Blueeyedgirl

We are 3 couples, btwn 50-60, staying in a home in Sonoma - arrive on a Monday afternoon and leave Friday morning. Hence 3 full days to explore and taste plenty of wine! We have res at The Girl & The Fig the first evening, but have no other plans. Could anyone just give us suggestions on area's we should visit? Obviously we would select some wineries in Sonoma, but were curious where to go on the other 2 days? We will have a van to drive ourselves, but had also checked into www.vayable.com - Mike W. who is a Sonoma local offering his driving services "The Underground Tour of Sonoma" for $400. Any comments on his services? Each couple has been once or twice prior. Thanks for any input.
Wine lovers from Dallas!

sunbum1944

Recently visited this winery in Glen Allen- they have a white burgundy I thought was very good

http://www.imagerywinery.com

Visit the town of Healdsburg- very cute with many tasting room in town plus cute shops and many restaurants.

We drove over to Bodega Bay for part of the day ( where the movie The Birds was filmed) and one day we went to Armstrong Woods- nice easy trails through the Redwoods.

We did have dinner at the Girl and the Fig- it was very crowded but food was good

We stopped at the Wildflour Bakery in Freestone- just a spot in the road but very busy- huge cinnamon rolls and lots of other yummy stuff!

We tasted wines at Kunde, Chateaus St Jean, Landmark, St Francis, Ledson, Martinelli and Merry Edwards

Michael

The Jack London State Historical Park in Glen Ellen is worth a visit. Benziger vineyard is right there.

rjw_lgb_ca

I LOVE Imagery wines! I also highly recommend the tram tour of the Benziger winery (the owners of these two wineries are brothers), which utilizes biodynamic techniques to raise wine grapes (and they make great wine too!):

http://www.benziger.com/

Naturally, Paradise Ridge in Santa Rosa is Appointment wine-tasting, although their tasting room in Kenwood has the same wines, in a little ol' shack along Sonoma Highway with a chicken coop and the friendliest pourers in the biz:

http://prwinery.com/

That underground tour sounds killer. But truth be told, we used the Sonoma Valley Wine Trolley, which picked us up at the Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn and shuttled us to four great wineries, plus gave us a bit of a tour of the area AND gave us lunch catered by the Girl & the Fig. That was just grand for us:

http://www.sonomavalleywinetrolley.com/

Speaking of the Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn, their upscale eatery Santé is pretty great, if you like Cal-French (impeccable, not overworked, farm-to-table):

http://www.fairmont.com/sonoma/dining/sante-restaurant/

LCBoniti

The drive to the Russian River area ending at Korbel winery is beautiful - and the Korbel winery itself is just gorgeous (although not my favorite champagne. Check out Iron Horse in the same area. http://www.ironhorsevineyards.com/About-Us )

Also, from Healdsburg the Dry Creek valley wine road is lots of fun with amazing tasting rooms all along the way.
http://www.wineroad.com/maps/dry_creek/

Too much good wine, too little time - it's always the problem for me in Sonoma county.

aprillilacs

If you make it over to Bodega Bay, there's a small Michelin 1-star restaurant there, Terrapin Creek Cafe. I'm eating there tomorrow night--will report back. (It was easy to get a reservation on a Thursday at 6.)

cabovacation

I always eat at the El Dorado Kitchen.

Kal

Love El Do Kitchen in Sonoma, too.

Really love Della Santina's and the patio...and their Enoteca next door!

If you are really nice ask for some of their home made limoncello and they may give you a pour.

aprillilacs

We did dine at Terrapin Creek Cafe in Bodega Bay on Thursday, and it was outstanding. The outside doesn't look like much (cute, but looks like a local cafe, not a Michelin-starred place). Inside is lovely--you enter next to the open kitchen, and the dining area is small but spacious. Colorful art on the walls, and a couple of big windows that bring in the light. The menu is limited but everything was delicious--I had scallops for an appetizer and duck breast for an entree; my husband had amazing gnocchi and short ribs for an appetizer and osso bucco for his entree. The presentation was lovely and creative; service was attentive (but not too). Beautiful drive from inland Sonoma to the coast.
http://www.terrapincreekcafe.com/

Friday was sunny but cool and windy on the coast so we drove inland for a walk among the redwoods at Armstrong Woods State Reserve in Guerneville. Always beautiful.
http://www.redwoodhikes.com/Armstrong/Armstrong.html

PureLuxuryWineTours

I would definitely head over to downtown Healdsburg as someone mentioned previous, there's a great farm to table restaurant called 'Shed' and makes for a great lunch stop! They also have the best locally sourced items in their shop. If you are up for the drive, I would also suggest visiting Mendocino. It's such a beautiful quaint place! Another fun adventure (might sound cliche) but it really is a great experience if you've never tried it, is hot air ballooning!