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The next morning, after filling up at the continental breakfast, it was time to travel to our actual destination: Glen Ellen. Oh, but wait! The Golden Gate bridge! And it was a typical foggy San Fran day, the bridge never looked so cool.
Last time I was in the area we just jumped on the main highway, but I had heard that CA 1 was the way to travel. You follow the water and cut through some charming towns, like the little unincorporated water side town of Olema. Cute. A lovely lunch was served to us on a charming outdoor deck at the Farmhouse Restaurant. Unfortunately, the fog that made the Golden Gate so charming stuck with us the entire time on the 1 so the views weren't what they should be.By this point though we needed to get a move on it, the wineries were going to be closing for the day and we hadn't even made it to 1 yet! It is really a shame the tasting rooms close at 5pm. As closing hour started to approach, we (luckily) missed our turn off so decided to stop at the winery just ahead: Anaba. This is a new winery that took over a previously existing vineyard. Their blush and pinot were my favorite!
Glen Ellen was minutes way at this point and oh, what a picturesque city Glen Ellen is! It is a small town and has all the small town charm. On the main drag is a tasting room for Hop Kiln so we could fit in another tasting for the day. The lady at the tasting room was kind enough to make reservations for us at Glen Ellen Inn for dinner. After eating there I wanted to move to Glen Ellen and only eat the ravioli that they served me that night. Oh and then there was dessert...
During our stay at Glen Ellen we rented a cottage off VRBO.com. Vanity Vineyards had some pluses and minuses. So never was it made clear we were renting a guest house in the backyard of the main house. Which meant when we arrived at the address we just entered the house...it wasn't our house! Ugh. Once we got that all settled our cottage was adorable, but we always had that feeling that we were intruding on someone's space.
Morning came and we were first in line for when the doors opened at Kunde. This turned out to be my favorite vineyard on the whole trip. We started with a cave tour and ended with a wonderful tasting. The Sauvignon Blanc here was pretty delish!
Before visiting our next winery, just up the road was a local olive oil shop, Figone's Olive Oil. It was great! Sipping olive oil out of little cups is an interesting experience! Ok, now for the next winery! Kenwood. The guy pouring our wine was a trip.After 2 tastings (pre-lunch) we figured we better get some food in our bellies! So just up the road was Ledson. Um, we didn't even try the wine here, but we took advantage of the beautiful grounds and deli! The whole place was just so commercial and grandiose that I couldn't bare to be inside it and sample the wines, so we rushed out with full bellies and traveled the roads of Santa Rosa til we arrived at Paradise Ridge. The views here can't be beat. I didn't sample all they had to offer, I just purchased a glass of the bubbly. It wasn't my favorite, but it was nice to sit high atop the hills and look down at the town and vines.
We now needed to get on the back roads and find us some charm and boutique wineries. The first one we stumbled upon was DeLoach. Is not boutique, but it was good! And all pinots. I might like pinots now! But I am still scared to order them, you just never know - I always follow the rule, purchase a cheap cab before you purchase a cheap pinot, and you all know I am pretty cheap! Next, we found our boutique winery! Harvest Moon. I think we arrived 20 minutes before closing so it was a bit rushed, but great. The Zins here were good and we got to nibble on actual wine grapes.
For dinner on Saturday we decided to drive into Sonoma. We wandered a bit, but it was dark and you couldn't see much and our tummies were growling! After a day of drinking, nothing sounds better than Mexican so we stopped in at La Casa. They had a spot in the back courtyard, so we could just relax and over indulge in cheese and carbs!
Yet again, we were first in line when the wineries opened Sunday morning and we were ready to sample the fine wines at Chateau St Jean. I had a fun time here and really liked everything I sampled, but left with a Gewürztraminer. By this time we had figured out that you could share a tasting, which meant one could still taste the wine by the end of the night and not by hungover by 4pm!
Then we traveled back into Glen Ellen and stopped quick at the tasting room of Mayo . Some really good one here, particularly the Barbera. Lunch was calling and we ate at Garden Court Cafe , great food in a small cafe in the heart of Glen Ellen.
I had heard all about the tram ride and vineyards of Benziger and was really interested in seeing it for myself. The grounds were breathtaking. And it was nice to just sit and have someone drive me around. The wines here are bio-dynamic and I don't know if it is my head or not, but it all tastes a bit earthy for palette. The reserve cab is pretty darn good though! 
I didn't want to leave! We had to go, we wanted dinner in San Fran and I guess at this point we were getting a bit full of wine, but on the way out of town we pass by Cline. I realize how commercial it is, but I do like their wines so this was our final stop. It was crazy busy here, but we found a spot outside and I could leave with a non-fortified port that I had been hunting for.
We drove around San Fran for a bit and I suffered a panic attack being stuck near vertical on the hills but finally got us to Lombard Street...and we drove the crooked street! Then we drove for like an hour to find parking and finally stopped and ate at an Asian-French fusion place. It was good! But I still had enough room for a second dinner at the airport! :)
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