Intoxicating Lavender Fields .. Matanzas Creek Winery

The lavender and estate gardens at Matanzas Creek Winery are situated amid hilly terrain in Sonoma County’s Bennett Valley. Washed over in luminous hues, the setting combines an elegant naturalism and robust verdure, where majestic native oaks tower over extravagant plantings.

Dragonfly (ALICE JOYCE photo)

It’s difficult not to be swept away by the heady perfume of lavender that greets you during a June visit.  Some 4,500 plants grow on staggered terraces, the cultivated varieties ‘Grosso’ and ‘Provence.’ The distinctive hues and textures create diagonal patterns, leading you on a gradual ascent up the steps of a central path toward the winery’s main building.

Matanzas Creek Winery (Alice Joyce photo)

Drifts of swaying grasses like the tall purple moor grass, which produces blooming spikes from June through December, soften the hillsides and walkways, alike.

Grass featherheads (Alice Joyce photo)

Masses of perennials thrive under Sonoma’s bright skies, in a design first conceived by landscape designer Gary Ratway (Digging Dog Nursery):  Gary is acknowledged for his contributions to the restoration of the Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens.

Lavender field Vista (Alice Joyce photo)

In addition to compositions of ornamental grasses and pungent herbs, the gardens feature selections of ornamental vines, shrubs and unusual trees:  Parrotia persica boasts medleys of amethyst & lemon-lime leaves in spring, shifting to shimmering golds and reds in the fall.

Fountain Sculpture Matanzas Creek Winery (Alice Joyce photo)

Eloquently described in the winery’s garden tour booklet, the governing philosophy at Matanzas Creek is one of “designing to reduce design.” It’s readily apparent throughout the grounds, but perhaps the most striking examples are boulders weighing 21,000 pounds. Set in place near a stairway, these massive forms look as if they have been there forever.   Matanzas Creek Estate & Lavender Gardens

Matanzas Creek Winery (Alice Joyce photo)

Dry Stream Bed (Alice Joyce photo)

June 21st, 2010 | Tags: , | Category: San Francisco, Wine Country | 4 comments - (Comments are closed)

Wine and Roses! Chateau St. Jean

Destination:  Chateau St. Jean Winery – Sonoma Valley

Chateau St. Jean Winery Formal Gardens (photo: Alice Joyce)

A perfect day in Wine Country:  Stroll the formal gardens at Chateau St. Jean in Kenwood - Garden Plan designed by Olin Partnership – followed by wine tasting, and a tasty light lunch from the winery’s charcuterie.

Chateau St. Jean Cascading Blooms (Clytostoma callistegiodes, ALICE JOYCE photo)

The garden layout draws inspiration from the Chateau, a Mediterranean-style villa built in the 1920, while the landscape, with its graceful proportions and symmetry, distinctively echoes traditional gardens of Italy and southern France. Fountains, statuary, and a classic pergola draped in blooming vines enhance the setting.

Chateau St. Jean Reserve Wine Tasting

Reserve Tasting - Chateau St. Jean

Reserve Tasting …

Chateau St. Jean

Statuary Chateau St Jean (Alice Joyce photo)

Handcrafted by winemaker Margo Van Staaveren, Chateau St. Jean’s  Reserve wines include brilliantly complex, award-winning reds and lively whites:  To savor on their own or pair with summery meals, Chateau St Jean Fume Blanc, Lyon Vineyard,

or the buttery Chardonnay, Sonoma County: Both wines are elegant and focused.

Tasting the deeply satisfying Chateau St. Jean Reserve Merlot is truly memorable. You may well be tempted to take home a bottle. And not-to-be missed, Chateau St. Jean’s celebrated Cinq Cepages Cabernet Sauvignon presents a captivating blend, with its soupcon of  Merlot, Cab Franc, Malbec, and 1 % Petite Verdot.

Chateau St Jean formal parterres (Photo Alice Joyce)

Italian stone pine, London plane and windmill palm trees provide order and structure in the central parterre, and adjoining garden rooms. American arborvitae hug metal arches to establish transitions between spaces. Look for decorative highlights like potted Citrus specimens, especially ‘Dwarf Satsuma Mandarin.’ The heady scent of  frothy, profusely blooming ‘Iceberg’ roses will stay with you.

Chateau St. Jean Winery (photo: Alice Joyce)

Many showy shrubs reach their peak bloom in summer: Hydrangea ‘Lanarth White’ and H. ‘Mariesii Variegata’ thrive in a shady haven beneath California sycamores.

Chateau St. Jean's Pergola (photo: Alice Joyce)

Visitors can enjoy self-guided tours of the gardens during open hours.

June 15th, 2010 | Tags: , , | Category: San Francisco, Wine Country | 4 comments - (Comments are closed)

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