Flying mostly under radar, there are dozens of Sonoma wineries making micro-amounts of wine — many without high-tech production facilities or tasting rooms, selling directly to the public. Here are eight worth seeking out.
Caleb Leisure Wines
Many visitors to the Republic of Georgia return home to rave about the wines and the novelty of them being fermented in clay pots buried in the ground. Winemakers around the world experiment with in-ground clay vessels, but Sonoma’s Caleb Leisure might be the only one in the US to use authentic qvevri from Georgia, costing thousands of dollars each. Not an oak barrel in sight. The oval-shaped qvevri are lined with beeswax and are stored in a Sonoma Mountain hillside, behind Coturri Winery. Leisure was lured to winemaking specifically by the natural, sulfur-free qvevri method, and in 2017, began fermenting Viognier, Sauvignon Blanc, Syrah, Mourvedre and other grapes underground. He’s up to 1,000 cases of natural wines a year, with more story behind them that marketers can’t buy. The wines are unfiltered, keeping with the natural theme, yet remarkably bright.
Cecilia Enriquez’s father, Eduardo, was intrigued by the wine business; she was not impressed working for a bank and agreed to help him. Cecilia was 22 when she discovered Sonoma, and it became the place she and her New Jersey family would purchase vineyard land and start their brand in 2011. Now the proprietor and president of the company, Cecilia works with her winemaker husband, Dana von Sternberg (Vokel Cellars), at their rustic barn winery in Forestville. Among her unusual wines: aged (and brilliant) dry Muscat and a Brisa white blend from Russian River Valley, and two Tempranillos from the Petaluma Gap. The Forestville estate vineyard is prominently Pinot Noir and is another, more traditional focus for Enriquez.
Berkeley resident Ari Heavner and Southern Californian Ben Larks connected in 2006 while working harvest in Sonoma. Soon thereafter, they founded Idle Cellars and are going strong, 13 years later. They took the classic California winemaking path, producing micro-lots of Grenache Blanc, Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and other wines, from such Sonoma vineyards as Los Chamizal in Sonoma Valley, Mounts in Dry Creek Valley, Peaceland in the Fountaingrove District and Catherine Bonneau in Los Carneros. Heavner and Larks own no vineyards nor winemaking equipment, employing a custom-rush facility and doing all the work themselves. The brand name comes from the idle time the friends enjoy, drinking wine with family and friends.
Restaurateur Scott Schultz transitioned to winemaking in 2007, working for Pax Mahle, among others. His personal label, Jolie-Laide (it loosely translates to “beautiful-ugly,” reflects his choice of unglamorous grape varieties, among them Melon de Bourgone, Valdigue and Trousseau Gris. Like many independents, Schultz sources fruit from within and outside Sonoma, including Mendocino, Monterey and El Dorado counties. Some of his whites are given some skin contact during fermentation, adding richness and texture; the Trousseau Gris from Peter Fanucchi’s Russian River Valley vineyard is a fine example.
Stoumen makes her wines at Pax Mahle Winery at The Barlow in Sebastopol and has earned an avid following for what she doesn’t do to the juice. She is a local face for natural wines, those produced with as little human intervention as possible. That means organically grown grapes, no commercial yeasts for fermentation, and little, if any, post-fermentation stabilizers or enzymes. The Sebastopol native does add small amounts of sulfur as a preservative, but the goal is for her wines reflect the place they were grown, without masking the character with additives. Her Nero d’Avola comes from the warm interior of Mendocino County. There is also a sparkling Zinfandel, unusual blends and a more traditionally styled Petite Sirah. Like many “natural’ wines (there is no official definition for the term), a Stoumen wine occasionally has a funky note, and she’s OK with that.
Jennifer Reichardt grew up on her family’s duck farm near Petaluma. Her father, Jim Reichhardt, established the Liberty Duck brand, prized by chefs everywhere. Jennifer is now chief operating officer of the company and makes time to produce Raft Wines – a raft is a group of ducks – for which she sources Picpoul Blanc and Grenache Blanc from El Dorado County, Counoise and Viognier from Madera County, and Syrah from Sonoma. Low alcohol levels and food-friendliness are her mantras – particularly if they match with Liberty Duck. Being around wine and wineries via the food industry, Jennifer made what she calls an easy transition to working her first harvest in 2011 and launched Raft in 2016.
From an enclave of winemaking stalls on Hassett Lane in Geyserville, Mike Lucia makes Rootdown wines, taking it from a side project to a full-time business in 2016. Lucia focuses on varietals such as Chenin Blanc, Grenache Blanc, Pinot Blanc, Trousseau and Mourvedre. Sonoma and Mendocino Counties are the primary sources for Rootdown grapes, and Lucia produces the wines as naturally as possible, using native yeasts, no new oak, and limited sulfur. The wines are racy and low in alcohol, crisp and refreshing rather than fruity and ripe. In late 2019, Lucia acquired the 150-acre Cole Ranch in a shockingly cool pocket of land near Ukiah, planted to Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Riesling. He’s begun a project to grow rare varieties that thrive in the Alps region of France. Mondeuse, anyone?
Ryan and Meghan Glaab met while making wine in Australia, fell in love and married. They started Ryme Cellars in 2007 by crushing a ton of Aglianico, a rustic red grape. From there, they expanded to other obscure varieties such as Ribolla Gialla and Vermentino, as well as more traditional grapes Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. The indie experimentation mode is apparent in the Glaabs’ “His” and “Hers” Vermentinos; Megan presses the grapes, lets the fermented juice settle, and bottles the wine at its freshest. Ryan’s Vermentino is harvested later, fermented on the skins, and aged longer. They now have a small tasting room in Forestville.
Over the past seven months, Sonoma wineries have been busy adjusting to coronavirus restrictions. No longer able to host visitors indoors, many have modified their patios, great lawns, walkways and even parking lots to accommodate seated tastings outdoors. Those changes, plus virtual tastings, online wine sales and free delivery, have kept many wineries in business.
But it’s now mid-November. Much-needed rain has started to fall and temperatures are dropping. For now, there’s no retreating inside to toasty tasting rooms warmed by fireplaces and decorated for the holidays. However, with the Thanksgiving weekend ahead, wineries are again adapting to conditions by looking to tents, canopies, space heaters and plush blankets to make their guests as comfortable as possible.
For Joy Sterling of Iron Horse Vineyards in Sebastopol, being limited to outdoor tastings is not a big deal. Year-around, her family’s wines are poured outdoors; there is no indoor tasting room. There is, however, a magnificent view to the east of the Mayacamas Mountains, sometimes dusted with snow. Four walls would deprive visitors of the full-view beauty of the place. Heaters and farm-market-style tents are always on hand for chilly, rainy days and have been dusted off for the looming winter weather.
It’s a bit more lavish at Muscardini Cellars in Sonoma Valley, which has taken on the coronavirus challenges with a Winter Wonderland Tent for tastings and pairings and a Meet Your Palate tasting experience (Nov. 21-22), featuring a blind tasting of wines that are great mates for the Thanksgiving table.
These Sonoma wineries have scrambled yet again to host visitors under COVID restrictions, offering cozy rather than chilly receptions in trying circumstances. Remember to make a reservation in advance.
Alexander Valley Vineyards
Like many longtime wineries, Alexander Valley Vineyards relied on indoor tastings at its cozy bar, conducive to collegial conversation. COVID forced tastings to be moved to the covered outdoor porch, though the comfortable vibe continues. During chilly weather, each table will have a pyramid patio propane heater to ward off the cold. Space is limited to four tables, with a maximum six guests per table, for the Estate and Reserve tastings. Cabernet sauvignon and zinfandel are the calling cards, and estate-grown chardonnay and pinot noir do well in Alexander Valley’s typically warm climate, with vines cooled by the Russian River.
Winemaker and partner Mike Sullivan excels at producing so many varietals that it’s difficult to choose favorites. Chardonnay and pinot noir, grenache and zinfandel and sophisticated sparkling wines are all outstanding. Taste a selection of them at the winery’s Ranch House on the Martaella Estate Vineyard in Russian River Valley. Alfresco tastings at Benovia are hosted on a deck that wraps around the Ranch House and offers views of Mount St. Helena. Benovia has added awnings, space heaters and blankets for visitors.
By appointment, Diane and John Bucher pour their Russian River Valley estate-grown wines at Grand Cru Custom Crush in Windsor. “We roll up our beautiful glass doors, position a large heater in the open doorway and guests can be a few feet inside our salons and enjoy tasting,” Diane Bucher said. “As there is plenty of fresh air, we encourage guests to dress warmly.” The Buchers grow pinot noir in the Middle Reach area of Russian River Valley, with the wines made by Adam Lee of Siduri Wines fame. All the pinots (and a late-harvest sauvignon blanc) are big-flavored and juicy; if it’s available, don’t miss tasting the 2018 Pommard Clone Pinot Noir.
Wineries along Westside Road southwest of Healdsburg get more than their share of attention. After all, Rochioli, Williams Selyem, Gary Farrell, MacRostie and Flowers are here. But don’t forget about Eastside Road, which parallels Westside Road along the Russian River, and Copain Wines. The winery overlooks the river and produces site-specific chardonnays, pinot noirs and syrahs. Guests sit at private outdoor tables; in cold and/or rainy weather, seatings are in covered, heated areas.
