Monday, September 1, 2008

Napa, Sonoma, Napa, Napa....

We leave for our wine vacation tomorrow! I've been cleaning stalls at Rex's cuz I'm the fill in if her other working students need a day off - I cleaned Sat for Meg and Sun for Amber. We always clean our pens here and I'll be trimming goat feet today before we go, pulling weeds, watering plants, doing laundry, finishing last minute cleaning and packing.

I don't think I told you that when I got done with my horse show in Cheyenne, after getting home from the Midwest, my job sent me to Misery - oh - I mean, Missouri for a week. And during that time, I was having some "women's trouble". Good god. I thought I was going to give birth to Rosemary's baby. It was awful. The meeting was fine, the people were fine but I was bloated like an elephant and miserable. The only good thing about that trip was that on the way home, the flight was overbooked and I gave up my seat for TWO free plane tix to anywhere in THE United States of America. Yup. You heard me - FREE.


Furry Husband and I had not bought our plane tix to CA yet so .... even our flight out won't cost us a thing. THE petsitter that we love is coming to watch our place and we will leave not worrying about a THING. She is responsible, capable and wonderful!!!


I'm going leave Ft. Collins where I muck stalls and have a persona of "goat girl" to fly into Napa, magically transformed into a VIP, attending fancy pants wine luncheons, wine tours, wine tastings and free lodging at beautiful wineries all thanks to my wine sellin Furry Husband. We are so hooked UP!


We arrive in San Francisco tomorrow around 11:00 am, drive to Healdsburg, tour Benzinger winery, Ridge winery (specializing in zinfandels), dinner at Taverna Santi and we stay at a hotel - the only night's lodging we pay for. And since we are headed to CA with our good friends, we are splitting the cost that night. Oh I am such a cheap bastard!


Wednesday we head to Chateau Montelena (go see the new movie Bottle Shock) and to Cuvaison Estate Wines for a VIP tour and tasting. That night we are going to Domaine Carneros for incredible sparkling wines - it's owned by the Taittinger family from France. We think sipping sparkling wine and watching the sun set will be a lovely way to end the day. We'll be staying at the Cuvaison guest house Wed night and Thurs night. (for free, free and free)


Thursday off to BR Cohn winery for a tour and tasting, Bernie Cohn was the Doobie Brother's manager and the property was originally a goat dairy! See? Those sneaky goats work themselves into just about any place! Maybe hit Hess winery on the way back to the Cuvaison guest house. (oh, and did I mention it's all FREE?)


Friday is a Chimney Rock VIP tour and tasting. They are the makers of the delicious Stag's Leap cabernet, on to Clos Du Val for French style wines made in Napa by the French wine maker Bernard Portet. Do I sound like I know what I'm talking about? HA! I really don't - this post is all mostly from me yelling to Furry Husband - who is in the kitchen trying to read the paper - "Honey? Why are we going to BR Cohn?" "Honey? What's special about Clos Du Val?" "Honey, how do you spell Taittinger?"


From Clos Du Val, we head to the Folio Wine Maker's Studio for some Hangtime, Oberon and Medusa and we are staying at the Stag's Leap guest house, owned by Michael Mondovi for two nights. (all for nada, zip, zilch)


Saturday we merrily make our way to Rutherford Hill winery for another VIP tour and tasting, on the way to Silenus winery we'll stop at Rubicon owned by Francis Ford Coppola for some additional tastings.


Silenus winery's tasting room manager, Scotty, is a friend of Furry Husband's from way back in the opening days of Wynkoop Brewery in Denver where they both worked. We were headed there anyway to see Scotty - the bonus is that last month's issue of Wine Spectator listed Silenus winery as a "hidden gem" and there was an incredibly nice write up all about it! That evening my wonderful friend Kim who owns Kim's Kitchen LLC is going to make us an incredible dinner out of the fully stocked kitchen in the guest house. Scotty and his girlfriend are coming over to join us.


Sunday, sadly, we must leave our little fairy tale and come home to the goats, horses, dogs, cats and mountains of Colorado. Tho' it will bring me back to reality. I can't have all this VIP treatment going to my head. Please - no photos. Call my people. We'll do lunch.



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