After we got married we didn’t have enough time off to go on a proper honeymoon so we spent a few days in Healdsburg to decompress and ended up staying in a cottage a few driveways down from VML. We were taken by their Pinot Noirs, beautiful gardens and artful labels. While they adorn the bottles beautifully the labels look like an ethereal vintage poster that should be hanging in a posh bathroom somewhere. I joined the wine club signing my new new surname for the first time and we brought home bottles to go with the leftover cheese from our wedding cake ( It was made of cheese wheels not cake!). The experience holds a special place in our heart from the gardener handing us baby strawberries grown on the property to our parents joining us for a quick glass of wine on their way out of town to celebrate their anniversary.

We brought our kids with us this go round, six years later and it did not disappoint. They now share a tasting room space next to Truett Hurst further up Dry Creek Valley alongside the northern end of the Russian River. They still have beautiful gardens with some hidden tables including one that can fit a larger party. We made our reservations for the red chairs which are adirondacks with tables right on the river and are down a short path through the gardens. It is truly a perfect family outing since you can bring your own picnic which we did and they are located right next to a goat farm. The kids fed goats leaves, played in the trees and explored the rocks down by the river while we took in the beauty around us. We got one of each expression of Chardonnay: Ivywood and Cresta Ridge, so we could compare but with us each chasing our kids into different adventures I hardly remember which one was which. They were different but crisp and refreshing and a great warm up to their pinot noir which is where they shine.

Next we grabbed a bottle of the San Remo 2017 Pinot Noir to go with our lunch. We were headed to a friends house for dinner so we had a glass each and saved the rest to share with them. It’s a big Pinot Noir with more tannins than we were anticipating on such a hot day but beautiful with a bouquet of flowers and that strawberry spice right at the front. It went lovely with the artichoke, lemon, turkey and fresh mozzarella sandwich that Sophia and I split.

As we settled into our lounge chairs to relax we noticed that Indy had made friends with a girl whose family was sitting a few tables away. She kindly showed the kids the ropes of the place. The giant pumpkin growing in the garden that looked as if it was Cinderella’s wagon, all the various things the goats will eat to avoid feeding them too much food and skipping rocks into the river. This was not her first time here. On our way out we found out she lives two blocks away from us in SF and goes to school across the street from our house. No kidding. We exchanged cards with her parents with the hopes of meeting up in our neighborhood when this Covid thing is over but not sure they will remember us the longer this goes on.

We kept it light with two glasses since it was a two hour appointment and headed out to continue to our afternoon. It is an excellent location to kick back and enjoy all that wine country has to offer with the kids in tow. We will be back soon and plan to try Truett Hurst the next time around for some variety.

VML - Healdsburg

DRNK - Russian River