vineyards in CA
Road Captain
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CA ride
There's a great ride north of the bay going from Santa Rosa to Napa...forgot the route # but there is only one road. It goes through the city of Sonoma....great little town to kick back in for awhile....it's all postcard scenic...not a fast road. City of Napa is cool but IMHO Sonoma is the best. BTW...Santa Rosa, the old town is really nice...B&B town and not too expensive...
After Napa it turns to basic CA.
After Napa it turns to basic CA.
Road Master
Joined: Mar 2010
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From: The Live Free or Die State
Sonoma is fantastic! Try Ledson Winery. It's a castle that is unreal. Good place for lunch too. Willson Winery has great wine as well.
In Napa you have to go to V. Sattui, another great place for lunch (buy a bottle of Madiera). Brix and Mustards are great restaurants. Prager Port is another must taste in Napa. The Red Hen Cantina is the best Mexican food in Napa...super laid back and great Margaritas
I agree about the ride from Santa Rosa thru Sonoma...very cool.
In Napa you have to go to V. Sattui, another great place for lunch (buy a bottle of Madiera). Brix and Mustards are great restaurants. Prager Port is another must taste in Napa. The Red Hen Cantina is the best Mexican food in Napa...super laid back and great Margaritas
I agree about the ride from Santa Rosa thru Sonoma...very cool.
Last edited by knewt5; Sep 8, 2010 at 01:58 PM. Reason: detail
Road Master
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Napa, Sonoma are beautiful. October and early November have the grapevines turning red and gold--just stunning. My favorite is the Russian River thru the Redwoods to the gorgeous coast line at Jenner. I love to stop in Occidental for the family style Italian food. The whole area up there is fantastic. Try to see it all.
Road Master
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This is a follow up post. I see some say there are vineyards on 99 north of Bakersfield. I live in that area--TRY TO AVOID IT!!. The whole central valley is flat desert land that has been cultivated. Long flat boring roads whereas the rest of the state is beautiful.
Unofficial HDF Chaplain
Joined: Dec 2009
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From: san diego
oh yea, if you go to napa, theres a place there called the CIA, cullanary institute of america, go there for sure to eat, its where the top cooks go to get even better!! food is cheap cuz they are actually ic class while cooking your food!! fantastic!!
Banned
Joined: Nov 2006
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From: Northern California
But a few years ago, a couple of tourists that ate at Sattui complained about finding a rat's head in their sandwiches. The owner (Vic?Vince?) felt victimized by the bad publicity, and publicly tried to set the record straight by reminding the public that the couple had only found a MOUSE'S head in their sandwich, and NOT a rat's head. Since I don't want to have to decide whether I'm eating a rat's head or a mouse's head, I just won't eat there.
I live in Napa, and there are a bunch more wineries than there used to be, but I quit checking them out when they started to charge for tasting.
There are plenty of other regions that make great wines and are trying to lure new customers. The Napa Valley charges more for everything. But it is really beautiful and they do make some great wines. If you're riding, there are some nice roads in the hills. Hwy 12/121 is the highway between Napa and Sonoma, and right now there is construction along most of it as they are in the process of straightening and widening it. There are plenty of other routes that are usually at least slightly longer (but not always), and if you want more details, PM me and give me an idea of what you're looking for (tight, steep, and twisty, or wide, straight, and smooth).
People are really starting to rave about the new regions and their high-quality wines. Different wineries are less appealing in August than they are in April. Napa Valley, Sonoma Valley, and the Russian River themselves all have wineries that on some days can also have vastly different weather in the same region on the same day.
So when are you going and what do you want to do ?
Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Apr 2010
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From: Ione, CA
I used to work in the Sonoma wineries to put myself through college. Best secret place? If you are riding, Amador County in the Sierra foothills southeast of Lake Tahoe. Stupendous Zinfandels and terrific scenery. Plus it isn't overrun with wine tourists like Napa.
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From: Northern California
I didn't want to say the "F" word, so I said "Autumn",
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From: la grange, il (near chicago)