We met Jess, Susan and Suzanne on a gloriously sunny Saturday morning at the Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn. It was obvious, spring had sprung! All day long, our guests who were from Florida, remarked on the beauty of blossoming trees and plants surrounding them and the scents that assailed them as they cruised along the back roads of Sonoma.

Randy took the lead making our first stop for a brief history lesson of Sonoma and the Bear Flag Revolt at ‘Lachryma Montis,’ the home of General Mariano Vallejo.

From here we followed the bike path, surrounded by stunning mustard, through town on to Gundlach Bundschu for their first tasting and wine cave tour.

From here the group headed up Thornsberry road to Bartholomew Park Winery. The promise of more wine and lunch ahead made the climb worthwhile. The guests enjoyed sampling the wines and touring the museum while Randy and I prepared a wonderful lunch of brie, smoked salmon, crusty seeded bread and various gourmet salads followed by what else but chocolate for dessert. As we savored our feast we gazed out over the budding vineyards of Bartholomew below and watched as hikers and joggers made their way along the paths.