Sonoma Wineries: The Caves

Bella Vineyards offers wine tasting in a cave. It’s much farther north in Dry Creek valley than the vineyards I visited the day before and pretty well tucked away. I drove through gentle green slopes and crossed what seemed like countless vineyards on the way. Though the day high was supposed to be 87 F, the morning was cool.

I may be a convert to Zinfandels now. They are more robust than Pinot Noirs and seem to assault the tastebuds more quickly with their fruity flavors. They’re also sort of a paradox, because though the initial taste is heavy with fruit, the wine has a dry finish.

Dry Creek is one of the best valleys on the planet for growing Zinfandels. Some of the vines in the region are more than a century old.

One of my favorites at the tasting was the dessert Zinfandel (I didn’t know such a thing exists), so I bought a bottle. From what I understand (and sorry if I’m butchering winemaking 101, experts), a dessert “Zin” (this seems to be the lingo people use these days) is harvested relatively late and the grapes are then picked late in the season, which allows more of the sugar to process. Maybe I’m totally wrong on this; I’m going based on what my host said when I was more focused on my tastings.

Regardless of how it’s made, the dessert Zinfandel at Bella Vineyards is very good.

Next up for the day was Truett Hurst Winery, which is closer to the Dry Creek vineyards I visited the day before.

It was truly a Zinfandel kind of day, though I also tried an excellent Chardonnay at Truett Hurst. After finishing off the tasting I wandered through their farm; there were a few goats grazing in the area.

Sonoma Wineries: Dry Creek

Papapierto Perry winery sits on a hill overlooking Dry Creek Valley, which is a prime location for growing Zinfandels thanks to its scorching summers.

I sat within the winery’s patio shade and sipped Pinot Noirs on a cool and breezy afternoon. All of the Pinots were great but their 2019 Perry and 2019 Nunes bottles were standouts. As stated in a previous blog, I’m no connoisseur, but I definitely tasted hints of raspberry and oak in both bottles. These wines also paired excellently with dark chocolate.

Dry Creek Vineyards is about a mile from Papapierto and is better known for its Zinfandels (though I also tried an excellent Chardonnay here). We sat in their picnic area and absorbed a healthy dose of sunlight (enough to burn my arms in just one hour). I can’t say that I’m quite a Zinfandel convert, but I was impressed with the precision and care put forth in their winemaking.

After finishing off these wines I ate a good pizza in downtown Healdsburg at PizZando and took a long walk through downtown.

Northern California has a strong cycling community that never ceased to impress me. The infrastructure allows it; cycling can easily become a way of life out here.

Sonoma Wineries - Windsor and Russian River Valley

Notre Vue Vineyards

Notre Vue sits on a bluff overlooking Windsor. The afternoon sun was bright but mild; it left a light sunburn on my nose.

This vineyard made me realize that I’m not exactly a wine connoisseur, though I love the taste. Upon tasting the first Chardonnay I stated, “I’m definitely registering a certain buttery flavor.” I then overheard the hostess say to a nearby table that their Chardonnay lacked the signature buttery taste known for the wine. Okay, so I’m not an expert.

Their Pinot Noirs were excellent and the view overlooking Sonoma was breathtaking. The wine drinking, coupled with a tasty charcuterie board, left me feeling lethargic but content.

The pizza I had afterwards made me feel even more lethargic, and consequently even more content.

Matrix Vineyards

We drove north through Healdsburg (a beautiful little town between Russian River Valley and Dry Creek Valley, rife with tasty restaurants and shops), then rounded south into the Russian River Valley to Matrix Vineyards. They have some award winning Pinot Noirs; let me just say that I hadn’t really tasted Pinots until I visited Sonoma. The winery sits adjacent to a resplendent little pond. Green rolling hills follow in the distance. I watched various birds while I drank, including hummingbirds and cranes.

I found it interesting listening to our host tell us about why vineyards (at least for these grapes) must sit on a slanted hill. I don’t recall the reason; I was a little tipsy by this point if I’m being honest. I also enjoyed listening to why the best Pinots were grown in the Russian River valley. It has to do with the region’s diverse climate; steady fogs, cool Pacific winds, cold nights, and hot summers. Pinot is difficult to grow.

Most wineries in Sonoma require a reservation before visiting. While this may seem like an annoyance, it adds an added layer of space and intimacy with your environs.

At night we ate in Healdsburg and walked around the downtown center.

I could spend a year in this region without getting bored!

