This is the fourth day of our adventure in wine country. By late afternoon, we are in Healdsburg at the Grape Leaf Inn. What a wonderful B & B! The Grape Leaf Inn is as colorful as its name. It’s a romantic 100 year old, three storied, Victorian home with wraparound porches.
There are twelve Queen Anne style bedrooms with private baths. Ten rooms have king-sized beds and spa tubs for two. Five rooms have fireplaces. Most upper floor room have skylights over the bed. With names like the Pinot Noir, Gamay Rose, Sangiovese, and Chardonnay Suite it was difficult to choose the "best" room. All rooms here are best! Room rates range from $210 to $325 per night.
View the rooms, amenities and specials at www.grapeleafinn.com.
We chose the Merlot room on the top floor. The king-size bed nestles under gable crowned with a magnificent stained glass window. Skylights over each side of the bed look straight up into the endless night sky. A huge bathroom has a spa tub for two with skylights over the tub. To top it all off, many special touches such as fresh flowers, Aveda bath products, and hand-pressed linens add to the charm and ambiance. If there were not so much to see and do, we might not leave this room for the next two days.
Owner and host, Richard Rosenberg, holds late afternoon wine tastings bringing in wine experts from local wineries for lively discussions. We notice several fellow travelers entering notes in wine journals along with labels from their favorite vineyard tours of the day. We learn that all the wineries have baskets of complimentary beautiful labels for their wines. Wow! Why didn’t we think of that? Tomorrow we will buy a wine journal. Wish we had collected labels at our favorite wineries in Napa! One of the best parts of travel is what you learn along the way.
About midnight, we are awakened by a brief thunderstorm. It is worth waking to watch the lightening play across the sky and listen to a symphony of thunder and rain as we lie beneath the skylight. Another breathless travel moment.
The next morning we are amazed at the spread before us. Grand Marnier Croissant French Toast and Fresh Asparagus, Parmesan Cheese Soufflé, and Champagne Mimosas. Gotta have the recipes. Richard graciously shares them. Then, it’s off to the tastings. (See Top Ten Wine Country Favorites) Late afternoon, finds us back at the Grape Leaf Inn for another wine and cheese tasting and lesson from a local vintner.
After another superb breakfast of melt-in-your-mouth White Chocolate Pancakes and a variety of side dishes, we regretfully leave the Grape Leaf Inn and continue north toward Mendocino and the coast. Be sure to check out our next entry…the Little River Inn.