Soaking it all in
Off the Beaten Path in Sonoma Valley
Those who follow my exploits via my articles on Medium, posts on Facebook, in my hiking and backpacking newsletter, or at my website, probably know that I love hiking in out-of-the way places. I also like traveling to less-trendy places.
Though I am not opposed to comfort and fine-dining, I generally seek out a taste of adventure. I’ll be fine with freeze-dried meals if that’s what it takes to be in beautiful, less-trampled surroundings and there’s a bit of a challenge to get there.
So why did I recently head for Sonoma Valley in the heart of California’s wine country in mid-July? After all, this area (also known as The Valley of the Moon) like neighboring Napa Valley, draws visitors from not only Northern California, but from all over the world, to enjoy its historical sites, luxurious spas, quaint towns, boutiques, scenery, picnicking and hiking — and wine. It can all be quite posh.
However, it was an opportune way to meet up with friends at a BATW (Bay Area Travel Writers) meeting. Secondly, it was an opportunity to see a place I had never been — Coursey Graves Estate Winery — in a quiet part of the wine country where I hadn’t visited before.
As it played out — partly due to much effort on the part of Coursey Graves and Goodness Gracious Catering, and the BATW event planners — and partly because of a mistake on my part, I found comfort, hospitality, beauty, camaraderie, fine wine and food — and a bit of serendipity.
Upon arrival, our members were welcomed and given our first wine of Coursey Graves’ Signature tasting — a glass of the Sonoma Coast Chardonnay — and soon began our guided tour of the grounds. We had been advised to wear comfortable shoes for the short walks on uneven ground. We soon came to the Monet-style garden, which was every bit as beautiful as promised in the literature. I’m certain that we were all won over by the rich and colorful grounds of the estate — the majority of which was in full bloom. Coursey Graves is a bit off the beaten track, but a destination deserving such rave reviews as recently given in, “One of 10 Most Beautiful Wineries in Sonoma County,” by Wine Country.com.”
We were introduced to winemaker Matthew Casalenuov, who treated us to a tour of the wine cellar. We learned that the vineyards here have “the ideal conditions to produce the captivating complexity of Coursey Graves’ carefully crafted estate wines.” Cabell Coursey, founding winemaker at Coursey Graves, has written, “We focus on plush and opulent French varietals that benefit from our temperate climate, cool evening winds and high elevation.” Bennett Mountaintop has a high percentage of volcanic soils, and sits 1,500 feet above the valley.
All this discussion about wine growing and wine production only served to whet our appetite for the catered lunch — and remaining wine pours —coming up. We moved to the spacious, new, modern home of John and Denise Graves, owners of Coursey Graves. There we enjoyed the luncheon of tender bites of filet mignon (or trout), cheese, and decadent “Le Financier” (an Almond Tea Cake). We were served a Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir, Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, and Bennett Mountain Estate Red Blend. Who could resist the site — with its panoramic views across the valley to the mountains?
After our group finished our brief business meeting and adjourned, we were taken by zippy golf carts back down to our cars. I looked forward to driving back down the hill to the Bennett Valley Road . The road, narrow and twisty at times, was a pleasure to drive. I didn’t bother setting my GPS because I thought it would be a snap to find my way back home.
It wasn’t too long before it sank in that I had missed a turn, but I decided to continue in this new, unfamiliar direction. I had plenty of time to explore and my gas tank was nearly full. And that led to what was more fun — getting turned around/lost — not bothering with any GPS directions.
This lead to another kind of experience — finding myself on quiet, even more narrow and twisty, country roads climbing up through forested areas. Finally I came to a place of some size , Glen Ellen, which I recognized. I had been through this quaint and charming little town, near Jack London State Park, with my husband Ralph and friends, only a few weeks earlier.
But a mystery remains, because even now, studying a map a couple of weeks after this escapade, I still can’t figure out exactly where I had been. Where had I come through the mountains and reached this familiar place? Whereas it would have taken only 20 minutes to get to Glen Ellen from where I started if I had taken the direct route, the round-about route I took was at least twice that amount of time.
One of these days, I plan to visit this area again. Who knows? As I said, I like being off the beaten path. It might be to visit Coursey Graves Wine Estate again and/or to hike in Annabel State Park, one of California State Parks, or either Hood Mountain or North Sonoma Mountain Regional Park and Open Space Preserve, part of the Sonoma County Regional Parks or open spaces.
There’s a wealth of exciting places in the Sonoma Valley — just be sure you have a full tank of gas (or plan to use the charging station at Coursey Graves), a sense of where you are headed, or a map preloaded on your phone (download offline map) because some areas lack cell-phone service.
This was a great place and time to experience wanderlust!
About Coursey Graves Estate Winery, 6860 Serenity Way, Santa Rosa. Tastings/visits are by appointment only, seven days a week. Reservations can be booked online or at 707–867–1888. Wine club information here. Currently there are two tours available for tasting: Experience Option #1. Private Signature Experience, a 90-minute private tasting experience including the tour of the gardens and boutique winery. Experience Option #2. Semi-Private Bennett Mountain Tasting. a 60-minute stroll through our Monet-style French gardens and explore the boutique production facility. Relax in a seated tasting to sip and savor.
