I'm getting close to that point. However, I do want to venture north into Russian River/Dry Creek out of Healdburg once.

Where would you recommend in Paso Robles and/or Santa Barbara.

Bistro Jeanty was nails tonight, that tomato soup was great.

Cyp0111 said:

---

I'm getting close to that point. However, I do want to venture north into Russian River/Dry Creek out of Healdburg once.

Where would you recommend in Paso Robles and/or Santa Barbara.

---

Here's my list for Paso, in no particular order:
Adelaida
Booker
Thatcher
Paix Sur Terre
Clos Solene
Daou
Epoch
Law
Linne Calodo
Denner
TH Wines (Terry Hoage)
L'Aventure
Halter Ranch
Herman Story
Paso Underground (It's a tasting room in Paso that has four wineries in it. They are all good.)
Anything in Tin City. There's about a dozen wineries in there, and they are all very good.
Taste in the Alley is a wine bar one block off the square. They will pour anything on the wall by the glass. Larry and Kitty are awesome people to just sit and talk Paso wine with. We went every night we were there.

If you go and want to bring wine back, arrange your shipping beforehand. Trust me on this.

HTownAg98 said:

---

If you go and want to bring wine back, arrange your shipping beforehand. Trust me on this.

---

Can you explain more about this?

There aren't any facilities in town that will ship wine back for you. Herman Story will do it if you buy wine from them and they aren't too busy. There were two places in town that would do it last year, but they no longer are doing it.

If their is a corporate (not franchised) UPS or Fedex you can ship wine to yourself.

HTownAg98 said:

---

There aren't any facilities in town that will ship wine back for you. Herman Story will do it if you buy wine from them and they aren't too busy. There were two places in town that would do it last year, but they no longer are doing it.

---

Is Stagecoach one of them? Used them many times in the past

No, it was Safe Haven and UPS. Stagecoach is in Napa.

If you're in your own car, just buy the wine, take it to UPS and ship it to yourself. Completely legal.

HTownAg98 said:

---

No, it was Safe Haven and UPS. Stagecoach is in Napa.

---

Guess I should read before I post. I assumed it was Napa.

last week was my trip out to Cali for wine visits

2 days in Healdsburg followed by 2 days staying near Plymouth in Amador county.

I don't post pictures and didn't really go anywhere people have likely heard of, so no sense going into a bunch of wine detail, but some random thoughts others might find interesting.


1) Definitely go to Valette for a nice dinner in Healdsburg. Stellar service. For more casual, went to Campo Fino for the first time and really liked it, too. Great patio and excellent food. It ain't cheap, but hard to beat Healdsburg as a wine-centric vacation destination.

2) Plymouth and surrounding areas are considered "next big wine area" of Cali by some. Seems to be lots of tourist traffic on weekends, I'd assume from Sacramento area mostly. Some said "Like Sonoma was 10 or 15 years ago". I'd say more like 25 years ago. Had some really bad wine - awful sweetness in many, but hey, a lot of tastings are free so there is that.

3) Despite my notes in 2, there is some awesome wine being made out in El Dorado and Amador AVA's, too. Gotta go small to find it in most cases.

4) Early May trip - weather was absolutely perfect. Sunny and highs in upper 70's every day. Ideal.

5) Skinner tasting room's views are as good as I've seen. Could see snow in Sierra Nevada mountains in the far distance. Stunning.


If anyone has a question on Healdsburg or Amador County, I'll try to answer!

Quote:

---

I don't post pictures and didn't really go anywhere people have likely heard of

---

On this thread, there are probably 3 people that have already been there.

Headed to Healdsburg this weekend myself.

FarmerJohn said:

---

Quote:

---

I don't post pictures and didn't really go anywhere people have likely heard of

---

On this thread, there are probably 3 people that have already been there.

Headed to Healdsburg this weekend myself.

---

How is forecast? Hope you get as lucky as we did. I meant wineries when I said "anywhere people have heard of"

Weather is going to be fantastic, but there is an Ironman triathlon in the Santa Rosa to Lake Sonoma area on Saturday. Hopefully the bike ride doesn't jam things up too bad. Maybe I can burn calories watching someone else exercise.

