Kenwood: Kenwood Inn & Spa; hotel review

Wine Country

Kenwood Inn & Spa  

10400 Sonoma Hwy. 12, (800) 353-6966, (707) 833-1293.  29 rooms; $$$+.  Unsuitable for children under 18.  All gas fireplaces.  Heated pool; 2 hot tubs; full-service spa.  Full breakfast.  Pets ok. 

grounds of Kenwood Inn & Spa in Kenwood, California

Abutting a hillside covered with olive trees, the sensual, aesthetically pleasing Tuscan-style Kenwood Inn & Spa looks very much like an old Italian villa with fountains and archways galore.  And just like in a Tuscan village, a maze of narrow pathways and steps wind through the property.  Rooms are furnished with a combination of antiques and comfortable newer pieces, and the blissful beds are covered with a feather bed and topped with a lofty down comforter.  

While checking in, guests are offered a flute of sparkling wine.  This lobby common area features beautiful plank floors under a vaulted ceiling with iron chandelier.  Dark Mediterranean furniture invites relaxing for a bit, and refreshment is always available here:  Port and Sherry, both sparkling and still water, coffee, tea, and housemade cookies (cookies also greet guests on their bed).  

Accommodations include 10 rooms around a central courtyard and 17 more rooms in a newer Paladio-style wing.  Each room has its own charm.  Most have a private patio or balcony, and windows were planned to offer lovely views and as well as privacy.  A Tuscan theme blended with early California accents finds guest rooms furnished with large velvet armchairs and ottomans, upholstered headboards or canopied four-posters, armoires, tapestries, and chandeliers.  The only unit that isn’t Tuscan-style is the unique Sonoma Suite, which is decorated in a contemporary beach-cottage style.  Many rooms have jetted soaking tubs.  

jetted bathtub at Kenwood Inn & Spa in Kenwood, California

A complimentary wine and cheese reception occurs daily from 5 to 6 p.m., when a local winery presents tasting selections from their list.  A buffet hot breakfast, Wi-Fi, and parking are complimentary, and turn-down service and passes to a nearby gym are available upon request.  A limited room service menu is offered from 10 a.m. until 9 p.m. 

breakfast plate at Kenwood Inn & Spa in Kenwood, California

The inviting main terrace features a pool and hot tub along with sheltering arbors, towering palms, and fire pits.  Pool-side cabanas can be reserved, and a small detached spa features a full menu of services.  

pool and full-service spa at Kenwood Inn & Spa in Kenwood, California

full-service spa at Kenwood Inn & Spa in Kenwood, California

A second, more cloistered courtyard holds another hot tub.  

hot tub at Kenwood Inn & Spa in Kenwood, California

2020 pandemic update:  Kenwood Inn & Spa has been certified Clean + Safe through the California Hotel & Lodging Association's pandemic safety program.  Food changes include that there are no more morning or evening buffets.  Instead, guests reserve a table for breakfast.  Tables are carefully spaced in accordance with new rules, and many are outside in the courtyard areas.  A server goes over the morning menu with the guests and then delivers breakfast directly to the table.  Instead of cheese, fruit, olives, etc., being presented with a wine tasting at 5 p.m., the same items are now put into individual picnic boxes and guests can take one with them for a vineyard picnic, to enjoy on the inn's grounds, or to sample in their rooms or on their private patio.  Because of current statewide regulations, the spa is closed.  However, the pool is open, and there is plenty of space for safe social distancing around it.  Masks are required of guests and staff when walking around the property.

wine-tasting picnic box at Kenwood Inn & Spa in Kenwood, California

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images ©2020 Carole Terwilliger Meyers

