Greetings from somewhere on the road to Yosemite
We decided to take it easy yesterday. We went on a small shopping spree yesterday morning in San Rafael, and not only will we dodge having to do any laundry for a few more days we also updated our summer wardrobe a bit. And I just realized that I haven't worn long pants once on this trip. I have worn a sweater several times, though. The temperatures along the coast are moderate to cool, owing to the ocean breezes, I suppose.
In the afternoon, we went up to the wine country in Napa Valley. We were looking for a nice spot for lunch, and there are a bunch of great sounding restaurants. To our surprise, we ended up at a southwest/Mexican chain called Compadre's in Yountville. The food and service were great, but best of all they have an outdoor seating area on a lawn where pets were allowed. We spotted someone with their little pupster as we drove by, so that clinched the deal.
It turned out pretty nice. They have an extensive menu with some standard Tex-Mex fare and some more unusual and creative dishes. And great margaritas. They also had a wine list selected by winemakers from vineyards around the area designed to complement the spicy food. I had a "Gewürztraminer" which is not something I would enjoy every day but it was perfect with my fried and roasted smoked pork enchiladas.
We aren't big wine aficionados, but we at least wanted to see some of the vineyards. It's a beautiful drive up Highway 29 in the Napa Valley and vicinity. There are literally hundreds of vineyards with tours and tasting rooms. There's also a "wine train" that tours the area and serves meals. That looked like it might be fun.
Mrs. Bubba spotted the Domaine Chandon winery and we thought some bubbly would be nice so we decided to check out this "tasting" business.
Domain Chandon has a beautiful, upscale facility, with a shop, a restaurant, and bar/tasting area that opens up to a patio and gardens with lovely flowers and interesting sculptures. The tasting ritual was not nearly as snooty as I expected. In fact, it was a casual, low-key affair and quite fun. You pay a few bucks, you get a logo wine glass to keep, and they pour you two or three samples from different categories.
We tried the Prestige Cuvée tasting with 1999 Chandon étoile Brut and étoile Rosé, and the Reserve tasting with Reserve Brut, Reserve Blanc de Noirs, and 1996 Vintage Brut. Maybe all that will mean something to you wine aficionados. Whatever it means, they were all excellent, and the staff was fun and informative and entertaining.
We walked around the gardens and visited the shop but decided to skip the tour because the next one wasn't starting for an hour or so. You can, however, arrange for a private tour followed by a private tasting with one of the winemakers. Maybe next time.
Anyway, the Napa Valley (and I imagine Sonoma) is a great place to visit, even if you aren't a wine connoisseur. If you are, there are plenty of nice hotels and great looking restaurants so you could spend a few days there in what would surely be heaven for you. The only disappointment for us was that despite our extensive search we were unable to locate the Ripple or the Thunderbird wineries.
We decided to visit Yosemite after all, so today we will be making our way over there by way of Stockton and Sonora.
OK, then. A few photos...
Marin County Convention Center and Veteran's Memorial Auditorium. This was one of Frank Lloyd Wright's last designs. Mrs. Bubba is a big fan of his work so we went to see it on our way out of San Rafael.
Compadre's in Yountville
Mrs. Bubba checking out the stemware at Domaine Chandon's shop
Tasting the 1999 Chandon étoile Rosé
A Domain Chandon vineyard
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