In Search of the Perfect Pinot Blanc

There is something really awesome about the Golden Gate Bridge. It’s definitely the boundary between urban and rural in San Francisco and rural is quite nice.

As we entered Sonoma County, we quickly got off the main drag (101) and headed into wine country, where there were grapes in every direction. We were in search of a pinot blanc, which turns out to be a fairly rare grape. We realized that our map was slightly outdated when we learned at our first vineyard stop that they haven’t bottled a “PB” since 2003. But they recommended a nearby vineyard and even called ahead for us. Meanwhile we tasted the best they had to offer and our daughter bought a red “jug wine,” meaning a mix of several wines.


At the Dulton-Goldfield Vineyard near Sebastopol we found the perfect pinot blanc and learned a lot about the family from which it comes. It turns out that pinot blanc vines are clones of pinot noir vines, which are somewhat unstable, producing many oddities, like the two-color grape in this picture (taken from a computer screen in the tasting room.) We ended up buying a case of the pinot blanc and having it shipped home.


We drove to the nearby town of Graton for lunch. When I say town, I mean a collection of about 6 buildings. But they included 2 restaurants, an antique store, and a gourmet grocery store with samples. Lunch at the Willow Wood Café was well worth waiting for and included a scrumptious apple-blueberry cobbler for dessert.

You get a magnificent view of the city as you once again cross the Golden Gate Bridge. We drove a ways on scenic Route 1, including a tour of the neighborhood of Seacliff, where I spotted my dream house. It probably goes for about $4 million, so it will indeed remain just a dream!



This trip is drawing to a close as we make arrangements to be picked up in the dark for a 7 AM flight. It was definitely fun while it lasted. I can’t wait to come again!