Road Trip Day Three: Mendocino and Meow

We skipped out on what would have probably been an awesome breakfast, but after the lassitude that followed the waffles and massage of yesterday we decided to get an earlier start and check out Mendocino. It was kind of sleepy in the morning, enshrouded in a lovely Pacific mist. And what a hippie town! At 9:00 in the morning the marijuana smoke was wafting from several storefronts. (Ok, it was closer to 10:00.) At one such establishment I purchased a handbag-of-sorts for Natalie’s upcoming birthday. It was constructed of a recycled seat belt and tire. It’s actually quite useful and she’ll love it. The town also had a fair number of useless souvenir and candy shops, and plenty of tourists to patronize them. The heart of this community though, resides in the venerable Victorian homes, not all of them bed-and-breakfasts either. I loved walking past and looking at the lovingly tended English gardens. The Mendocino motto should be: “Yes, we have time for all of this – and you don’t!” The post office was from another era too. I mailed postcards to Delia and Andrew. (Stay dressed, young man!) We breakfasted on wheatgrass smoothies and some kind of dense brown muffin of twigs and underbrush (!?), and were also able to find satisfying lattes before resuming our adventure.

The staggering beauty of the Pacific Coast Highway makes for the ideal road trip, and led to our discovery of Pacific Star Winery (www.pacificstarwinery.com) north of Ft. Bragg. We had never heard of it, but there wasn’t a lot else going on, aside from the fabulous scenery, and after all - finding wineries is why we are here. And what a pleasant find! An old stone and redwood barn welcomed us to the cellar/tasting room. Here, we felt we were in the middle of it all – and we were. One worker was labeling bottles as we tasted. We met winemaker Sally Ottoson, who is rightly proud of the wines she has created. Some are not typical of what we’ve found in Napa and Sonoma and it’s worth the trip just to try them. Carignane (I love saying that!) is a product of old vines and history, and one of their most coveted wines. The Charbono is a rare find, the grape was nearly extinct due to the difficulty in growing it, but its popularity is definitely on the rebound now. And for everyday drinking, try Dad’s Daily Red. (What a great name! And Sally’s dad is still kicking – and sipping - at age 84.) Michael loves the Coro, a “Mendocino mélange” of zinfandel and nine other varietals. Sally’s viognier is a new favorite of mine, and I enjoyed seeing the tasting room staff patiently explain its pronunciation to some visitors from Utah who had never been to a winery before. (!)

I was very impressed with Sally and the winery she had created. Her attention to quality and detail reminded me of me. Fabrics, button plackets and grapes have more in common than I thought, and meeting Sally reaffirmed that I am on the right track with Red House.

It was time to go, but a cat in residence there decided to be my friend and would not leave me alone - even after I left the tasting room to feed handfuls of clover to some grateful sheep. No pampered indoor kitty, this was a Winery Cat. I’ve seen a few of these in my touring. So as not to have to survive on wine from the pour bucket, they lie in wait for assorted vermin and the occasional dish of proffered kibble. They sometimes show the scars of fights with other cats (or perhaps rats bigger than themselves) to retain the title of Winery Cat. Now and then, everyone just gets along, as you see multiple cats lolling around the grounds and the tasting rooms. This one may have wanted a vacation as he attempted to get in our car. I escaped his claws, but think I might have left with a few of his fleas. Not only that, my hands were gummy with the saliva of overzealous, clover-starved sheep. Yuck. I needed a shower, but it's back on the road with the magnificent redwoods ahead!

Road Trip Day Two, Continued: Dancing Naked

Oh, after that last post I realize I may not have been clear: Andrew, and not the principal, was naked. Still, unbelievable! Turns out that Andrew found Circle Time boring and stripped down because his cousin Natalie had told him, “People should not wear clothing if they don’t want to.” The kids in the circle giggled. Andrew certainly did. Mrs. C did not. Perhaps his behavior was closer to the excesses of the ‘60’s than she’d like to recall. Not only did he strip down, he did a little dance and dashed away when Mrs. C and the assistant teacher attempted his apprehension. At various times this afternoon I talked with Andrew, the principal, my parents and Mrs. C. - and Kerin, who was feeling overwhelmed by the volume of orders coming in – all from the serene setting of our hotel deck. And I worked it all out, a flute of Roederer Brut Rosé in hand. Life is good – if complicated. I’m going to have a little talk with Natalie too, but that can wait…