Rain or shine, this Windsor estate offers tastings as well as wine and food pairings, including the “Fried Chicken & Caviar Chardonnay Pairing for Two.” Current tastings are on the patio, with tents pitched for inclement weather. At press time, Chalk Hill was poised to move winter wine and culinary experiences to a former dressage horse riding arena, with its covered roof and open-air sides. It’s now an elegant space, repurposed by owner Bill Foley from previous owner Peggy Furth’s equally grand equine center.
10300 Chalk Hill Road, Healdsburg, 707-657-1809, chalkhill.com
Dry Creek Vineyard
Kim Stare Wallace and her team, which includes winemaker Tim Bell, continue to produce excellent-value wines, after Stare Wallace’s father, Dave, founded the winery in 1972. Sauvignon blanc and zinfandel are strong suits, and the merlots, cabernet sauvignons and Bordeaux-style blends over-deliver for their price. Blessed with a large lawn in front of the tasting room, Dry Creek Vineyard offers outdoor seated tastings there by appointment when the weather is dry; a tented area with socially distant seating is available for rainy days. Blankets are available for chilly days.
Some of the finest sparkling wines from California, as well as elegant chardonnays and pinot noir table wines, are produced by the Sterling family at Iron Horse. The wines can be tasted at the outdoor tasting “room” with views of Mount St. Helena. There is also physically distanced seating in a gazebo for bottle purchases, with an option to pre-order picnic-style meals from Big Bottom Market in Guerneville. Don’t miss the biscuits; they pair beautifully with the Classic Vintage Brut bubbly.
Walking tours of the Petaluma Gap estate, with its vineyards, outdoor artwork, olive groves and south-facing views, are an invigorating part of each visit, unless it’s raining. In that case, Ana Keller and her team move the experience to the Classic Collection Room, with its wide double doors open to the view of the vineyards and perhaps a classic car in the background. Tastings of Keller’s chardonnays, pinot noirs, rosés and sparkling wines (and an deep, earthy, under-the-radar syrah-based wine called Rotie) are intimate, with one small party per time slot. Through Dec. 5, guests who bring a lightly used winter coat, to be donated to Larkin Street Youth Services in San Francisco, receive two tastings for the price of one.
Jackson Family Wines’ revitalization of the Saralee’s Vineyard site in Russian River Valley was designed to take advantage of this grand outdoor location, with additional tastings indoors of the chardonnays and pinot noirs. The winery’s outdoor patios come into play during the pandemic, with their high plexiglas screens providing overhead coverage from rain and limiting direct wind gusts on guests. Fresh air flows though the seating areas, and heaters are there for warmth.
Steve Ledson has been known to throw a tent event or two on his Kenwood estate. His winery building, known as the Castle, has several indoor tasting areas, but a tent has been used for special events for years, and it has come in handy during pandemic times. The tent is heated for cold-weather visits, and guests can order fresh sandwiches and cheese and charcuterie plates from Ledson’s Gourmet Marketplace. The list of wines produced is lengthy, with a bottle for every taste.
Mike Muscardini’s cabernet sauvignons and Italian-style red wines are big, bold and ideal for enjoying in late fall and winter. His Winter Wonderland Tent, which opened Nov. 7 and runs into early 2021, is decked with 2,000 sparkling lights and silver snowflakes, with a selection of olive oils, chocolates and other treats for sale. Several sensory experiences are offered by appointment, including a blind tasting of wines that are great mates for the Thanksgiving table (Nov. 21-22) and a chocolate-with-wine pairing session of Muscardini wines with sweets created by master chocolatier Sebastian Beline (Dec. 5-Feb. 28, 2021).
This pinot noir specialist, previously offering traditional tastings at its indoor bar, expanded and covered its outdoor deck just before the pandemic hit. It was a prescient move, as the Dry Creek Valley winery has been able to host visitors outside since March, physically distanced. Heaters are at the ready for chilly days, and logo blankets are sold for additional warmth. Tastings include five wines; charcuterie boards can be added for additional cost.
This 90-year-old winery has weathered many a storm, including wars, Prohibition and depressions. As a family-owned winery, it’s tackled coronavirus with determination, now with the purchase of a tent for sheltered outdoor winter tastings and the addition of space heaters. Plush logo blankets are sold at winery cost to guests, and flights have been developed (Elegant Pursuits, Pedroncelli Starters and others) so visitors can choose a flight at the time of booking and have it ready upon arrival. Pedroncelli wines offer excellent value; zinfandel, cabernet sauvignon and sangiovese and a sauvignon blanc are strengths.
If you’ve ever attended one of Rodney Strong’s summer concerts, know that the Concert Green Stage is where outdoor tastings are now being held. The stage, where the Beach Boys, Hall and Oates, Huey Lewis and others have performed, is covered by a permanent tent top, with open sides for air and heating lamps to keep people warm. Multiple tasting experiences are offered, including those from Rodney Strong Vineyards and sister brands Davis Bynum and Rowen Wine Co.
11455 Old Redwood Highway, Healdsburg, 707-431-1533, rodneystrong.com
Vérité
Here is a rare opportunity to taste wines that cost $400 or more per bottle, score in the high 90s and even 100 points from prestigious critics and are sold almost exclusively to mailing-list members and collectors. That Vérité now welcomes guests to sample its three Bordeaux-style red blends (Le Désir, La Muse, La Joie), made by Pierre Seillan from Sonoma grapes, is rather remarkable. For $150 per person, the three current-release Vérité wines, plus an older library wine, are poured in a heated tent for a maximum six persons. Oenophiles, take advantage of the opportunity while it lasts.
Jackfruit pulled “pork” sliders with slaw at Fourth Street Social in Santa Rosa. (Heather Irwin / The Press Democrat)
Who eats more plant-based “meat” products than vegans and vegetarians? Turns out, everyone does.
Skyrocketing sales of meatless burgers like the Beyond burger and other “faux” animal proteins are being driven almost exclusively by meat eaters looking for healthier alternatives. A 2019 study by NPD Group, a market research company, found that more than 90% of plant-based meat and dairy fans just wanted more variety in their diets.
It makes sense, if you think about it. Not many vegetarians are thrilled about experiencing something that looks like blood coming out of their burger — even if it is vegetable-based. At least that’s what my meat-free friends tell me.
But finding restaurants that have a strong appeal for both meat eaters and plant eaters is as rare as civil discourse on politics at the Thanksgiving table. It’s a dream but rarely a reality.
Enter Fourth Street Social in downtown Santa Rosa, located in the former Jade Room, as a new alternative.
Co-owner Melissa Matteson, who owns the restaurant with her husband, says as a former vegan, she struggled to find plant-based comfort food for years when she went out to eat.
“I wanted to do something for everyone, where you could go out with family and friends and finding something to eat was a 20 minute process,” she said.
Using her own recipes as inspiration, she’s created an approachable menu that serves up sustainably raised meat like Philly cheesesteak, along with vegetarian mushroom toast with pomegranate seeds or a variety of eye-tricking dishes like watermelon poke, jackfruit chicken nuggets and carrot “lox”.
What we love about Fourth Street Social Club is the unapologetic creativity in creating flavorfully crafted dishes that welcome almost any dietary preference. As a genre-bending menu, there are some hits and misses, but no doubt about the heart behind this new downtown space.
Open for all-day brunch, lunch and dinner, the restaurant also features an extensive beer, wine and cocktail list. Don’t miss the Michelada flight or “design you own mimosa” with a bottle of champagne and fruit juices.
Best Bets
Carrot “Lox” Plate, $15: Way back in 2017, I was floored by the carrot “lox” served at the now-shuttered Drawing Board restaurant in Petaluma. How a carrot could have a smoky, umami taste nothing like a carrot but reminiscent of cured and smoked salmon was mind-bending. This version is a bit simpler, but the salty, smoky strips of carrot smothered with vegan cream cheese, onions and capers is a tasty alternative to the real thing.
Watermelon Poke, $11/$17: This was one of my favorite dishes of the day — even though it had a few issues. Small ruby chunks of watermelon become tuna imitators atop a pile of jasmine rice, avocado and brilliant kimchi green onions. The cold, flavorless rice doesn’t add anything to the dish, and I would have tossed in some sesame oil to really boost up the flavor of the “poke”, but overall, this provocative dish impressed.
BBQ Sliders, $16: Jackfruit has become a common meat alternative due to its fibrous texture and mild flavor. Think of it as a chewier cousin to tofu, taking on the flavor of whatever sauce it’s paired with. Two small pretzel buns are piled high with slaw and flavorful barbecue jackfruit chunks. Solid.
Mushroom Pomegranate Toast, $12: Mushrooms and pomegranate seem like a super odd combination, but work nicely together as a bruschetta. Earthy, cooked mushrooms lighten up with a combination of rosemary and thyme. Tart pomegranate seeds — which are so of the moment — brighten the dish even more.
Jacked Up Popcorn Chikn, $10: Wedges of jackfruit are breaded and fried into a chicken-nugget look-alike. Alone, the jackfruit has a slight artichoke taste, but when dipped into vegan cilantro-lime aioli, honey mustard or buffalo sauce, they’re likely to pass the picky-eater test.
643 4th St, Santa Rosa, 707-978-3882, 4thstreetsocialclub.com. Open Thursday through Monday.
Candice Koseba, founder of Sonoma County Bee Company
Honeybees are dormant at this time of year, but a new Healdsburg company built around bees and bee products is abuzz with activity after a successful first 18 months.
The company, Sonoma County Bee Company, enjoyed record growth in 2020 despite the pandemic and is angling for even more wins in the coming months, including a virtual honey tasting and a partnership with the soon-to-open Montage resort on the north end of Healdsburg.
