kaplanwineweek

[kaplanwineweek]

Lonely Van

The van started thinking it was going to have a big day, as it was a key feature in a photo series in our shoot this morning. 

Katie and Jamie have a wonderful tradition of hiring a flytographer to get professional photos on their major trips and vacations. Will put some up when we get teasers hopefully on Sunday or later on when we get the whole lot! Then you’ll also be able to see some of the grounds of Villa Carneros, where we were staying. Framed photos coming to a house near you!

The van was then taken to the grocery store while the kids played a rousing couple of games of Sequence. 

And then the van was lonely because it never drove the whole gang that day. 

We read, swam in the pool, and played sequence until it was time for our short 8-minute walk to the winery next door - Patz & Hall!

We did a lunch tasting there as well and were pleased to discover they are not only making chardonnay and pinot noir! We were greeted with a Rose and then a Champagne! 

Then we sat down to taste chardonnays and their pinot noirs with different food combinations. It was interesting to us to try similar wines and then compare them with different foods and see how they changed. 

The favorite of the groups’ was the Pisoli Pinot Noir that apparently, the Halls are very excited about too :) We can see why! 

Group photo opportunity #300:

and then we walked back next door to our little bit of heaven which had been set up for a tasting of Attune/Auteur wines. 

We were staying on the Attune Estate but Attune and Auteur share a winemaker and as of January, have merged. So it will be interesting to see how they decide to keep the brands similar or different. Auteur has its own tasting room in Sonoma behind Girl & The Fig so its a little more well known. 

Molly and Rusty designed our tasting accompaniments: 

It was lovely... we weren’t even sorry the van was lonely. 

Then, around 4:15, Carolyn and Andrew arrived having bravely survived the very bad traffic to get out to Sonoma. (their 1 hour 30-minute drive took almost double that!) And after a quick hug, Sarah and Drew got in a different car and headed back to SFO because they had to go to Denver to go to a wedding.

Then the crew hung out and planned to have salads, leftovers, and grilled chicken for dinner with *some * of the wine we’ve picked up along the way. 

[kaplanwineweek]

21 Glasses of Wine Later....

The morning began colder than previous mornings with the thick fog hanging over the valley, so some people went on brisk walks with sweatshirts while the rest of us sat on the sofa with the fire (turned on via a flick of the switch) and did work/read for a few hours this morning. We then gathered to depart for Napa. 

Since we’re staying in Sonoma, it's about a 40-minute commute to the upper ends of Napa, so we tried to group all of those drives together on the itinerary.

We started with a stop in at Heitz, where 5 of us did tastings while 3 of us went to Sunshine Foods as the lunch purchasing delegation. 

the van also got a photo shoot:

Then we very carefully (while wearing our motion sickness prevention glasses) made our way up a bit of Howell Mountain to Aonair. 

We were greeted by Dan and his dog:

And views of blue sky, lake, trees, and lots of vines.

We sat in the chairs that currently grace the porch at the lake and finally saw them in their original habitat and saw how they reminded Sarah & Drew of the porch at Lake Seed. We started with their new Blanc de Noir, then tried their “White Wine” which is the name of their white wine, before moving onto their big reds. 

They ferment the grapes in whole clusters which allows the wines to have more complexity at a younger state. This means you can drink wines sooner - closer to the instant gratification... sure sounds like wines made by millennials, huh? But we like what they are doing. 

We had our picnic on the porch and hung out around the fire pit and then did a tour of the caves and had a barrel pull of cabernet. 

insert group photo from Molly's phone here :)

The ride down the mountain was also curvy and not ideal. but we made it. barely.

We arrived at Frank Family and they had rolled out the red carpet for us!

But then we went around to the tasting room and sat on their lovely porch for our tasting:

After a lovely sparkling rose, a polarizing Chardonnay, a pinot, Zinfandel, cab, and Sangiovese, we were greeted by Richard Frank himself who says they will be at the Wine Auction next year, and then we headed down the road for an early dinner at the famous Gott’s Roadside. 

8 hamburgers, 8 orders of fries, and 4 milkshakes later.....

we were glad it was an early dinner and we had time to recover before bedtime. We enjoyed “golden hour” back at the house with walks and sitting by the pool enjoying the backyard and weather. 

[kaplanwineweek]

“did we do anything noteworthy before getting in the car to go to b cellars”

“well I exercised which is noteworthy because that rarely happens”

So, morning activities included exercising, eating breakfast, reading, playing sequence and finishing the french laundry blog, and Katie had 1/2 of her GF donuts from The French Laundry that they sent home with her.

