I justed to live close to the wine region and I missed very much.

Everytime we had guest we went to Viansa, Cline, V Sattui, Chandon, Robert Mondavi.

All of them (not Cline.V Sattui) have great views... for tours, Chandon and Robert Mondavi are very good, for friendly testing Viansa and my favorite V Sattui were you can have great picnics.

There are tons of wineries, and I'm sure you will get lots of advice... I'm just telling you friendly places with good wine.

Have fun

We had a wonderful reserve tasting at Chateau St. Jean this summer. The wines were great and the atmosphere and service were outstanding. Our whole group thought it was the best tasting we had ever had in Europe and California.

I have to put in a plug for my wife's favorite chard and my favorite pinot noir since nobody else mentioned it...Schug. It's a no frills south Sonoma winery with a very low key tasting room but a very friendly and knowageable staff and IMHO the best pinots and Chards. It may qualify as boutique-ie...not sure if it is available in the stores in FL.

My husband and I visited Sonoma in mid-August, and it was wonderful. Only wish we'd had more time.

When we were there, we especially enjoyed the Viansa Winery. The grounds are magnificent; you'll think you're in a Tuscan villa. You can only get their wines from them; they are very accomodating as far as shipping it to you, and they also have a great wine program where you can get 2 bottles of white sent to you every month for $38.

The wine that we tasted and absolutely loved was called Frescolina. It's very light, and recommended as an appertif, but we enjoy it all the time. I would also suggest the Imbianco, the Chardonnay, and especially the Arneis.

They also have many products in their cucina, and no matter if you prefer red or white, try the Dark Chocolate/Cabernet sauce. It's amazing. Enjoy! Susan

Sonoma County is WONDERFUL Pinot country and I echo monty's comments plus Joseph Swan for Pinot etc and Iron Horse (west of Sebastopol) for bubbles. Have you already got restaurant referrals? Don't miss dinner at Cyrus even if you have to take a bar table! I love the lamb with bleu cheese burger at Bistro Ralph's for lunch. The Farmhouse in Forestville is also delightful. Oops, I almost forgot The Girl and the Fig in Sonoma--love the patio! Enjoy every ounce of your visit!!

I can't give you any recommendations for great places to eat, but my very favorite wine (so far!) in the whole world is a St. Francis Cabernet from the Sonoma Valley. I can't always find it where we live, but I'm sure the St. Francis winery has to be fairly close to the Healdsburg Inn.
Have a wonderful time. I wish I could be there too.

Susantravels, we went to Viansa about 4 years ago for the first time. It was impressive, with all the food and the grounds, etc, but a bit crowded. We joined their wine club. After a year, we noticed that the wine was not satisfactory, in fact it was nasty. We poured it out. I later found out that the Sebastiani family (Vicky?) had sold it and were divorcing, and they had new winemakers and management. You certainly could tell by the quality of the wine. It tasted like drug store boxed variety. I hope somebody steps in there and improves the quality of the product. Until then , steer very very far away from Viansa.

I'll agree w/Linda, Viansa gets a ton of traffic due to its location. It is also a favorite stop for tour buses as well. They do have a neat little setup & there are a lot of non-wine products to buy there. However, the quality of the wine there has decreased dramatically. Due to the wine-maker, or more likely, due to the fact that they are bottling too soon & not aging their wine properly to try & keep up w/demand.

Thank you all for your input. I'll post my tentative plans in early October and then do a trip report later

Tahoekr - we do have reservations for Cyrus and Dry Creek Kitchen. We are staying in Sonoma one night and haven't decided - Harvest Moon or The Girl and the Fig (my husband doesn't like figs!) I know others have asked - what type of menu does the Harvest Moon have??

Linda

Two of my favorite Sonoma wines can be found at:

www.schugwinery.com
www.nicholsonranch.com

Also, don't miss the chateau at Domaine Carneros.

www.domainecarneros.com

I would recommend Alexander Valley vineyard. We were lucky enough to be able to stay onsight at the vineyard several years ago thanks to a silent auction. We visited the vineyard again two weeks ago. Nice family owned and good wine.

Actually, the entire Alexander Valley is on my must do list. My husband and I dedicated an entire day there last year. For a real hoot- go to the Johnson Family Vineyard. Watch the potholes. Alexander Valley has a signature wine- Cyrus- which is a fun blend. We are members of their wine club and like their wines a lot. Fieldstone is also a good stop...they filmed at the Bartles and James commercials there on the little porch at the house above.

We have visited Chateau St. Jean in the past and love the property. Last night we enjoyed some their Pinot Noir with our meal at the Duck Club at the Monterey Plaza & Spa. It was wonderful! :)

We also love the Ledson wines and the Imagery wines in Sonoma. girl and the fig is very nice as is the Dry Creek Kitchen in Healdsburg. Cheers! ***kim*** ((#))

Buena Vista Merlot!

We thought Benziger was a much friendlier winery, but the merlot at Buena Vista was our favorite.

Loved visiting Joseph Swan, the owner himself poured.
Russian Hill is delicious and a sublime setting, especially in fall.
Cyrus in Healdsburg was just hailed as
one of the best 50 restaurants in the US by Gourmet.
I recommend Seghesio, if you're a fan of Zin, and J for their fabulous pairings