Sonoma Wineries:
Chateau St. Jean Winery
Near Highway 12, the Kenwood Depot, a little
architectural gem in the Richardsonian Romanesque style, was a
Southern Pacific train station from 1888 to 1936. Nearby, Kenwood
Plaza is a nice, little park fronting the white steepled Kenwood
Community Church, anchoring the community of vintage cottages as
it has since 1888.
Just north on Highway 12, wine lovers make pilgrimages to Chateau St.
Jean for their highly-rated, vineyard-designated wines. Cinq Cépages––“Five
Varieties”––was named in 2003 as one of the best wines in the
world. Each of the components of this Bordeaux-style wine––Cabernet
Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Malbec, and Petit Verdot–-is aged separately
for two years in small French oak barrels before blending. Surrounding the 1920s-era
mansion, formal gardens and a redwood-shaded picnic area make this a nice stop.
If you are not able to get to the twice-weekly Sonoma Farmer’s Market, pull into Oak Hill Farm, where the rustic, 100-year-old Red Barn Store sells organically-grown flowers, fruit and vegetables fresh from their forty-five acres of fields and orchards.
Jack London wrote of Sonoma County, "The air is wine. Across Sonoma Mountain, wisps of sea fog are stealing. The afternoon sun smolders in the drowsy sky. I have everything to make me glad I am alive."
Learn more about Jack London and the Valley of the Moon »
The article on this page is adapted from the book, Backroads of the California Wine Country by Karen Misuraca (www.karenmisuraca.com), published by Voyageur Press.
Photo Credit: The pictures on this page are by Lisa Moore. www.studioponderosa.com