Wine tasting at Chalk Hill Left to right: Yves Sauboua and Jay James

Chalk Hill's al fresco breakfast unfolds in a bucolic setting on the winery patio adjacent to a 10,000-square-foot indoor dressage arena. That's where Peggy, a devoted equestrian, trains her three Hanoverian warmblood horses. This elegant edifice, tucked discreetly into a rustic hillside, is no stable however. It has served as a forum for many special events, including recent performances by the San Francisco Opera. Coffee is the beverage of the moment. Wine comes later.

Indeed, it's not just any kind of wine tasting, but an extensive sampling of unfinished wines made from the various clones-or vine selections-that make up the blend for Chalk Hill's famous Chardonnays.

"We're tasting a lot of wines in a way that we don't normally get a chance to," Jay explains. "It gives us the opportunity to explore the culture of wine country, as well as the wines themselves."

A short drive through the pristine Alexander Valley leads us away from Chalk Hill and on to Jordan winery, built in 1976 to resemble a Bordeaux château by geologist and oil entrepreneur Tom Jordan.

Rob Davis of Jordan

Winemaker Rob Davis, who has been with the winery since the beginning, is on hand to greet us. He gestures toward the vines that push their way up steep slopes surrounding the winery. "We explored hillside planting before it was fashionable," the winemaker explains.

But do hillside vineyards really yield great wines? A trip to Rob's cellar and a taste of his gently evolving Cabernet Sauvignon indicate they must. Jay is impressed. "I'm tasting the 2002 vintage for the first time during this trip," he declares. "It's looking very promising."

Jordan winery is focused on far more than wine. A one-acre organic vegetable garden provides the winery's full-time Chef, Udo Nechytnys, with daily produce. The estate's olives are pressed for their oil, and Udo even raises snails for gourmet meals in the winery's richly appointed dining room.

"We're skipping the snails today," Udo announces to his guests, who appear to be slightly relieved, tucking into pan seared scallops, instead.

The next stop on the wine route is nearby Dry Creek Valley, where Vintner Don Carano is waiting to greet the Bellagio crew for a tour of his Italianinspired Ferrari-Carano winery. In addition to owning 1,250 acres of vines and an impressive roster of fine wines, Don and his wife, Rhonda, are particularly fond of the three-acre garden that surrounds their picturesque winery.