California Wine Country is not for the faint of heart, but in more respects than I can count on ten fingers, it is one of the most beautiful destinations on earth.
I’m not referring to the multiple tastings wherever you turn – but rather the exquisite, breathtaking beauty of growth, rejuvenation and resilience. Conquering rocky arid lands and turn them into voluptuous winemaking soils is no small feat. And then – after the fires ravage through – nor to be underestimated to any degree is the act of returning them to life once again. This is certainly is the story of Sonoma, which two years ago was a mottled landscape of devastation after the October 2017 fires. Today these hills and valleys produce substantial bounty and suggest, for the long term, promise. That hope is important in these global warming years, with so much uncertainty. Not that their momentary rejuvenation can be confirmed as lasting over time, but seeing it all does provide hope of possibility, which is far better than the opposite.
So we returned to Sonoma for a week-long villa stay, far up in the hills – where an unsettling reality immediately set in: we’d be trapped should a firestorm blow through. That is the “new normal” in these beautiful hills, where Plan B has to be firmly in pocket. Fully dropping out, fully in vacation mode, isn’t fully available any more. Yet we deeply savored these few days of unique beauty – 90 degree days dipping to 55 degree nights. Crisp air, trellises bursting with magenta bougainvillea. Morning fog that requires a fleece, afternoons in swimming in pools fed by groundwater fountains or lounging in shorts. Roads meandering through small vineyards of private producers next door to vast fields maintained by the bigger guys.
Two years ago these landscapes displayed vast vistas of blackened trees. The vineyards in the valley were smoked out and disconsolate, wineries like Kenwood, Chateau St. Jean and Mayo temporarily offline. The “Valley of the Moon” was the valley of sorrow, with so much loss.
To check in on the recovery, last year I spent a few days in Healdsburg, a delightful retreat, which should be on any Womantraveler’s list, then drove down through the Valley of the Moon to see how the beauty and bounty were reemerging.
Healdsburg
Hotel Healdsburg has matched modern with old mansion. Its pairing with Dry Creek Kitchen is brilliant, offering a seamless retreat of luxury hotel and upscale dining focused on local ingredients. Of course I was impressed because it was my birthday and somehow they knew. (And thank you for the birthday surprise!). Down the street the more modern Healdsburg Inn has a more relaxed vibe, yet classy as part of the California-focused Four Sisters Inn group.
A few favorite stops around the Healdsburg Square:
- This shopping diva has antennae for unusual finds – check out OSKA’s outlet for upscale deals, California cool mixed with European casual. My purchases were perfect for a luxury cruise a few weeks later.
- What about driving tours around wine country? Sonoma Valley’s wineroad.com shows many options that you can do on your own – which is the best way to explore – but offers other tips if you can’t (including events, wineries, lodging, trails/destinations and more).
- Here is yet another view of how you might spend 48 hours in Healdsburg – check out the many suggestions.
- And, if you go to nowhere else outside downtown Sonoma, you must stop by the Jimtown Store. It’s an old country store with the tastiest of sandwiches, but their condiments are renowned around California groceries and – hopefully – beyond. Like these special venues in wine country, their individuality creates a memorable sense of place. Insiders tip – the local vintners go here too.
The great story about Wine Country in Sonoma and Napa north of San Francisco is that they are both connected and different. You can travel back and forth easily and take in multiple landscapes, foodscapes and wine experiences within a day or over several days. Leaving Healdsburg, I meandered down State Route 12 past Kenwood, Chateau St. Jean and other Sonoma Valley wineries – flanked by hills ravaged in the fires two years ago – to Glen Ellen, a hideaway where writers Jack London and MFK Fisher retreated for inspiration. (You can read all about Glen Ellen in my blog article here.) For dinner, I chose the Fig Cafe, a truncated but equally primo version of the Girl & the Fig off Sonoma Square 10 miles south. I could not have had a more seasonally authentic wine country experience that locals and lucky visitors know well.
With Napa and Sonoma within 30 to 60 minutes apart, depending on which of many routes you take over the hills or across the valleys, lunch the next day with another Womantraveler in Napa Valley was a very do-able deal. We enjoyed a Parisian reminiscence at top chef Gordon Keller’s Bouchon Bistro in Yountville (Napa) only 30 minutes’ drive on curvy back country roads to the east.
Many travelers visit Sonoma and Napa with lists to check off. I prefer the serendipity, the same way we explored the back roads of Burgundy or Provence. I have been fortunate to live in all of these locations – California and France – and would be delighted to be a resource to your own Womantraveler adventures.