Then we were wheels up and over to Napa for a visit to B Cellars. Recommended by Eater and Food & Wine as a top tasting for foodie/winos, we were looking forward to learning more. 

First impression: Beautiful!

Second Impression: Creepy, very realistic statues. We didn’t take any photos because...creepy... but if you are curious, we found some photos here

Then we entered the hospitality center and met our guide, Forrest, who walked us through to the kitchen where we started with a Sauvignon Blanc and a jerk Hawaiian shrimp with pineapple salsa and plantain chip.  Terri did a happy dance. 

Then we got a tour of their property. Different than some of our other visits, B Cellars aims to make the best possible wine they can from the Napa Valley, which is not dependent on their land. They buy most of their grapes via long term contract of some of the famous Napa vintners. Dutton, Beckstoffer (Andy), and others. 

They also are very culinary and their culinary garden has us all needing to run home and plant vegetables, fruit trees, and herb gardens. 

Then we got a tour of their fermentation tanks. The red thing behind Terri is the cement tank for the sauvignon blanc. They also have the only visual sorter in the valley. 

Then we crossed over and went into their cellars. 15,000 feet of cellars and event space, it's very impressive. 

We got a little cask pull in the cellars of the Cask 27 they are going to bottle in July.. high in Petit Verdot it was “almost blue with blueberry flavors”

anyone for a dinner party...?

Then we headed back to the main hospitality room for our tasting. We appreciated the personalized nature of the tasting menu. 

The lobster corndog was a bigger hit than our first malolactic fermented chardonnay of the trip. 

Then we had the three reds at the same time as the three bites. 

The very smoky pinot noir tasted much better and less smoky after the pork taco. And the high alcohol content/heat of the zin settled a little bit with the spice and red sauce of the stromboli. Overall, the Cask 27 was the fan favorite as most drinkable and likeable. 

Don’t worry, you haven't had too much wine...You are right that picture doesn't have stromboli in it. The picture is of Katie’s version, so just the cured meats without the dough. 

We thought it was nice to be beginning our morning with a winery that uses Andy Beckstoffer’s grapes to make some of their most famous Cabernets because we were headed to see Boo and Tuck next. So it was super cool when Forrest got out the Coravin and poured us all some of the Beckstoffer Dr. Crane Cabernet Sauvignon for us to taste. 

and WOW it was delicious!! 

Then after a quick group photo, we hustled up the street to Tuck Beckstoffer Estate. 

Boo, Mimi, and Jessica met us in the courtyard with a hug and a glass of Semper Chardonnay. 

We loved getting to see Boo and hear her stories around the wines, the vineyard, and catch up about their family and chat Atlanta. 

We got a tour of their cellar and ended up in their tasting room, which is basically a living room, and tasted the Amulet, and Mockingbird Red and Blue. The stories and thoughtfulness behind the wine names, labels, and production of each blend is so special and the attention to detail and care comes through in the wine and the setting. 

Then we ended with some delicious Macaroons and a group photo. 

Then we borrowed the Tuck Beckstoffer Estate bathroom for a quick change for dinner and then the trusty church van (which still doesn’t have a name) took us just down the road to Long Meadow Ranch. 

We walked around the property and Jamie & Drew got palate cleansing cocktails as to not get too wine-y. 

Then, at 6 pm the shop and cafe closed and we were escorted inside for our private dining experience. 

The Farmstead at Long Meadow Ranch is the more well-known and much larger restaurant. We were eating at what is technically a completely different restaurant, The Chef’s Table at Long Meadow Ranch. 

We got a more in-depth tour of Long Meadow Ranch and its history as we sipped Sauvignon Blanc. We saw their culinary garden (now we REALLY want to go home and plant vegetables). They also have a huge open fire cooking area and BBQ pit where they have guest chefs and weddings. 

We ended up back in the cafe at our communal table and met the couple joining us for dinner. They were also from Philadelphia and foodies... so there was lots of common ground for Jamie & Katie to discuss “with our dinner guests”

We were also invited to go into the kitchen at any time to talk to Chef and ask questions or watch... so we did. 

The meal ended with an invitation for an after dinner drink and some time by a bonfire that our waiter had made for us outside. Slightly smoky but very scenic, it was a lovely end to the dinner. 

[kaplanwineweek]

The French Laundry

deserves its own post.