Kenwood: VJB Vineyards & Cellars; things to do

Wine Country

VJB Vineyards & Cellars

60 Shaw Ave., (707) 833-2300.  Daily 10-4.

interior courtyard at VJB Vineyards & Cellars in Kenwood, California

Resembling a mini-Italian village, the VJB Vineyards & Cellars complex consists of an array of venues surrounding a central piazza courtyard filled with umbrella-shaded tables.  Among the many Italian-style wines are a Prosecco imported from Italy, a light 2018 Gabriella Ranch Chardonnay, and a 2017 Estate Negro Amaro--a big Pinot Noir-style wine that is good with vegetarian dishes and for which the grapes are grown right across the street.  Wines are sold only at the winery.  A great idea here is to taste some wines in one of the two tasting rooms, select a favorite to purchase by bottle or glass, and take it out to a piazza table.

wine-tasting bar at VJB Vineyards & Cellars in Kenwood, California

Mike pours at VJB Vineyards & Cellars in Kenwood, California

Then order up a wood-fired pizza or panini from the Red Rooster menu to go with it, and sit back and enjoy your repast.  (When it rains dining is moved inside.)  For more food choices, visit the inside La Cucina deli, where Mom and Pop work behind the counter.  The atmosphere is festive and casual, and food is served on paper plates with plastic ware.  Delicious pizzas feature housemade dough prepared with a secret yeast and flour imported from Italy.  Housemade toppings include mozzarella, tomato sauce, and pesto.  Among additional menu items are grilled garlic-lemon chicken drumsticks, white bean salad, and cheese or salumi boards.  Some people bring a bottle to refill with a jug wine blend of reds and then drink from that--a special price includes a pizza.

pizza at VJB Vineyards & Cellars in Kenwood, California

deli at VJB Vineyards & Cellars in Kenwood, California

After, browse a tiny gift shop and visit the sweet shop for gelato made with organic Strauss cream by The Latest Scoop in Berkeley (the blackberry cabernet is divine) and candy (I enjoyed a scrumptious milk chocolate-covered graham cracker).

gift shop at VJB Vineyards & Cellars in Kenwood, California

sweet shop at VJB Vineyards & Cellars in Kenwood, California

2020 pandemic update:  During this period when we are emerging from shutdown, we need to carefully consider activities to feed our spirit. Always visit a destination's website to check current pandemic regulations and schedules.
          The report from here is that “we are operating food and wine tasting all outside on our Piazza. We have reconfigured our outdoor space to meet all Covid spacing and sanitary requirements.”


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images ©2020 Carole Terwilliger Meyers

Kenwood: Deerfield Ranch Winery; things to do

Wine Country

Deerfield Ranch Winery  

10200 Sonoma Hwy. 12, 707-833-5213.  Daily 10:30-4:30.

entrance to Deerfield Ranch Winery in Kenwood, California

Entry to the small Deerfield Ranch Winery is through gates and past 14 acres of wetlands known as the Kenwood Marsh.  The marsh is home to the endangered Kenwood Marsh Checkerbloom flower, which is found only here in all the world.  The marsh also displays a trio of metal giraffe sculptures.  After walking through the production facility crush pad and by the fermenting tanks, you enter the winery through a Roman-arch portal with massive redwood doors.

metal giraffe sculptures at Deerfield Ranch Winery in Kenwood, California

cave entrance at Deerfield Ranch Winery in Kenwood, California

The main hall is lined with wine barrels, and on the walk down into the wine-glass-shaped cave to the tasting room you’ll see hundreds more barrels in off-shoot halls--there are 2,500-plus in all.  Set back deep inside a hill, in a 23,000 square-foot manmade cave that was bored out by a mining company and is composed of compressed volcanic ash, the tasting room provides seating on comfortable overstuffed couches and chairs in a choice of several areas.  A 60-degree temperature is maintained year-round, making it a perfect destination on a warm day.  Art hangs on the walls, and most of it is for sale.  We were intrigued by some interesting Star Wars pieces.

cave hallway at Deerfield Ranch Winery in Kenwood, California

cave tasting room at Deerfield Ranch Winery in Kenwood, California

"Star Wars" art for sale in cave tasting room at Deerfield Ranch Winery in Kenwood, California

