After a fews days being back home in the Finger Lakes, I’ve had time to process my left coast experience, to “reset the palette.”

In my first post to kick off our California trip I shared my personal expectation that this trip, like most others, was an opportunity to refresh the palette: taste new foods and different preparations, sample wines crafted from lands unlike the Finger Lakes and experience a culture that’s not quite the same as mine. These seem obvious when traveling overseas, but one can’t overlook the fact that within our country’s borders you can find truly unique regional food experiences. As chain restaurant franchises carpet our country from coast to coast and grocery store shelves get stacked to the ceiling with packaged, processed, corn-based-food-like substances, it’s reassuring to discover people in America who are really passionate about creating great and unique food and wine.

Being a fan of California wine country is like being a Yankees fan - with generations of success preceding, it’s sometimes too easy to like (spoken like a Phillies fan). Sonoma County has so much working for it - fertile lands, moderate climate, unique micro-climates and soils and spell-binding diverse terrain. When I look back at our trip I sometimes see our future. What’s new seems to stick first on the west coast, like the organic movement and localvore-ism (not so sure this is a word) and then makes its way back east. One thing that struck me as unique is the next iteration of organic - biodynamics. The basic principles of biodynamic farming center on stewardship of the land and ecosystem to promote a healthy, sustainable agricultural economy. We saw biodynamics in action at Benzinger Family Winery and Michel-Schlumberger Winery where everything from the fertilizer, bugs, birds, bees, fox, deer and mountain lions where all managed in a harmonious state to create healthier vineyards yielding better wines.

Over the past five or so years I’ve witnessed change here in the Finger Lakes, maybe some of which was inspired by west coast initiatives, maybe not. Town farm markets featuring organically raised food products, grass-fed beef and heirloom varieties of vegetables grown by small-scale local farmers. It’s reassuring to see that there is still a place in our society for the small, family farm. One thing that I didn’t see as much of out west that is so pervasive in the Finger Lakes is the farm stand. At the height of summer and fall harvest I can’t drive three miles without coming across a farm stand selling seasonal produce, cut flowers or free range eggs.

The restaurant scene in Sonoma County and Mendocino was exceptional. It was easy to find good food at any price range in each of the towns we visited. It may sound thrilling to be able to dine out every evening at fine restaurants with five course meals, but in reality we found it best to pace ourselves. Yes, we enjoyed a few luxurious dining moments, but we also found great little places to enjoy wood-fired oven baked pizza and small tapas-style dishes. Regardless of price we thought the food quality to be good and equally satisfying was the service. Unfortunately it’s difficult to find similar dining opportunities in the Finger Lakes. I have a short list of my favorite dining spots in the region that offer quality food, service, and ambiance, but generally speaking, it’s not pervasive in the region like it was out west. In my opinion it’s important for restauranteurs to spend time working at, or at least visiting, quality restaurants before opening their doors. It appears obvious through a lack of consistent good quality food and service excellence, that far too many proprietors have not done so.

And of course, the wines. Sonoma County is home to over 170 wineries and so many of them are great; it’s tough to find a bad bottle among them. Our trip focused on smaller wineries whose wines we wouldn’t find back home. We were quite successful as noted in my posts, but it came at a price. Lower end prices for the wines we tasted were around $18, with a mean price of approximately $35 - prices topped out at $75. In comparison just yesterday I was in a  local wine store walking through the Finger Lakes isle and I was reminded of what great values can be found in our region’s wine: Fox Run Vineyards Reserve Chardonnay - $12, Dr. Konstantin Frank Dry Reisling - $14, and a limited selection of reds: Pinot Noir and Cabernet Franc in the $18-$25 range (Ravines Wine Cellars, Lamoreaux Landing Wine Cellars). And these are wines of character, wines with layered flavor profiles, reds that improve with extra bottle aging, wines that match up with and complement food quite well. At these price points, the quality wines of the Finger Lakes can be enjoyed on regular basis and not stored away for some future special occasion… like our purchases from California. During our travels we’ve chatted with other food and wine lovers and generally speaking, these people primarily associate sweet, fruity wines with the Finger Lakes. The Finger Lakes does produce world-class sweet dessert wines alongside the many bottlings of simple, fruity sipping wines, but the region also produces very fine wine from vinifera varietals in limited quantities. What we lack is consistency from winery to winery in quality and focus of varietals. Similar to my suggestion to restauranteurs, some of our vintners should spend time with the farmers and vintners of other great wine regions in order to develop their craft back home. It’s easy to taste which ones did from those who did not.

As I wrap up my California wine and food travel post, I offer these words of advice - make time to visit other parts of this country, and of this world and seek out those facets that define its uniqueness, the roots of their culture. I find it mainly through food, wine, and agriculture, but also in museums, architecture and living history. By getting away I’ve learned to appreciate more what I have at home because my travels have tuned my eye to see and appreciate the things that make the Finger Lakes region such a very special place.

