We're ready to rock-and-roll off to the first winery, Kunde, for both a tasting and a guided tour of their aging cave. Kunde had beautiful grounds as you will see from the photos below. The first one I pulled off the Internet. The second one is a close up of the pond that you can't see in the first one. To the left of the pond would be the umbrellas you see in the first photo (or the pond is to the right of the umbrellas in the first photo). The third photo is a close-up of the pond floor.
We arrived about 10 minutes before the next cave tour, so we didn't start any tasting. Instead, we wandered around their retail area. Here are a few photos from their nicely arranged displays.
On the way to the cave tour, we walked by their viticultural demonstration areas that include a number of different grape vines:
There's such a difference in the scenery from this time in the winter and our last time in this area which was in the late spring. The hills look so barren and brown now while in the spring, the vines are covered in green leaves and grape clumps. Now all the grape vines are dormant and all grape growers are in the process of pruning them back. Here are two photos from our trip the previous year in the spring to show you the comparison:
It's time to enter the cave where Kunde stores and ages their wine. First, I'll show you a map of the cave layout so you can see the different underground paths. We entered through Tunnel A (bottom left) and walked all the way to the VIP room. The cave is 1/2 mile long and 32,000 square feet with a 6,000 barrel capacity. The cave maintains a natural temperature of around 58 degrees.
Here is a shot looking down one of the alleyways of the cave showing the stacked barrels.
I love the look of these two barrels with the wine dripping down the barrel cover and side. Makes me thirsty just looking at it :).
This is a photo of their VIP room. They hold weddings and special events here. You're looking down a long table towards a lighted, natural stone/rock arch inset.
I asked our tour guide to take a group photo and he happily obliged. The first photo he took was while we were all moving towards the photo opp area. He said he loves to take photos with movement.
And for the final product ... here we are in one of the barrel alleyways.
They did a great tasting for our group seated on the outdoor patio. It was such a magnificent day in Sonoma -- perfect for an outdoor tasting.
Background on Kunde Winery: For over a century, five generations of the Kunde family have farmed their 1,850 acre estate in the heart of the Sonoma Valley--a truly remarkable legacy in the modern age of California winemaking. A fervent, forward-thinking vision of land stewardship and sustainability began over 100 years ago, and has been shaped with each successive generation.
Today, Kunde Family Estate is still family-owned and operated with a hands-on team of 4th and 5th generation family members at the helm. Moving forward, they remain committed to innovation and state-of-the-art facilities, while also maintaining a deep, personal commitment to sustainable winegrowing and preserving the land for generations to come.
Next stop, Chateau St. Jean. For some reason we just weren't interested in their wines. One couple purchased a tasting and just about all of us shared it with them! I was glad we shared because I really didn't care for any of the wines I tasted at Chateau St. Jean (too dry), although they had lovely gardens (see photos below).
Background on Chateau St. Jean Winery: With its gracious style, elegant architecture and inviting gardens and tasting rooms, the winery is the quintessential Sonoma winery. Founded in 1973, Chateau St. Jean has long been recognized as a leader in Vineyard Designated wines.
The founders brought together the finest vineyards, the best equipment and a highly-talented staff, creating wines that received immediate critical acclaim. In 1999, Chateau St. Jean was the first Sonoma winery to be awarded the prestigious "Wine of the Year" award from the Wine Spectator Magazine for its 1996 Cinq Cepages Cabernet Sauvignon, a Bordeaux-style blend of "five varieties".
The winery received high acclaim again when it received the "#2 Wine of the Year" from Wine Spectator for its 1999 Cinq Cepages Cabernet Sauvignon.
It's time to move on to our last tasting for the day, and it includes a food pairing at St. Francis Winery. But first, it's photo opp time for our group, and the Gorilla was primed and read to do us justice! Here we are in front of St. Francis ready to eat and drink:
While we waited for the seating to begin, we wandered around their retail area, enjoyed a glass of white wine, and tasted some interesting nuts. We sat outside while we waited for all the guests who reserved a seat at the pairing table and enjoyed the beauty of the gardens and the sunshine.
The gardens included this statue of St. Francis which Mike hammed around with. I caught him just as he was exiting stage left.
I only took a photo of our first course, Roasted Winter Vegetables with Preserved Meyer Lemon Vinaigrette which was paired with a 2012 Viognier, Wild Oak Vineyard. This was simply stunning tasting. I don't really care for Brussels sprouts because they often taste bitter, but these were scrumptious.
Here is the rest of our tasting/pairing menu:
- Steamed Sea Bass w/a fermented black bean sauce paired with a 2011 red wine, Cuvee Lago (57% Cabernet & Syrah -- and yes, the chef actually selected a red wine with fish!)
- Smoked Sonoma Duck Breast w/ a green peppercorn sauce paired with a 2011 Zinfandel from Bacchi Vineyard and a Behler Estate Merlot.
- Grilled Bavette of Beef paired with a 2010 Zinfandel from Amann Vineyard. The vines in this vineyard are old vines--about 80 years old.
- And the grand finale was an amazing dessert that included a Peanut Butter Mousse with a dark chocolate ganache, red wine soaked blueberries and a pretzel crunch ... totally amazing! This was paired with a lovely 2011 Port (which I bought, of course!).
This was our chef for the food and wine pairing, Executive Chef David Bush. Got his photo off their website. He came out after our pairing and answered a lot of questions that all the guests had.
Background on St. Francis Winery & Vineyards: For more than four decades, the wines have reflected the finest mountain and valley vineyards in Sonoma County. The founder, Joe Martin, fell in love with Sonoma Valley and established St. Francis Vineyard in 1971, planting 22 acres of Chardonnay and the first 60 acres of Merlot in Sonoma Valley. After achieving great success as a grower, Joe opened his own winery in 1979 with his business partner, Lloyd Canton.
In 1988 St. Francis partnered with the Kopf family, long admired for their historic family legacy in the wine and spirits industry and their commitment to quality. That legacy began in 1933 upon the repeal of Prohibition when Rudy Kopf founded the wine and spirits department of Macy's Department Store in New York, turning it into what was then one of the finest wine and spirits retailers in the country.
Their winery and stunning mission-style visitor center is in the heart of Sonoma Valley surrounded by estate vineyards. The center's bell tower houses a 1,000-pound bronze bell from the Marinelli Foundry in Italy. It chimes every hour and can be heard throughout the valley (see below).
Back to the hotel to enjoy a Jacuzzi dip and reminisce about a perfect day before heading off into sleepy time land.
Next day, we all met for breakfast before we headed off into diverse directions for our journeys homeward. But we had one last photo opportunity for the Gorilla. This was taken in the courtyard of our hotel after breakfast.
Do we have another wine country trip planned? You betcha ... November 2014. We'll see our dear friends again, but this time in Napa (which is much more dangerous for me since I love Napa wines so much more than Sonoma!). Gary and I will be driving directly from our six-month Workamper assignment in Colorado. But we can't wait to meet up with these amazing friends again. We love them dearly!
1 John 4:7-14 // Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love. By this the love of God was manifested in us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has seen God at any time; if we love one another, God abides in us, and His love is perfected in us. By this we know that we abide in Him and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit. We have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son to be the Savior of the world.
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