Donnell Garden, Sonoma, CA
Annual Fall ASLA Excursion

2022 Annual ASLA Excursion: Sonoma, CA

Sonoma, CA

UPDATE - There are now a few spaces available, please contact aileen@tclf.org to register.

独家爆料 (独家爆料) in conjunction with the will host a daylong excursion on Friday, November 11, in Sonoma, California. 独家爆料鈥檚 annual, curated excursions to exceptional examples of landscape architecture and design are eagerly anticipated, extremely popular, and always sell out months in advance. 

独家爆料鈥檚 annual excursion in Sonoma will be memorable for its sweeping historic narrative of the region鈥檚 most significant cultural landscapes and the depth of knowledge that visitors will be afforded by guides. Complementing the excellent destinations will be exquisite food and wine.  

The day begins at the Donnell Garden, a postwar masterpiece of Modernism that architectural historian Marc Treib suggests is "the most famous garden of the twentieth century." We will be hosted by the owners Sandra Donnell and Justin Faggioli. Designed by landscape architect Thomas Church, with Lawrence Halprin and architect George Rockrise, the garden, with its iconic kidney-shaped pool, came to define California living. Completed in 1948, the garden was soon famous for its unusual, abstracted forms, and remains one of the best-preserved examples of its time. Frequently photographed, it came to stand for a modern style of California living that took place both indoors and outdoors, with fluid transitions between these equally important places.  

Image
Scribe Winery, Sonoma, CA
Scribe Winery, Sonoma, CA - Photo by Caitlin Atkinson

Fourth generation Californian farmers and brothers Adam and Andrew Mariani founded Scribe Winery in 2007 on a 200-acre property that they say, 鈥減ioneered pre-prohibition Sonoma Valley winemaking,鈥 but had been abandoned for 20 years. The brothers brought in Alain Peuroi and David Godshall with the landscape architecture firm Terremoto. As Godshall recently told : 鈥淲e planted a wild garden that will be a place where landscape ecologies meet. Coast live oaks are confronted by palms, artichokes run wild, native buckwheat will stumble into twining white roses, and dune grasses will sweep into the edible garden.鈥 The result is 鈥渁 microcosmic daydream鈥 of Northern California. 

Image
Scribe Winery, Sonoma, CA
Scribe Winery, Sonoma, CA - Photo by Caitlin Atkinson

After lunch attendee will experience a private tour of Sonoma Plaza, which became a National Historic Landmark in 1961. This eight-acre Plaza, laid out in 1835 by Mexican General Mariano Vallejo (who also founded Sonoma), was the site of a revolt in 1846 that resulted in the founding of the Republic of California. Today it features shops, galleries, restaurants, and Sonoma City Hall.  

Image
Hudson Ranch, Sonoma, CA
Hudson Ranch, Sonoma, CA - Photo by Michael Cuffe - courtesy Hudson Ranch

The tour excursion next goes to Hudson Ranch and Vineyard, a 200-acre site situated deep in the heart of the rolling hills of Napa Valley鈥檚 Carneros District, which its owners describe as their 鈥渁grarian dream.鈥 The ranch produces world-class wine grapes for exceptional wines and Tuscan olives for verdant oil, raises heritage breed pigs, lamb and chickens, and grows a diverse array of seasonal fruits and vegetables for its grocery store. 

Image
Buena Vista Winery, Sonoma, CA
Buena Vista Winery, Sonoma, CA - Photo by Marion Brenner

The excursion will conclude at Buena Vista Winery, which according to landscape architects Surfacedesign, 鈥減layed a pivotal role in the establishment of European grapes in Sonoma and the early development of the California wine industry.鈥 The site includes two original stone buildings, a hedge maze under canopies of heritage oak, a series of terraces and outdoor rooms, and a new forecourt of intricately patterned cobble. And, yes, a lot of wine. 

Image
Buena Vista Winery, Sonoma, CA
Buena Vista Winery, Sonoma, CA - Photo by Marion Brenner

REGISTER TODAY - Space is strictly limited and this event will sell out. Transportation is provided.