Day 6

NO STATS FOR TODAY!

Today was one of our few non-riding days and we both agree it was a much needed break. It is Father’s Day after all, so I know that dad appreciated the break from driving. We have been going going going for the past 5 days without much thought to how tired we actually are. 

Instead of riding, the Petaluma KOA offers two select tours that leave from the campgrounds; one to San Francisco and one to Sonoma Valley for a wine tour. Can you guess which one we selected to go on? If you guessed the wine tour, then you would be correct. We left this morning at about 10 am after a pancake breakfast (dad ate free) and our first stop was Sebastiani Winery and Vineyard. We were provided with a tour of the winery and a complimentary tasting of 7 wines produced at Seastiani. Let me just remind you, this was all before noon :-). Here is a list of the wines we tasted (some I think I’ve actually had before):

1. 2009 Un-Oaked Chardonnay- Russian River

2. 2009 Sonoma County Chardonnay (91 pts)

3. 2009 Pinot Noir- Sonoma Coast (90 pts)

4. 2007 Merlot- Sonoma County

5. 2008 Zinfandel- Sonoma County

6. 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon- Sonoma County

7. 2007 Secolo- Sonoma Red Blend (MY FAV)

After the tasting, it was then time for lunch in the cute little town square of Sonoma. Dad and I wondered a bit before deciding on a little pizza & pasta place called Mary’s. Right about now is when began to hit his wall. He was completely drained of all energy and completely crashed. He still stuck it out for the other two wineries, but I could tell it was rough on him.

60,000 Gallon Barrel at Sebastiani

Next winery on the tour was a place called Cline Cellars. Would it shock you if I told you my aunt knew about this winery and that she told me the whites are amazing?!? Well she wasn’t kidding, they were delicious and you got 5 complimentary tastings. This winery also houses the 21 original missions of California replica buildings (again, this is something to google). I must say that this winery was pretty spectacular in all aspects. Here is a list of what I tasted (dad was crashing still):

-2009 Nancy’s Cuvee (sparkling)

-2010 Oakley four Whites (CA)

-2010 Pinot Gris (Sonoma Coast)

-2009 Marsanne/Roussanne (Carneros)

-2010 Sonoma Coast Viognier (Sonoma Coast)- MY FAV

-2010 Mourvedre Rose (Contra Costa County)

-2009 Ancient Vines Zinfandel (California)

-2009 Live Oak Zinfandel (Contra Costa County)

-2009 Late Harvest Mourvedre (Contra Costa County- port wine)

I did end walked away with a half bottle of their 2009 California Viognier for the remainder of the trip.

Viansa Winery and Marketplace was our final destination of the tour. This winery was probably my favorite of the three, mostly because of the scenery. It was located on top of a hill with vineyards surrounding the main building and rolling hills in the back ground. An interesting fact about this winery, is that their wine is not sold commercially as is Sebastiani or Cline. I did a wine tasting of four wines while dad decided to veto the idea. I tasted their Pinot Grigio (2010), Vino Bianco (2010), Thalia Sangiovese (2005), and their Tocai Friulano (2009).  The last wine, the tocai, only had 30 cases were bottled and they have only 5 left, so of course I bought a bottle. It was so delicious I couldn’t pass it up. 


Overall, today was a pretty relaxing day and a much needed break from the motorcycle. We continue our journey northward in the AM ending up in Eureka, which is just south of the Redwoods.

Courthouse in Sonoma

Antique Wine Maker (I think)

Walking up the pathway at Viansa to the tasting…Pretty huh?

Dad and I at Viansa, a good end to a good Father’s Day 🙂

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