WRITERS PICKS
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BEST-LOVED
FLAGON OF WINE
You know you’re of a fine old vintage if you remember when “that little old winemaker� pushed wine to a national television audience, or better yet, bellied up to the bar at the Italian Swiss Colony tasting room. But not as old as the winery’s earlier mascot—call him the little old wine imbiber. Back in the day when there wasn’t a winery around every bend in the road, the Italian Swiss Colony was the biggest tourist destination in the North Bay. Shuttered for decades, the historic landmark has reopened as Cellar No. 8 (and Chateau Souverain). One of the joys of visiting, besides the juice, is that the tasting room is a living museum of that earlier time. Consider a barrel head on the wall that bears the inscription, “Wines mellowed in redwood.� There, over in the far corner, behold a 19thcentury sculpture carved by an Italian artisan. Titled His Last Love, the marble bust depicts a gent in his dotage and his stocking cap, with a sleepy, creepy grin, jealously cradling a straw basket-covered flask of wine like some Gollum. Oh, precious! Brought to life through advertising vignettes of the early 20th century, the old dotager surely has no contemporary in wine branding today—but wait, he has a twin! Look for him as the logo of Lago di Merlo Vineyards and, reportedly, on the tail of Merlo’s private jet. 26150 Asti Post Office Road, Cloverdale. 866.557.4970.—J.K.
BEST HIGH-
FALUTIN’ FARMER
The first time we saw Tucker Taylor hanging around the French Laundry, we checked our pockets for loose change. To be honest, he looked like he wouldn’t turn down a handout, with his knit braided tassel hat, his Grizzly Adams beard and his dirt-stained jeans. Then he showed us some asparagus, and it all made sense. Taylor is the private farmer for the Thomas Keller empire in Yountville, and his workplace is a two-acre organic garden directly across the restaurant from the famed Laundry. That’s him you’ll see digging in the soil nearly every
day, his hat and beard keeping him warm through the chilly rains of spring. There’s no fence around the property, which may seem odd, given the treasures contained within the 48 plots planted with tomatoes, peppers, boutique lettuces, beets, onions and more than 60 fragile blossoms, from broccoli to fava beans. A 3,000square-foot solar greenhouse blooms with tiny seedlings and a rainbow of herbs, each destined to become something exquisite on the menus of the French Laundry, Ad Hoc, Bouchon or Bouchon Bakery. Taylor says he likes to be accessible, forging relationships with neighborhood growers and explaining to passers-by why he gets excited about oca, an obscure tuber from the Andes, and crones, tiny roots that grow somewhat like potatoes but “look like the arm of the Michelin man� and are as crunchy as a water chestnut. For all his growing celebrity status, it’s still the dirt that Tucker digs. With a university degree in horticulture, he’s entirely down to earth. When he’s not cultivating precious ingredients for the Laundry’s $250 dinners, he’s pruning bushes and pulling weeds. “I also take care of the landscaping for all of the Keller properties,� he admits. 6640 Washington St., Yountville. 707.944.2380.—C.S.
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BEST TRAVELING
PUN
Healdsburgâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Wine-a-Bay-Go, the relaxing, leather-seated coolness of which has allowed many a winetaster to avoid DUIs in comfort, is maybe the best alternative to a taxi or limousine currently rolling through the hills of wine country. Affordably priced at $100 per hour, a fraction of what youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d pay for alternative services, the Wine-aBay-Go can seat up to 10 people. Jonathan Garner, the astoundingly friendly owner-operator-driver, always provides cold bottled water to keep guests hydrated, and delectable snacks to keep them from keeling. He will happily take a picture at each winery (and email you the shots after youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve sobered up), and has even been known to assist with making reservations at one of the areaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s many fine restaurants. Full service! www.healdsburgtours.com.â&#x20AC;&#x201D;D.T.
47 THE BOHEMIAN
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