Healdsburg, CA
After a wonderful relaxing evening including a soak in the hot tub, we woke to another fabulous day. We planned on visiting two wineries then driving west to Point Reyes National Seashore. While doing research on dog-friendly wineries in Sonoma, I had discovered Mutt Lynch winery, a small appointment only tasting room. Harley, Mike and I loaded the car for our 11 am appointment. We arrived a little early,and the winery was deserted. We took a stroll through the vineyards and even nibbled on some grapes. “Why do I like the taste of Merlot grapes more than Cabernet when I feel just the opposite about the wine?” I was thinking when Brenda Lynch, the owner pulled up. She opened the simple barn/ tasting room and invited the three of us in. A simple bar was set up near the entrance while the back was occupied with barrels and steel drums. Drawings of dogs and pup- covered-MuttLynch memorabilia decorated the wall Brenda explained that they donate a portion of their proceeds to the SPCA and their wine club shipments also come with dog toys. We began the tasted with the Unleashed Chardonnay that I really liked, but was tickled by the fact the grapes came from Monterey. Next we sampled the Chateau d’Og Cabernet, a yummy 100% French Oaked wine with a fantastic $13.99 price point. I especially liked the Canis Major Zinfandel with its wonderful nose and great mouthfeel boasting chocolate, vanilla and spice. We finished the tasting with the Rusty Muttitage a blend of Cabernet, Petite Verdot and Petite Sirah layered with berries and coffee. The wines were great and so were the prices.
The last winery we visited was Matrix, located in Northern Russian River Valley. My winemaker friend had highly recommended it, and boy were we glad that we ventured off course a little to discover this gem. Mike and I both agree this may be one of the best tasting rooms we have experienced. After our hostess welcomed us, she asked what we liked to help us narrow down what we wanted to taste. I responded, “I am a sucker for fruit forward wines with spice and vanilla.” She laughed, “You came to the right place.”
The menu consisted of a Sauvignon Blanc, a Chardonnay, a Bordeaux, a Petite Sirah, four Zinfandels and nine Pinot Noirs. Everything we tried was fantastic. The 2007 Alegria Reserve Zinfandel was an absolutely solid Zinfandel. I knew immediately we would take home a bottle. The 2008 Nunes Reserve Pinot Noir was absolutely incredible. Mike and I agreed that I was the best Pinot Noir we have ever had. Mike actually wrote “Pinot-fection” on the tasting notes. If a $45 price tag wasn’t attached we probably would have bought a case. It had a very full-body with a velvety texture displaying my favorite notes of black cherry, spice and vanilla. Wow! I never thought I could love a Pinot so. We bought two bottles and each purchased a glass to drink with the sandwiches we’d brought. We set on their deck overlooked a creek and the vineyards. I savored every sip of the luscious wine, and Mike and I agreed we needed to buy another bottle. Thankfully, we no longer had to leave wine in a hot car as we lugged several bottles from Matrix into the parking lot.
We set off on the hour and half drive to the second half of our adventure. We wound past other vineyards. Usually the closer you get to the coast, the more development occurs. However this was the opposite. In fact, part of my desire to go to Point Reyes was that despite being close to San Francisco it is off the beaten path. We drove up on an estuary or I wouldn’t have known the coast was upon us. We followed Highway 1 along Tomales Bay and through a couple map dot towns before crossing the San Andreas Fault and onto the peninsula that makes up Point Reyes National Seashore.
After checking into our hotel, we purchased some cheese, olives, salami, and fresh bread and headed to North Beach, one of the dog friendly beaches. Point Reyes is a huge area with the interior occupied by 100 year old dairy farms. The coastline is rugged and dramatic. I knew from my research that it was usually chilly and shrouded in fog, but the weekend forecast promised warm temperatures and sunny skies. We could not have asked for a better weekend to visit.
Mike took a nap on the beach and Harley and I took a long walk without seeing another soul. It was stunningly beautiful and absolutely peaceful. Harley and I returned from our walk to find Mike setting up our picnic dinner. Mike opened a bottle of wine, and we nestled back on our elbows. We snacked, drank, and relaxed watching waves crash as the sun sank lower in the sky. Life was perfect.
Wineries and Point Reyes Links:
Bella Winery is one of the last wineries along Sonoma’s Dry Creek Wine Trail. We had decided to begin our tastings here and then make our way back to our hotel. The tasting room at Bella is located inside a series of caves, which was very cool, physically and metaphorically. Mike and Harley, our dog, relaxed at a picnic table on the lawn, while I brought out our first tasting from the bar. The lawn overlooked the vineyards and was littered with lounge chairs and to our surprise hula hoops. Although I am not a fan of sharing a winery with obnoxious drunk people, the addition of hula hoops could definitely improve a lush’s entertainment level. As it was early afternoon, I think we were a bit early to witness anyone’s talent or lack thereof. Besides Mike still found something to laugh at when I pulled a small plastic cup from a stack out of my purse and used it to spit my tastings into. Our plan was to hit several wineries that afternoon, “I can either spit the wine out or throw it up later,” I said reminding him of one previous wine tasting experience. “Didn’t that happen twice?” He responded with a grin. I answered with another spit of Chardonnay in a cup. He laughed, grabbed the glasses and headed back inside for more wine.
Our next stop was Truett Hurst Winery which like most wineries in Dry Creek specialized in Zinfandels. It was very interesting to taste four different Zins in a row and even more fun to try to pick a favorite. We settled on the 2006 Three Vineyards Zinfandel with its jammy fruit flavors balanced with pepper and earth. However, the 2008 Burning Man Petite Sirah, with chocolate, pepper and clove notes, was my favorite in the line-up. Mike fell in love with their Dessert Wine. So three more bottles were headed for the cooler. Before we left, our hostess encouraged us to walk Harley down to Dry Creek. Behind the Tasting Room and past a beautiful garden, ran the creek. We waded in the creek and eyed the chairs, thinking about how we had found another great place to waste away the afternoon.
Just down the road, we pulled into the parking lot at Maurtison Winery and were greeted by two big yellow labs. Knowing these were just the kind of dogs that Harley would try to hump, we rolled down the windows and headed into the sleek and modern tasting room without the pup. The tasting menu boasted a broad line-up including a couple Whites, several Zins, a Cab, Malbec, Syrah, Petite Sirah and more. While sipping our first wines, I noticed a jar on the bar filled with beakers. I asked the tasting host, and he brought the soil samples to us explaining how many different types of soil were on their almost 300 acres. The samples ranged from chalky to red soils to loam. The geographer in me was fascinated to see the differences in the soil while tasting the differences in the yummy wine. After yet another terrific tasting and complete with two more bottles of Zinfandel , we said good-bye to the labs , Chelsea and Soho , and headed to Wilson Winery.
Redwoods and Wine 