Gazing and Grazing
Gardens of Sonoma

March 17, 2009

Enjoying the bounty of Sonoma wine country is not limited to drinking fruits of the vine. Visiting gardens pleases the eye as well as the palate. As spring approaches, this Travel Itinerary carries you through a wide swath of rolling hills and idyllic farmlands.

"Great art picks up where nature ends." Marc Chagall.

An 11-foot high Adirondack chair standing to the east on CA Route 121 marks the entrance to Cornerstone Gardens. Leading landscape architects and garden designers, allotted 1800 square feet each, were given free reign to create outdoor garden art. Traditionalists, leave your expectations behind, and enjoy over four acres of innovation. Combine a garden stroll with tastings from five wineries and a trip to several unique garden and furniture shops, all located on the grounds.

"Earth laughs in flowers." Ralph Waldo Emerson.

Travel northward on Arnold Drive through the Valley of the Moon to enjoy the beauty of the Mediterranean style gardens at Chateau St. Jean, located on CA Route 12. Soothing fountains and formal plantings take their inspiration from the estates of France and Italy, as does the 1920 Chateau, which is listed on the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Lunch alfresco in the picnic area with sandwiches, salads, and artisanal cheese and wine by the glass from the Charcuterie.

"We wanted to live in a place that could feed us..."
Barbara Kingsolver.

West toward Sebastopol then north on CA 116 an eatable landscaping experience awaits you at Lynmar Estate's organic tasting garden. Nature's balance is kept with plantings that attract insects to eat other insects that eat plants meant for us. It's a year round process with a winter bounty of kale, red mustard, chard, beans and lettuce. Gardeners work with Winery Chef Sandra Simile to produce the fixings for her outstanding Estate Food and Wine Experience.

"Days of wine and roses laugh and run away, like a child at play." Johnny Mercer.

A final stop should be to Korbel Champagne Cellars, arguably America's favorite premium champagne and the Presidential choice for the past five inaugurations. Their gardens, first planted in the 1880's, host 250 varieties of antique roses and over 1,000 varieties of plants and flowers. Plants indigenous to exotic areas of the world grow here due to the garden's many microclimates. Discover how champagne is made, savor the taste of its bubbly, and meander through a brilliant vision of color and scent.

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