Monterey to Healdsburg with a stop at Selby Wines
Ah, the coast. When you live landlocked in a desert, there is nothing more refreshing than the sound and smell of the ocean. Our trip was set to take us inland, but not before we soaked up a bit more salt spray.
We headed North from Monterey on the Pacific Coast Highway, traveling through Santa Cruz and up to Bonny Doon Beach in Davenport. This was the spot where the Bonny Doon tasting room had lured us in several years ago. Sadly, it is now gone, but it helped us discover this wonderful beach.
Michael pulled out our little drone (his name is Buzz) and grabbed some great beach shots, being careful not to disturb the fishermen. I busied myself with finding those micros shots of flowers, grasses, and bumblebees.
Finally, we headed back to the car, walking along the defunct railroad tracks (which made for some more great drone footage).
Lunch at Sam’s Chowder House
We climbed back into the car and headed further north our planned lunch spot was near Half Moon Bay and opened at 11. I figured arriving about 11:20 we should still have no trouble getting a table. Little did I know what a popular spot Sam’s Chowder House is. The parking lot, which is kinda small, was full and cars were parked along the road in both directions. We put our name in and waited about 20 minutes for a table on the patio looking out onto the ocean.
The wait was worth it. We enjoyed some of the chowder they are named for, Poki, fried calamari, and seafood risotto, while we enjoyed the view.
Full and happy we headed North again to San Francisco and across the Iconic Golden Gate Bridge. Now it was on to Healdsburg to meet Susie Selby and Selby Wines.
Selby Wines and Susie Selby
We met Susie virtually last year during #MerlotMe in October. Since we were heading through the area, I had reached out to see if she would have time to meet us and do an interview. She graciously made time for us.
We did the interview (which you will get to see in-depth with our full piece later on) in her courtyard. She shared with us the story of how her wines came to be served in the White House over 4 different administrations.
Then we headed out front to the patio where a couple of her wine club members were sitting with friends. They were more than happy to do a short video with us on why they so loved this winery. (you will get to see that too!)
We tasted through her wines which range from Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc to reds that include Pinot Noir, Grenache, Sangiovese, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Petite Sirah, Zinfandel, and of course the Merlot that we had tasted before we headed back on the road.
We headed west through the Mayacama Mountains up the winding road in Robert Lewis Stevenson State Park.
Tonight’s stop was decidedly unglamorous. We were stopping in Redding. It’s a good spot along the I-5 as we were heading to Southern Oregon in the morning.
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Robin Renken is a wine writer and Certified Specialist of Wine. She and her husband Michael travel to wine regions interviewing vineyard owners and winemakers and learning the stories behind the glass.
When not traveling they indulge in cooking and pairing wines with food at home in Las Vegas.
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