For founder Candice Koseba, the company is the culmination of a 6-year journey to build a nature-centered career.
“I feel extremely fortunate that I now make my living at the mercy of nature, the cycles of seasons and life,” Koseba said. “This reality and vulnerability provide me with much more than I ever thought possible.”
Humble beginnings
Sonoma County Bee Company launched in May 2019, well before the coronavirus pandemic, social distancing and face coverings became the norm. But the story of how Koseba got into beekeeping starts before that.
The 34-year-old began her career as a chef, first in Chicago and then in Carmel, where she worked at the Michelin-starred restaurant L’Auberge. There, during stroller walks with her then-newborn son (he’s 10 now and has a 3-year-old sister), she became curious about edible plants and decided to pivot her career. Eventually, Koseba and her husband moved to Sonoma County, and she began to study at The California School of Herbal Studies in Forestville.
In 2014, after her husband Aaron took a gig as the chef de cuisine at Single Thread in Healdsburg, Koseba signed on to become the restaurant’s lead forager. It was here that Koseba had her first experience with honeybees.
“There was a desire to have hives on the (Single Thread) farm, and I saw the opportunity to learn,” Koseba remembered. “As a forager I had become fascinated with observing and anticipating cycles and seasons of life.” Working with a colony of honeybees was a natural extension.
Candice Koseba, founder of Sonoma County Bee Company. (Jarod Reichle)Harvesting honey for Sonoma County Bee Company. (Jarod Reichle)
Koseba read everything about bees that she could get her hands on. She took classes at Santa Rosa Junior College with Serge Lebesque, a local bee expert. She even joined the Sonoma County Beekeepers Association.
As Koseba’s knowledge and comfort level grew, so too did the number of colonies under her charge. Eventually, she founded Sonoma County Bee Company to manage them all. Today, the company works as a collective; Koseba and fellow beekeepers Cheryl Caletti, Lynne Black and Marques Burrus tend hives all over Sonoma County. They offer basic apiary management, swarm removal and beekeeping consultations.
The hives are primarily Langstroth (the box-shaped hives most people are familiar with) and hybrid log hives, which allow bees to build comb inside hollowed-out logs.
All told, the company oversees more than 40 hives containing about 900,000 bees.
Koseba and some of her beekeeping partners also perform “rescue operations” and manage hives in danger or disrepair. Following the Walbridge and Glass fires in August, September and October, demand for these services skyrocketed as bee-lovers lost their homes and couldn’t tend to their bees.
Range of products
Sonoma County Bee Company sells a variety of products, many which incorporate herbal elements and are inspired by the hive.
They include raw honey, beeswax candles, an herb salve made with beeswax, botanical hand sanitizer and two different types of hydrosols. All the items are made with honey and wax from local bees, and all contain natural ingredients only. The products are sold on the company’s website or at local stores such as Market 377 in Healdsburg and Miracle Plum in Santa Rosa.
Gift set from Sonoma County Bee Company. (Courtesy of Sonoma County Bee Company)
Gwen Gunheim, one of the owners at Miracle Plum, said one of the things that drew Miracle Plum to Sonoma County Bee Company was the business’s ethos.
“Her (Koseba’s) first priority is to the bees and to helping folks be better stewards of the land by way of creating bee-friendly habitats,” Gunheim said. “Bees are the perfect entry point to start thinking and talking about food systems, how agriculture can be harmful and how we can start to think about harm reduction. Bees are a great indicator of healthy land.”
Next month, the company will host its first-ever virtual honey tasting. The event, scheduled for Tuesday, Dec. 8, will be a guided blind honey tasting with honey from the 2020 harvest and a side-by-side comparison of four mono-varietal honeys. The experience also will give participants a behind-the-scenes look at how Koseba and Caletti decide when it’s safe to take honey from the hives and how they “crush” honeycomb, as well as a crash course in honey aromas and the flavors of different honey varieties.
Prices for the event start at $45, and participants receive a 9-ounce jar of SCBC 2020 Raw Honey, a tasting flight of four varietals, a honey tasting flavor wheel and a honey color guide. (The last day to purchase tickets for the event is Monday, Nov. 30. Tickets can be purchased online.)
What’s next
Sonoma County Bee Company’s profile is likely to keep rising, courtesy of a new partnership with Montage Healdsburg, a luxury resort opening in mid-December.
Koseba has agreed to manage the resort’s five-hive apiary and use honey and wax from it to craft custom products for the onsite spa. Koseba also will be on property to give tours and workshops to guests who express an interest in beekeeping. Montage guests won’t be able to work with bees, but one of the log hives will have a Plexiglas wall so visitors can see what the bees are doing inside.
General Manager Allen Highfield says he’s excited about the partnership.
“Candice’s enthusiasm as a beekeeper is second to none. We look forward to working alongside the Sonoma County Bee Company (through) our apiary and bee program, where our guests will learn about the super-organism that is the hive and everything it accomplishes when left to its own natural devices.”
Koseba says she’s working on several new products that incorporate honey or beeswax from her hives, as well.
Farmer Keith Garlock smiles, remembering a story he once heard from another Christmas tree grower. “When new employees come to work, they tell them, ‘You’ve heard Disneyland is the happiest place on earth? Well, this is the second happiest place on earth.’ I like that, because it really is. It’s festive — it gets everybody in the holiday spirit.”
Keith would know: He and his siblings, Debbie and Bill, grew up on Garlock Christmas Tree Farm, a Sebastopol you-cut operation founded in 1966. Each December, he watched as bundled-up families would tumble out of their cars, then wander among the lacy-fingered cedars and fragrant pines in search of the perfect tree to take home. It’s a ritual that’s been repeated from year to year to year, with little changing besides the hairstyles and the cars. It’s also a joyful reminder that, even as the world around us shifts and shivers, some things remain the same.
As the customers preserve their holiday traditions, so too does the Garlock family. In 1985, Keith’s siblings and their spouses bought property just over the hill from the original family farm and founded their own farms, Frosty Mountain, pictured on these pages, and Reindeer Ridge. And in 2001, when his parents retired, Keith took the reins. “To tell you the truth,” he says, “the entire Christmas tree business is a tradition that’s been passed down in the family. It’s a way of life.”
Photo by Kim Carroll.Photo by Kim Carroll.
Carol and Kriss Mungle of Petaluma chose that way of life in 1985. Like the Garlock kids, Carol grew up on a local Christmas tree farm, Larsen’s. She and Kriss were living in the East Bay when her dad asked if she might want to move back and get into the family business. “My husband, who wore
a three-piece suit to work every day, was like, ‘Sounds good!’”
The Mungles bought an old chicken ranch and transformed it into Little Hills Christmas Tree Farm. The Petaluma property, a stone’s throw from Helen Putnam Regional Park, is a slice of the wild, drawing deer, foxes, and blue jays during the quiet offseason.
The wildlife cohabits with the Mungles’ own animals: 5-year-old Newfoundland Chloe; rescue pigs Marigold and Petunia; alpacas; miniature donkeys; and a pair of garrulous turkeys. “You can talk to them, then they start talking,” says Carol. “It’s the funniest thing!” She and Kriss love seeing the happiness Little Hills brings to customers. “In a time where people are busy and families are going in different directions, it’s so special to have a day with an outing where you go do something together,” she says.
“People thank us for being open.”
After running the farm for three decades, Carol has noticed something else, too. “When we first started, our motto was, ‘We’re growing tradition.’ Thinking we were growing other people’s traditions, right? And one year it occurred to me, not only did we grow their tradition, we grew our own tradition, because these families—I’ve been watching them come since they were little kids. And now they’re grown with their little kids. And that’s pretty special.”
