Author: Sonoma Magazine Staff

Top 100 Wines: Meet & Greet Theresa Heredia

She would have been a chemistry professor, if wine hadn’t gotten in the way. Theresa Heredia, winemaker at Gary Farrell Vineyards & Winery, earned a bachelor’s degree in biochemistry, was a scientist focused on cancer related peptide research, and a Ph.D. candidate in chemistry at UC Davis. But her studies and enology-student colleagues led her […]

Top 100 Wines: Pinot Noir

Arista Winery 2013 Toboni Vineyard Russian River Valley Pinot Noir $45 From a 15-acre vineyard off Olivet Lane, this vineyard-designate shows off the talents of new winemaker Matthew Courtney and the longtime farming prowess of Mary and Joe Toboni, offering tight acidity and fine-grained tannins around a core of succulently exotic dark cherry, raspberry and […]

Top 100 Wines: Other Whites

Anaba Wines 2012 Turbine White Rhone Blend Sonoma Valley $28 A blend of near-equal parts Grenache Blanc, Viognier, Marsanne and Picpoul Blanc, this is a juicy wine that tastes of anise, almond and caramelized oak, kept bright and light by a deftaccent of lemon zest. (VB) Donelan Family Wines 2013 Venus Roussanne-Viognier Sonoma County $48 […]

Top 100 Wines: Chardonnay

DeLoach Vineyards 2012 Ritchie Vineyard Middle Reach Russian River Valley Chardonnay $50 This wine from one of Russian River Valley’s star sites is rich and decadently creamy in vanilla and apple-crisp character, balanced by refreshing acidity and bright citrus and apple fruit. Oak plays a supporting role, adding depth and mouthfeel. (VB) Dutton-Goldfield Winery 2012 […]

Top 100 Wines: Sparkling

Gloria Ferrer Caves & Vineyards 2004 Late Disgorged Carneros Cuvée $70 A full-bodied and super-creamy wine with yeastiness and toasted almond accenting the fleshy yellow stone fruit and citrus flavors. Rich and voluptuous, it’s a decadent expression of traditionally made California bubbly. (LM) Gloria Ferrer Caves & Vineyards 2007 Carneros Royal Cuvée $37 First served […]

Top 100 Wines: Introduction

Sonoma can grow just about any wine grape — And does. With its incomparable range of wine types and styles, There’s no reason to look elsewhere for a great bottle. Here are our favorites from 2015, each one Sonoma-grown. by Linda Murphy with Virginie Boone Wine tasting is no different than movie watching. Neither is […]
Photo by Erik Castro

New Coffee Sensation: Phin Bar

After moving from San Francisco to Santa Rosa last year, Hoang Cao and Paula Cruz-Cao couldn’t find the strong iced coffee drinks they craved. They experimented with brewing Vietnamese iced coffee at home, and Hoang, who is first-generation Vietnamese-American, was struck by inspiration: Why not make condensed milk instead of using canned? No surprise, the […]

Sonoma Magazine Recognized for Editorial Excellence

Sonoma magazine was recognized for editorial excellence at the annual Folio Awards in New York last week. The magazine received the Eddie award in the category of Best Full Issue among regional consumer magazines for its September 2014 harvest issue. The contest is staged by Folio, a magazine that focuses on the magazine industry. “This […]
Leslie Boutell and Simon Purshouse, owners of Urban Refind, sit on a porch swing amongst many of their other wares at their shop in Sonoma, California on Thursday, October 15, 2015. (Alvin Jornada / The Press Democrat)

Urban Refind to the Rescue

If you have refined tastes, are conscious about recycling, prefer to shop local and take a liking to vintage, antique items with history and character, Urban Refind is just for you. Leslie Boutell and Simon Purshouse have spent the past six years sorting through unwanted stuff, which most people see as junk, and finding hidden treasures […]
Collin, left, and Erick Thuss at Westside yoga studio in Sebastopol. (Photo by John Burgess)

Namaste Brothers

If your body is a temple and it’s a fixer-upper, “Namaste Brothers” Erick and Collin Thuss may be just the renovation team you need.