We continue our 6 day journey through Central Coast Wine Country and a little beyond with Day 2, which is the beyond part. After driving from Vegas to Santa Barbara and making our way up the coast through San Luis Obispo and Paso Robles, we ended Day 1 in Monterey. Our 2nd day takes us to Sonoma.
Day 2 Monterey to Sonoma
Morning Sky at Marina Dunes
The sky was lit up beautifully behind the clouds as we headed out from Marina California, just south of Monterey in the morning. We hit the road to make the drive to Sonoma.
Gloria Ferrer
We started the day with some bubbly at Gloria Ferrer in Carneros. The wine, the view, the gardens and the service all started the day off beautifully. We will do a detailed post on our tasting later…for now, just soak in some of the beautiful scenery and bubbles.
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- Gloria Ferrer Caves & Vineyards in Carneros
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- The entrance to Gloria Ferrer Caves & Vineyards
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- The view of the Carneros Vineyards from Gloria Ferrer
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- Sparkling Flight to start the day at Gloria Ferrer
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- Vineyards over the lavender at Gloria Ferrer
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- The beautiful Tasting room at Gloria Ferrer
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- Chardonnay in the morning at Gloria Ferrer
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- Chardonnay grapes at Gloria Ferrer
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- Sparkling tasting at Gloria Ferrer
Viansa
This is the southern end of Sonoma and we made one more stop in the area at Viansa. The grounds here are beautiful and the views phenomenal. They are committed here to preserving the wetlands habitat that surrounds the vineyards. After soaking up the views, it was time to head into the city of Sonoma.
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- The view of the wetlands from Viansa Vineyard in Carneros
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- Viansa Winery
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- The beautiful property at Viansa Vineyards in Carneros
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- Beautiful urns at Viansa
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- The Tasting room at Viansa
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- Beautiful touches, at the Viansa tasting room
Sonoma Plaza
We had time for a visit to the Sonoma Plaza to relax and watch the ducks and take in some of the art.
At the center of the plaza is the City Hall built in the early 20th century. It was built with all 4 sides identical, so as not to offend any of the merchants and businesses on the surrounding square. It has a beautiful duck pond on the corner where I rested soaked in the calm and enjoyed some of the wonderful large art pieces.
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- Sonoma Plaza with City Hall in the background
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- Ducks on the pod at Sonoma Plaza
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- Buildings on the historic Sonoma Square
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- Art in the Park in Sonoma
Corner 103
Now it was time to head across the street to Corner 103 where we had a 2pm Cheese Experience Scheduled. This is a great way to start a wine trip, they will guide you through a tasting of Corner 103 wines, paired with cheeses and help you to find our what your preferences are. Schedule in advance and allow at least an hour and a half. (And watch for an in-depth posting on our experience here)
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- Corner 103 Tasting Room in Sonoma
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- The tasting room at Corner 103 in Sonoma
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- The Cheese Experience at Corner 103 in Sonoma
Day 3 has us exploring Napa, more of Sonoma and taking a trip out to the Livermore Valley! Come back for more of the trip!
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