I awoke Thursday morning knowing I was heading to my favorite winery in the Sonoma County, Martinelli.  Other that that, I had no plans.  I was at the mercy of my GPS and my winery wish list.  When I visited last year, they had an amazing Zinfandel. We drank it a week before I left for my second trip to Napa.  My dad said it was the best wine he'd ever had.  Their current vintage Giussepe and Louisa Zinfandel was better than last years vintage.  I can't wait to have it again.
       My next visit was Pride Mountain Vineyards.  Their vineyards and estate are located on Spring Mountain.  This mountain is located in both Napa and Sonoma Counties.  Their reds are wonderful.  I got to try the Pride 2006 Cabernet from a barrel.  It was great.  I tried something I'd never thought I'd try in Napa, Sangiovese.  Sangiovese is the main grape in wines from Chianti.  Pride Mountain did pretty well.  It was a beautiful visit.
       Next, one of my favorite wineries in Napa, Joseph Phelps.  Wonderful reds, including their proprietary blend, the Insignia.  What a monster!  Joseph Phelps bought some vineyards in Sonoma, and they were pouring a Chardonnay and a Pinot Noir.
       Next was the Robert Mondavi Winery.  Mondavi died a few weeks after my visit.  He was the pioneer of good (great) quality wine in California.  The wines I tasted were wonderful.
       Later on, I dined at the Culinary Institute of America.  They served a really nice appetizer and a great roasted quail dish.  It was nice to see students working in a kitchen, because that is what my classmates and I did when I was in Culinary School.  I headed back to the hotel and crashed.  My sensory class was the next morning.
       The class I took was on Wine Sensory and Analysis.  The teacher is a winemaker in the Sonoma County and also New Zealand.  I learned more about making wine than I did about analyzing wine.  Sure it was good for me to learn about different winemaking techniques, but it didn't cover enough sensory and analysis.
       We tasted wines blind a lot.  I like doing this.  Basically, you don't know what you're drinking when you taste it.  It gives you no bias and challenges your senses.  We had to figure out the grape, the region of origin, age and the wine itself.  It is a fun challenge.
       After the second day of my class, I dined at a place called Carl's Jr.  Good burgers.  The next day I was headed back to Illinois.
       I left California having tasted 123 wines, and I brought back 12 bottles for myself.  My favorite wines of my trip were the 2006 Martinelli Guisseppe and Louisa Zin, 2004 Joseph Phelps Insignia, and 2002 Mondavi Vine Hill Cab.  Of course my favorite was the Shafer Hillside Select.
       I had a lot of fun this time around in Napa and Sonoma.  It was great to meet with wine makers and vineyard owners.  I'll be heading back soon.