Weddings & Wine — A Trilogy

This is the first of three blogs devoted to the week we spent in Santa Rosa, California, visiting family, attending a wedding, and of course, drinking some fabulous wines. It began with a visit with my stepson, daughter-in-law, and granddaughter (Danny, Esther, and Misha) at their beautiful, pastoral Bennett Valley ranch; climaxed with the awesome nuptial festivities of Gary and Catherine (also my stepson and, obviously, my new daughter-in-law); and ended with a lovely brunch hosted by Judy (Gary’s Mom) and an afternoon wine tour organized by yours truly. This trip will go down in the annals of my life as one of the best times I’ve ever had so let’s get started.

Part One: The Ranch

Danny and Esther’s Bennett Valley ranch is the perfect place to enjoy wine. Although close to Santa Rosa’s city limits, it’s out of the way enough from the city so that you feel as though you’re miles away from it all. Surrounded by vineyards, it is the perfect place to recharge and enjoy a glass of wine. From their front window and deck, you can gaze at Mayacamas mountain range that separates Sonoma County from Napa and watch the deer, rabbits, and wild turkeys doing their thing. Danny and Esther have always had a great bottle (or several bottles) of wine to share with me, and this visit was no exception. They paired a local, cured ham with Copeland Creek Vineyards Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir —$25 ($21.99 from Bottle Barn).

This silky, medium bodied wine embodies everything I love about Pinots. Lush cherries, spice, earth, and smoldering embers make up its aroma/flavor profile. Balanced and graceful with a long finish, it was positively scrumptious with the ham. It was easy to see why this wine scored 95 points in the February 2008 PinotReport. I enjoyed this wine so much that it made it into my shopping cart during my obligatory trip to Bottle Barn. (So did 23 other bottles of wine, but hey… I was doing my part for Sonoma’s wine industry, as I’ll illustrate again in my dénouement.)

After spending several days visiting and relaxing at the ranch, we moved on to the hotel where all the wedding guests were staying and prepared ourselves for three days of serious fun. Stay tuned.