Last month I spent a fabulous and fun five days in San Francisco and Wine Country with my friend Kathryn, who is currently living there. Our plan was to eat, hike (walk if I am truly honest here), drink wine and repeat. El Nino was against us and torrential windy rain ruined the hiking (walking) part of this trip. Darn that weather :).
So, we had to find something to replace the hiking part of our trip. If you guessed Uber from winery to winery, we are going to become very fast friends.
Our first stop was at Ram’s Gate Winery in Carneros, which Kathryn just happens to be a member of. I was first introduced to their wines by my friend Jaimee when she opened a gorgeous bottle of their Chardonnay knowing I would love it… and she was right.
Ram’s Gate Vineyards
Driving up to a locked gated winery, you have to announce yourself for entry. We had a reservation and the doors grandly opened into a driveway leading up to the reception area. I honestly had no idea what to expect. This place is elegant meets hunting lodge meets a serene spa. It’s truly warm and welcoming.
Tasting Room
Seated by our host and waited upon by the highly educated and delightful Summer, we opted for the five-course wine and food pairing. Highly recommended!
The awesome wine wall
The food is 5 star with no hint of a stale cracker with a bit of cheese. This is a luxuriously indulgent afternoon of eating and drinking. We tasted 5 of their wines…
2013 Pinot Blanc, Estate
2012 Chardonnay, Diablo Vineyard
2012 Pinot Noir, Bush Crispo Vineyard
2011 Cabernet Sauvignon, Sonoma Valley
2011 Syrah, Carneros
While I didn’t become I member, I did succumb to buying a number of bottles of wine, in particular their 2013 Pinot Blanc, which is the wine I am going to share with you.
One of our food pairing dishes
The Ram’s Gate Pinot Blanc has grassy notes on the nose. A sweetness hit the tip of my tongue surprising me a little as I didn’t remember it being that sweet. A second later it just settles into a creamy and quite relaxed state on the middle my tongue. It is plentiful with fruits like cantaloupe, nectarine and peach, which all have that initial sweetness. While this is not a wine sweet it would absolutely appeal to wine lovers with a sweeter inclined palate. After a while the intense sweetness goes away and every sip beckons another. This is a lusciously seductive wine, which has no thorny edges or sharpness just a simple nice wine on the tantalizingly sweeter side. Not a wine normally for me but I kind of like it in a weird sort of way.
Wine Tasting Flight
I offset the sweetness with a bit on strong creamy cheddar and very crisp crackers – awesome.
After our tasting we wandered around their breathtaking winery. They have truly created a tasting experience from wine to food to service to décor and atmosphere. I want to have a party there some day!
I absolutely loved this place and highly recommend you stopping by if you are ever visiting wine country.
