splurge on the Summit wine during our next visit, but we decided to be a little frugal today, considering it's $125/bottle and we knew we would probably be buying a lot of wine this weekend from the different wineries! Oh, well...at least now we have a good reason to come back. :)
Andy was our fabulous and friendly wine pourer...and he also let us sample their heavenly chocolate cabernet sauce...mmm!!! We couldn't leave without a bottle of that, as well. :)
Glen Ellen Village Market
13751 Arnold Dr.
Glen Ellen, CA 95442
(707) 996-6728 sonoma-glenellenmkt.com
The Glen Ellen Village Market is a perfect place to stop for a quick lunch during a day of wine tasting in Glen Ellen. They have a deli that serves an abundant variety of gourmet sandwiches and paninis, plus they even have a self-serve olive bar! Behind the restaurant, they have an outdoor seating area with lots of shade. It was the perfect weather to enjoy our sandwiches outside. His "Godfather" on a Dutch Crunch Roll and my "Turkey Cranberry" on wheat were very, very yummy-licious...I can't wait to go there again!
Eric Ross Winery 14300 Arnold Dr. Glen Ellen, CA 95442 (707) 939-8525 ericross.com
Our second stop of the day was at Eric Ross Winery, with its famous rooster in the parking lot...did you know that Eric Ross is an amateur photographer and will take a picture of you "avec le coq" with the "Eric Ross Winery" sign in the background?
The entire staff is welcoming and friendly and they offered delicious meatballs to be paired with their Old Vine Zin. Here is a video clip of their tasting room:
They were pouring five different selections today and my favorite was their 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon from the Bonino Vineyard...mmm!!!
Valley of the Moon Winery 777 Madrone Rd. Glen Ellen, CA 95442 (707) 939-4500 valleyofthemoonwinery.com
We began this weekend's "Sonoma Valley Crush! A Harvest Celebration" at Valley of the Moon Winery in Glen Ellen...what a beautiful winery with an amazing old vine zinfandel vineyard!
They were out of "Crush" wine glasses for the event when we arrived (Valley of the Moon Winery must have been a popular starting point!) but we started the tasting while they went to get more. They have friendly wine pourers and a large and inviting tasting room with a wine bar on one half of the room and retail displays on the other. Here is a video clip of the wine bar:
We proceeded to taste each of our 5 different selections from their tasting menu:
I started out trying their 2003 Sparkling Wine, then their 2006 So Co Barbera, 2006 Saini Farms Old Vine Zinfandel, 2006 Cuvee de la Luna and finished off with their 205 So Co (Sonoma County) Port. Both of us absolutely fell in love with that Port and purchased the 4 bottle maximum...plus we bought 2 bottles of their Cuvee de la Luna, our favorite Valley of the Moon wine!
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Alekos Greek & Mediterranean Cuisine
1536 N. Vasco Rd.
Livermore, CA 94551
(925) 245-9769
I was disappointed with our first visit here for dinner this evening...average service, but below average food. I barely ate half of my gyros, as I found it to be too salty and the "tzatziki sauce" was really just plain yogurt. Ugh. This experience was bad enough for me not to want to return here ever again.
Yogurt Shack
290 Hartz Ave.
Danville, CA 94526 yogurtshack.com
Yogurt Shack is in downtown Danville, located on Hartz Avenue at Diablo Road...just a short walk across the street from Tower Grille, home of the best burger in Danville! Anyway, they charge $0.38/oz. and have a large variety of dry toppings, a few cold toppings (fresh strawberries and Reese's peanut butter cups were my selections this evening) and 8 yogurt flavors. I tried their low carb French Vanilla...and it was delicious!
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