Fall Cycling : Vest Test Run

On Sunday morning I cycled along a section of the Riverfront Trail, which runs alongside the Mississippi River. I started at the south entrance, which I entered by maneuvering through downtown and crossing Broadway Street (a slightly dangerous lane due to its traffic… currently searching for alternative routes).

I started the ride wearing some thermal base layers, a fleece, a cycling vest, and some liner gloves (approximately 48 degrees F/ 8.9 degrees C). Due to the high intensity and the lack of stops my body heated quickly. The fleece’s hood had to be pulled off and the vest unzipped. It was a fun and sweaty ride.

I took the ride to test a new cycling vest from Mission Workshop. Lightweight but insulated, it was excellent for maintaining warmth without overheating. It also looks nice.

It was also a relatively brief ride; I went about 12 miles (19 km) north before circling back around (24 miles total). My primary thought was that it’s amazing how beautiful something organic can be shortly before its death (note the assemblage of fall leaf colors that dot the landscape, cling to the trees, and dance in the wind.

Some photos from the apex of the ride, at North Riverfront Park:

A rare warm front hit Sunday afternoon. It was likely the last day “tee shirt day” of the year. I spent the afternoon outside at several Augusta wineries (Montelle and Blumenhoff). The mood was festive, yet serene:

I slept better (in spite of a day spent guzzling wine and coffee) than I had in weeks. To me it underscored the importance of sunlight, of movement, and of joy.

Regarding minimalism, it was also a reminder that “possessions” are not my enemy: mindless consumerism is. My bicycle allowed me to race for miles along the Mississippi River. My vest and fleece kept me warm for the journey. It’s therefore my “stuff” that allows me to enjoy my hobby outside in conditions that I’d otherwise freeze in.

Patches of the Riverfront Trail involved a gravel road (my road bike was barely equipped for it). This has me on the hunt for a solid gravel bike. Not because I “want to buy more stuff”, but because I want a solid bicycle that can handle gravel.

Cycling is a hobby, and hobbies often involve ownership of material things (but they don’t have to be expensive material things). I don’t believe in “purchasing nothing” so much as I believe in “purchasing wisely”.

Some Fails

1. I was cycling on what must have been a Saturday because it was later in the day than my usual bike rides are. The sun was out but I opted not to wear sunglasses, as the sun only occasionally peaked from behind a cluster of clouds. The true price you pay when not wearing sunglasses during a bike ride in summer has nothing to do with squinting. About twenty minutes into the ride a mosquito landed in my left eye and died there. I tried to rub its remnants out of my eye while still cycling, but all that did was spread its bodyparts through my eye more. It was another hour before I arrived at my apartment and was able to wash the last of the mosquito out of my eye.

   About three days later I went for an early morning bike ride. I was half asleep when I embarked and didn’t realize until ten minutes in that I didn’t bring sunglasses yet again. About ten seconds after I realized my fail, another mosquito landed in my left eye and died there. Way to learn from my mistakes. Doah!

2. I road my bike to work on Friday. It was the first time riding in the (almost) summer. I was naive enough to think that my backpack could contain both my sealed coffee mug and my work clothes. I arrived at work with coffee flavored damp work clothes. Luckily my pants were linen and dried quickly. Also lucky was that almost no one was at the office thanks to COVID rules leaving most at home. They might not have approved of wet coffee flavored work clothes. Doah!

3. I ate too many fried cheese curds at my favorite winery in Hermann, MO this past Saturday. I felt fine after the first wine tasting, but the cheese curds completely incapacitated me. I overdid it. It seemed like there was a hundred of them and I gulped them all down. I ended the day in a humid hotel room that lacked a functional air conditioning, my body sweaty and stomach roiling. Death by cheese curds. Doah!

4. Several years ago I attended a work seminar. There was a task where we were supposed to write a set of positive and negative elements to our department processes. We were to write each item on a “Post-it Note” and then stick our notes on a whiteboard, one by one, and tell the group what we wrote.

   I wanted to impress everyone by having the most Post-it Notes and wrote furiously on note after note. When it was my turn, I proudly marched to the front of the room. I did not realize that I wrote on the wrong side, the sticky side, of the Post-It notes. When I pressed the first Post-it Note to the board, I watched in horror as it didn’t stick and then slowly floated to the floor. I attempted a second Post-it Note, then a third. They all fell to the floor. Trembling, I looked around the room and everyone was trying their best to contain their laughter.

   Doah! Death by Post-it Notes.