We were seated upstairs in the house in a private room with one big round table. The back wall of our room displayed extensive, historical liquor collection. Every year of Macallan, Chartreuse from the 20′s, Jim Beam in cut crystal, etc. 

We settled into our seats, got the signature clothespin, and then reviewed the menu “high level”. Then the menus were whisked away and promised to be returned to us to take home. 

We started with a blanc-de-blanc from Champagne to accompany our amouse bouche:

Chef’s take on a ritz cracker.. caramelized onions in the filling were the stand out

and chef’s take on an ice cream cone: everything bagel seasoning cone and cream cheese topping over whipped salmon. This was Terri and Rusty’s favorite thing we had.

Then on to the “first course” the French Laundry’s iconic Oysters and Pearls. 

This was Jamie’s favorite dish. Their signature brand of sturgeon caviar over tapioca pudding and they trim the oysters so it's just the middle, the sweetest part of the oyster in the dish. It also mostly tasted like butter. Not pictured was the mother of pearl spoon we used for this course. Still special. 

Next course we moved to a 2009 Reisling to accompany our ‘Carrots 900000 ways” and lemon poppyseed roll. Carrots had been made into a tofu-like mousse substance for the bottom of the dish, with carrots, radishes, cashews, a date ball, and cilantro from their garden. 

While this was no one’s favorite dish, there were comments on how the cilantro was very excellent. 

We’re still drinking the Reisling, y’all!

He left it on the table because it will become more opulent as it warms up. 

well then, by all means, please leave it on the table to become more opulent!

Heres our next course: A salmon terrine, with sweet onion relish, a mustard gastrique, and an “oeufs” with a little flower looking thing on top. 

The mustard was almost a honey mustard? And the sweet onion relish was “the best onion relish I’ve ever had” - Drew Kaplan. This was also his favorite dish. 

Then our Somm, Andrew, poured us a white burgundy. Rusty is still trying to figure out if he even likes Chardonnay, so we were discussing the differences between Chardonnay from California (in its most stereotypical style) and Burgundy... to which our Somm, Andrew, said “Well I believe this wine is the way Chardonnay is SUPPOSED to taste”. And we agreed. 

This course was the “Langoustine” and was one of the first of the most cuss-worthy dishes we had. 

Super crispy potato ring sat on top of a boudin (basically a mousse holds the meat together into a layered ring) of lobster and it all sits in a sauce that could best be described as the most amazing lobster bisque ever reduced by half into basically a whipping cream consistency. 

This was Sarah, Brent, and Molly’s favorite dish. 

The next wine we had was a Grenache dominant Rhone Blend to go with our Quail/Duck course. 

I forgot to let the phone eat first, so here’s what it looked like: 

But then...our waiter noticed that I had forgotten the picture and went downstairs to see if there was any other quail being plated in the kitchen. Confirmed that there was, came back for my phone, and took it to the kitchen for a photo of someone else’s plate. 

well, hows that for service?

also please note how much better the lighting is for food photography in the kitchen than the dining room! but alas.. you’re stuck with my photographs for the remainder of the meal. 

So the course was quail breast, with poached blueberries in a blueberry sauce and corn two ways - a little creamed corn and then a corn pie.  The quail had breadcrumbs stuffed under the skin so Katie’s variety was a duck dish with beet sauces/multiple ways. However, this is when she was given the GF cornbread with butter from Vermont which was her third favorite thing on her menu. 

Onwards!

We had the Paradigm Cabernet Franc from just up the road in Oakville California to go with our lamb. They also make a Cab Sav but he wanted something a little lighter for us. 

Then they turned the lights down in our dining room and the lighting for photos got even worse.. sorry. 

But here’s the lamb dish: Loin smoked over an open fire, lamb sausage (the two things with the grill marks) a little hush puppy with a slice of tomato on top, and then two sauces... the light/shiny one was Meyer Lemon in its base.

Drew’s favorite bit of the meal was the lamb sausage. Terri’s favorite part was the pairing of Meyer Lemon with Lamb. She thought the sauce was super special. 

Then we had Gougeres, which were slightly truffled, and out of this world. This was Sarah’s second favorite dish of the evening. And so delicious she forgot to let the phone eat first... again. 

This is also about the point in the meal that we asked Andrew, our Somm, about what wineries he would recommend. His first two recommendations were Staglin (for cabs and chardonnays) and then Kenzo Wineries (apparently their sauvignon blanc is outstanding). Then, we asked what other laid back places he likes, and he recommended Scribe Winery and Sinskey... Well, HOW ABOUT THAT?! We’d already been to 2/4 places recommended by the Sommelier of The French Laundry. 

high. fives.

