journey may/june 201526 washington.aaa.com/journey 27

BYMATT VILLANO

COMING of AGE

SONOMA’S NORTH COUNTY BLOSSOMS INTO

THE DARLING OF CALIFORNIA’S WINE COUNTRIES

Clockwise from top left: Pinot noir juice flows at Ferrari-Carano Vineyards and Winery; competition mounts at Dry Creek Valley Vineyard; the food and setting inspire at Healdsburg’s Spoonbar; locavore pies star at Noble Folk; and the local bounty shines at Jordan Vineyards, also shown on opposite page.

OP

PO

SIT

E P

AG

E;

CL

OC

KW

ISE

FR

OM

TO

P L

EF

T: S

AR

AH

DA

VIS

; K

IM C

AR

RO

LL

; S

PO

ON

BA

R;

IAN

SH

RIV

E/T

AN

DE

M;

KIM

CA

RR

OL

L.

TH

IS P

AG

E:

KIM

CA

RR

OL

L

21128 AAA WashingtonJourney Magazine May/Jun 2015 COM - 267.875” x 10.5” • PDFx1a • 150 lpi • Epson Commercial

21128 AAA WashingtonJourney Magazine May/Jun 2015 COM - 277.875” x 10.5” • PDFx1a • 150 lpi • Epson Commercial

journey may/june 201528 washington.aaa.com/journey 29

IT’S 6 P.M. on a Thursday and downtown Healdsburg, in the northern reaches of California’s Sonoma County, is bubbling with excitement. A deejay spins tunes in a wine bar. Next door, art enthusiasts ooh and aah as they admire a sculptor’s gallery. On the back patio of a lively Italian restaurant down the street, a party of hipsters splits into teams and gets ready for a hotly contested game of bocce. A group of runners from the local running store jog past, waving to onlookers as they go by.

This scene certainly is new around these parts, and it’s a big change from the status quo.For years, travelers seeking the California wine-country experience saw Sonoma’s

“North County” as the sticks—an area with robust farming, but devoid of the type of ame-nities found in higher-profile “it” spots farther south, including Yountville, St. Helena and the town of Sonoma. However, an ongoing influx of talented and innovative food, bev-erage and hospitality-industry professionals has transformed these former hinterlands into arguably the hottest corner of all among California’s wine-tourism destinations.

Without question, restaurants have driven North County’s rise to prominence. Even before the recent boom, the region was renowned for its foodie culture. This is the part of the world where chef and TV personality Guy Fieri got his start and where culinary pioneer

As a café, market and supply store, SHED

honors the local bounty in many ways.

KIM

CA

RR

OL

L

Charlie Palmer, who rode the acclaim of his Manhattan res-taurant Aureole to fame in the late ’80s and ’90s, opened his first California restaurant in 2001.

Most of the changes in Healdsburg are taking place around its one-square-block down-town plaza, which sports a brass-topped gazebo, is lined by palm and redwood

trees, and sits across the street from the luxury hotel that houses Palmer’s DRY CREEK KITCHEN. In the last two years alone, this quaint town of 12,000 residents has welcomed four new restaurants, two new wine bars, two delis and a martini bar. One of the town’s chefs, Louis Mal-donado of SPOONBAR, nearly won Season 11 of Bravo’s Top Chef in 2014, and earlier this year, Dustin Valette, one of Palmer’s longtime chefs de cuisine, opened a farm-to-table restaurant of his own, the simply named VALETTE. Foodies everywhere are following the progress of SINGLE THREAD, to be opened this fall by international culi-nary sensation Kyle Connaughton, former head chef of the development kitchen for The Fat Duck, the famous Michelin-starred restaurant in Bray, England. At his new Healdsburg restaurant, Connaughton plans to offer three separate 11-course tasting-menu options—standard, pes-catarian and vegetarian—featuring produce grown nearby by his farmer wife, Katina. Sure, the meals will start at $200 per person, but, considering the Connaughtons’ star power, some might consider the price a bargain.

