le blog de tranny

We kicked off the final leg of our trip with appointments at some of the Dry Creek Valley wineries. Every winery we visited was absolutely lovely. We started off at Unti, which sells to pretty much every resto in the SF Bay Area worth knowing that I can think of. (Not to mention Bi-Rite, which is super convenient.) The tasting fee was only $5 and the bottles were shockingly well-priced!

The Dry Creek Valley wineries were markedly less touristy, more legit, and better-priced than their Sonoma and Napa counterparts. A tour of this region could’ve made our trip alone!

Our next stop was Preston, which had the most charming grounds and the most delicious house-made sauerkraut (and loads of kitties).






We took some citrus-y Sauvignon Blanc (which you can apparently purchase at Berkeley Bowl) and a container of sauerkraut to go.

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Next on our agenda was lunch at Willie’s Seafood & Wine Bar. We split some oysters, a hangar steak skewer with chimichurri, and the uni mac ‘n cheese. Solid.

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Soon it was time for the final winery of our trip — the grand finale, if you will – Copain. Oh COPAIN, Copain — my favorite winery of our trip by far! We were treated to spectacular views and delicious wines. (And I brought two very expensive bottles back with me as well. As soon as I pay off my credit card I’m ordering a few more bottles of the Les Voisins Pinot, since I just drank mine yesterday.) As a side note, I dined at Daniel in NYC a few weeks ago (for my first ever three Michelin star experience) and I noticed that they use the Les Voisins Pinot as a pairing on their tasting menu. They also sell bottles of it on their wine list for like $90, but I don’t have to pay those prices ‘cos I live in California beysh!

[The barn/tasting room/cellar at Copain.]

[Our view while tasting.]


With wine on our teeth and the sun on our backs, how could we not be gleeful?

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So, the finale to our trip was actually a two-parter. The second bit? Dinner at the bar at Cyrus. (It seems I’m incapable of going to wine country without hitting at least one Michelin star joint.)


[An ode to a Pimm's cup called "Mad Dogs & Englishmen" -- gin, Pimm's #1, lemon juice, ginger, orange bitters, cucumber-lemongrass foam.]

Once again we found ourselves victims of age-ism. We watched two parties who arrived at the bar after us get their extravagant bread baskets before finally asking for our own. That bartender was a bitch.


[Chilled cucumber consomme with avocado and hearts of palm.]

[Sea bass with artichokes in sake lees, pea sprouts and dashi.]

[Aged abalone with sake, melon and sea grapes OMFG.]

[Foie gras torchon with cherry, pistachio and ginger...!!!]

[Sweet corn and black truffle risotto with taleggio.]

[Kurobuta tenderloin with cranberry beans, potato and persillade.]

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A delicious, boozy (if not ulcer-inducing weekend) with the most delicious company — Nina and my car. Car, I miss you!

On our second day we drove into Sonoma proper for a full day of wine tasting. We started off with breakfast at the much loved Fremont Diner, which more than lived up to its reputation (on Chowhound).

With so many delicious low country menu items to choose from, we had to be strategic in our ordering.

[The "Kitchen Sink", with biscuit, ham, fried chicken, sausage gravy & a fried egg.]

[Shrimp 'n grits with bacon, sausage, spring onions, and sunny side up eggs.]

[I lost this lipstick and it makes me sad.]

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Our first winery of the day was Keller Estate.

We met a lovely woman who taught us the difference between stainless steel and oak aged whites.

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Next was Gundlach Bundschu, where the ageism was ample but the pours were not.

I ended up getting a 100% Cab Franc and my tasting fee was not waived upon purchase.

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Gundlach is a five minute drive from Sonoma square, where we had a light lunch at The Girl + the Fig.

Our lunch consisted of fig royales, heirloom radishes with anchovy butter, a cheese tasting, and a BLT with green tomatoes.

[Icicle, flambeau and easter radishes -- who knew there were so many different kinds?]

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Our final winery of the day was Scribe, which does tastings by appointment only. This was by far our best tasting experience of the day.

We decided to explore this rundown hacienda.

It was time for our tasting appointment so we drove to the end of the trail, where this idyllic scene awaited us.

[Heh heh.]

The wines were pricey but I couldn’t leave without a bottle. I chose a Syrah.

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After Scribe we went back to Sonoma square to split a bottle of rose on the grass and bask in the sun. Once the sun went down we had a quick dinner at La Salette. We were pretty haggard at this point so had to cut it a little short. The food was definitely tasty, but the place was practically empty and had a washed up kind of feel. It didn’t help that their menu was typed in Comic Sans MS.

[Tripe with white beans & chicken -- bueno.]

[Mussels with tomato-lobster fumet -- how bad can that be?]