The Southern Man's Guide to Napa and Sonoma, Part II: An Open Letter of Confession

Dearest Napa:

I have a confession to make:  there's someone else.  No, no...it's not you.  You're great.  Beautiful, successful...classy.  You always deliver and you seem to always know who you are.  But that's just it.

This new gal, Sonoma...she's unpredictable...exciting.  She has some absolutely striking characteristics, but also some dodgy parts.  She can be hot (Dry Creek Valley) or cool (Carneros), rugged (Sonoma Coast) or refined (Sonoma Valley).  And that's the fun of her - you never know what you're gonna get.

Nicholson Ranch, apparently serving gold this day

Sonoma is just as likely to introduce you to grand estates with critically-acclaimed wines and winemakers (see:  Jordan, Williams Selyem) as she is to show you around a funky, artisinal winery behind someone's house (see:  MacPhail).  And they're all great.  She may serve you a biodynamic and/or organic Cab (a la Benziger, Kunde), a rustic Zin (Rafanelli, Stryker), a delicate Pinot (Mueller, Siduri, Lynmar), a lively white (Fort Ross, Merry Edwards, Nicholson Ranch), or a silky bubbly (Iron Horse, Korbel, Gloria Ferrer) to wash down a home-grown, hand-crafted meal from Applewood Inn, Farmhouse, or Dry Creek Kitchen.

Jordan and Macphail:  very different, very good

She's not a party-er (locals are known to refer to her as "Slow-noma"), but she can have a good time.  Sonoma loves a good meal (HBG, The Fig Cafe), a local craft brew (Lagunitas), and watching the sun set outdoors around a fire while re-capping the day's wine-stained adventures.  She can be quite the eclectic host, with luxurious accommodations (Farmhouse, Fairmont Sonoma, Hotel Healdsburg) and quaint dwellings (Applewood Inn, Inman Farmhouse, Bell House). You will always be treated well.

The funky Bell House in Petaluma, shown here 

with this balla's rad rental car

So, sorry Napa.  Sonoma's pretty much everything you're not...and that's a good thing.  Yeah, maybe some day I'll come crawling back, but for now I'll take Sonoma's diversity and experimental spirit over your respectable predictability.  It does feel a little like leaving the prom queen for cute-but-quirky-and-maybe-hiding-some-serious-inner-hotness girl next door, but it's a gamble I'm willing to take.

HBG in swanky Healdsburg.  Mmm...truffle fries

Don't worry, Napa.  I'll still call next time I'm in your neck of the woods.