Our last day in California was spent drinking up the lush history of the region.

We arose this morning, like most mornings, without a grand plan. But after a conversation or two with others and looking back at what could have done earlier in the week, we set a course. Shortly after breakfast we armed ourselves with a historic homes of Healdsburg directory and set off on a self-guided walking tour of the town. Walking tours of historic districts has become a regular for our travels - it gives us a deeper appreciation of how the town evolved from one generation to the next and slowly but surely, we’re learning a little (just a little) about architecture. Healdsburg has a wealth of great historic homes. From the mid-19th to the early 20th centuries we admired  examples of Queen Anne, Craftsman, Neo-classical, and Italianate architecture. This town has done a great job of preserving its past and making it highly functional today. Along the tour we took a break at the Oakville Grocery to grab a few picnic items for later in the day.

Heading south we returned to Glen Ellen to visit the Jack London State Historic Park. Neither of us knew much about Jack London other than he was a writer. After a full afternoon of walking the park and strolling the visitor’s center we learned that London was much more than a writer. Yes, he authored over 50 books plus numerous essays and articles, but he was also an adventurer, and more importantly to London himself, a farmer. On Beauty Ranch London experimented with various land conservation farming methods and animal husbandry. The park is essentially an interpretive center featuring his cottage, farm buildings, the House of Happy Walls (built by his wife Charmian shortly after Jack’s death), and the remnants of Wolf House. Wolf House was London’s dream home that was destroyed by fire just weeks before moving in. Today the stone work still stands serving as a 15,000 square foot monument to London.

Picnic tables are strategically located throughout the park so we opened our bag of tasty morsels purchased earlier in the day: locally made manchego-style cheese, salami, olives stuffed with Point Reyes Bleu Cheese, and an artichoke and olive salad.

There were no wine tastings for the day but I did make a wine-relate to our hike. Long before London purchased the ranch there was an existing vineyard and winery. Only the stone foundation of the winery exists today but the vineyard still produces excellent Cabernet Sauvignon and Zinfandel fruit.

The sun began to set on the day and on our adventure. We made our way back to the car, headed south crossing the Golden Gate Bridge just as it all began.  Farewell California, until the next time.

• End Notes: View the day's collection of photos here.

Sonoma County’s Dry Creek Valley, sixteen miles long and two wide, attracted Italian immigrants to its lands because its terrain so reminded them of home. Today, many of the wineries and vineyards are still in the family.

With the variety of appellations within Sonoma County we thought this day would be good to focus on just one. I was eager to taste single vineyard zinfandels preferably from smaller wineries or family-owned enterprises so Keren, our host at Haydon Street Inn in historic Healdsburg, marked a route along the Dry Creek Valley. Ten minutes on the road transported us to another world - from the trendy, upscale downtown Healdsburg to the bucolic serenity of vineyards and farmlands that stretched across a valley floor and crept up the sides of dramatically rolling hills. Our route twisted and turned along the baseline of the hills on roads sometimes no wider than a single car.

First stop: Michel-Schlumberger Wines for a tour and tasting (note, reservations are required). We typically don’t do the tour thing (you’ve seen one fermentation tank, you’ve seen them all) but the day was turning warm with clear skies and this tour took us out into the vineyards, so we went along. We also figured we needed as much extra walking as the day would allow after a week of eating well. The Michel-Schlumberger story was interesting: Europeans in California bringing French-style winemaking to the New World. They also set in place biodynamic farming practices that utilize organics and wildlife to maintain a healthy order to the circle of life whether it be on the vine or with the woodland creatures. Interestng to note as well is Michel-Schlumberger took a small east-facing slope to grow Pinot Noir - a grape you wouldn’t associate with Dry Creek. They called him crazy at the time but his wine ‘le fou’ Pinot Noir was a success. The name, meaning the fool, or crazy one, pokes back at the critics who thought Pinot Noir couldn’t be grown with success in the Valley.

Sbragia Family Vineyards was our next stop. We tasted three distinct zinfandels, all well made. By the time we finished we were getting hungry so we bought a piece of cheese, crackers, sliced salami, and a glass of  2006 Gino’s Vineyard Zinfandel from the tasting room. Sitting on the deck of the winery, enjoying the view down the valley, and experiencing what food can do to transform a wine. The fatty salami created a cushion against the wine’s tannins to allow the fruit character to shine through. This zin is good food wine, for sure.

After lunch we made two more stops along the way: Truett-Hurst and Quivira Vineyards and Winery. Both wineries showed classic examples of Dry Creek zinfandels. But these stops were simply a means to an end and that end was to stretch every moment of daylight to enjoy the wonderful little swatch of land known as Dry Creek Valley.

• End Notes: View our collection of photos from Dry Creek Valley.

Esterlina Vineyards & Winery is off the beaten path.  Actually, it’s on little more than a path, but it makes for an incredible wine tasting experience overlooking the Anderson Valley.