Winery owner Robert Rex has a past that includes being trained as a chemist at Cal, then going into the tobacco business, and finally becoming a winemaker after mastering a hobby wine-making kit received as a gift from his wife.  Rex says you’ll be tasting “clean wine made with happy yeast.”  The organic wines are crafted with low histamine and sulfite levels, which prevents headaches and allergies, and are available for sale only at the winery.  My favorites include an unusual grapefruitty 2018 Sauvignon Blanc, a delicious 2012 Syrah Cuvee from the estate vineyards out front, and also a pretty, pink, and dry 2018 Naked ladies Sparkling Rose that comes in a lovely bottle decorated with the pink Amaryllis flowers it is named for.

winery owner Robert Rex holding a glass of 2012 Syrah Cuvee
in cave tasting room at Deerfield Ranch Winery in Kenwood, California

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images ©2020 Carole Terwilliger Meyers

Kenwood: Chateau St. Jean Vineyards and Winery; things to do

Wine Country

Chateau St. Jean Vineyards and Winery  

8555 Sonoma Hwy. (Hwy. 12), (800) 543-7572, (707) 833-4134.  Tasting daily 10-5; tour at 11, 2.  No dogs.

chateau building at Chateau St. Jean Vineyards and Winery in Kenwood, California

Tucked up against a hillside, the Chateau St. Jean Vineyards and Winery is reached via a long and scenic vineyard-lined driveway.  Though the interior of the 1920s château is not available for viewing, visitors can view sumptuous gardens featuring some unusual species and an area with redwood-tree-sheltered picnic tables and a bocce ball court is provided.  Some deli items are sold in the tasting room.  Though there is no basic guided tour, visitors are welcome to stroll the grounds on their own--don’t miss the signature 100-year-old Canary Island palm, or the charming walled rose garden filled with antique varieties.

garden overview at Chateau St. Jean Vineyards and Winery in Kenwood, California

picnic tables and bocce ball court at Chateau St. Jean Vineyards and Winery
in Kenwood, California

Canary Island palm at Chateau St. Jean Vineyards and Winery
in Kenwood, California

demonstration vineyard at Chateau St. Jean Vineyards and Winery
in Kenwood, California

Among the special experiences here is The Chef’s Table, which begins with a tour of the gardens (while enjoying the first wine) followed by a paired tasting prepared by the on-site chef.  When I enjoyed this elegant experience, it began with a glass of Presecco-style Brut Cuvee.  We strolled the gardens, hearing stories about the days when the chateau was a private summer home, and viewed the small demonstration vineyard.  We then moved inside for a food pairing.  The first course brought in by smiling chef Skyler Spitz was a clutch of crispy maitake and shitake mushrooms with a cannellini bean puree.  It was paired with a crisp, minerally Durell Vineyard Chardonnay.  Then came a plate with two items.  A crispy, delicate version of mac and cheese paired nicely with a tasty 2015 Cinq Cepages blend of reds, and grilled beef tenderloin enhanced with a lemon yogurt sauce was paired with a unique 2016 Eighty-Five Fifty Five red blend that celebrates the winery’s 45 years of winemaking.  The tasting concluded with a little round of lemon-pudding cake paired with a Late Harvest Riesling, which gets sweeter with time and ages into a honey color.  A wine-themed escape room experience is also an option.

1st course--mushrooms+bean puree--at Chateau St. Jean Vineyards and Winery
in Kenwood, California

chef Skyler Spitz delivers course 2 at Chateau St. Jean Vineyards and Winery
in Kenwood, California

course 2--mac and cheese+beef tenderloin--
at Chateau St. Jean Vineyards and Winery in Kenwood, California

course 3-lemon pudding cake--at Chateau St. Jean Vineyards and Winery
in Kenwood, California

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images ©2020 Carole Terwilliger Meyers

