October, 2009

Rating: 10 out of 10

Tariff : 

• Rental of hybrid bikes for 2 - $66 + tax

• Picnic lunch from Oakville Grocery co. - $600

• Wine tasting fees ranged from $5-$18

We met our friends at Wine Country Bikes, where they had already rented their bikes for the afternoon.  They were given Trek 7300 Hybrid bikes that were in great working order, comfortable, and easy to ride. (Road bikes are also available.) I should note that although we were heading out on our own, Wine country Bikes organizes a variety of guided bike tours--just about anyone can have the opportunity to see Healdsburg and some of the beautiful countryside by bike!

Next we peddled to the Oakville Grocery Co. (see review) to supply ourselves with picnic foods for the outing. This is a fabulous, centrally located spot for grabbing a cup of coffee and a dessert, having lunch, picking up gourmet take away deli foodstuffs, or packing a picnic as we were.

We headed south out of town on West Dry Creek Road with our first destination being the Hop Kiln Winery about 6 miles away. It was just a gorgeous sunny day with a cool breeze that made our ride more enjoyable.

Once there, we admired the truly unique building which was a hop kiln from 1893-1950. The huge stone building is topped by three giant roofs with chimney stacks and is surrounded by gorgeous lawns, a rose garden, pond, and picnic area. Inside we went for our first wine tasting of the day. Hop Kiln has been producing wines for 30 years, and is particularly well known for their Pinot Noirs. Three of the wines we tasted were the very popular Thousand Flowers '08, a crisp, lightly sweet, fruity white wine ($16);  the Big Red '07, a blend of zinfandel/syrah/petite syrah/tempranillo/malbec ($19.50)and the lighter, mellower Rushin' River Red ($23). After sampling and making purchases we headed out to the picnic area on a back above the pond.  There we enjoyed the weather and scenery while sharing the three gourmet sandwiches, the French bread, the selections of cheeses and of course the wine. To make picnicing a more elegant affair, the Hopkiln tasting room offers (free of charge) cutting boards and knives as well as wine glasses!

For those interested in spending a relaxing day here, inquire about the weekend music program during summer months.

We turned our bikes back toward town determined to try a few more tastings. Our next stop was the C. Donatiello Winery.  They own a number of vineyards, this one being their most prized, Maddie's Vineyard. Here they grow certified organic Pinot Noir grapes.

Here we tasted our choice of 5 wines, all Pinot Noir:  2006 Russian River Valley, 2007 Maddie's Vineyard RRV, 2007 Floodgate Vineyard Block 15 RRV, and 2007 Hervey Vineyard RRV. The first Pinot was more tangy than I prefer, and my favorite was the full bodied Floodgate.  In fact, everyone in our group was impressed by this wine.

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At this point we had too little time and a bit too much wine, so we made our final stop Matrix Winery. This winery, one of five owned by Ken and Diane Wilson, is known for its Pinot Noirs and Bordeaux varietals. Matrix has a gorgeous rear deck high above the wooded landscape below, and at the end of the afternoon this just seemed like the right place to be.  Our server in the tasting room graciously let us take some of our selections outside to enjoy the view.

At the end of our bike trip we agreed to wash up and meet at Scopa (see review) on the square for dinner.  Following that we headed back to our quaint B&B, The Piper Street Inn (see review) to bask in the luxury of our well furnished suite.

Wine Country Bikes
61 Front Street
Healdsburg, CA  95448
707-473-0610

Oakville Grocery Co.
124 Matheson Street
Healdsburg, CA 95448
707-433-3200

Hop Kiln Winery
6050 Westside Road
Healdsburg, CA 95448
707-433-6491

C. Donatiello Winery
4035 Westside Road
Healdsburg, CA 95448
800-433-8296

Matrix Winery
3291 Westside Road
Healdsburg, CA  95448
707-433-1911