Sonoma’s Best You-Cut Tree Farms
Celesta Farms: Opened by Christmas-loving couple Steve and Carol Schwartz, this relative newcomer, founded in 2006, welcomes dogs with Milk Bones and humans with homemade chocolate chip cookies. Bonus: They’ve got views for days. 3447 Celesta Court, Sebastopol, 707-829-9352, celestafarms.com
Frosty Mountain Tree Farm: The “old red barn” — a 50-year-old apple packing shed — marks the spot at this farm, owned by Bill and Lynn Garlock and featured in the photos on these pages. Guests can caffeinate at the coffee truck and gape at panoramic views on the hayride. Bonus: Friendly goats! 3600 Mariola Road, Sebastopol, 707-829-2351, frostymountaintreefarm.com
Garlock Christmas Tree Farm: Keith and Becky Garlock are old pros and consummate hosts, offering thoughtful advice on tree selection, and free coffee to boot. Bonus: They grow a wide variety of trees, including the fragrant grand fir. 2275 Bloomfield Road, Sebastopol, 707-823-4307, garlocktreefarm.com
Grandma Buddy’s Christmas Trees: Think Grandma Buddy’s looks like something out of a Pottery Barn catalog? It is! The property, graced with a beautiful barn and a seasonal stream, is so picturesque, it’s been a cover model. Bonus: hot chocolate made with Grandma’s recipe. 8575 Graton Road, Sebastopol, 707-823-4547, grandmastrees.com
Graton Fire Department Christmas Tree Farm: Proceeds from this farm — staffed by Graton firefighters and held right outside the firehouse— benefit the all-volunteer department. Time your visit right and you might meet Santa in a fire helmet. Bonus: This site was formerly the landmark Del Davis Tree Farm, memorialized in a 1995 song from the band Primus. Where else but Sonoma will you find a tree farm with its own funk-metal anthem? 3750 Gravenstein Hwy., Sebastopol, 707-322-2091, gratonfire.com/christmas-tree-farm.html
Larsen’s Christmas Tree Farm: This old-school spot is especially welcoming for first-timers: they offer saws, carts, and even “lumberjacks” to assist as you select and cut your tree. Bonus: The scenic grounds make a great background for last-minute Christmas pictures. 391 Marshall Ave., Petaluma 707-762-6317, petalumachristmas.com
Little Hills Christmas Tree Farm: Little Hills isn’t just a tree farm—it’s also home to a menagerie that includes Carol and Kriss Mungle’s Newfoundland dog, alpacas, mini-donkeys, and turkeys. Bonus: the gorgeous sales barn, made from reclaimed wood from the property’s old chicken barns. 961 Chapman Lane, Petaluma 707-763-4678, littlehillschristmastree.com
Pronzini Ranch: Pronzini is well-known for its pumpkin patch. Less well-known: after Halloween, Pronzini Ranch, located on Adobe Road (not to be confused with the Pronzini tree lots) opens for you-cut tree harvesting. Bonus: The 128acre ranch has an impressive petting zoo with ponies, pygmy goats, and long-horned Watusi cows. 3795 Adobe Road, Petaluma 707-778-3871, pronzinifarms.com
Reindeer Ridge Christmas Tree Farm: Next door to Frosty Mountain sits Reindeer Ridge, owned by the Garlocks’ daughter Debbie and her husband Paul. The farm is especially kid-friendly and has stunning views of adjacent vineyards. Bonus: Delightful photo ops inside the reindeer sign. 3500 Mariola Road, Sebastopol 707-829-1569, reindeerridge.com
Santa’s Trees: Looking to hike on the way to finding your tree? This wild, hilly property in the western part of the county — where trees of all shapes and sizes are intermingled — is your place. Bonus: Dogs are allowed (off-leash!), and there’s plenty of room to romp. 11389 Barnett Valley Road, Sebastopol 707-303-6084, santastrees.biz
A Tree Hunt That Helps Save the Forest
At two local nature preserves, the goal of finding the perfect tree goes hand in hand with one of even greater importance: reducing the threat of wildfire.
Since 2017, the Santa Rosa-based conservation organization LandPaths has welcomed the public to the Riddell Preserve for an event they call “the Great Charlie Brown Christmas Tree Hunt.” The preserve, a gorgeous 400-acre oasis of oak woodlands, redwood trees, and open grasslands overlooking Dry Creek Valley, is just beginning to heal from effects of the August 2020 Walbridge fire.
In 2019, LandPaths added a Charlie Brown tree hunt at its new 400-acre Ocean Song preserve in western Sonoma County. The group plans to offer tree hunts at both locations again this winter. The aim is to thin out unwanted species of trees and improve the health of the surrounding forest. For 2020 dates and registration, visit landpaths.org.
I could eat soup all day, every day — bisque, stew, chowder, broth and everything in between. Nourishing and warm, it’s like a blanket for your soul.
Seems I’m not alone. Chef Chad Holmes of Chad’s Soup Shack is selling out more than 25 gallons of his short rib chili, coconut curry shrimp bisque, potato dill, chowder and Tuscan sausage kale soups each week at local farmers markets.
Holmes says he had planned a soup business for months before the pandemic but spent some time rethinking his plans — and waiting for soup season — before his debut.
Holmes uses local ingredients and makes his own stock. In culinary school, his saucier classes were his favorites, he says, and he found peace in making soups and sauces from scratch.
“It’s really relaxing, making stock, cutting vegetables and putting it all together,” he says. “I find myself eating my own soup, saying, ‘Mmm, this is good!’”
Like many chefs facing incredibly tough odds during the pandemic, Holmes chose not to open a food truck or brick-and-mortar location for now and instead to go directly to customers from his commercial kitchen.
“COVID was somewhat of a blessing to make me pull back,” he says. “Having $5,000 in overhead before you even sell the food is hard, and that’s a huge weight off my shoulders. I’ve eliminated that process and do what I love.”
Most of the soups are gluten- and dairy-free, so they’re options for a variety of diets. But Holmes isn’t trying to reinvent the wheel; he’s sticking to basic ingredients.
“Less is more and simple is better,” he says.
If you’re craving his bean-less chili or other soups, you can find Holmes at the Windsor Certified Farmers Market on Sunday or the year-around Santa Rosa Farmers Lane Farmers Market on Wednesday.
Pumpkin pie with whipped cream and a fresh grate of nutmeg on top. (photo by John Burgess/The Press Democrat)
Thanksgiving may turn out to be a bit of a bust this year, in terms of big gatherings of family and friends. You can, however, eat your feelings and enjoy some pie. Here are a few spots to check out.
Marla Bakery: The popular San Francisco bakers have moved their operation to Santa Rosa and are ready for Thanksgiving orders. Choose from Sugarpie Pumpkin Tart with Candied Sage, Gateau Basque or Pecan Tart. marlabakery.com
Crumb Hither: Pumpkin, French Apple, Pumpkin Cheesecake and many more. Gluten-free and vegan options. crumbhither.com
Noble Folk: Tradition is great, but why not shake it up with a Pumpkin Chocolate Cheesecake Pie! Other tasty choices include Dutch Apple, Maple Pecan or Meyer Lemon Blueberry Baked Custard Pie. thenoblefolk.com
Stewardship of the land and respect for the spirit are threads that run through the lives of John and Dana Hawley. The winemaker and artist’s eco-friendly shingled redwood cottage, hand-built by John and some friends in the early 1980s, is a testament to resourcefulness and craft. Located west of Healdsburg on the shoulder of Bradford Mountain, overlooking the Dry Creek Valley, the 18-acre homestead has been the backdrop for a lifetime of creative passions for the entire family.
John and Dana, who have been married nearly 50 years, grew up in Marin and met while Dana was still in high school. They bought the property from a relative of Dana’s in the late 70s. She remembers seeing the land for the first time in spring, with pear and plum trees in bloom throughout the valley, as John, already interested in making wine, wandered the hills examining the dirt. “It was like the pioneer days,” says Dana. “Rattlesnakes, coyotes, bobcat were everywhere. We were very aware of what a magical place this was.”
The redwood-shingled cottage. (Rebecca Gosselin / Sonoma Magazine)The view from the back porch. (Rebecca Gosselin / Sonoma Magazine)
John, who had some background in carpentry and the trades, started tinkering on a design for the home while studying winemaking at UC Davis. His brother drew plans, and friends came up on weekends to camp at the property and help build the house. “We supplied the lunch and the beer,” jokes John. The early years, the couple agrees, were “pretty hand to mouth,” as Dana puts it, but a freewheeling, creative spirit reigned and a shingled cottage with a tall stone fireplace and massive Douglas fir beams took shape. “We just paid for materials,” says John. “Back then, the lumber—you could buy truckloads of redwood, easily.”
Not long after, they had two young sons who grew up rambling through the property’s hills and creeks, while Dana made art and John planted vines and fruit trees. And in the same way they bootstrapped the building of the cottage, John built an admirable wine career, spending a decade as founding winemaker at Clos du Bois and later working hand-in-hand with Jess Jackson as head winemaker for Kendall-Jackson during the heady, high-growth years of the mid-1990s.
But as their homestead blossomed, John and Dana longed for a simpler life and a business of their own, a dream they realized with Hawley Winery. Today, their sons, Paul and Austin, now grown with families of their own, run the business and oversee winemaking—though John still runs the tractor through the vineyard rows and can’t manage to stay away from the lab and barrel room for very long. Like their parents, both sons have a bit of the Renaissance spirit to them. Austin is the winemaker, but also builds furniture, and Paul, who has a business degree, is a filmmaker and a co-founder of Fogbelt Brewing.
The dining area. (Rebecca Gosselin / Sonoma Magazine)A music corner. (Rebecca Gosselin / Sonoma Magazine)
These days, John and Dana rise with the sun, Dana to paint in the soft morning light that streams into her studio across the courtyard, and John to work with his peregrine falcon Stratus, named for the clouds. In addition to wine, falconry has been John’s lifelong passion—so much so that visitors to the on-site tasting room for Hawley Winery have been known to chat with the winemaker while Stratus rests, calmly perched, on John’s arm.
John’s falconry involves obsessive levels of preparation and devoted study: weighing out Stratus’s daily meal of raw quail meat down to the gram, training him step by step, and making sure he stays fit for flying (“in fine feather” is a real thing; should a bird of prey break a feather, it can seriously impact its health). Their daily expeditions are an exercise of the spirit for both bird and trainer, as John follows the falcon in flight by GPS, often for several miles. Peregrine falcons are incredible acrobats in the air, seeing their prey from above and taking on speeds up to 240 miles per hour. “I feel the exhilaration that he feels,” says John. “Falcons fly for the joy of flying.”
John and Dana’s life is a rustic and centered one, revolving around the seasons, the wildlife, and their garden and animals. Their puppy, Sunny, is in training to be a falconry dog, helping to track the birds during flight. In spring, the homing pigeons John keeps will give birth to their chicks, and in summer, the days are full of weeding and jam-making. This time of year, the Hawley family wines are mostly finished fermenting, so there’s time for longer walks in the hills to hunt for the chanterelles and cepes that start appearing after early rains. The two streams that run along the edges of the property start to flow more quickly, and Dana brings their young grandchildren there to collect pine cones and float tiny boats made of walnut shells. And back inside, the fireplace, which John designed to reflect heat back efficiently into the main floor living spaces, is in use once again while the family watches squalls roll in through the valley.
