Day 2 – Sonoma: Mauritson, Reeve, & Healdsburg
I woke up at 8 AM and got ready for the day. Today’s plan was to explore Healdsburg in Sonoma Valley and we had reservations to go to Mauritson and Reeve Winery. Dad and Stelios went to the local market nearby and cooked up a delicious breakfast: eggs, Taylor ham & avocado wraps while the girls got ready. Our driver Laura met us at the house at 10 AM and we hopped in the car and drove one hour to Healdsburg for our first wine tour of the day.
Arriving at Mauritson, we were greeted by Doug, our sommelier for the day. This winery was recommended to us by Nicole, our sommelier and friend at Lita, and it definitely exceeded all expectations! They even had a special menu printed for my dad’s birthday! Doug shared with us the history of Mauritson and that it was a 6th generation winery – the original owners had received the land for free during the Homestead act back in 1862. Doug allowed us to sample 8+ wine varietals & we were most interested in the vertical tasting of 3 different Zinfandels, which are not a common grape or wine sold back home. The second was my favorite but all three were silky smooth. After our elaborate tasting full of history and knowledge, Doug walked us through the barrel room and exclusive wine library which was quite impressive.
After the tasting concluded we enjoyed lunch on the picnic tables out back. Laura our driver, had graciously picked up our lunch order from Dry Creek General while we were having our tasting. My turkey cranberry panini on house made focaccia bread melted in my mouth and there wasn’t much conversation happening which meant everyone else was very satisfied with their lunch order. Once we finished up lunch we hopped in the car and Laura drove us 6 minutes up the road to our second stop: Reeve Wines.
Reeve Wines was very different than Mauritson and founded by a young couple from the Midwest who were not originally born into the wine industry but got into it after being in the hospitality business in Paris. They named their wine after their first son Reeve, and one of the specialty wine labels was named after Remy, their daughter. The aesthetic at Reeve felt very interior designer which apparently the wife had experience in. We were sat at a lovely table on the porch outside under a mix of sun and shade which was perfect. Overall the wines were very good and we also enjoyed some local cheeses to pair with. The winery also had lots of goats and chickens on the farm which was fun to see.
After wrapping up at Reeve, we were ready to walk around and explore the Healdsburg square. This downtown was much more modern and built up compared to Sonoma Square. We grabbed an outdoor table upstairs at Roof 106 to sit in the sun and enjoy a round of cocktails. Dad and I ordered the clarified margarita which looked like water with a salted rim. It was so refreshing. By 6pm it was time for dinner so we walked over to Willie’s seafood. We ordered 2 dozen oysters and the flash fried calamari to share. Stelios and I split a lobster roll, Jen had the crab cake, and dad and Paula enoyed the clam chowder. Our meal was complimented by an ice cold bottle of Robert Young Oaked Chardonnay (the oaked chardonnay seems to be the groups favorite wine of the trip, and I love it so no complaints here!)
By 8pm our bellies were full and we were all getting tired. We decided to call it a day and went back to our Airbnb. By 9:30pm I was happily in bed after a long day of wine, spirits, and food. I was looking forward to a full night of deep sleep.