“There is no road sign, just drive until you reach mile marker 17.45 and then turn up the dirt road. See you at eleven thirty.”

These were the last words of instruction Dan, the tasting room attendant at Esterlina Vineyards & Winery gave me when I called to make an appointment for a tasting. An hour earlier we were making small talk with the owner of the Agate Cove Inn explaining the types of wineries we were interested in visiting. “Think about Esterlina. You have to call ahead to make an appointment, they are way up on a hill with great views of the valley.” Not much to go on but it was enough to pique our interest. After a beautiful drive through redwood forests along Route 128 we entered the Anderson Valley wine region and we made the call.

Sure enough, at mile marker 17.45 was a dirt road heading up… and up… and up. Two miles of washboard roads and 20+ percent grades. We wondered if this was the road; was our GPS hoodwinked (again)? Soon enough a small sign for the winery peeked out - we had arrived.

Dan greeted us as we pulled into the driveway of a nondescript duo of home-like buildings. As it turns out one was the home of the owners, the other a two story conversion into a tasting balcony, retail space, and warehouse. Moments later our tasting partners arrived - Pat and Nicki from Cincinnati.

“Here’s the tasting sheet - four wines on one side four on the other and a couple of pens because we’re going to taste wines off the list so you’ll have to write your own notes. By the way, there are dump buckets on the table and I expect you to use them. I’m going to pour a lot of wine today.” These last words were ample warning that at Esterlina weekend winetasting warriors were not tolerated and that if we didn’t behave, then the tasting would end. Message delivered, message received.

Sitting on a deck with new-found friends, high above the Anderson Valley floor overlooking the vineyards and facing hills on a 70 degree cloudless day, being poured fabulous wines, educated on the brand and wildly entertained by Dan, our host. Not bad, eh? Esterlina is not a winery you happen upon - it’s a planned destination, and you have to want to be here. Come here and you won’t be fed gibberish about wine competition awards, or words of greatness. You’ll be fed insights, humorous conversation from an employee who doesn’t take himself or the business too seriously and cheese puffs. Yes, cheese puffs, not wine crackers or artisnal breads. (Read about the cheese puffs in this article - and good backstory on the winery.)

About an hour into the tasting we hit a halftime of sorts - Dan insisted we take a few moments to simply enjoy the Cabernet Sauvignon just poured before moving on. This moment epitomized what was meant to be - a wine experience that goes beyond what’s in the glass but what extends beyond into the day, the time, the place, and the people. It was good moment; all things in a delicate balance.

This serendipitous moment, more like a two hour event to be exact, was why I came to California. We pushed beyond the veneer of overly commercialized tasting “villas” to find people interested in making good wine and sharing it with new friends. Esterlina was the climb to the mountaintop, the stairway to California tasting heaven. Only a select few, somehow chosen by Bacchus himself, would be inspired to find this mecca on the hilltop overlooking the panorama of the beautiful Anderson Valley.

Only one winery stop today. Esterlina was a complete day.

• End Notes: View additional photos from our visit to Esterlina Vineyards and Winery., Tomorrow we get back to Sonoma County wine tasting. We'll be dialed in to the Dry Creek Valley region., Read Matthew Latkiewciz's experience at Esterlina.

Saturday was a day of outside adventure ranging from exploring the town to coastal walks on a picture-perfect day in Mendocino.

We, like so many others, came to Mendocino to melt away in relaxation. This town is THE town for getting away from it all. People of all ages and walks of life stroll the streets with a single purpose in mind - leaving the rest of the world behind. In my earlier post I mentioned that this is a town that hasn’t changed for years and that’s a good thing. The downtown gives off a certain vibe of comfort and charm in its timelessness. After breakfast we zigzagged the streets taking a self-guided tour of historic homes and buildings. Along the way we dropped by the Mendocino Art Center to view fine works by local and regional artists. During recent trips we’ve made it a point to visit local art museums and I’m glad we do - it provides new insights on alternative perspectives, creates conversation, and inspires.

We eventually made our way to the coastal pathways, including Mendocino Headlands State Park, where we never tired of watching the waves roll in. The surf was unusually rough which made for dramatic views as waves one after the other bombarded the rocky shoreline.

With a few hours of daylight left we drove just a couple of miles north to visit Point Cabrillo Light Station. We walked a half  a mile to the light station. The sun was just beginning to lower painting a warm glow across the buildings and surrounding sea grass. Soon our walk was complete and we drove back to Agate Cove Inn to watch the sun finish setting over the ocean.

Dinner that night: The Moosse Cafe. Very nice meal with one notable hiccup. The amuse bouche mellon and mascarpone cheese was a nice effort but the cantaloupe wasn’t ripe. If the owner tasted this before it was served it would never have made it to the dining room. Otherwise, my duck confit was fine, and the candy cap mushroom ice cream for dessert was a treat.

Tomorrow we hit the road again traveling through redwood forests and the Anderson Valley on our way to Healdsburg.