They’ve lived on the land long enough, and in tune with it closely enough, to be concerned about the impacts they say they already see from climate change. The couple has always lived lightly, farmed their vines organically, and maintained a diversity of plantings. But John says they have less of a winter season each year than they did before. And late this past summer, they experienced a record 113-degree day and lightning storms before being evacuated during the Walbridge fire. John and Dana say they worry for the health of the trees and wildlife, but remain gratified at how nature has taken hold in the lives of their children and grandchildren. “We live here because it’s the life we love,” says John. “But if we’re going to have nature around us, we’re going to have to be better stewards of it.”
Ferrari Carano Vineyards and Winery in Healdsburg. (Ferrari Carano Vineyards and Winery)
Challenging doesn’t come close to describing the year Sonoma grapegrowers and winemakers had in 2020.
The coronavirus first closed tasting rooms entirely and later limited service to outdoors. Employees were furloughed or laid off. The shuttering of restaurants was a further gut-punch. And twice this season, wildfire forced evacuations and burned homes: in northwestern Sonoma County in mid-August and in eastern Santa Rosa and Sonoma Valley in late September. Both the Walbridge and the Glass fires spewed smoke that stung the lungs of vineyard workers and, once the harvest is over and assessments are made, likely will have had a negative impact on grape quality.
So if ever there were a time for our Top 100 Wines survey, this is it. Not so much in that wine can take the edge off of difficult times, but rather as an elixir of life, a beverage to share with family and bubble friends, a companion to takeout and home-cooked meals. Wine rewards those who overcome hardship and celebrates those with resilience.
And wine production is Sonoma’s economic lifeblood, accounting for 54,000 jobs – one in four in the county. Consumer support for the industry and its many tourism extensions is more important now than ever.
Our 2020 Top 100 Wines list points the way to the best bottles from throughout the county. The winners are a diverse group, covering various viticultural regions, grape varieties, and production quantities. Many picks are found in local grocery stores, others can be purchased only from wineries. Pinot Noir, arguably Sonoma’s most popular wine (in a supreme compliment, Napa Valley wineries seek out Sonomagrown Pinot), gets a lot of attention, and high-end Cabernet Sauvignon is coming on strong. The finest bottles are indeed expensive, although it’s more often a reflection of increasing costs in labor, health care, grape prices and packaging materials, than it is outright gouging (though some of that exists).
Excellent values are found throughout the Top 100, and we’ve highlighted those picks with a special ‘value’ button. Wines grown and produced by people of color, women, and younger makers just getting their bootstrapped starts are also important to us this year. Consider giving them your business, because the smaller and less powerful they are, the more they’ve struggled financially during the Covid-19 crisis. It’s the neighborly thing to do, and you’ll enjoy some of the finest wines of your life.
METHODOLOGY
Healdsburg-based wine critic Linda Murphy selected the Top 100 Wines of 2020 based on her yearlong tastings at wineries and of samples sent to her, as well as her blind tastings at wine competitions including The Press Democrat 2020 North Coast Wine Challenge. Only wines produced from Sonoma County-grown grapes, by wineries located in the county, are eligible for the Top 100. All wines were tasted in 2020.
A former managing editor of Sonoma magazine, Murphy earned two James Beard awards as the founding editor of the San Francisco Chronicle wine section. She’s evaluated Sonoma wines for 30 years, and always has the consumer in mind with her recommendations. Not all expensive wines are worth their price, and many value-priced wines deliver far more interest than their price would suggest.
Sparkling
Balletto Vineyards 2014 Russian River Valley Brut Rosé ($45) Dry, elegant, and precise, this blend of 60% Pinot Noir and 40% Chardonnay offers light cherry, raspberry, and baked pie-crust aromas and flavors, with touches of citrus and pear. There is a creaminess to the palate, and the finish is energetic and palate- cleansing.
Breathless Wines NV Sonoma County Brut ($27)VALUE Sisters Rebecca and Cynthia Faust and Sharon Cohn produce sparkling wines in Healdsburg, the brand name honoring their mother, Martha Jane Faust, who died from a rare respiratory condition. “Fourth sister” Penny Gadd-Coster produced this somewhat rich, beautifully balanced blend of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, with red berry, citrus, and tropical fruit notes and a subtle yeastiness. It’s an excellent value in the highpriced world of serious California sparkling wines.
Flaunt Wine Co. NV Sonoma County Brut ($48) Dianna Novy spent more than two decades as co-owner and co-winemaker of Siduri Wines and Novy Family Wines in Santa Rosa. After selling those brands to Jackson Family Wines, she embarked on a sparkling wine project, Flaunt, using Champagne-making techniques to create this finessed bubbly with crisp green apple and citrus fruit, fresh-baked-bread yeastiness, and a long, mouthwatering finish.
Gloria Ferrer Caves & Vineyards NV Carneros Blanc de Noirs ($22)VALUE Under new ownership, it’s uncertain how Carneros’ first sparkling wine house will evolve, yet one thing is for sure now: This light-pink, fermented-in-bottle bubbly is serious stuff at a terrific price (and discounted in supermarkets), with bright red-fruit flavors and citrus backbone.
Iron Horse Vineyards 2016 Ocean Reserve Green Valley of Russian River Valley Blanc de Blancs ($55) Feel good about drinking this all-Chardonnay sparkler, not only for its taut structure and keen balance, but also because $4 from each bottle sold goes to National Geographic’s Ocean Initiative, which supports marine protected areas and sustainable fishing practices around the globe.The green apple, Key lime, and Asian pear palate gains richness and complexity from notes of barrel spice and brioche, yet the wine finishes bright and crisp.
Iron Horse Vineyards 2015 Green Valley of Russian River Valley Classic Vintage Brut ($45) The winery’s flagship bubbly and a consistent Top 100 wine, it’s Pinot Noir-dominant, rich and supple. Yet the 23% portion of Chardonnay makes its presence known in the tart apple and Meyer lemon palate. It’s for those who appreciate the toasty, autolytic yeast character that comes from long aging in the bottle.
J Vineyards and Winery NV Russian River Valley Cuvée 20 ($38) This non-vintage blend should please all sparkling- wine palates, as it delivers a little bit of everything: honeysuckle, hazelnut, and baked-bread aromas, sunny white peach and apple fruit, gingery spice, and a finish that’s crisp and lingering.
Sauvignon Blanc
Beltane Ranch 2019 Drummond Block Estate Sonoma Valley Sauvignon Blanc ($29) Lean and racy, this scintillating Sauvignon Blanc has green melon, quince, flint, and gooseberry notes and a brisk finish. Partial fermentation in neutral oak barrels adds some vanillin roundness to the mid-palate, and the finish pops with lemony zest.
The Dreaming Tree 2018 Sonoma County Sauvignon Blanc ($15) VALUE Rocker Dave Matthews partnered with Sonoma winemaker Sean McKenzie on The Dreaming Tree brand, named for one of the band’s songs. Matthews owns Blenheim Vineyards in Virginia and is a serious oenophile; this Sauvignon Blanc is seriously good and at a great price; it’s perfumed and juicy (lime cordial and tangerine), with a long, fresh finish.
Dry Creek Vineyard 2019 Sauvignon Blanc ($20) VALUE The runner-up Best White Wine winner of the 2020 Press Democrat North Coast Wine Challenge shows Tim Bell’s talents for making Sauvignon Blanc. He added Sauvignons Musque and Gris to Sauvignon Blanc, and aged a portion in acacia, chestnut, and oak barrels. The result: a layered, luscious wine with unfolding aromas and flavors of Meyer lemon, lime zest, pineapple, passion fruit, and white peach. There is a gentle creaminess to the mid-palate, and the finish lasts forever.
Paradise Ridge 2019 Vineyard Selection Russian River Valley Sauvignon Blanc ($28) This highly drinkable wine combines juicy tropical fruit and zesty citrus in a yin-yang balance of pleasure. Winemaker Dan Barwick has a way with Sauvignon Blanc, and this particular bottling demonstrates his skill at producing delicious wines.
Pedroncelli Winery 2019 East Side Vineyards Dry Creek Valley Sauvignon Blanc ($17) VALUE Straightforward, widely available, and utterly delicious, this wine offers green apple, lemon-lime, and light pear flavors, with a pleasant herbal, grassy character in the background, not aggressively front and center.
St. Francis Winery & Vineyards 2019 Dry Stack Vineyard Bennett Valley Sauvignon Blanc ($22) The vineyard is planted to a somewhat obscure (in California) Italian clone of Sauvignon Blanc, and it produces wines with more floral aromatics and tropical-fruit flavors than the citrus and herb-flecked styles more common in Sonoma. It’s generous in flavor, with crisp acidity balancing its forward-fruit nature — and an inviting representation of the grape variety.
Simi Winery 2019 Sonoma County Sauvignon Blanc ($15) VALUE Fifteen bucks (less in chain stores) buys a lot of wine from this landmark Healdsburg winery. Inviting aromas of pear and honeysuckle lead to a mouthful of lemon, pink grapefruit, and clementine flavor, with zesty freshness on the finish.