Kenwood: Paradise Ridge Tasting Room & Art Gallery; things to do

Wine Country

Paradise Ridge Tasting Room & Art Gallery  

8860 Sonoma Hwy., (707) 282-9020.  Tasting daily 11am-6pm; $15-$20; food pairings $35+.

tasting room at Paradise Ridge Tasting Room & Art Gallery
in Kenwood, California

Though the main winery in Santa Rosa was damaged badly in the 2018 Tubbs Fire and is now open only by appointment, the roadside Paradise Ridge Tasting Room & Art Gallery is open and serving during regular hours.  In addition to tasting, special programs (reservations required) include a Wine & Cheese Pairing, a Wine & Herb Sensory Experience, and a Wine and Infused Chocolate Sensory Experience.  I indulged in the chocolate pairing, which included four herb-encrusted dark chocolates and four vintages.  A sparkling Blanc de Blac began the show, paired with a nasturtium-apricot-chives chocolate.  That was followed by an earthy Rhone-style estate blend called The Posse--my favorite of the four wines.  I also particularly liked its accompanying lemon-peppercorn-parsley chocolate.  Then came an Elevation Cabernet Sauvignon from the Rockpile Vineyard in Sonoma--described as a “jewel of a vineyard.”  It paired beautifully with a chives-sorrel-rosemary chocolate.  This enjoyable educational tasting concluded with a bone-dry Sparkling Shiraz and a hazelnut-tarragon-kale chocolate.  It is interesting to know that the winery provides dried herbs to local Wine Country Chocolates in Glen Ellen, which then produces delicious little chocolate squares for this tasting (they are also sold in the tasting room).  I took home a bottle of 2016 Nagasawa Estate Chardonnay along with some chocolates topped with hazelnuts, tarragon, and kale and did a sense-expanding tasting later with my husband that was almost as much of fun as at the winery.

menu in tasting room at Paradise Ridge Tasting Room & Art Gallery
in Kenwood, California

tasting set-up in tasting room at Paradise Ridge Tasting Room & Art Gallery
in Kenwood, California 

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images ©2019 Carole Terwilliger Meyers

Kenwood: Tips Roadside; restaurant review

Wine Country

Tips Roadside  

8445 Sonoma Hwy., (707) 509-0078. L F-Sun, D W-Sun. 

Set on the side of the road like a typical roadhouse, this bustling restaurant was formerly a gas station. Now spiffed up inside with rustic recycled wood and local art (don’t miss the flag painted by a local fireman that includes the hose spigot in one of the stripes), the dining rooms at Tips Roadside exude an inviting casual atmosphere--think old-time tin-ware table settings and napkins improvised from classic dish towels. And the chow described as “wine country comfort food” is terrific. House-brewed beer is made in two vats in the back dining room, but, of course, the menu also offers plenty of local wines. If you’re avoiding alcohol, satisfy your thirst with the tasty cucumber-lime spritzer. Favorites on the menu include spicy tri-tip chili, crispy fried chicken made with boneless thigh meat and gluten-free rice flour (I adored the accompanying pile of mashed Yukon potatoes), and a huge braised short rib with polenta fries. The dessert beignets are a must. They are pool-ball-size rounds in either lemon or smoked bacon flavor. But the peanut-butter skillet cookie is also a darn good choice. Weekend brunch includes the expected plus more, including biscuits and gravy and a hangtown fry, plus a special blues version with live music is sometimes scheduled. 

exterior of Tips Roadside in Kenwood, California

interior of Tips Roadside in Kenwood, California

dining room with antique gas pump at Tips Roadside in Kenwood, California

main dining room at Tips Roadside in Kenwood, California

owner Andrew Pryfogle with flag painting at Tips Roadside
in Kenwood, California

cucumber-lime spritzer at Tips Roadside in Kenwood, California

short rib with polenta fries at Tips Roadside in Kenwood, California

fried chicken at Tips Roadside in Kenwood, California

Executive Chef Thaddeus Palmese offers up beignets at Tips Roadside
in Kenwood, California

peanut-butter skillet cookie at Tips Roadside in Kenwood, California

painting of satisfied cow at Tips Roadside in Kenwood, California

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images ©2019 Carole Terwilliger Meyers