Medlock Ames: Wine Tasting in a Secret Garden

Our trip to Sonoma was a dream from start to finish, but especially the start with a visit to Medlock Ames in the Alexander Valley.
When traveling, I tend to want to do it all and see it all. I plan my itinerary for weeks, if not months, ahead of time by mapping out must-see destinations and getting an idea of where I want to eat most of my meals. To be honest, I sometimes have as much fun with the planning as I do on the actual trip.
But with such a short amount of time to spend in Sonoma, I knew I had to let my control issues go and focus on quality over quantity. There was no way we could make a dent in visiting the over 400 wineries in Sonoma County (although if I lived in the area, I’d certainly try). Instead we focused on sampling wineries from several of the major regions in the area.
We started our day by making the forty-five minute drive from our Airbnb in Glen Ellen toward Healdsburg, a gorgeous route with mountain and vineyard views around every bend. In Sonoma, it’s as much about the journey as it is the destination.
But what a destination we’d found in Medlock Ames: an ethical, sustainable, boutique winery with a stunning tasting room and bountiful gardens.
We knew we were in the right hands when we were greeted warmly as soon as we walked in the door and shown to a sunny table on the back patio, overlooking the gardens and seemingly never-ending stretch of vineyards in the distance.
(Those are actually Rodney Strong vines, Medlock Ames’ vineyard is about fifteen minutes away at the ranch.)
To our surprise and delight, the woman pouring our tasting for us was Brazilian, so we spent the time in between sips discussing Rio and Paraty and using the tiny bit of the portuguese we learned this summer. I love it when worlds collide.
It was a gorgeous, sunny morning and the wines went down easily. We started with a crisp but surprisingly creamy Sauvignon Blanc and finished with the rich and luxurious 2013 Right Bank Red, a small lot production with only 224 cases produced. Everything in between, from a newly-released rosé to a versatile and affordable red blend, was wonderful as well.
Along with complimentary mint and lemon water, a tasting at Medlock Ames comes with a delicious pairing of local, artisan cheeses.
These pairings were very thoughtful and took the tasting experience to the next level, especially the peppery Mezzo Secco alongside the Right Bank Red.
Medlock Ames is a lesser-known winery in the Healdsburg area; many of the locals we mentioned it to had no idea what we were talking about. That, along with the fact that we were the only patrons there right as they opened, made it feel like our own secret garden. I honestly could have stayed there all day, reading a book and breathing in the fresh air.
Sonoma is often referred to as Napa’s less pretentious neighbor, and after our first tasting was in the books we couldn’t help but agree. As we pulled out of the parking lot and toward our next destination there was only one thing on our minds, How will anywhere else we go compare to this wine lover’s paradise? 
Stay tuned to find out if anything did!