Sutro Wine Co. 2019 Warnecke Ranch Alexander Valley Sauvignon Blanc ($28) This wine from Alice Warnecke Sutro and her husband, Eliot Sutro, is crisp and sassy, without being overtly herbaceous, a common characteristic for the grape. Grapefruit, lemon-lime, green melon, white cherry, and texture-lending beeswax notes meld seamlessly, rounded nicely by partial fermentation in neutral oak barrels.
Chardonnay
Carol Shelton Wines 2018 Wild Thing Alexander Valley Chardonnay ($19) VALUE Zin master Carol Shelton purchased an Alexander Valley vineyard a few years ago, with the intent of building a winery there. Life changed that course, yet the Chardonnay from this site proved to be so good — particularly when she blended it with splashes of Marsanne and Viognier — that it’s become a fan favorite. It’s generous in pineapple, mango, and apple fruit, with oak spice and a creamy vanillin center.
Chalk Hill Estate 2017 Chalk Hill Chardonnay ($40) For lovers of rich, unctuous Chardonnays, this is your bottle. The wine has inviting aromas of honey and lemon curd, then a gush of ripe golden apple, pineapple, and Meyer lemon flavors on the palate, with baking spice and a buttery accent. For all its richness, it finishes with snappy acidity.
Dutton-Goldfield 2017 Rued Vineyard Green Valley of Russian River Valley Chardonnay ($55) There is a nervy, minerally edge to this medium-full-bodied wine, plus hazelnut and caramel notes enhancing the green apple, Asian pear, and white peach fruit. Complete and complex, it finishes fresh and crunchy, lingering on the palate.
Fort Ross Vineyard & Winery 2017 Mother of Pearl Fort Ross-Seaview Chardonnay ($60) Winemaker Jeff Pisoni struck a lovely balance here, producing a crisp, bracing, florally aromatic wine from the chilly coastal vineyard, with judicious oaking adding spice while maintaining minerality. Lemon curd, green melon, and grilled white peach flavors finish long and succulent.
Gary Farrell Winery 2017 Ritchie Vineyard Russian River Valley Chardonnay ($60) Winemaker Theresa Heredia mined Kent Ritchie’s vineyard for this wine, which is as crisp as biting into a green apple, then having that apple burst with citrus and tropical fruit. Background notes of crème brûlée, Meyer lemon, pear, and white peach add interest to this complex, layered gem.
Gundlach Bundschu 2018 Estate Vineyard Sonoma Coast Chardonnay ($27) Want a fresh, zingy, palate-awakening Chardonnay? This is it: flinty and refreshing, it offers peach, tangerine, and Asian pear flavors, with oak well in the background, showing itself as a shake of spice but not toast. Scintillating finish.
Hartford Court 2017 Jennifer’s Vineyard Russian River Valley Chardonnay ($65) Winemaker Jeff Stewart makes several Chardonnays, but this is one is outstanding: A blend of freshness, mouthwatering acidity, gentle oak spice, unripe pear, and tangy citrus. It smells of peach blossoms, and lemongrass with a core of spiced apples, and poached pears. The palate delivers layer upon layer of savory, citrus, and stonefruit flavors, long and spicy.
La Crema 2018 Sonoma Coast Chardonnay ($25) VALUEThis wine is easy to find, easy to drink, and easy on the pocketbook, as it’s typically sold at discounted prices. It offers a little bit of everything: sweet, ripe pineapple, white peach, apple and Meyer lemon fruit, caramel spice, and a clean, mouthwatering finish.
Landmark Vineyards 2017 Overlook Sonoma County Chardonnay ($27) Intriguing for its mélange of tropical, melon, and citrus character — the result of blending across multiple vineyards. Crisp and with lively acidity, it boasts medium-full body and a tart, Granny apple note on the finish.
Lombardi Wines 2017 Sonoma Coast Chardonnay ($44) PR professional Tony Lombardi has worked with numerous Sonoma County wineries for years, and in 2013, launched his own brand, with his wife, Christine. Their winemaker, Cabell Coursey, produced this mouthwatering wine with green apple, white peach, and citrus flavors. A streak of perceived minerality runs from start to finish.
MacRostie Winery & Vineyards 2017 Dutton Ranch Russian River Valley Chardonnay ($46) Dutton Ranch encompasses multiple vineyards, and winemaker Heidi Bridenhagen tapped three of them for this multi-layered wine. The honeyed nose leads to ripe golden apple, peach, and tropical fruit, and a Meyer lemon brightness balances the finish.
Ramey Wine Cellars 2017 Rochioli Vineyard Russian River Valley Chardonnay ($70) Winegrower Joe Rochioli is a Russian River Valley legend, as is winemaker David Ramey. They combine their expertise in this has-it-all Chardonnay. It’s fresh and complex, with golden and green apple fruit and tangy citrus notes. Oak is there, but in the background, adding texture to the mouthfeel.
Ram’s Gate Winery 2018 Sonoma Coast Chardonnay ($46) The style is lush, exotically tropical, with pineapple, papaya, pear, nectarine, and golden apple flavors. Brisk acidity keeps the palate fresh through the long finish, and hints of almond skin, oak spice, and crème brûlée add interest.
Sangiacomo Vineyards 2018 Sonoma Coast Chardonnay ($55) This supremely balanced wine was chosen Best of the Best at the 2020 Press Democrat North Coast Wine Challenge, a testament to the winegrowing skills of the Sangiacomo family. Winemaker James MacPhail blended fruit from the family’s Green Acres and Robert Road vineyards, in the Carneros and Petaluma Gap regions, respectively. Spiced apple, citrus, and poached pear flavors mingle with notes of nutmeg and vanilla in this moderately rich and refreshing wine.
Sonoma-Cutrer 2018 Russian River Valley Late Harvest Chardonnay ($36) A dessert lover’s dream, this succulent sweetie is just short of syrupy, with vibrant acidity balancing the unctuous apricot, poached pear, caramel, and honey palate. If the meal-ender is a cheese plate, this wine pairs beautifully with dried fruit and nutty hard cheeses.
Three Sticks 2018 Gap’s Crown Vineyard Sonoma Coast Chardonnay ($55) Three Sticks proprietor Bill Price also owns Gap’s Crown Vineyard, which has quickly become an iconic site for Chardonnay and Pinot Noir from other producers. This wine offers a cornucopia of acacia blossom, honeysuckle, lime, peach, citrus, and earthy minerality essence, with snappy acidity keeping the bounty of goodness fresh and lively.
Other Whites
Abbot’s Passage Winery 2019 Rossi Ranch Vineyard Sunblink Sonoma Valley ($35) Proprietor Katie Bundschu blended Roussanne, Marsanne, and Grenache Blanc to achieve this bright, crisp wine. The Grenache Blanc adds a kiss of honey to the white nectarine, tangerine, and unripe pear flavors. The finish is mouthwatering, thanks to great acid structure.
Anaba Wines 2018 Landa Vineyard Sonoma Valley Viognier ($36) The expected honeysuckle, peach, and pear characteristics of Viognier are here, though this one has an extra yum factor, with inviting baking spice and tangerine notes, on a crisp, clean, refreshing finish.
Donelan 2018 Kobler Vineyard Green Valley of Russian River Valley Viognier ($34) An elegant style of Viognier, with delicate floral aromas and crisp, crunchy, high-acid citrus, light pear, and yellow peach fruit and whiff of honeysuckle. Whereas some Viogniers are viscous and high in alcohol, this one is laser-focused at just 13.4% alcohol.
Emeritus Vineyards 2018 Hallberg Blanc Russian River Valley Pinot Noir ($40) Winemaker Dave Lattin gently pressed the juice from red Pinot Noir grapes before the skins added any color. The juice was fermented in neutral oak barrels and concrete fermenters, and the result is a revelation: A flat-out delicious wine with floral aromas, peach, and Meyer lemon flavors and mouth-filling texture, framed by brisk acidity.
Ferrari-Carano Vineyards and Winery 2019 Sonoma County Pinot Grigio ($16) VALUESimply put, it’s yummy, and I hope it remains so under new owner Foley Family Wines. Forget the thin, neutral-tasting Italian Pinot Grigios that sell at this price point, and embrace the ambrosial peach, apricot, and pineapple fruit in this rewarding wine, which has the acidity to balance the lush flavors. Aperitif time.
Joseph Swan Vineyards 2017 Catie’s Corner Russian River Valley Grenache Blanc ($26) Light, crisp, and refreshing, it offers come-hither floral aromatics and a hint of honey to the Granny Smith apple, unripe pear, lime zest, and tangerine flavors. Rod Berglund also produces an intriguing “orange wine” version of this wine by leaving the Grenache Blanc skins in contact with the juice during fermentation.
Unti Vineyards 2018 Dry Creek Valley Cuvée Blanc ($35) Grenache Blanc, Vermentino, and Picpoul Blanc come together in this energetic wine with aromas and flavors of Meyer lemon, green apple, and honeydew melon, and a pleasantly saline aroma and finish. Mick Unti embraces palate-cleansing acidity in his white wines, and this is proof of that commitment.
Rosé
Alexander Valley Vineyards 2019 Alexander Valley Dry Rosé of Sangiovese ($16) VALUEAVV was well ahead of the rosé rage, first making this wine in 2006 from the Italian varietal Sangiovese. Affable and affordable, it boasts juicy raspberry, cherry, and watermelon aromas, finishing crisp and spicy.
Anaba Wines 2018 Sonoma Valley Rosé of Grenache ($30) Co-winemakers Katy Wilson and Ross Cobb produced a wine that’s juicy and substantial on the palate, yet also crisp and refreshing. It sports cherry, strawberry, and nectarine aromas and flavors, with hints of berry.
