Sonoma Wine Tours
Your Travel Guide to Sonoma
County Wineries
County Wineries
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Kenwood Morning
KENWOOD MORNING TOUR
Kenwood boasts award-winning wines, celebrity weddings, and the good life. There are well known wineries that dot the drive up and down Sonoma Highway along with many smaller lesser known boutique wineries. Together they comprise the 12 mile long necklace of 23 wineries strung along the gently winding highway among the hills. Kenwood is a place where vineyards share space with oak meadows and sun-worn travelers stroll through vines and cellars, seeking the perfect wine to take home with them.
It’s also a highway where cars are zooming 50 mph or more, winery signs are flashing by along with roadside restaurants, and cool places you may not even notice—what to do? Don’t worry, you’re with us, we’ll let you know where the best places are and tell you before it’s time to turn.
BREAKFAST
Big 3 Diner
Sonoma Highway 800-862-4945
Breakfast: 7:00 a.m. to 11:30 am
Sunday Brunch: 7:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Dress Code: Casual. . .you may see guests from the Sonoma Mission Inn sporting their white chenille bathrobes.
Sonoma Mission Inn -- Big 3 Diner
Your day starts with breakfast at Big 3 Diner, which is a part of the Sonoma Mission Inn in Boyes Hot Springs on your way up to Kenwood. The Sonoma Mission Inn, now owned by the Fairmont, is legend in Sonoma as the premier Inn for wine country vacations.
Take Napa Street (Highway 12) West from the plaza (Napa Street turns North about a mile from the Plaza and becomes Highway 12). About a mile up the road the diner is on your left. You can turn into the Sonoma Mission Inn and valet park, or there is a parking lot directly behind the diner. The Big 3 Diner is located on the north corner of the Inn's grounds and has been pleasing customers for over 75 years with its casual diner atmosphere. The Big 3 Diner morphed from the Big 3 sandwich and soda fountain, before that it was Woodleaf Store, Coffee Shop, Fountain, Liquors, Drugs Market. Naming it Big 3 was probably a tribute to the “Big 3 Railroad tycoons that played a big part in the development of San Francisco and the area. Now step back into the past. . . . You may find yourself humming along with the 50’s music. . .
There really is a difference when a chef is cooking in the kitchen. Enjoy their hearty country breakfasts, grilled New York steaks, breakfast burrito topped with salsa fresca and avocado, and their famous apple-oat pancakes. Their equally famous fresh lemon pancakes with crème fraiche are worth the trip there. Most of their recipes are available upon request. . . impress your friends at home with the lemon pancakes!
We recommend good ol’ eggs, bacon, fried potatoes, and toast. But then we’re biased because we LOVE poached eggs done perfectly (a real chef is better than a fry cook), roasted potatoes that are cooked with red, yellow and green peppers, thick cut hickory bacon, and yummy homemade whole grain toast.
Also, we recommend browsing the gift shop. You’ll find all of the Sonoma Mission Inn’s famous spa products (the stars come here to escape their stressful lives and enjoy this world class spa). In addition to spa clothes, culinary items, and a decent Sonoma wine bottle collection, they offer tour books of Sonoma Valley. We especially like Wine Country Bike Rides, The Best Tours in Sonoma, Napa, and Mendocino Counties, by Lena Emmery. If you want maps, directions, etc. this is the place to ask. Mo, a native of Sonoma County, can dish out advice from behind the cash register. She’s even got some good stories about the Inn. . . her Mom and Dad honeymooned there in 1923. If you enjoy local history then browse the old photos on the walls.
We suggest you take a few minutes to stroll the grounds of the Sonoma Mission Inn, a Spanish-style luxury retreat that was built in the late 19th century on what is believed to have been an ancient Indian healing ground. The internationally renowned European-style spa is open to the public, take a peek it is beautiful. Also we get a kick out of seeing all the beautiful people lounging around in their spa-issued white terry bathrobes. If you decide to collapse at the end of the day, and get a massage or “take the waters” this is a good place to do it. More information about the spa is at www.sonomamissioninn.com
NATURE WALK
Sugar Loaf County Park
2605 Adobe Canyon Road
Kenwood, CA
1-707-833-5712
After that hearty breakfast, a hike—that’s what we call a walk in the woods-- should be just the thing. From Big 3 go north up Hwy 12. Go nine miles north and turn right on Adobe Canyon Road. Look for the turn off after you pass Chateau St. Jean. Go about 3 miles (it’s a beautiful drive) and the road ends at Sugar Loaf County Park. The park is huge (2,820 acres) with elevations from 600 feet at the entrance to 2,729 feet at the top of Bald Mountain. If you’re really athletic you can do a lot of climbing or if you’re like us you can just stroll the beautiful (and flat) nature trail.
