Napa and Sonoma Wine Tasting: Sonoma: July 5, 2011 (200 Level)

July 5, 2011 Itinerary
(Dry Creek and Alexander Valleys)

Number of wineries: 7
Average rating: 4.32
Wine Route Rating: Moderate (200)
Highlight of the day: It wasn't the best tasting experience ever, but it still stands as one of the most memorable: Soda Rock (4.38)

Notes: A fairly low-key day with only one appointment, but there's some ground to cover, a hefty number of wineries, and some tasting experiences (Robert Young and Hawkes) that I think will be appreciated by someone who has a bit of experience with wine and wine country, hence the 200-Level rating. That being said, I think this is a day that could probably be tackled by visitors of all levels. We met a lot of friendly people along the way (Mauritson, Robert Young, Hawkes) and had one of the most bizarre tastings ever (Soda Rock). Definitely a memorable excursion.

Location	Start Time	Stop Time	Reservation?	Notes
Dry Creek General Store (4.50)	10:00	10:20	Not Needed	A stop to grab sandwiches for later in the day. Also the infamous "I'll have the Coppa, and can I add turkey to that?" incident with Meredith.
Fritz (3.63)	10:30	10:50		Nice location, but so-so tasting of sub-par wines. I think the tasting room cooks all of their wine (it was over 80 degrees inside by the time we got there)
Mauritson (4.50)	11:00	11:40	Not Needed	Always a good visit in Dry Creek, and this stop was no exception. Add to it that the two winery yellow labs were there and it made it even better.
De Lorimier (4.44)	12:00	1:00	Not Needed	Great outdoor couches for picnicking, and they encouraged us to taste while we ate our lunch. Lots of wines, many of them pretty good.
Robert Young (4.63)	1:10	1:40	Not Needed	Good the first time I went; great on this trip. Vertical tastings of their Chardonnay and Scion Cabernet. Always super-friendly, and the wine is delicious
White Oak (3.94)	1:45	2:15	Not Needed	Great sculptures and a nice tasting room; just so-so wine.
Soda Rock (4.38)	2:15	3:25	Not Needed	One of the craziest tastings ever with certifiably insane Joanne. Her insanity also made us almost run late for our appointment at Hawkes.
Hawkes (4.75)	3:30	4:30	Not Needed	Appointments not required, but we made one to taste with Stephen Hawkes in one of the vineyards. Given the temps outside (near 100 degrees), he wisely suggested we stay in the A/C and we did.
Redd (4.75)	8:00			From Hawkes we trekked over to our new hotel in Napa and dinner at Redd. The chef's tasting menu is fantastic if you have an even number; with 3, we got two of one dish and one of the other and made a game of deciding if they doubled up on the better option.