Thank you .. ‘Dirt du Jour’

for the glowing review! "Go ask Alice ... where all the best vineyard gardens are. She's an erudite charmer; you'll have fun!"

California Wine Country

Cool Concept ... Blending Cabernet at Conn Creek Winery

Conn Creek Winery Gardens (Photo: Alice Joyce)

Conn Creek Winery Gardens (Photo: Alice Joyce)

Conn Creek Winery

offers Cabernet Sauvignon tastings in their AVA Room as part of a unique blending seminar for small groups (no more than 10 people).

Above photo: Outside the AVA Room

Conn Creek Winery AVA Room (Alice Joyce photo)

Participants take part in a guided walk-around barrel tasting, sampling wine from single-vineyard sites in 14 sub-appellations – AVAs

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California Wine Country

Intoxicating Lavender Fields .. Matanzas Creek Winery

Matanzas Creek stairway Photo © Alice Joyce

The lavender and estate gardens at Matanzas Creek Winery are situated amid hilly terrain in Sonoma County’s Bennett Valley. Washed over in luminous hues, the setting combines an elegant naturalism and robust verdure, where majestic native oaks tower over extravagant plantings. It’s difficult not to be swept away by the heady perfume of lavender that greets you during a June visit. Some 4,500 plants grow on staggered terraces; the cultivated varieties ‘Grosso’ and ‘Provence.’ The distinctive hues and textures create diagonal patterns, leading you on a gradual ascent up the steps of a central path toward the winery’s main building.

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California Wine Country

Wine and Roses! Chateau St. Jean

Chateau St Jean Pergola Photo © Alice Joyce

A perfect day in California Wine Country: Stroll the formal gardens at Chateau St. Jean in Kenwood, Sonoma County – Garden Plan designed by Olin Partnership – followed by Reserve wine tasting, and a tasty light lunch from the winery’s charcuterie.

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