The park also has the only planetary walk in existence—that’s where they take the entire solar system and shrink it 2,360,000,000 times (down to scale no less), fit it into the park, and mark it with big signs that represent each planet and the sun. Alone it’s a trip but when you combine it with the Robert Ferguson Observatory – the largest private observatory (think small barn) well it’s at least worth the short drive up from the park gate. The observatory houses a 40-inch diameter mirror (great for seeing Mars) and is available for public access. Call 1-707-833-6979 for times and showings since the observatory has limited hours or visit their web site: www.rfo.org.
There are many hiking trails but we like the one that starts at the observatory. You can walk from planet to planet on a wide flat fire road and enjoy the scenery or if you want to get into the woods take the nature trail-- a self guided walk through some exquisite California country. It’s a ¾ mile, easy walking, takes less than 45 minutes, has a cool map you get from the rangers when you go in ($4 parking fee, but you help the parks) that marks interesting fauna, geological formations, and habitats and makes you feel great. Both are worth the 3-mile drive through redwood-lined Adobe Canyon Road, which in itself has incredible scenery. Go to Sugar Loaf if you want a unique experience that no one else gets (even most residents). For more information go to www.parks.sonoma.net/ They have pretty cool camp sites too.
LATE MORNING WINE TASTING:
“We have to start early because we have a lot of wine to drink.” Vittorio Belmonte, Winemaker and Proprietor of VJB Vineyards
Kaz Winery
Visit the smallest winery in
Sonoma Valley
233 Adobe Canyon Road
Kenwood, Ca 95452
Tasting Hours: 11:00am – 5:00 Friday through Monday
Tasting Fee $5 per person
www.kazwinery.com
Heading back toward the Sonoma Highway (Hwy. 12), you can start your wine tasting at Kaz Winery, the smallest winery open to the public in Sonoma. The winery is on the road from the park--Adobe Canyon Road. Look for a small sign right before you get to Landmark Vineyards and Highway 12. The tasting room has only recently opened so you won’t find it in many guides. Kaz is infamous for his blends and ports and his original labels are vintage photos, which are hand colored by Mr. and Mrs. Kaz and adorn each bottle. Kaz currently produces 1000 cases yearly. Organic methods of grape growing and wine making have been practiced since their beginning in 1994. No sulfur is sprayed in the vineyard for mildew control.
Meet Richard Kasmier, or better known as Kaz--Winemaker, owner, grower, host and Krazy man. Where else can you get wines like Flying Star [vintage single engine airplane with a yellow star on it], Mainliner [ 1950’s train engine, this one,is a grape call Lenoir that only is produced by Kaz in California], Somwein [very vintage baseball players on the label & this is a wild blen of Zin-Petit Sirah & Alicante].Check out their krazy wine labels at www.kazwinery.com You can even make “digital wine” on the site and apply your personalized label to the “digital bottle”. Mamma Kazzy’s favorite chocolate port sauce (with a picture of a bearded Mamma Kazzy on the bottle) is a winner as a take home souvenir.
And don’t miss the opportunity to capture one of the true essences of grape growing—bottling the wine. Kaz has this nifty set up where you can taste wine directly from the barrel and then use his bottling equipment to fill and seal your own bottle. Makes a really cool story for the folks back home when you uncork it.
The winery has a $5 tasting fee since Kaz has such a limited production.
Be Sure To Taste: 2004 Trixie’s Secret. It’s a dry Nebbiolo Rosa, very unusual. . . .and it’s designated “reserveless”.
What’s Special: Kaz has a barrel for tasting and a bottler so you can bottle your own wine. Every single label is special. This place is all about fun.