Even casual culinary ventures are garnering rave reviews. Take NOBLE FOLK, a pie–and–ice cream bar started by two local 20-somethings who tap into locally produced fruits and grains, including farro and buck-wheat. The shop notched a cult following within the first week of opening last spring and has grown consistently ever since. Visitors have been known to wait 30 minutes

for scoops of homemade almond cardamom or Japanese purple yam ice cream and, during the holiday season, locals order their pies up to a month in advance. “At the end of the day, the goal of this store is to showcase our community,” says co-owner Ozzy Jimenez, explaining his passion for local ingredients.

A t nearby SHED, a sort of high-end general store that bills itself as a “modern grange” and sells everything from fresh-milled flour to high-quality gardening tools, visitors can visit

the Fermentation Bar to sample shrubs—sodas sweetened with vinegar-and-sugar–based syrups—and kombuchas, or fermented teas. These beverages are made in house, while most beers and wines (served by the glass) are pro-duced in Sonoma County.

At places such as THE BARLOW, a campus of reno-vated apple-processing buildings located about a half-hour southwest of Healdsburg in Sebastopol, visitors can not only sample artisanal foods, organic coffee, works of arts and, yes, wine, but also meet the producers and

A chic makever turned The

Barlow into a foodie hot spot.

SA

RA

SA

NG

ER

21128 AAA WashingtonJourney Magazine May/Jun 2015 COM - 287.875” x 10.5” • PDFx1a • 150 lpi • Epson Commercial

journey may/june 201530

watch them and their respective teams at work. North County’s topography—river valleys sepa-

rated by mountainous ridges—lends itself to outdoor recreation, including kayaking on gentle stretches of the Russian River, cycling past the Alexander Valley’s rolling vineyards and fishing Lake Sonoma, northwest of Healdsburg. But wine tasting is still the big draw for many visitors and, to this end, North County does not disappoint, offering a palate-pleasing study in the nuances of microclimates and soil composition. Cabernet sauvignon and chardon-nay rule in the hot Alexander Valley, home to such popular producers as FRANCIS FORD COPPOLA WINERY and JORDAN VINEYARD & WINERY. Cooler-climate grapes, including pinot noir and pinot gris, thrive in the Russian River Valley, as best demonstrated by such wineries as RODNEY STRONG and J VINEYARDS. Zinfandel fans will love exploring Dry Creek Valley, particularly RIDGE VINEYARDS, which pours rich incarnations of this complex grape in its Lytton Springs tasting room.

Movie buffs and/or those traveling with children flock to Francis Ford Cop-pola Winery in Geyserville. The facil-ity showcases mementos from some

of Coppola’s films throughout the space and also offers kid-friendly dining options, bocce courts and a swimming pool staffed by lifeguards. Those seeking to make an afternoon of it can rent one of the poolside “cabines,” changing rooms with showers and space to store personal items.

Just last year, Jordan Vineyard & Winery intro-duced a new tour that reflects the hyper-local nature of the area’s food and wine scene. Visitors sample chardonnay and cabernet sauvignon in various spots around the 1,200-acre estate (with visitors shuttled across the property in a tricked-out Sprinter van); during each of these intimate sessions, estate wines and olive oils are paired with exquisite nibbles from the winery’s executive chef, Todd Knoll, crafted from produce grown on-site, along with locally sourced meats.

“There really is no better way to experience this wonderful place for everything it is,” Knoll says. “Some people spend entire vacations looking for that; you can get it here in a three-hour tour.” j

One-time Seattle resident MATT VILLANO, a widely published travel writer and guidebook author, has lived in Healdsburg since 2007.

N O R T H C O U N T Y N O T E SAlways designate a non-drinking driver or hire a ride service when tasting wines. Learn more about tour and transportation providers at sonomacounty.com. Alaska Airlines serves Charles M. Schulz–Sonoma County Airport (STS) in Santa Rosa with flights from Seattle and Portland. Healdsburg is approximately 10 miles north of STS and about 70 miles north of San Francisco. Visit your local AAA store, or visit AAA.com, to learn more about lodging and dining in Sonoma’s North County.

Movie memorabilia co-stars at

Coppola’s winery.

Crispy shallots top off a Dungeness crab salad at Dry Creek Kitchen.

CO

PP

OL

A:

CH

AD

KE

IG;

SA

LA

D:

PA

IGE

GR

EE

N

21128 AAA WashingtonJourney Magazine May/Jun 2015 WES - 307.875” x 10.5” • PDFx1a • 150 lpi • Epson Commercial