On to dessert. We debated around on the dessert wine... because Tokaji is a fam favorite. But then we decided to just order coffee... so then when the waiter came back.. he had a bottle of the Tokaji in his hand and poured us a glass

Here were the desserts:

The cup was a coffee semifreddo which was truly noteworthy in Sarah and Molly’s opinion. The ice cream was chocolate chip cookie dough with a fennel topping.

There were also “the best donuts ever” roaming around the table. 

Katie’s plate: 

Port, the very special layered chocolate cake (her #1 favorite thing on the menu) and then her own gluten free donuts (#2 favorie thing she had). 

Then the candies...

Mint chocolates, pomegrante chocolates, peanut butter and jelly chocolates (the crowd favorite), salted caramel chocolates (runner up), Smores Chocolates, and Olive Oil Chocolates. They were just as delicious as they were these amazing and beautiful works of art. 

Then we got a Kitchen Tour and Gluten Free Donuts, our corks, menus, wine lists, shortbreads and caramels for the road. 

wow!

[kaplanwineweek]

Smiling Animals & Smiling Humans

We began this morning a bit earlier than usual, with a 10:00 a.m. departure for Hanzell Vineyards.

Recommended via “triangulation” between Wine Spectator, The Alexanders, and Sarah’s friend Caroline Naughton, we knew we were in for a treat. We followed the instructions they sent, and went down a road, up a hill, over a cattle grate, and were greeted with a delicious and crisp Chardonnay and a stunning vista

We quickly learned that Hanzell is into a few things: making really good wine, having animals around, and beautiful views. They make mostly chardonnay and pinot noir, and have just recently replanted and started making a cabernet we were able to taste. 

They have over 100 animals: Sheep, Geese, Chickens, and pigs, which they put in temporary fenced areas of their 40 acres. The animals biodynamically clear out the growth between the vines, turn, and fertilize the soil. They are happy sheep:

Then the vineyard also has cats, who supervise the daily activities of the vineyard. they walk the catwalk when the fruit comes in and goes through the hopper, they monitor the fermentation in the “tanquitas” and ensure that the stats are met:

1 acre = 2-6 tons of grapes

1 acre = 3 barrels 

1 barrel = 25 cases 

25 cases = 300 bottles of wine

1 bottle of wine = 600-800 grapes

and they also try not to be stolen by Sarah and removed from their home. 

The wines at Hanzell were outstanding. You can ask Terri, Brent, Katie, and Jamie to share when they get their shipments in ;-)

it was after the family picture that things started to go awry and we decided it was time to leave after this happened: 

Then we headed back home and stopped into Sonoma County Deli to pick up some lunch food. Located just at the end of our street, we almost wiped them out of Chicken Paninis and Curry Chicken Salad. 

After some pool time, reading, and napping, we rallied for the afternoon itinerary of a “nature hike”. 

Evidence that we moved our bodies and got 2.6 miles in on the pedometer:

We returned to the house for another 2 hours of pool, nap, reading, yoga-ing, etc. and general recovery and shower time, before we needed to be ready for the most important meal of our lives. 

The

French

Laundry

We got dressed up:

And they let us in....!!!

And the wine glasses were as big as our heads

and even after many courses and much wine.. they let us into the kitchen!!

Separate food post coming soon so if you want the nitty gritty / plate by plate/ you can have it.. otherwise, skip ahead to the next day!

[kaplanwineweek]

Ocean Garbage

Terri described the first half of her day as her ideal healthy morning. It began with sleeping in, reading on the pool deck in pajamas, two cups of coffee, a long walk, and cutting some of the roses from the terrace for a vase on the kitchen counter. 

At 11:00 am we were wheels up to Larson Family Winery (just a few minutes down the road) for our first winery experience. Laid back, full of babies and dogs and flowers, it was a great place to hang out for a few hours. We hung out at the picnic tables and tasted their Three Lab Chard and Three Lab Cab... saw the three labs which inspired the name and grace the label (Ollie, Roscoe, and Louis) and had two kinds of pinot noir and a bottle of sparkling Rose. Molly and Rusty beat Katie and Jamie in a round of Bocce Ball right before we left. Molly almost left her wine journal, but we spotted it and picked it up for her. Crisis averted. 

