Heather D.
Yelp
We are the tour guides.
For anyone/everyone who comes to the SF Bay Area for a visit, hubby and I are invariably the tour guides. It's not like I'm complaining, but well, maybe I am... just a little. There are only so many times one can visit the Golden Gate Bridge, Fisherman's Wharf, the redwood trees... and (drum roll) wine country. On our last visit to "wine country," we made the best case we could for the Santa Cruz mountains, the central coast, heck, anything but Napa/Sonoma (again). But the sis-in-law was itching for Napa/Sonoma... so there we went. This time, however, we went off the beaten path, and went a bit farther up north, to the town of Healdsburg. We got there late in the day and so the goal was to hit as many wineries as we could, before closing time. We happened upon Dutcher Crossing, totally by accident, having already hit the big names, and having left each winery well, underwhelmed. We had 30 minutes left in our adventure and we spent all of it there. Honestly, there's just no reason to leave. Beautiful surroundings. Every wine - yes, EVERY WINE - that we tasted was delicious. The service was an 11+ - thanks to Chris Casey - wine pourer, mind reader, and entertainer, all wrapped into one knowledgeable, charismatic package. Hubby and I even left with a membership - something we have NEVER succumbed to, not in 20 years of winery visits. Do yourself a favor, skip the mobs of tourists, head up to beautiful Healdsburg and visit Dutcher Crossing. Hopefully, Chris will be there to serve you. And the next time that people come to visit you in the Bay Area, and want to visit the "wine country," you'll know just where to take them.