10/10
As with a bottle of wine, this vineyard retreat began to "open up" and add depth and flavor as soon as we arrived. Melanie, our host, greeted us with cookies and a tour of our spacious, well appointed suite. The hilltop views of endless vineyards went on for miles in three directions. Melanie also gave us some valuable incites into the wine centric culture of the valley and suggested we visit several smaller wineries that reflected these traditions. This led us to a series of winery visits with family owned wineries hosted by second generation family members. Often, we were the only ones in the tasting room which allowed for extended, often in-depth and personal stories about their family and their love of the wine business. At each visit, we would ask which other wineries should we visit. This led us to a most extraordinary day in wine country which we will treasure always. As we were leaving, I met Melanie's husband Jonathan, He took the time to describe their nine acre working vineyard of zinfandel grapes which are harvested and sold to the Hearst Ranch Winery for processing and bottling. I shared with him that I have stayed in VRBOs in the US and Europe and theirs was head and shoulders the best.
Tod S.
SĆ©jour de 2Ā nuits en juinĀ 2025