Angels & Cowboys Sonoma County Rosé ($15) VALUEThis perennial bargain is Grenache-based, with smaller amounts of other grapes adding complexity to the blend. It’s lip-smackingly brisk and mouth-fillingly juicy, with red fruits accented by lime and white peach.
Capture 2019 Alexander Valley Rosé of Sangiovese ($25) The wine smells like a field of wild strawberries, with Queen Anne cherry and pink grapefruit joining the palate mix. It has a lovely balance of richness and freshness, and despite its light body, floods the mouth with flavor.
Gehricke Wines 2019 Los Carneros Sonoma Rosé ($29) Though it doesn’t say so on the label, this pink is 100% Pinot Noir. It packs a load of bright watermelon, cherry and cranberry fruit, kissed by gentle Meyer lemon and white nectarine notes. For all its generosity, it remains vibrant and refreshing, and at just 12.8% alcohol.
Rodney Strong Vineyards 2019 Russian River Valley Rosé of Pinot Noir ($25) Watermelon, wild strawberry, red raspberry, blood orange, and lime commingle in this tangy, refreshing wine. It has more complexity than many Pinot-based blush wines on the market, many of them selling for higher prices than this one.
Sonoma-Cutrer 2019 Russian River Valley Rosé of Pinot Noir ($25) Light and refreshing, it delivers strawberry, raspberry, and watermelon aromas and flavors, with hints of citrus zest and blood orange.
Pinot Noir
AldenAlli 2017 Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir ($60) This brand is a partnership of Dan Kosta (formerly of Kosta Browne) and Alden Lagasse (wife of chef Emeril Lagasse). The Sonoma Coast blend comes from the Campbell Ranch, Sunchase, and Gap’s Crown vineyards, and is brambly and spicy, with a core of juicy blackberry and boysenberry and hints of graham cracker and modest toast in the racy finish.
Benovia Winery 2017 La Pommeraie Russian River Valley Pinot Noir ($65) All of winemaker Mike Sullivan’s wines (sparklers, Chardonnays, Grenache, and Zinfandel) are marvelous, but from the 2017 vintage, La Pommeraie (apple orchard in French) stood out for its verve and balance of luscious black currant and boysenberry fruit and tight acid structure.
Blue Farm Wines. (Courtesy photo)
Blue Farm Wines 2017 Anne Katherina Estate Vineyard Carneros Pinot Noir ($65) Anne Moller-Racke’s personal Pinot Noir project, Blue Farm, is an evolution of her previous work with Buena Vista Winery and Donum Estate. This wine’s highlights are its earthy truffle aroma, vibrant red and black cherry flavors, note of Asian spice, and crackling acidity, which counters the plush mid-palate.
Dutton-Goldfield 2017 Fox Den Vineyard Green Valley of Russian River Valley Pinot Noir ($62) Winemaker Dan Goldfield’s wines tend to be medium- full-bodied and moderately ripe. Fox Den pushes the ripeness envelope just a bit, flooding the mouth with voluptuous strawberry, Bing cherry, raspberry jam, and cranberry flavors, with background notes of cola, rose water, and allspice.
Emeritus Vineyards 2016 Hallberg Ranch Russian River Valley Pinot Noir ($44) COO Mari Jones and winemaker Dave Lattin have taken over for Emeritus founder Brice Jones, now retired — and the wines have never been better. Hallberg, an estate vineyard, produced this perfumed, medium-full-bodied wine showing bright black cherry fruit, savory spice, smooth tannins, and palate-cleansing acidity.
EnRoute 2017 Amber Ridge Vineyard Russian River Valley Pinot Noir ($85) Lush in style, it brims with black raspberry, kirsch, and pomegranate personality, with lovely lavender aromas. It’s full-bodied and “big” for a Pinot, yet there is grace and freshness on the long finish.
Freeman Vineyard & Winery 2018 Gloria Estate Green Valley of Russian River Valley Pinot Noir ($68) Gloria is Akiko and Ken Freeman’s estate vineyard, which they planted to Pinot Noir on land they purchased in 2005. They named it after Hurricane Gloria, which brought them together in 1985 (it’s a long story). The wine is gloriously balanced, with silky tannins wrapped around vibrant black cherry, blackberry, and blueberry fruit, with hints of pipe tobacco and cola.
Gracianna Winery 2018 Westside Reserve Russian River Valley Pinot Noir ($76) Trini and Lisa Amador’s top-tier Pinot Noir is all about ripe red fruits: cherry, cranberry, pomegranate, and red plum. The texture is soft and caressing, thanks to velvety tannins and a judicious use of oak during aging.
Hirsch Vineyards 2017 Sonoma Coast Reserve Pinot Noir ($85) David Hirsch pioneered cold-climate viticulture in what is now the Fort Ross-Seaview AVA. His daughter, Jasmine, now runs the business, and the Pinots remain remarkably Burgundian in style, with elegance, low alcohol levels, and the natural acidity required for long aging; this bottling is near-perfect for the style, with minerality, pretty cranberry and other red fruits, forest-floor spice, and seamless texture.
Kanzler Vineyards 2018 Russian River Valley Pinot Noir ($60) The Kanzler family planted a vineyard in the Sebastopol Hills in 1996. For years, it was a source of grapes for Kosta Browne and other wineries, but the family now keeps most of the grapes to themselves. Alex Kanzler is the winemaker, and this Pinot Noir, from the estate and three other vineyards, is a beauty: fragrant and precise in its cranberry, pomegranate, and tart cherry purity.
Keller Estate 2018 El Coro Vineyard Petaluma Gap Pinot Noir ($55) This is the Petaluma estate’s most balanced Pinot Noir to date, made by Julien Teichmann. Aromas of rose petals, violets, and Asian spice lead to a palate of precise black cherry, pomegranate, cranberry, and vanilla cola flavors. The acidity structure is refreshingly firm, yet the tannins are supple and the finish lingering. Wonderful complexity.
Kendall-Jackson Estate 2018 Cloud’s Landing Petaluma Gap Pinot Noir ($55) The Petaluma Gap’s cool temperatures and wind help produce fruit with crunchy natural acidity. That comes into play with this vibrant and polished wine, where the acidity plumps up the blackberry and blueberry fruit character. Asian spice, sarsaparilla, and a hint of dark chocolate are also present, upping the complexity level.
Kutch Wines 2018 Bohan Vineyard Graveyard Block Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir ($54) Jamie Kutch seeks out the chilliest vineyards on the Sonoma Coast for his Pinots and hit, ahem, pay dirt in the Bohan Vineyard, just three miles from the Pacific Ocean. Kutch picks less ripe than many other winemakers, seeking flavor at low alcohol levels, and nailed it with this supple, long-finishing wine (13.1%) with dark cherry, pomegranate, forest floor, mint, and gentle vanillin characteristics. Worth a search.
Lynmar Estate 2018 Russian River Valley Pinot Noir ($50) Pete Soergel makes a dozen remarkable Pinot Noirs for Lynmar, and this one is the flagship, a multisite, multi-clone blend that screams Russian River Valley style winemaking. Vibrant dark cherry and blueberry fruit is accented by cola, baking spice, and a hint of vanillin oak. The wine’s crisp acidity makes for a long, mouthwatering finish.
Papapietro Perry 2017 Leras Family Vineyards Russian River Valley Pinot Noir ($62) It’s light on its feet in texture and weight, yet full of vibrant red and black cherry and plum fruit, with touches of blueberry and cola. Pretty and appealing, it closes with mouthwatering acidity. Beautifully made. Also worth checking out is the Papapietro Perry 2017 777 Clones Russian River Valley Pinot Noir ($72), chosen the best red at the 2020 North Coast Wine Challenge.
Red Car 2018 Heaven & Earth Pinot Noir ($75) A Sonoma Coast cool-climate wine with a piney, forest-floor nose and crisp acidity. There’s plenty of dark-berry fruit flavors here, with scintillating acidity and structure. Not plump, not juicy in its youth, it’s a stark wine that pairs beautifully now with red meats, yet should mellow with time in the bottle.
Ron Rubin Winery 2017 Russian River Valley Pinot Noir ($25) VALUE This wine delivers tons of deliciousness, with juicy dark cherry and berry fruit, creamy vanillin oak, and background notes of woodsy earth and forest floor. It’s both savory and fruity, a neat trick to pull off at this price.
Siduri 2018 Barbieri Vineyard Russian River Valley Pinot Noir ($55) A near-perfect Russian River Pinot, it delivers crowd-pleasing, vibrant black cherry, blueberry and boysenberry fruit. It’s hugely aromatic — violet and rose petal—supple and succulent, with a generous, brisk finish.
Three Sticks 2018 Price Family Estates Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir ($65) Three Sticks, under winemakers Bob Cabral and Ryan Pritchard, produces several outstanding single-vineyard Pinot Noirs; this blend is a composite of them. Elegance and complexity are its hallmarks, with forest floor, black tea, and spice accenting the vibrant raspberry, dark cherry, and Santa Rosa plum fruit. It’s medium-bodied, beautifully textured, and harmonious.
Tongue Dancer 2017 The Sly One Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast ($59) Suave and seamless from start to finish, it has inviting aromas and vivid flavors of wild raspberry, boysenberry, vanilla, and leather, thanks to a low-oak influence. Winemaker James MacPhail sourced the Van Der Kamp Vineyard on Sonoma Mountain and the Placida Vineyard in Green Valley of Russian River Valley for this beautiful, low-production wine.
