Wineland 2015 Day 2

Day 2 started with the hubs on a wanted poster! I’ll explain in a minute 🙂

We hadn’t been to Rodney Strong Vineyards yet and were eager to check out since we see they have several events throughout the summer advertised. The grounds were beautiful but the outside of the building lacked some of the more beautiful architecture we normally see. They totally made up for it on the inside. First tasting stop was above the giant wood tanks. They were definitely a work of art. Love functional art! Next stop were the shiny stainless tanks, more delicious reds and the hubs enjoyed chili in a mini bread bowl along with the wine. A short pit stop in a ‘photo booth’ with a staff member there to help us dress up in cowboy attire and take pics. This is where the hubs so graciously ended up on the wanted poster for the photo without even having to be tipsy to agree! Nice touch for the winery to have a little fun! Each of the stations there had food! They really put a lot of thought into the flow and enjoyment of the visitors which was nice. Some of the other wineries we felt a little lost.

One of the ladies at Rodney Strong recommended going to Truett Hurst Winery just down the road. All she had to do was mention organic garden, sheep, goats, chickens and good Pinot Noir and we were mapping it out! This was definitely the hidden gem of the day. We found the first (and only) gluten free option for a snack for me there. Yay! The roasted pepper sauce on the homemade tortilla chips was amazing! We chatted a bit with one of the wine hosts and tasted some amazing Pinot Noir then took our wine and walked the grounds. I had to break out the big camera here! I love that we have so much farmland within the vineyards. There were chickens that followed us around (behind the fence) goats that were too cute for words and my favorite, sheep! They posed nicely for pics for me and talked a lot about their lives. Then we strolled through the organic garden down to the Russian River that was flowing nicely to relax on some inviting and bright red Adirondack chairs. They are restoring this part of the river for the Salmon. I would love to live at this winery. Seriously. It has everything I have dreamed of having!

Leaving the vineyard/farm we headed up to Trione Winery in Geyserville. This is a bit out of our normal area we taste in and I was curious about the area. It was super cute they had someone watching the parking lot and turning on the “snow” when they walked in. Nice touch! It was very peaceful there and some great views off the upstairs balcony we snuck up to. We only tasted 1 wine here and then walked the grounds.

We got a little distracted on our way to the next winery. We saw one that we recognized, Ridge Winery, and decided to stop. Rolling hills of vineyards at an environmentally conscious winery with a straw bale building. Amazing views!! That’s all I have to say. We do like their wine but the customer service we received was lacking and I was disappointed. I’ll move on to the next one.

We stopped at Robert Young and were pleasantly surprised with tasty snacks and delicious wine! The staff was great and explained to us how they use their concrete egg (dressed up like a 10 foot tall penguin for the winter event) in the fermentation process. Everyone was very friendly and excited to share their wines with us! The drive here is gorgeous. Alexander Valley is a quaint back road in Sonoma County many locals haven’t explored.

After stopping in at Robert Young we stopped at Stonestreet Winery. They have a wonderful spot with views of the Mayacama Mountains and Alexander Valley. I think we need to go back for their picnic on the patio. These smaller wineries can produce single vineyard wines and they turn out amazing. It’s like going to the Silverado Trail in Napa but 20 years ago. Love the smaller vineyards.

Medlock Ames was just around the corner. We have seen this adorable building that looks like something custom designed for us to live in so we had to put this one on the list. The outside is a California Modern. It’s modern but not obscenely because it has lush soft plantings all around. The guys here are younger and forward thinking with growing sustainably. Loved the outdoor organic garden and their wines did not disappoint.

Field Stone Winery was the last one we could drag ourselves to Sunday afternoon. I had to go! They are another small winery and absolutely show their passion for wine. We had a great time here at the first subterranean cellar in the area built back in the 1970’s. They had a nice viogner which you don’t often find on its own around here and is one of my favorite whites to drink. The staff were having so much fun chatting with everyone about the wines, football (big game on that day), food and their vineyards. The hubs loved the desserts they had paired with the wines they were pouring. The grounds were beautiful there and not another building in site for miles.

Really is beautiful country out here and we feel so lucky all the time to live here! By the end of the second day of tasting we were pooped! I will admit, we went to In n Out and didn’t even share fries! We had such a wonderful time doing the WineLand event we can’t wait for next year! In the meantime, we will definitely have to go back to a few of these for a proper wine tasting and just focus on 1 winery per day.

Hope you enjoy the pics below as much as we enjoyed taking them!