As a person who loves getting away from home for a special weekend around the Wine Country, I got so excited when Emily Martin invited me for a blogger weekend in Healdsburg in August. As you know, I really enjoy this charming little town. This time around we spent the night at Two Thirty-Five Luxury Suites, which is a lovely hotel just a few quick steps away from Healdsburg’s beautiful historic plaza. Each suite features three private bedrooms and bathrooms, a spacious living room, a kitchen, and a dining area. Whether you’re a family or a group of friends, everyone can enjoy the relaxing atmosphere and still have a private space of your own. We stayed in one of the three bedroom apartments, which is perfect for couples or a family vacationing in Sonoma County!
Our Saturday kicked off with a first stop at MacRostie Winery on 4605 Westside Rd, Healdsburg, CA. It was my first time visiting this beautiful property. In 1974, Steve MacRostie made his first Chardonnay and Pinot Noir using grapes from areas that include the Sonoma Coast. Back then, there were only about 40 small wineries in Sonoma County, whereas nowadays you can find more than four hundreds wineries around the County!
Another very important point to consider once you are wine tasting is to have a DD (designated driver) because alcohol & driving don’t mix!! We used Pure Luxury Transportation for the whole day and it made all the difference because none of us needed to worry about driving afterwards.
Our second stop of the day was Gary Farrell Winery, which we love so much that we just had to go back for a second time this year. We’ve already done the Inspiration Tasting in the past, so this time around we experienced their Exploration Tour & Tasting. This experience begins with a guided tour behind the scenes at their gorgeous winery, then we shared a communal tasting with one of their esteemed Estate Ambassadors who poured a selection of five wines that were each paired perfectly with an artisan cheese!! As always, we had a spectacular time with the Gary Farrell team.
After tasting at two exceptional wineries, we headed back to the hotel for a little rest before our extraordinary dinner at Valette Restaurant. Our five-course meal was unbelievably delicious!! Valette is unquestionably my favorite restaurant in the Town of Healdsburg!!
After a truly amazing day, we got to sleep in the most comfortable bed imaginable at our hotel! It was much needed because the next day (Sunday) we had other active day to enjoy in the wine country.
Sunday Funday requires a heavenly brunch, am I right? Our group was blessed with brunch at an incredible Salumeria in downtown Healdsburg called JourneyMan Meat Co. Our decadent brunch included bacon, breakfast sandwiches, a salami board, burgers, unique pizzas, & wonderful wines!!
For our last stop of the weekend (last but most definitely not least), we visited the outstanding Williams Selyem. If you’ve never been, it is with great pleasure that I’m able to introduce you to one of the most incredible wineries on Westside Road in Healdsburg. The history of this winery is fascinating and the architecture of their facilities is jaw-dropping. Most importantly, their wines are as good as it gets! Just be sure to make an appointment to ensure you get a chance to try their remarkably balanced and flavorful Chardonnay & Pinot Noir wines!!
If you are planning a weekend getaway to the Wine Country, please don’t hesitate to contact me with questions and I’ll be happy to give recommendations. It would be my pleasure to assist with setting your itinerary so that you enjoy your experience as much as I did!!
A special thanks to the following: Emily Martin who organized this extravagant and fun weekend, all the wineries for a great hospitality, Valette Restaurant & JourneyMan Meat CO for providing such tasty food. Also a huge thanks to Elise Aileen for recording our memorable moments with all these gorgeous photographs!!!
XoXo,
Isabel Freeman (Napavalleytip)