Passport Weekend: Just Getting Geared up

After getting a manicure and pedicure at The Spa @ Hotel Healdsburg, it was off to explore the town before the rest of the Dayton contingent arrived.

Lunch at Bistro Ralph, a favorite that John and I love to visit when we are here. Unfortunately, it is not conducive to large groups. We had the special Skate Wing with a Kelley and Young (as in Robert Young) Rose followed by a cheese plate (a hard goat cheese, crottin, and a nice Point Reyes blue). Then it was off to taste wine at a few of the many tasting rooms right in Downtown Healdsburg.

First stop, The Wine Shop which is home to the distribution of many small wineries. We were specifically looking for some Saxon Brown but they were out. Instead, Anthony introduced us to some other great finds. Grow Chardonnay had no oak but sill some of the butter qualities that many associate with a chardonnay. 2009 Tre Rici Chardonnay has great balance. Lobjet Pinot Noir had a lot going on. OMG!!! That is all I can say about the George 2009 Hansen Vineyard Pinot Noir. The 2008 Gamba Zinfandel reminded us of the old Zins we drank in the 80’s. Anthony promised we would find the 2008 Vision Cellars Grenache to be a special find and he was correct. It is an affordable summer wine that would be great with a light chill…or not. Anthony was great because he listened to what we like to drink…then gave us a sampling of things that fit our tastes. And our first case purchase of the weekend was complete before Passport even officially begins.

Next, we wandered over to Topel. Again, we found knowledgeable staff to help us. There were about 10 wines to choose from…John and I chose to taste 6. Zephyr Chardonnay was aged in stainless and is clean and crisp. Birdsong is a great blend of Chardonnay, Viognier, and Sauvignon Blanc. We enjoyed the Monhoff Vineyard Zinfandel. The Battuello Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon was spectacular. The Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon was drinking well now but has a lot left to give. We learned a lot about Howell Mountain from the staff. There is a lot going on in Le Marriage, the meritage. And we finally finished with the Syrah Noir. We demonstrated considerable restraint and only sent 6 bottles home.

We finished the afternoon at Roadhouse…a stop recommended by the people at Topel. We walked in to Disco Music that they were preparing for their upcoming release party. Even with flashbacks we enjoyed each of the wines we tasted: 2010 Sauvignon Blanc, 2008 Yellow Label Pinot Noir, 2009 Purple Label Pinot Noir, 2008 Black Label Pinot Noir, and the 2008 Grenache. Oops…there goes another wine club membership. And we can bring all of our friends to the release party on Sunday!

Now to rest before Gateway to Passport…