When you’re ready to eat you can come back and PICNIC HERE, or go to . .
Landmark Vineyards.....Click Here
Kenwood boasts award-winning wines, celebrity weddings, and the good life. There are well known wineries that dot the drive up and down Sonoma Highway along with many smaller lesser known boutique wineries. Together they comprise the 12 mile long necklace of 23 wineries strung along the gently winding highway among the hills. Kenwood is a place where vineyards share space with oak meadows and sun-worn travelers stroll through vines and cellars, seeking the perfect wine to take home with them.
It’s also a highway where cars are zooming 50 mph or more, winery signs are flashing by along with roadside restaurants, and cool places you may not even notice—what to do? Don’t worry, you’re with us, we’ll let you know where the best places are and tell you before it’s time to turn.
BREAKFAST
Big 3 Diner
Sonoma Highway 800-862-4945
Breakfast: 7:00 a.m. to 11:30 am
Sunday Brunch: 7:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Dress Code: Casual. . .you may see guests from the Sonoma Mission Inn sporting their white chenille bathrobes.
Sonoma Mission Inn -- Big 3 Diner
Your day starts with breakfast at Big 3 Diner, which is a part of the Sonoma Mission Inn in Boyes Hot Springs on your way up to Kenwood. The Sonoma Mission Inn, now owned by the Fairmont, is legend in Sonoma as the premier Inn for wine country vacations.
Take Napa Street (Highway 12) West from the plaza (Napa Street turns North about a mile from the Plaza and becomes Highway 12). About a mile up the road the diner is on your left. You can turn into the Sonoma Mission Inn and valet park, or there is a parking lot directly behind the diner. The Big 3 Diner is located on the north corner of the Inn's grounds and has been pleasing customers for over 75 years with its casual diner atmosphere. The Big 3 Diner morphed from the Big 3 sandwich and soda fountain, before that it was Woodleaf Store, Coffee Shop, Fountain, Liquors, Drugs Market. Naming it Big 3 was probably a tribute to the “Big 3 Railroad tycoons that played a big part in the development of San Francisco and the area. Now step back into the past. . . . You may find yourself humming along with the 50’s music. . .
There really is a difference when a chef is cooking in the kitchen. Enjoy their hearty country breakfasts, grilled New York steaks, breakfast burrito topped with salsa fresca and avocado, and their famous apple-oat pancakes. Their equally famous fresh lemon pancakes with crème fraiche are worth the trip there. Most of their recipes are available upon request. . . impress your friends at home with the lemon pancakes!
We recommend good ol’ eggs, bacon, fried potatoes, and toast. But then we’re biased because we LOVE poached eggs done perfectly (a real chef is better than a fry cook), roasted potatoes that are cooked with red, yellow and green peppers, thick cut hickory bacon, and yummy homemade whole grain toast.
Also, we recommend browsing the gift shop. You’ll find all of the Sonoma Mission Inn’s famous spa products (the stars come here to escape their stressful lives and enjoy this world class spa). In addition to spa clothes, culinary items, and a decent Sonoma wine bottle collection, they offer tour books of Sonoma Valley. We especially like Wine Country Bike Rides, The Best Tours in Sonoma, Napa, and Mendocino Counties, by Lena Emmery. If you want maps, directions, etc. this is the place to ask. Mo, a native of Sonoma County, can dish out advice from behind the cash register. She’s even got some good stories about the Inn. . . her Mom and Dad honeymooned there in 1923. If you enjoy local history then browse the old photos on the walls.
We suggest you take a few minutes to stroll the grounds of the Sonoma Mission Inn, a Spanish-style luxury retreat that was built in the late 19th century on what is believed to have been an ancient Indian healing ground. The internationally renowned European-style spa is open to the public, take a peek it is beautiful. Also we get a kick out of seeing all the beautiful people lounging around in their spa-issued white terry bathrobes. If you decide to collapse at the end of the day, and get a massage or “take the waters” this is a good place to do it. More information about the spa is at www.sonomamissioninn.com
NATURE WALK
Sugar Loaf County Park
2605 Adobe Canyon Road
Kenwood, CA
1-707-833-5712
After that hearty breakfast, a hike—that’s what we call a walk in the woods-- should be just the thing. From Big 3 go north up Hwy 12. Go nine miles north and turn right on Adobe Canyon Road. Look for the turn off after you pass Chateau St. Jean. Go about 3 miles (it’s a beautiful drive) and the road ends at Sugar Loaf County Park. The park is huge (2,820 acres) with elevations from 600 feet at the entrance to 2,729 feet at the top of Bald Mountain. If you’re really athletic you can do a lot of climbing or if you’re like us you can just stroll the beautiful (and flat) nature trail.
