80 OCTOBER 2015 MARIN
2Toll House Hotel Sister property to Tiburon
Tavern and Casa Madrona, the
Toll House Hotel, just off the idyl-
lic town square in Los Gatos, has
been renovated with a rebranding
of the on-site restaurant as Verge
Restaurant and Lounge. A “Sips and
Saddles” package offers breakfast
for two, a scenic horseback ride and
a picnic with wine tasting. With a
small-town vibe evocative of Marin,
Los Gatos features award-winning
restaurants, high-end boutiques and
access to nearby wineries. Rooms
start at $254, tollhousehotel.com.
1Bernardus Lodge and Spa Some might say just sipping
chardonnay poolside is enough of an
adventure for any wine lover staying
at this recently renovated treasure
in Carmel Valley. Under new ownership, the property has undergone
a four-month multimillion-dollar
transformation that included a few
small enhancements to the award-winning restaurant Lucia. A range
of culinary and cardio activities
are on offer and a $65 passport is
good for one $10 flight at nine tasting rooms. Rooms start at $475,
bernarduslodge.com.
3Hyatt Carmel Highlands A longtime foodie destination featuring jaw-dropping views
at the award-winning Pacific’s
Edge Restaurant, the Hyatt
Carmel Highlands is always a
crowd pleaser. The revamped
property offers a daylong winery
tour with private guide that covers
the entire winemaking process,
with information about Salinas
Valley agriculture, and ends with
a picnic lunch. Rooms start at
$399, highlandsinn.hyatt.com.
Heading south on Highway 101, you’ll find three recently
renovated wine-related spots worth stopping for. M. T.
In With the New
•HARVEST INN’S OCTOBER GETAWAY This 78-rooom luxury property is
offering a gourmet getaway with Silver Oak and Twomey wineries throughout the
month, including private tastings and chef-created customized meals at Charlie
Palmer’s Harvest Table. Two-night minimum, starting at $763. harvestinn.com M. T.
OWNER TO
MAKER What’s
the best deal
you’ve ever gotten? The kind
where you get
something for
a steal and
see it appreciate as much
as tenfold or
more? Whatever it was, it
wasn’t as good
as the luck
Jack Tognetti
had when he purchased
Los Carneros farmland
in the 1960s. This Napa
Valley region was largely
overlooked because of its
colder temperatures, but
it turns out the forsaken
land was actually perfect
for something — growing chardonnay and pinot
noir grapes. So for more
than 30 years Tognetti
grew and sold grapes to
an array of fine wineries
from his Aloise Francisco
Vineyard, until 2012, when
his son Robert founded the
Tognetti Family Winery
on-site. The family has
started making a chardonnay that’s produced on a
limited basis each year and
is releasing its first Napa
cabernet in 2016. And with
winemaker Keith Hock on
board, a sparkling blanc de
blanc is also in the works.
tognettiwines.com K.P
