I have been to California wine country many times, mostly all to Napa. I love Cabs, what can I say. I just never got next door to Sonoma. Santa Barbara, Paso Robles…just not Sonoma. Until December.
Make no mistake, if you love Cabs, Napa is the place. But Sonoma has a range of great wines that exceeds Napa offerings. Zinfandel? Got it. Chardonnay? Really good ones. Pinots? Best wines this side of Willamette. And the Cabs are no slouch.
I’d never heard of Stonestreet Winery until a few months ago. Purchased decades ago from the Chevron Oil Company this 5,000 plus acre estate takes up the entire side of a mountain in the middle of the Mayacamas Mountain Range in the Alexander Valley. Both those names are probably familiar to you because other wines have adopted those names to highlight their terroir, to reinforce their superior location. Stonestreet owns an entire bloody mountain! The range of soils and elevations enables Stonestreet to make great wines from different grapes. Try the Upper Barn Chardonnay and the Rockfall Cab. You will not be disappointed.
A division of Jackson Family Wines (Kendall Jackson, Freemark Abby among others) Stonestreet shares a family connection with Stonestreet Farms horse breeders. Stonestreet is best known for campaigning 2007 and 2008 Horse of the Year Curlin and 2009 Horse of the Year Rachel Alexandra.
Lodging is easily found in the Healdsburg area. You can stay downtown at the Hotel Healdsburg or do as we did and stay at the Montage Healdsburg just north of the historic city center.
Healdsburg travel guide: three-day itinerary for wine lovers
I’ve been to the region in each of the four seasons and all have their charms but there is something to be said for a December visit. It’s easy to get restaurant reservations and hotel rooms, the highways and parks are uncluttered and the air is crisp with a touch of pine scent that is lost among the many fragrances that surface during summer and certainly during the Fall crush. This is one season where the vines do not hold center court.
But regardless of when you go, a trip to northern California is good for the soul. Beautiful country. Splendid food and wine. And Sonoma will not disappoint. Even the Wall St Journal agrees. California’s Sonoma County may be one of the country’s great wine-and-dine destinations