Then we jumped in the car and headed to lunch. Lunch was at the iconic Girl & The Fig. We started with Rose and the Fromage Tower.  Six selections of cheese, house-cured meats, and delicious mustards and apricot and cherry chutneys. Drew ordered the famous “Pliny the Elder” beer from Russian River Brewery and Rusty tried the “fig fashioned.”  The asparagus with green garlic and olive oil was “bomb” according to Molly.

Our mains ran the whole breadth of the menu. Everything from quiche and grilled cheese, to spring risotto, to duck confit, a hamburger, and a sophisticated halibut entree. Rusty wanted the halibut and then Molly tried to talk him into splitting with her, but we convinced him to stick to his original plan. 

All in all, it was a super delicious meal and we left ready to take on our afternoon. Actually, we left wanting to curl up in the sun for a nap, but we persevered and drove a few minutes up the road to Scribe Winery. 

Recommended for its wine, but also for its atmosphere and interior design, it was as advertised. Full of plants, herbs, succulents, palms, and the vegetable garden, it was good vibes only. 

We started with the best rose we’ve had so far at a winery, then followed by a super dry (literally no residual sugar) Reisling that was delightful and refreshing. They only plant one acre of Reisling grapes so they were delighted to be able to taste that at the tasting. We also had “light fare” at the tasting - olives and salted almonds. Then a salad of lettuces from the garden, cucumber salad, potato salad, smoked chicken, and homegrown strawberries which were amazing and dark red all the way through. Our third taste was their Chardonnay- which we loved because its made in stainless steel and cement barrels and never touches oak. The last beverage was a lovely pinot noir. When we had wrapped up our tasting, we wandered around the property. Food & Wine magazine had given it props for its interior design and they were not wrong. The setting was really lovely and a nice way to conclude our day. 

We returned to the house for some pool and patio time. Rusty’s best friend Will joined us. As did the Rat we found at the bottom of the pool. Jamie rescued us from the rat but that did make the pool less interesting. Luckily the spa is separate so the gang was still able to hang out around and in a corner of the pool. 

We then got too cold and moved inside. We started making kabobs, rice, salad, and our dessert was grilled peaches and/or ice cream and/or brownies. We loved being able to sit around a table and have everyone there. We drank rose and some of the pinot we bought at Larson earlier in the day. 

Will had to depart, so we were back to even numbers for game time. We played CodeNames tonight. Rusty inspired the blog’s title. You’re only supposed to use one word in a word association style clue. As the reader, feel free to weigh in on if you think “ocean garbage” is one word or two.... Grandpa, we know he has an aggie education.. but we are pretty sure that's definitely, 100% two words....

[kaplanwineweek]

[kaplanwineweek]

Working Title #2

We had varying degrees of success with sleeping, but ultimately everyone had walked/ran, had coffee, sat around and read, showered, finished a micro-puzzle and made a full breakfast before 10am PST. 

Jamie and Molly partnered as co-chefs to create acai bowls... which were a bit soupy. Molly’s wasn’t camera ready, but here’s evidence that Jamie’s “usually when we make these...” first-ever bowl turned out pretty well.

Then we all jumped in the yet-to-be-named van and were headed to Sinskey.

We were battling bits of rain off and on, but as we pulled through the gates, the sun came out! We walked inside and were greeted with Pinot Gris and then wandered around until we got started with Betsy!

We began with a quick tour. The hillside where their 50+ year old vines of cabernet sauvignon had been was in the middle of being marked to be replanted. They had been destroyed in the fires, and we could still see all the charring on the bottom of the oak trees. Luckily the tasting room and great hall had been spared. 

On the other side of the hall we saw the fermentation tanks, their in house bottling machine (which allows them to control the wine from dirt to bottle) and were shown the “magic music machine”. What the wine crew (only 4 people!) are playing on the magic music machine apparently informs the rest of the staff what kind of mood they are in. 

While we saw the bottling line (4 cases/1 minute) we sipped on a cask pull of one of the three plots of Pinot Noir that makes up the Three Amigos. So, it was 1/3 of the 2018 juice that will eventually make that blend. 

After our tour, we settled into the chef’s tasting for our lunch. The flatbread starter, shortbread biscuits, and olive oil and herb almonds were some favorites of the group. 

Then we headed up the road to Stag’s Leap... to walk in as “two groups of four” because they don’t accommodate large parties. Luckily, our two groups of four were placed next to each other at the tasting bar.... so we made “fast friends” with the “other red-headed family” from Atlanta. 

