Sonoma, CA day 2

We took a leisurely morning. Most of us went for a run or walk. I took a run through the nearby Maxwell Farms Park. It felt good to get a little exercise before we got the day started.

On recommendation from 'John' (the wine tour guy we're going out with on Thursday) we visited Domaine Carneros winery first. The tourist center is absolutely stunning! Definitely what you would think wine country should look like. It was a great way to get the wine trip rolling. Favorite wines: 2005 Famous Gate Pinot Noir, 2005 Domaine Caneros Pinot Noir.

The second winery we visited was Artesa. It was more of a contemporary/nuveau type winery. It was built into the top of a hill by an Itallian family in the late 80's. The facility goes into the ground about 4 stories down.

Stunning fountains and scuptures greet you as you enter the winery.

The view from the top of the hill was excellent. You could see the entire Napa Valley.

The wine cellar is located directly under the fountains on top of the hill. They continually play Itallian Monestary chanting in the cellar to 'sing to the wine'.

Favorite wines:

2004 Tempranillo, Alexander Valley, 2005 Limited Release Pinot noir, Carneros

2004 Limited Release Cabernet Franc, Alexander Valley

2004 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley

After two wineries, it was already 1:00 and we were starving. We ate a The Farm restaurant. I had the quail but the lamb and Kobe beef burgers were probably the better choice.