Sonoma, California

After some computer time in the AM and a bit of Spain v. Paraguay World Cup match on the tube, we set out for Sonoma. Garmin took us on a bit of a detour, but we finally got there, no worse for the wear. Had lunch sitting at the bar at the girl & the fig, just off the main square in Sonoma. Weather impeccable. Not a cloud in the sky and a very warm sun. We’re getting spoiled.

The restaurant’s great reputation is well deserved, we can say with confidence. The decor was classy, with muted yellows and reds. The staff was knowledgeable (as evidenced by the bar tender’s mini-dissertation on the caperberry) and friendly, and the food was outstanding. Brie-salami-onion confit sandwich for me (on the side: salad, gherkins, olives, caper berries); arugula-grilled fig-goat cheese-pancetta salad for LVL. Strawberry-rhubarb crisp with vanilla ice cream for dessert. Indulgent, decadent.

The town itself was a bit of a mystery. The park in the center of town was gorgeous. Lots of trees, a cool duck pond, and several cutesy couples drinking wine. Several stores and restaurants line the streets around the square,* all of which seem to do great business. Lots of out-of-towners, most of whom were white, traveling as couples, and doing so without young kids. A place for adults, to be sure.

Off the square, the town changes. Rather than the moneyed, snootiness I expected, Sonoma seems to have a blue-collar quality about it. Though there certainly is some privilege here, it’s not excessive or showy. Real people live in Sonoma, a fact that probably shouldn’t surprise me, but does.

From downtown Sonoma we drove a few minutes to Scribe Winery, a small, independent winery just out of town. Unlike many of its neighbors, Scribe wasn’t well marked (we drove past it initially) and seemed almost shabby from the outside.

Upon closer inspection, shabby it is not. Young vines line the dirt road leading to the tasting room, and the small rolling hills surrounding the property were covered with grapes and other vegetation. A huge house (more accurately, a hacienda), completed in 1912, sits off to the east of the property, mostly unused. Renovations are set to begin in a month or so. A refurbished house further back from the road, up a small hill, holds the primary wine cellar and is where the tastings are offered. A pretty idyllic place to spend the afternoon.

The setting and the story behind the winery is enough to stoke flames of jealousy and drive even the most contented person to want. The property belongs to (at least in part) two young (both under 35) brothers. They have designed the place with a lived-in, indie sensibility (complete with Bonny Prince Billy playing softly in the background), and clearly have something good going. The entire operation was a bit haphazard, and very casual; the hosts, Kieran (who originally came to the estate as a stonemason) and Adam (the younger of the two young brothers) were both hospitable, and quite nice.** I’m sure this was their aim, but it did feel more like we were spending time with friends rather than salespeople.

Instead of sitting on a blanket or standing in the wine cellar for the tasting, we sat at an outdoor table in the shade, overlooking most of the property. The breeze was constant, the temperature perfect. We were served four small glasses over about three hours, each with a bit of small talk and not much in the way of explanation or pretentious review of the wine’s properties. As someone who (almost purposely) knows little about wine beyond what I do and do not like, this was perfect. Both guys seemed happy enough to allowing us to enjoy the scenery and the wine at our own pace. It never became about them, or overly sales-y.

Before heading out, we spent a few minutes walking through the old hacienda. In its current state, the house – from its tiled roof and exposed beams to its huge windows, wood paneling, and patio complete with fireplace, and pizza oven – is still pretty rough around the edges (“rustic”). That said, anyone with a shred of design sense (and a pot of money) could transform it in to the coolest house ever. No surprise that Food and Wine magazine turned a recent party there into a 10-page spread (see http://scribewinery.wordpress.com/2010/03/16/press-food-and-wine/).

As our one and only Wine Country tasting experience, we couldn’t have asked for a better spot. Picturesque, cool, and a bit off the map, we seemed to have found a match for our personalities and taste. At least on some level, they must have agreed. Unsolicited, Adam offered to let us camp on the winery’s grounds for the Fourth. Though it would have been great, our need to be further down the coast made it all but impossible. Either way, we appreciated the gesture and will both no doubt recommend the place highly.

* Also lining the square: folding chairs – some locked with cables, others secured with police tape – set out in anticipation of tomorrow’s Fourth of July parade.

** At one point toward the end of the afternoon, Adam told me about the insectarium they were designing for the property. The thinking goes that bringing in native plants and native pests will be good for the vines, vegetable garden, and other fauna. It was about this moment that I began to think through how foreign/surreal/frivolous/enviable to me this whole set-up actually was. The notion of owing a winery and spending my time doing tastings, flirting with the customers,*** and pondering the implications of local pests for the farm’s ecosystem remains completely unfathomable. We are in fact traveling the country stuffing down every imaginable indulgence, so I realize that I really have no leg to stand on here, but the life and times of a young vineyard owner is too much for me to fully grasp.

*** [Ed. note: As Josh already mentioned, these are good guys. Genuinely nice and easy to talk to. But they're also easy on the eyes. So I'd guess they are the recipients of the flirt as much as they initiate it. After witnessing them smiling for a camera more than once, I asked Adam if all the ladies request to have their picture taken with Kieran and him. No denial; just a shrug and a shy smile. I'm just annoyed at myself for not asking them for a pic (even if I would have forced them to pose together rather than with me).]