Sunday we met our small group in Calistoga, and set off for another day on our bikes. The weather was absolutely gorgeous — we truly lucked out. Our first stop of the day was Envy Wines, where I really liked the 2007 Bee Bee's Blend, and then literally down the driveway, across the street and up the next driveway into Summers Estate Winery where I got to taste a grape varietal I had never tasted before — charbono. After a bit of a ride, we stopped for our final tasting of the day and lunch at Lava Vine, where I enjoyed their 2007 Knight's Valley Syrah and their port-style dessert wine (served with salted chocolate), both so delicious that I considered shipping some home to NYC.
After a quick stop at Clos Pegase to see some of the art collection, Dad and I headed back to town in order to shower and clean up in time for our early bird dinner reservation at ad hoc. I generally can't handle eating that early, but despite the hour, we had a delicious meal before we drove back into SF to stay at our hotel near the airport — we both had 7:15 a.m. flights the next day. ad hoc offers a prix fixe menu — one selection per day — and that day it was a mixed green salad, braised short ribs, a goat cheese course (they swapped mine w/a cow's milk cheese), and a buttermilk layer cake. Delicious.
The flight home, early as it was, was pleasantly uneventful, but I arrived home to find that the LOST finale hadn't taped properly — major disaster, as I had very deliberately avoided it the night before when it aired. Oh well.
Thanks to dad for a wonderful trip — looking forward to more. You can see the pictures here.
Once again, apologies for the delay. It's been a busy week!