On Saturdays after the Healdsburg Farmers’ Market, which is incredible quality, Katina might then stop at Copperfield’s Books or Jam Jar, which is great for little gifts. It has a cult following and people come from all over the US, standing in line for hours to try its new releases. To break it up we might go for a craft beer at Russian River Brewing Company. You can really taste the difference between, say, a coastal and an inland Chardonnay. Kistler is one of the county’s most iconic wines and its tasting experience is great for understanding Sonoma’s terroir. Another is Lioco, which has a cool tasting room right on buzzy Matheson Street in Healdsburg.īut traditional winemaking families still have a place here. A chef makes pizzas in an outdoor oven and there’s a beautiful let’s-hang-out vibe. One of these is called Reeve, where the low-key tasting takes place in the shade of some old oak trees overlooking the vineyards. While neighbouring Napa is big and bold in both its wine and wine-tasting experiences, Sonoma is rustic and relaxed, with up-and-coming wineries run by dynamic winemakers. It has become a town hotspot and there is always a line out the door. Most days one of us will go to Quail & Condor, a bakery set up by two chefs who used to work at SingleThread.
In wine country even the smallest wine lists have excellent wine. We tell everyone to order the fish tacos – the fish comes in a beautiful, very crispy batter – and drink local Chardonnay. Our number-one place is an amazing Mexican restaurant in Sonoma city called El Molino Central, where we’ll eat on picnic tables. We have a family meal at the restaurant every day and we cook at home a lot, but we still like to eat out. The edible landscape here is hugely important to us. Sometimes we’ll take the team foraging – for forest mushrooms in autumn, or for delicious sea plants in summer. We’ll take the hounds, an odd couple called Murray and Bertie, and hang out, exploring tide pools. Sonoma’s beaches aren’t like California’s white sandy ones they are rocky and cooler. Or we’ll head to Shell Beach, where the river meets the sea. Our restaurant is closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, so we might take the whole team out rafting or canoeing on Russian River, which flows through Healdsburg and out to the coast. The Trenton Roadhouse patio at Kistler Vineyard © Jimmy Hayes/JBH Photo But in among all the grapes you’ll also find lots of small organic farms that celebrate Sonoma’s amazing soil. It is most famous for its wine and beautiful vineyards, which undulate all the way to the ocean. There’s something undeniably special about Sonoma. Eventually we moved here: we didn’t have jobs and just decided we’d figure it out. But over the years we kept coming back to Sonoma. As a young couple we moved around a lot: we lived in Japan for a while, and also in Henley-on-Thames in the UK when Kyle was working at The Fat Duck. Driving south through California, we pulled off the highway and headed into Healdsburg, a pretty city in the heart of Sonoma County. The first time we visited we were 23 and just married – in Mendocino, also wine country – and as part of our honeymoon we treated ourselves to dinner at Chez Panisse in Berkeley. During warmer weather, the Hudson Springs Bar and Grill operates poolside, serving seafood and classics.Although we were both born and raised in LA, it is Sonoma County, just north of San Francisco, that we call home.
#MONTAGE SONOMA PLUS#
In the lobby, guests will find the Scout Field Bar for creative cocktails and a collection of local craft beers, plus wine and French-inspired comfort food. Dining is both indoors and out, overlooking the vineyards. Helmed by executive chef Jaron Dubinsky and chef de cuisine Jason Pringle, the signature restaurant is Hazel Hill, which pairs seasonal cuisine with an incredible wine list. Most exciting for wine lovers are the opportunities for private tastings and tours with nearby winemakers, including Jesse Katz of Aperture Cellars, who oversees the resort’s vineyards to go with all that fine wine are three restaurants, as well as in-room dining. As at other Montage properties, there’s a children’s program for kids ages 5 to 12, as well as a host of activities unique to the resort: road-bike and e-bike rentals, bocce, pickleball courts, archery and a bee apiary. The resort itself offers two pools-a family one and a zero-edge one overlooking the vineyards, as well as an 11,500-square-foot spa that houses treatment rooms, a fitness center and a salon.
0 kommentar(er)