The park also has the only planetary walk in existence—that’s where they take the entire solar system and shrink it 2,360,000,000 times (down to scale no less), fit it into the park, and mark it with big signs that represent each planet and the sun. Alone it’s a trip but when you combine it with the Robert Ferguson Observatory – the largest private observatory (think small barn) well it’s at least worth the short drive up from the park gate. The observatory houses a 40-inch diameter mirror (great for seeing Mars) and is available for public access. Call 1-707-833-6979 for times and showings since the observatory has limited hours or visit their web site: www.rfo.org.
There are many hiking trails but we like the one that starts at the observatory. You can walk from planet to planet on a wide flat fire road and enjoy the scenery or if you want to get into the woods take the nature trail-- a self guided walk through some exquisite California country. It’s a ¾ mile, easy walking, takes less than 45 minutes, has a cool map you get from the rangers when you go in ($4 parking fee, but you help the parks) that marks interesting fauna, geological formations, and habitats and makes you feel great. Both are worth the 3-mile drive through redwood-lined Adobe Canyon Road, which in itself has incredible scenery. Go to Sugar Loaf if you want a unique experience that no one else gets (even most residents). For more information go to www.parks.sonoma.net/ They have pretty cool camp sites too.
LATE MORNING WINE TASTING:
“We have to start early because we have a lot of wine to drink.” Vittorio Belmonte, Winemaker and Proprietor of VJB Vineyards
Kaz Winery
Visit the smallest winery in
Sonoma Valley
233 Adobe Canyon Road
Kenwood, Ca 95452
Tasting Hours: 11:00am – 5:00 Friday through Monday
Tasting Fee $5 per person
www.kazwinery.com
Heading back toward the Sonoma Highway (Hwy. 12), you can start your wine tasting at Kaz Winery, the smallest winery open to the public in Sonoma. The winery is on the road from the park--Adobe Canyon Road. Look for a small sign right before you get to Landmark Vineyards and Highway 12. The tasting room has only recently opened so you won’t find it in many guides. Kaz is infamous for his blends and ports and his original labels are vintage photos, which are hand colored by Mr. and Mrs. Kaz and adorn each bottle. Kaz currently produces 1000 cases yearly. Organic methods of grape growing and wine making have been practiced since their beginning in 1994. No sulfur is sprayed in the vineyard for mildew control.
Meet Richard Kasmier, or better known as Kaz--Winemaker, owner, grower, host and Krazy man. Where else can you get wines like Flying Star [vintage single engine airplane with a yellow star on it], Mainliner [ 1950’s train engine, this one,is a grape call Lenoir that only is produced by Kaz in California], Somwein [very vintage baseball players on the label & this is a wild blen of Zin-Petit Sirah & Alicante].Check out their krazy wine labels at www.kazwinery.com You can even make “digital wine” on the site and apply your personalized label to the “digital bottle”. Mamma Kazzy’s favorite chocolate port sauce (with a picture of a bearded Mamma Kazzy on the bottle) is a winner as a take home souvenir.
And don’t miss the opportunity to capture one of the true essences of grape growing—bottling the wine. Kaz has this nifty set up where you can taste wine directly from the barrel and then use his bottling equipment to fill and seal your own bottle. Makes a really cool story for the folks back home when you uncork it.
The winery has a $5 tasting fee since Kaz has such a limited production.
Be Sure To Taste: 2004 Trixie’s Secret. It’s a dry Nebbiolo Rosa, very unusual. . . .and it’s designated “reserveless”.
What’s Special: Kaz has a barrel for tasting and a bottler so you can bottle your own wine. Every single label is special. This place is all about fun.
When you’re ready to eat you can come back and PICNIC HERE, or go to . .
Landmark Vineyards.....Click Here