Category: Food + Drink

Mixology: Get Your Drink On

Want to sip something different during the holidays? Head to these local watering holes for a comforting cocktail created with warmth in mind, or shake one up yourself. Three top-notch bartenders offer distinctive drinks they serve this time of year. El Dorado Kitchen Sonoma “To me, a well-crafted cocktail, with the perfect balance of ingredients […]

Top 100 Wines: Merlot

Chelsea Goldschmidt 2013 Alexander Valley Merlot $17 One of winemaker Nick Goldschmidt’s “Daughters” series and named for No. 2 daughter Chelsea, this Merlot is youthful and fresh-tasting, with savory tobacco, anise and barrel spice notes accenting the juicy red cherry and berry flavors. Good value. (LM) FrostWatch Vineyard & Winery 2012 Bennett Valley Merlot $32 […]

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: Know Your Vintages

2011 It was a cool, wet and challenging growing season in Sonoma, yet experienced viticulturists and winemakers combined to produce excellent wines. But there were a lot fewer of them: Grape yields were down some 40 percent from normal, as growers removed unripe and rot-affected clusters so that the vines could focus their energy on […]

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 […]
The egg trend is big at Bird & The Bottle. Here Cheesy Grits with Grilled Hen of the Woods Mushrooms, Cured Egg & Spicy Schmaltz. (Photo: Loren Hansen Photography)

Unique Food Trends in Sonoma County

In the ever-frenetic world of modern restaurants, a chef is only as good as his last dish. Fickle diners get bored, and food trends move so quickly from fried chicken to kale that, increasingly, chefs are pushing limits to keep a buzz around their kitchen. It has become such a daily thought in menu planning […]
David Ramey’s 2013 Pedregal Vineyard Ramey cabernet sauvignon was one of the best wines in the Press Democrat 10 year cabernet tasting. (John Burgess/The Press Democrat)

Top 100 Wines: Meet & Greet David Ramey

He’s produced wine at Simi, Matanzas Creek and Chalk Hill wineries, and Dominus and Rudd estates, all of which benefited from his experienced gained at the Moueix family’s famed Château Pétrus in Bordeaux, France. Yet David Ramey found his final winemaking home in Healdsburg, with Ramey Wine Cellars, where he produces spectacular Chardonnays from Russian […]

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 […]