wine country weekend (healdsburg, ca and beyond)

For Memorial Day weekend, some friends and I headed down to Healdsburg, CA (population: 11,254) for a few days of wine, food, and glorious sunshine. Located in the middle of three wine producing regions of Sonoma County (Russian River, Dry Creek, and Alexander Valley), Healdsburg offers a quaint, small town feel in the midst of breathtaking scenery and exceptional food and wine.

Sunny afternoon in the Dry Creek Valley.

Sunset over Alexander Valley.

The Wine

Immediately after arriving at the Santa Rosa airport (Hi, Lucy!), we headed straight to Zichichi Family Vineyard to pick up our long awaited "futures" purchased on our visit in 2011. The 2010 Estate Zinfandel didn't disappoint, and we are tempted to order this year's futures as well.

Tasting resumed the next day with stops at Ferrari-Carrano Vineyards and Winery, Dutcher Crossing Winery, Papapietro Perry Winery, Kokomo Winery, and Seghesio Family Vineyards. Here is a summary of our visits.

Ferrari-Carano has beautiful gardens.

Lush gardens at Ferrari-Carrano.

Dutcher Crossing has a nice aesthetic and pretty views.

A vintage high-wheel bicycle is also displayed inside
Dutcher Crossing's tasting room.

Papapietro Perry makes amazing Pinot Noir (the Pinot from the Leras Family Vineyards is especially tasty).

Papapietro Perry Pinot!

Kokomo, a newer winery named after winemaker Erik Miller's hometown in Indiana, has a playful vibe and a tasty selection of whites and reds.

Kokomo's decor shows its playful side.

Seghesio has excellent Zinfandel, Sangiovese, and red blends (I'm currently enjoying the Omaggio, a blend of Cabernet and Sangiovese), as well as a large picnic area for enjoying wine and snacks.

Welcome to Seghesio.

The Food

On Sunday afternoon, we headed south to the beautiful and food-centric town of Yountville. Home to restaurants by chefs Thomas Keller and Michael Chiarello, this is where foodies congregate. And congregate they do, especially outside Keller's Bouchon Bakery. The line was at least 25 people deep the entire afternoon.

The constant line outside Bouchon Bakery.

I snuck in through the side door to get a glimpse of what made this place so popular. And suddenly, there they were -- row after row of gorgeous pastries including the highly coveted French macarons.

Gorgeous pastries inside Bouchon Bakery.

Directly across the street are Michael Chiarello's restaurant, Bottega, and shop, NapaStyle, and a couple blocks north is Thomas Keller's famed The French Laundry. I'm dying to eat there, but we didn't get a chance to do that on this visit. However, I did stroll through the spacious gardens across the street and take some photos. The baby artichokes were my favorite.

Baby artichokes at The French Laundry.

By now you may be wondering, where did we eat in Yountville? Bouchon!

Bouchon in Yountville, CA.

Another Thomas Keller restaurant, Bouchon serves casual French bistro fare (there are two additional locations in Las Vegas and Beverly Hills). From the hors-d'oeuvres to the desserts, the food here was outstanding. The service could stand to be improved (our server was relatively new and was often unable to answer questions about the menu), but this was easily overlooked as soon as the plates began arriving at our table. My mouth waters just thinking about the braised pork.

Kumamoto oysters from Washington state.

Épaule de Porc: Braised pork shoulder with potato purée, peas,
carrots, and whole grain mustard sauce.

Pot de Cr ème: Lemongrass infused custard with blackberry compote.

Before heading back to Seattle on Monday, I made a final stop at my favorite Healdsburg bakery, Costeaux. This was my second visit in two days, but that's nothing compared to Tony Bennett's rumored three-visits-in-one-day. Regardless, I stake my claim as Costeaux's most loyal out-of-town fan.

In the bag: Costeaux's Best of Show multigrain batard
and chocolate crinkle cookies.

hhf says: Outstanding wine + delectable food + endless sun (that's important to Seattleites) -- Healdsburg has it all. I'm sure I'll be heading back soon!

Manolo Blahnik white patent leather thong wedges.

Shoes: Manolo Blahnik white patent leather thongs with a lacquered cork wedge heel. The perfect summer shoe.