dia dos

sunday morning came with the sun shining but the weather much colder. after a brisk run to the north end of calistoga and back, we enjoyed the continental breakfast at d'amici. this is a great way to save a little $. the hotel provides fruit, bagels, scones, juice, coffee, etc. each morning. our first stop of the morning was the frank family vineyards. i really enjoyed both the pinot noir and the zinfandel here. the zinfandel was like fresh jam. excellent. we had an early lunch at the rutherford grill and then we headed to the silverado vineyards. this is where we said our goodbyes to the rest of the family. there were two more stops on our trip. the first was a place called dutch henry. this is a very small vineyard with a production of only about 6000. we purchased their 2004 argos wine which is a bordeaux blend style (definitely saved for a special occasion). our last winery to visit was cuvaison toward the north end and very near to calistoga. some great wine here and we purchased an s block chardonnay (we better have some more special occasions)! fully sated on wine, we returned to the hotel and then headed to the golden haven spa for a mudbath. ive never had a mudbath before and im not sure i will ever do so again. nevertheless it was an interesting experience. i will admit that the mud was very comfortable to lay in, but there's just something about laying in the mud. however, if you are into the spa experience, this is an unpretentious and relaxing place to go. you won't be disappointed by the experience.