I shouldn’t even talk about where I am! It’s such a little gem of a hotel, right on the Pacific coastline, but the secret is out, judging from the gushing praise in our room’s guestbook. But all right, I’ll tell you - Albion Inn. It’s in the tiny coastal town of Albion, just a few miles south of Mendocino. (Take a look at albionriverinn.com.) It’s a small and seriously romantic inn, and I was told that it’s usually foggy and cool. We lucked out, especially this time of year. I was entirely comfortable outdoors this afternoon, wrapped in my indispensable pashmina. (If you don’t have yours yet jot down RH-29.) From our deck in Room 19, we can see fishing boats, herons and the waves as they crash over the rocks. Wonderful! The gardens here are delightful, inspiring. The many shades of roses, dune grass, and the surprisingly blue sky could find their way into the color offerings of Red House. The inn’s small restaurant has the same incredible view that our room does, but framed by the gardens. And dinner tonight was truly romantic. If (when!) you come here, try to reserve the left corner table and eat early enough to watch the sunset. You will be enthralled. The inn does weddings, as you might guess, and we watched a sunset exchange of vows. Not that the truly inspired menu (especially the seafood) and extensive wine choices escaped our attention. This is not at all what you’d expect to find this far from SF. And what a coup for chef Stephen Smith to have escaped city life for a lovely setting like this one. I could spend weeks here! After that, I might find it a bit quiet and start to go insane. Napa offers more sun, a medium pace and of course, proximity to SF and the airport. But for a change (and we all need that) I will be back. (And returning guests get a 20% discount!)

Tomorrow – Mendocino and beyond!

Road Trip Day Two: Wild and Craggy Coast

It was another late start for Maddie and Michael. We opted for the Couples Massage after a big plate of waffles and I fell asleep! Must have been good, right? Oh yeah. You really have to put the Farmhouse Inn on your list of must-see Wine Country destinations. There are so many great places here that you can go just about anywhere and say, “This is it, I’ve found my ideal _______ .” (Choose: winery, inn, restaurant, or vantage point from which to savor a glass of wine.) You can find yourself thinking you are in Tuscany, Alsace or Provence. Really, with the variety of climates and soils, and appreciation for the good life, Wine Country could be the culmination of all those places. And this trip has reminded me how lucky I am to be able to run Red House from the heart of it all.

Today we set out to explore more of the North Coast appellations. The Anderson Valley is absolutely stunning and so uncrowded. Here’s why: it’s not exactly commuting distance to SF. I love the windy roads and the openness that changes into serious forest that hugs the coast of Mendocino County. It feels secluded. I heard that lots of marijuana is grown here, but that’s not why we came. (!!) The one winery we had to see was Roederer Estate, maker of - you guessed it – sparkling wine! (www.roedererestate.com) The parent company, Roederer Champagne, has a long history making the real thing. Here, they found the right parcel of land with optimal growing conditions for making exceptional California sparkling wines. They carefully control the process, using only their own lots and even devising their own trellising system. My pick: the 2000 L’Ermitage Cuvée, their Tête de Cuvée. This is France in a flute! Ok, I’m oversimplifying, but the cuvée is a considered balancing of reserves. The best grapes are combined with a dosage of the best years’ wines. The result is more layers and textures on the palate. And the bubbles are miniscule - a sure sign that Roederer knows what they’re doing. This wine has garnered plenty of attention – look for it and taste for yourself. The Brut Rosé was delightful too, with a pale salmon color that would look wonderful against a starched white linen tablecloth celebrating a harvest dinner. Not a bad color for a Red House polo either!

What an impressive place Roederer is. There is an authentic feel to the winery and the valley itself. Maybe it’s the quieter days of fall, but I expected the tasting room to be packed with people and the roads overrun with traffic. We stayed for a couple of hours, tasting everything - but I also had to take an unexpected phone call…

I learned that there are MANY wineries and tasting rooms to visit up here. We will save them for later – and not much later, I hope. I had planned to talk about the incredible place we are staying tonight. Alas, I will have to get to that later as I have to call Andrew’s principal now. The call I got earlier was from my mother saying he stripped naked during Circle Time today!

Road Trip or No Trip?

Mom and Dad just arrived in Napa! They want to experience every season here and we’ve just begun a new one. It’s also the nicest time of year to be in suburban New Jersey. Anyway, they are back at the elegantly appointed, faux-rustic Calistoga Ranch (calistogaranch.com) where they stayed when they came for Easter. Yes, I’m somewhat jealous of their outdoor living room, daily yoga and spa sessions, and of course the wine blending parties in the resort’s own cave. It’s a carefully cultivated sense of relaxation and it holds a lot of appeal for this business owner/mom.

I had a great idea. Why not leave Delia and Andrew with my parents to enjoy the lap of the Auberge Resort’s luxury - the pool, private lake, majestic hills and biking trails? Michael and I would hit the road in search of unexplored wineries, scenic coastline and rekindled romance, oh yeah…! But ---- No. That’s what the parents said at first. They sort of planned on the same sort of rekindling. I finally convinced them (using all of my best negotiating skills) that they could do THAT, with plenty of time for winery stops while the kids were in school. I asked for a week and got five days - deal!

Red House is doing great – double the business that we had a year ago! Several orders will come in next week, though. Kerin, for the first time, will be doing the initial quality control inspection. I’ve told her what to look for in my exacting detail. She also may have client contact beyond taking messages. This is also new for her, and I can only hope nothing major comes up that requires a quick decision. Good luck, Kerin!

But no guilt here. We need this little getaway and will return rested and ready for anything. We are quickly throwing some things in the car - not our best packing effort, but we want to GO!! It’s going to be a late start but we’re almost on our way west!