点评:Though a bit of a silly name (Platypus is an homage to the Aussie founder, I believe), there certainly wasn't anything silly about a near perfect day with Casey, our driver and guide. Picked up (early) at our hotel in Sonoma mid-morning, we picked up four other couples and proceeded to a boutique spin-off of a corporate winery - nice tasting room, decent wines and great art work, Imagery Winery was a good start to the day. The second winery, Loxton, was the highlight of the tour, as the husband, wife and one employee worked a 5 acre farm with all the values and considerations that makes them a stand-out of "Doing things the right way". We finished at Wellington, another, though larger producer, with pride and excellence, a hallmark of their beautiful setting and capable wines. Of special note, an excellent box lunch, made in Platypus' kitchens, was had out doors at Loxton. I like that the company keeps track of their guests, so they assure you of not going back to one of the 30+ wineries they visit - I also like that the driver picks the wineries for the day, and our excellent guide/driver/local/good guy chose wineries in close proximity, thus spending our time tasting on a relaxed schedule. A great value for a full day of comfort, convenience and conviviality. Having to pay tasting fees (or buying wine to waive the fee) was not overwhelming - in fact, there was never pressure to buy. Overall, an exceptional bargain for a perfect day in a remarkable place.
翻译:虽然名字有点傻(我相信Platypus是对澳大利亚创始人的致敬),但和司机兼导游Casey一起度过的近乎完美的一天绝对不傻。上午我们在索诺玛的酒店接了我们,之后又接了另外四对夫妇,然后前往一家由企业酒庄衍生的精品酒庄——品酒室很棒,葡萄酒品质不错,艺术品也很棒,Imagery Winery酒庄为我们开启了美好的一天。第二家酒庄Loxton是这次旅行的亮点,因为丈夫、妻子和一名员工在一个5英亩的农场里辛勤耕耘,他们秉持着“以正确的方式做事”的价值观和理念,在农场里脱颖而出。最后,我们来到了另一家规模更大的酒庄Wellington,这家酒庄以其卓越的品质和自豪感而结束一天,这体现在他们优美的环境和优质的葡萄酒上。特别值得一提的是,我们在Loxton享用了一顿美味的盒饭,这顿午餐是在Platypus的厨房里制作的。我喜欢这家公司会记录客人的行程,所以他们保证你不会再去他们参观的30多家酒庄了。我也很喜欢司机会自行选择当天的酒庄,我们优秀的导游/司机/当地人/好心人都选择了附近的酒庄,这样我们就能轻松地品酒。一整天的舒适、便捷和欢乐,绝对物超所值。品酒费(或购买葡萄酒免除费用)并不让人感到压力——事实上,我们完全没有购买的压力。总而言之,在一个非凡的地方度过完美的一天,这真是物超所值。