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    Home » US Travel » California

    New series! Weekend in Sonoma + Napa

    Published: Nov 10, 2016 · Modified: Nov 11, 2017 by Jennifer Che

    Chateau St. Jean Cinq Cepage
    Hello wine country!

    It's become almost an annual ritual now. Even though we don't specifically plan to go to Sonoma and Napa every year, inevitably we end up there, year after year. There seems to be a magnet continuously drawing us to that region.

    I'm excited to start a new series on some of the places we visited this past October when we went to Sonoma and Napa. It was a weekend trip to visit friends and also to celebrate Bryan's birthday. I was thrilled to partner with Sonoma Valley Visitor's Bureau again. They did a fantastic job helping me set up an itinerary with only a couple weeks' notice. I've worked with them for years now, and they are a fantastic resource.

    Here's a summary trip report. I have several more posts lined up that go into much deeper detail about each of these locations.

    Enjoy!
    Cafe-LeHaye-Sonoma-4.jpg
    Every year around autumn a lot wineries in the region hold release parties to announce the arrival of the year's new vintage. It's always exciting to taste new wine, and the release parties are quite fun. We had the opportunity to visit Chateau St. Jean's fall release party for their flagship wine, Cinq Cepages.
    Chateau St. Jean Cinq Cepage
    This particular year they did something special - they invited Michelin starred chef Bruno Tison from Sante Restasurant in Sonoma to cook four dishes to pair with the wines. In fact, we tried eight wines, two different glasses with each course. It was quite informative, interesting, and fun.

    They let us sample the grapes from the vineyard! @chateaustjean #sofun #releaseparty #sonoma #wine

    A video posted by Jennifer (@tinyurbankitchen) on Oct 1, 2016 at 1:37pm PDT

    Afterwards, they let us roam around the grounds, taste grapes from the vineyard, and sip on wine paired with cheese. Bryan even won the second place prize in their raffle, a fun vertical tasting of their flagship wine Cinq Cepages! Can't wait to go back and redeem the prize.
    Cafe-LeHaye-Sonoma-1.jpg
    We tasted lots of other wine while in Sonoma Square, the heart of Sonoma Valley. We enjoyed a wine tasting at Sojourn Cellars and bought half a case of their Pinot Noir to take home. 

    Tasted 10 wines from this new producer in Sonoma - so fun! @corner103 #sonoma #winecountry

    A photo posted by Jennifer (@tinyurbankitchen) on Oct 1, 2016 at 4:24pm PDT

    We sampled 10 wines from a very new producer in Sonoma Square, Corner 103, located right at the corner of the square with gleaming brand new tasting room.
    _DSC3385
    We stopped by our good friend Robert Kamen's tasting room (also in Sonoma Square) to taste his new Lava Block Cabernet (it's phenomenal). We are wine club members of Kamen and regularly drink their excellent Cabernet Sauvignon.
    Cafe-LeHaye-Sonoma-1.jpg
    We had a lovely dinner at Cafe LeHaye, located right off Sonoma Square near the tasting rooms. The room was super cozy, the food was great, and the owner was extremely warm and hospitable.
    Cafe-LeHaye-Sonoma-4.jpg
    We really enjoyed our meal there.
    Cafe-LeHaye-Sonoma-3.jpg
    Between winery visits and restaurant meals, we spent a couple hours zip lining between redwoods trees with Sonoma Canopy Tours. The tours were super well-run, and it was clear that all of the instructors really loved what they did. Their enthusiasm was infectious, and their professionalism made me feel safe at all times.
    Torq Napa
    We had an incredible dinner at Torc, a great restaurant located right in downtown Napa on Main street. During the time we were there, white truffles were in season.
    Cafe-LeHaye-Sonoma-5.jpg
    Of course we had to get some, and it was absolutely incredible. One bite transported me back to Alba, where I had last enjoyed such fragrant white truffles.
    Cafe-LeHaye-Sonoma-10.jpg
    Our last evening we celebrated Bryan's birthday at Farmhouse Inn, a lovely Michelin starred restaurant that's part of an inn. The restaurant focuses on dishes made with farm fresh, local ingredients.
    Torc Napa
    The food was exquisite, and for fun we ordered an old (1971!) Produttori del Barbaresco to go with our meal.
    Cafe-LeHaye-Sonoma-1.jpg
    Last but not least, we had to stop by Russian River Brewing to enjoy a late afternoon meal (I think we showed up around 2PM but grabbed a seat at the bar without having to wait too long).

    Of course, we picked up tons of beer (30 bottles!) to carry back with us in our suitcases.

    This time, none of them broke! Woo hoo!

    Stay tuned for more details posts showing all of the amazing details from the restaurants and wineries I described above.

    Disclaimer - I partnered with Sonoma Valley Visitor's Bureau for this series. They helped me set up several of these visits and I did not pay for the experiences that were part of the itinerary. All opinions are my own, and I was not paid to write any of these blog posts.

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    Trackbacks

    1. Cafe La Haye Sonoma - Tiny Urban Kitchen says:
      November 11, 2016 at 9:22 pm

      […] This is the second post in the series titled Weekend in Sonoma + Napa. […]

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    2. Exploring Sonoma Plaza in Sonoma Valley - Tiny Urban Kitchen says:
      November 16, 2016 at 1:08 am

      […] is the third post in the series titled Weekend in Sonoma + Napa. Other posts in this series include Cafe La […]

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    3. Sonoma Canopy Tours - zip lining among the redwood trees - Tiny Urban Kitchen says:
      November 22, 2016 at 12:19 am

      […] is the third post in the series titled Weekend in Sonoma + Napa. Other posts in this series include Cafe La […]

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    4. St. Jean Cinq Cepages Release Party - Tiny Urban Kitchen says:
      November 23, 2016 at 12:09 am

      […] is the fourth post in the series titled Weekend in Sonoma + Napa. Other posts in this series include Cafe La Haye, Exploring Sonoma Plaza, and Sonoma Canopy Tours […]

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    5. Torc Napa - Tiny Urban Kitchen says:
      December 7, 2016 at 10:19 pm

      […] is the fifth post in the series titled Weekend in Sonoma + Napa. Other posts in this series include Cafe La Haye, Exploring Sonoma Plaza, Sonoma Canopy Tours […]

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    6. Farmhouse Inn Restaurant Sonoma - Tiny Urban Kitchen says:
      December 11, 2016 at 11:07 pm

      […] is the sixth and final post in the series titled Weekend in Sonoma + Napa. Other posts in this series include Cafe La Haye, Exploring Sonoma Plaza, Sonoma Canopy Tours […]

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    Jennifer Che Tiny Urban Kitchen

    Hi, my name's Jen and welcome to my cooking, eating, and travel site! I am an expat who moved from Boston to Hong Kong 5 years ago. Born and raised in Ohio to Taiwanese immigrant parents, I am a chemistry nerd, patent attorney by day, blogger by night, church musician on weekends, and food enthusiast always. Feel free to explore away, maybe starting with the Recipe Index or one of the travel pages! I hope you enjoy this site!

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