FarmerJohn said:

---

Weather is going to be fantastic, but there is an Ironman triathlon in the Santa Rosa to Lake Sonoma area on Saturday. Hopefully the bike ride doesn't jam things up too bad. Maybe I can burn calories watching someone else exercise.

---

Watching is my favorite form of exercise! watching and drinking!

FarmerJohn said:

---

Quote:

---

I don't post pictures and didn't really go anywhere people have likely heard of

---

On this thread, there are probably 3 people that have already been there.

Headed to Healdsburg this weekend myself.

---

An espresso at Flying Goat Coffee is the perfect way to start the day.

This man speaks the truth.

BSD said:

---

FarmerJohn said:

---

Quote:

---

I don't post pictures and didn't really go anywhere people have likely heard of

---

On this thread, there are probably 3 people that have already been there.

Headed to Healdsburg this weekend myself.

---

An espresso at Flying Goat Coffee is the perfect way to start the day.

---

yep, went both mornings I was in town and bought beans to take to our airbnb house the following days

My wife and I split a half bottle of 2013 Hobel cab the other night. After a two hour decant, it was quite nice.

BSD said:

---

My wife and I split a half bottle of 2013 Hobel cab the other night. After a two hour decant, it was quite nice.

---

We can never wait for a two-hour decant.....

That's why you have a bottle of something that doesn't need decanting beforehand.

HTownAg98 said:

---

That's why you have a bottle of something that doesn't need decanting beforehand.

---

I don't drink that cheap crap.

MooreTrucker said:

---

HTownAg98 said:

---

That's why you have a bottle of something that doesn't need decanting beforehand.

---

I don't drink that cheap crap.

---

Well that makes one of us.

Screw top or Box?

MooreTrucker said:

---

Screw top or Box?

---

MooreTrucker said:

---

Screw top or Box?

---

That's what she said...

MooreTrucker said:

---

HTownAg98 said:

---

That's why you have a bottle of something that doesn't need decanting beforehand.

---

I don't drink that cheap crap.

---

If I think a bottle "needs" decanting, I don't open it. nothing to do with cheap or not.

I've been told to visit Anderson Valley. So if you are looking to visit north of Healdsburg (and like pinot and syrah)

bularry said:

---

MooreTrucker said:

---

HTownAg98 said:

---

That's why you have a bottle of something that doesn't need decanting beforehand.

---

I don't drink that cheap crap.

---

If I think a bottle "needs" decanting, I don't open it. nothing to do with cheap or not.

---

Decanting is a good thing. I am not usually patient enough to wait two hours.

There's a lot of white wines that don't need decanting, and you don't want to do that with bubbly anyway. So if you're going to open something that needs a two hour decant, have something to drink before that too.

Quote:

---

If I think a bottle "needs" decanting, I don't open it. nothing to do with cheap or not.

---

This!

Hang on to it 5-10 more years and it won't need decanting!

MooreTrucker said:

---

bularry said:

---

MooreTrucker said:

---

HTownAg98 said:

---

That's why you have a bottle of something that doesn't need decanting beforehand.

---

I don't drink that cheap crap.

---

If I think a bottle "needs" decanting, I don't open it. nothing to do with cheap or not.

---

Decanting is a good thing. I am not usually patient enough to wait two hours.

---

To me, I just don't get much out of decanting. I make a small pour in my glass (3 oz or so) and give it a good hearty swirl and let is sit 5-10 minutes. If inclined, I might put the cork back in the bottle and give it a bit of a shake, but I find that fun and I'm not convinced it does anything to the wine.

bularry said:

---

MooreTrucker said:

---

bularry said:

---

MooreTrucker said:

---

HTownAg98 said:

---

That's why you have a bottle of something that doesn't need decanting beforehand.

---

I don't drink that cheap crap.

---

If I think a bottle "needs" decanting, I don't open it. nothing to do with cheap or not.

---

Decanting is a good thing. I am not usually patient enough to wait two hours.

---

To me, I just don't get much out of decanting. I make a small pour in my glass (3 oz or so) and give it a good hearty swirl and let is sit 5-10 minutes. If inclined, I might put the cork back in the bottle and give it a bit of a shake, but I find that fun and I'm not convinced it does anything to the wine.

---

i don't think it does in the short term, but we've had wines where we'd drink a glass one night, and then another glass the next night and there is a noticeable difference (usually for the good).