FYI if you’re wondering the difference between Stag’s Leap AVA, Stag’s Leap Winery, and Stags’ Leap Cellars 

A bit through our tasting at Stag’s Leap, we wondered where Brent had gone... turns out he turned the church van into a Ferarri and went zooming back to Sinksey in search of Molly’s lost wine journal. 

He returned to us downtrodden, having not been able to locate it... even with the assistance of everyone at Sinskey. 

Then Terri reaches into her purse and “voila” two wine journals.. it has been found! Great success. And Brent now is a very confident van driver. 

El Molino Central was our dinner location of choice. We arrived and since we had made a reservation, we boldly took over the one high top table marked “reserved”. Jamie and Katie, as our delegates, returned with pictures on their phones of the menu and we placed our orders. Then we sent a separate delegation to order for us at the counter. Salsa, Guacamole, and chips with 4 orders of salsa verde chicken enchiladas and 4 orders of fish tacos later, we were sipping beer (a nice change) and strawberry agua fresca waiting for our apps.

The guacamole was very fresh... mostly resembled mashed avocados. The salsa was fire roasted for sure with a bit of heat. Our four orders of salsa verde chicken enchiladas arrived along with the news that they were out of fish. We could have fish tacos if we waited another 40 minutes. Nevermind- let’s just all do chicken enchiladas.

Drew had noticed a man sprint (like on a mission) out of the kitchen just moments before the waitress delivered the 4 enchiladas and the news. so we knew immediately what errand he had been sent on. We all split the first 4 entrees and waited for the second round. We saw the fish boy come sprinting back in, parcel in hand.

Right before the next round of the entrees arrived, we all decided we were too full to eat any more. But then, the second round of plates was put in front of us, and soon after.. most were empty.

After a walk through the very authentic neighborhood, the restaurant was nestled within, we made it back to our trusty van and headed back to the Villa. Although the general logistics of the dinner experience had been sub-par, the food was excellent so we decided it was a good end to the evening.

We spent the drive home debating the best game to play before going to bed. Molly and Rusty were suggesting we played Code Names, but when we pulled it upon arriving at the house... we opened the game and were astonished that the majority of the front of the box was in Czech. After a few minutes of concern about the fact that they had ordered the whole game in a foreign language, we realized that, in fact, the game was in English and all was well. But that put them off CodeNames so they decided to play sequence instead. Jamie and Rusty won in the end 2:1... Drew wants to note that he won a whole game even though he was paired with Molly. There was one moment where, after a longggg pause, Molly asked “whose turn is it?” and it was hers.. so she was the best board game partner in more ways than one.

[kaplanwineweek]

Travel Day/Day 1

“That’s just a working title”

Katie and Jamie began their travel very very early in the morning with a 6 am flight to Atlanta. But, it was lovely to all fly together from ATL to SFO and get off the plane to see Molly and Rusty waiting for us.

Interestingly, they had packed in carry on size luggage. Jamie hypothesized that Molly was able to do that because she was confused about what the French Laundry listed on our itinerary was and he was sure she thought it was a laundromat.

We made our way across the airport to the car rental place and jumped in line to get our 12 person van. Upon arriving to the counter, our delegation was told (in a thick Russian accent) “they look for van, in mean time, let me tell you other options”

We quickly came to understand they didn’t have a 12 person van. So we ended up in a 15 person church van (same size as 12 person but with less luggage room).

That meant that loading the luggage was a bit of a “clean and jerk” like Lugas and Hayes taught the boys at Westminster.

Then we were off to sit in traffic... make our way north.. go over the Golden Gate Bridge (!!!!) and then breeze up to Sonoma.

We were delighted to turn in at Attune Winery and see the house to be exactly as advertised!! Beautiful home with great views and amenities. We are so happy here!

Happy Hour was wine from the vineyard we are living on, sitting in rocking chairs on the back porch looking out at the lawn, pool, and vines.

Then we were back in the van headed to downtown Sonoma for dinner. We weaved our way through the Harvest Moon Cafe back to the back patio. Our first dinner was California in style and we had three good California wines.

The grocery store closed at 9 though so we quickly gathered our things and walked to the Whole Foods. Our divide and conquer + follow the light structure of a grocery list was the perfect thing to get the job done in 30 minutes. We ended up with a lot of good and yummy snacks, breakfast foods, and “apps and serts”. We are yet to see if we ended up with the “right” things yet though....

Home. Unpack. Reorganize pantry. Comment on amount of chips we bought. Head to bed.