Back home

Ran into some construction and wreck traffic/rubbernecking on the way home, but got back to Portland in ~10 hours. We've done a LOT of driving in the past 5 days and are pretty busted. I'm wishing I'd had the sense to take off tomorrow like Rhonda did.

We took things pretty easy on Sunday. After a nice drive, winery stops were:
* Ledson- Some really nice cabs and zins, but pricey and too snooty/fancy for our tastes- can't recommend this one.
* Kunde- Nice chardonnay and sangiovese here, plus we got to take a tour of their barrel-aging cave.
* Back to Gloria Ferrer for some more complimentary bubbly. Rhonda picked up her first wine club shipment here- looks like we'll be experimenting with aging some sparklers.

After the wine tasting, we headed back to the room to enjoy the late afternoon sun on our balcony.

Among the things we discussed on the balcony was the fact that Sonoma is now Rhonda's favorite non-beach vacation spot. Instead of hitting other wine country spots, we will likely keep going back to Sonoma. It's very laid back, and the locals are approachable and friendly. It's just a very comfortable place with a relaxed pace of life- highest recommendation. For future visits, we'll probably hit an old favorite or 2 on tasting days, plus maybe try a new one.

Other recommended wineries from our first trip (didn't hit them on this trip, but will definitely go back in the future):

* Chateau St. Jean- Wonderful (and wonderfully affordable) chardonnay that is a staple in our house.
* Viansa- Lots of great reds, beautiful location.
* Benziger.
* Imagery.