Might There Be Just One More Winery?
After leaving the Alexander Valley that late July morning, we headed back to San Francisco for one last night in California. Driving down the 101 toward San Fran and leaving the wine country is bittersweet because you're leaving all that great wine, but going to a fabulous, diverse city that I love.
We begin to wonder if there might be just one more winery we could stop at that we've never been to and guess what? On the left side of the road we saw a winery sign that may have said "last winery before San Francisco!" I can't remember, but I'm pretty sure that's what I thought! Haha! So we pulled over quickly, turned up this hill and sure enough, there was
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| Their tasting room! |
This vineyard is a very small family owned vineyard on property that dates back to the 1860's. The Smith's (Linda and Hoot) inspiration came from a viticulture class that they took in 1994 and their love of red wine became a dream come true in 1997with their first harvest. The whole family ( and a very sweet one) takes part in the production of their award winning wines. They only produce 800-1000 cases a year and are known for their fabulous Pinot Noir and I must say it is fabulous.
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| Notice the owl-Hoot's logo! |
This is one bottle we bought while visiting their tasting room. The 2009 Kastania Proprietor's Reserve Pinot Noir Estate Grown ($45) has a "luscious nose of earthy ripe cherry and chocolate. Intense flavors of ripe plum and Bing cherry are interspersed with cedar, sassafras and tea leaves. Complex tannins combined with fresh fruit and a bright acidity make this wine a great candidate for aging." Ours is still aging!
Here's a pic of the grapes in July just beginning to turn that beautiful dark color for making Pinot Noir wines that are recognized for year after year. You can actually see the 101 from the vineyard.
Goodbye Sonoma! Hello San Francisco!
Cheers!
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