Trombetta Family Wines 2016 Gap’s Crown Vineyard Petaluma Gap Pinot Noir ($65) Blackberry, blueberry, and pomegranate are the primary flavors, but the wine also has floral aromas, hints of spice, and fresh-turned earth, and a bright, high-acid finish. A velvety mid-palate smoothness adds to the texture, with forest- floor and black-tea elements held in savory contrast.
J Vineyards & Winery 2017 Sonoma Coast Edition No. 2 Pinot Noir ($95) This is Gallo-owned J Winery’s finest Pinot Noir ever, though it comes at a hefty price. Winemaker Nicole Hitchcock harvested grapes from the Annapolis Ridge, Canfield, and Two Rock vineyards, which meld into a greater sum of the parts. It has an enticing violet perfume, vivid red, black, and blue fruit, and a long list of complexing notes, among them sarsaparilla, blackberry seed, anise, and brown spice.
Bordeaux Varietal Reds
Aperture Cellars 2017 Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon ($70) Very young and slightly raw now, this Cab from Jesse Katz has the stuff to improve for years. From its saturated purple color, to the deep black currant and dark plum fruit, to the accents of sandalwood, black olive, and bay leaf, it’s a rich, modern wine just beginning to show its personality.
Benziger Family Winery 2017 Sonoma County Cabernet Sauvignon ($20) VALUE Approachable and affordable, this wine offers soft tannins, juicy black cherry and dark plum fruit, along with hints of licorice, black olive, and toast. The finish is plush, countered by a pleasant bitterness of high-quality dark chocolate.
deLorimier Winery 2016 Rockpile Vineyard Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon ($68) There is lots of energy to this 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, which leans toward dark-red fruits over black. It’s compact yet juicy, with smooth tannins and lively acidity, and expertly oaked, with mere hints of vanilla, mocha, and spice.
Dry Creek Vineyard 2017 Dry Creek Valley Cabernet Sauvignon ($30) VALUE As prices rise for exceptional wines, Dry Creek Vineyard holds the line across its range. This youthful Cabernet Sauvignon delivers great value for money, with full-bodied richness, bright blackberry and black currant fruit, and shadings of mocha, sage, clove, and pipe tobacco. It’s lively and ready to enjoy now and over the next decade.
Aldina Vineyards 2016 Fountaingrove District Cabernet Sauvignon ($65) Al and Dina López planted Cabernet on their hilly Fountaingrove District property in 1998. They lost their home in the 2017 Tubbs fire, yet most of the vineyard survived. Now their daughter, co-owner Monica López, and winemaker Belén Ceja oversee production of this wine, which is a refreshing contrast to the rich, viscous Cabs made elsewhere. Hints of cedar, tar, tarragon, tobacco leaf, and green herbs accent the crisp, food-friendly palate of black cherry, tart red cherry, and cranberry. Toast and vanilla lurk in the background of this European- styled wine.
Goldschmidt Vineyard 2016 Yoeman Vineyard Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon ($75) Density and richness are the major attributes of this wine — “power and glory” is what winemaker Nick Goldschmidt says the Yoeman Vineyard gives to this Cab. It is indeed a mouthful of red and black fruit, but not overripe and with all the secondary characteristics one expects in fine Cabernet Sauvignon: cedar, dried herbs, tobacco leaf, and sandalwood. It’s intense and complex.
Hamel Family Wines 2017 Sonoma Valley Isthmus ($85) From its saturated purple color to its viscous texture, this blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (71%), Merlot (15%), Cabernet Franc (12%), and Petit Verdot (2%) reminds me of opulent Napa Valley Bordeaux-style reds, though with the savory bits left in. Notes of cigar box, cedar, and green peppercorn add layers to the plump black cherry and blackberry fruit; the firm tannins suggest cellaring it for a few years, though fans of concentrated young wines will be rewarded for their impatience.
Jordan Vineyard & Winery 2016 Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon ($58) Maggie Kruse was promoted to winemaker when Rob Davis retired in 2019 after 43 years as winemaker, a remarkable run. Kruse and Davis worked together on this Cab, and it continues the winery’s history of bottling elegant, restrained wines that don’t scream ripe fruit but rather seamless balance. Supple and polished, it likely will blossom with five years — or 15 — in the bottle.
Robert Young Estate Winery 2016 Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon ($56) All five Bordeaux red grapes are here, with Merlot, Petit Verdot, Malbec, and Cabernet Franc joining Cabernet Sauvignon in this nicely balanced wine. There are ripe tannins and succulent, dark-fruit juiciness at its core, accented by hints of cigar box, semisweet chocolate, and red currant.
Stone Edge Farm Estate Vineyards & Winery 2015 Sonoma Valley Cabernet Sauvignon ($130) Owners Mac and Leslie McQuown set their sights on producing first-growth-quality wines from their three Sonoma Valley vineyards in the Moon Mountain District AVA. It’s a lofty goal and they’re making progress. This is a first-class, full-bodied Cab with freshherb and chocolate accents to dark fruit. Yes, it’s expensive, though not among the priciest from Sonoma. The McQuowns aged this just-released vintage so you don’t have to wait to enjoy it.
Ferrari-Carano Vineyards and Winery 2016 Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon ($34)The Geyserville-area winery, recently sold to Foley Family Wines, has a track record for making superb red wines, many of them from mountain- grown grapes. This mid-priced Cab is a winner: juicy, rich, vibrant, seamless, and structured, with a supple finish.
Trestle Glen 2017 Hillside Sonoma Valley Cabernet Sauvignon ($75) Trestle Glen is Bruce Cohn’s newest project, after selling his BR Cohn brand in 2015 to Vintage Wine Estates. He and his longtime winemaker, Tom Montgomery, are back with this sturdy, muscular wine loaded with blackcurrant, black cherry, and dark plum fruit. Savory notes of espresso, dark chocolate, and thyme add great interest to this very complex wine, which should improve with age over the next decade.
Nick Goldschmidt 2018 Fidelity Alexander Valley Red Wine ($17) VALUEMerlot (77%) is joined by Cabernet Sauvignon (13%) and Petit Verdot (10%) in this supple, everyday-drinking Bordeaux-style red that punches above its weight and features floral aromas and a juicy palate of blackberry, plum, dark cherry, espresso, and chocolate.
Vision Cellars 2018 Red Wine Sonoma County ($65) Mac McDonald is known for his Pinot Noirs made from grapes grown throughout California, yet he stuck close to his Windsor home for this crowd-pleasing, succulent blend of Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. It’s vibrant and juicy, with supple tannins and a wealth of black cherry and dark-plum fruit. Deep and delicious to drink now and over the next five years.
Zinfandel
AldenAlli 2017 Limerick Lane Vineyard Russian River Valley Zinfandel ($65)This is a beauty — as polished and pure as Zinfandel gets — with tangy boysenberry and black raspberry fruit, hits of anise and black pepper, and a vibrant juiciness that invites gulp after gulp. Shane Finley makes this wine for Dan Kosta and Alden Lagasse, already well-known for their brilliant Pinot Noirs. This Zin is something special.
Carlisle Winery 2018 Montafi Ranch Russian River Valley Zinfandel ($50)The 92-year-old Montafi Vineyard, planted to 89% Zinfandel and a mixed-black mélange of a dozen other varietals, is a Sonoma treasure. Carlisle owner/ winemaker Mike Officer, a proponent of preserving old vines, produced this blackberry- loaded wine, with accents of mint, savory sage, and licorice.
Enkidu “E” 2018 Sonoma Valley Old Vine Zinfandel ($25) VALUE The Houghland Vineyard, with an average vine age of more than 100 years, produced the Zinfandel, Carignane, Alicante Bouschet, and Petite Sirah grapes for this fruity, juicy wine. Brambly raspberry, black cherry, and plum flavors are coated in dark chocolate and seasoned with fresh herbs; moderate tannins make for easy drinking now.
Hawley Wine 2018 Old Vine Sonoma County Zinfandel ($38) Bright and jazzy, this wine hits the palate with tangy raspberry, dark cherry, and boysenberry fruit, accented by blueberry, vanilla, white pepper, and sarsaparilla. This is the brisk, refreshing side of Zinfandel, doing double-duty as a pre-meal sipper and a pairing at the table.
Pedroncelli Winery 2018 Mother Clone Dry Creek Valley Zinfandel ($19) VALUESlightly jammy and quite spicy, it offers ripe blackberry and black raspberry fruit and a pleasant savory note that ties it to grilled meats. Grafts from old vines to newer ones have kept the Pedroncelli Zin tradition going, and this bottling delivers a fine wine at a fine price.
Ridge Vineyards 2018 Pagani Ranch Sonoma Valley Zinfandel ($40) Alicante Bouschet and Petite Sirah meld with Zinfandel in this classic representation of old-vine history in a bottle. Ridge has produced a Pagani Ranch wine since 1991. These family-farmed 100-year-old vines yield consistently high-quality fruit. Ridge’s Pagani Ranch is a Zin-based field blend that shows plum and cherry aromas, and complex mineral notes. Its full-bodied brambleberry fruit is backed by elegant tannins and a lingering finish.
St. Anne’s Crossing 2018 Rowe Vineyard Reserve Sonoma Valley Zinfandel ($60) This wine has it all: brambly boysenberry and black cherry fruit, intense black spice, cola, plush tannins, and a lip-smacking, juicy finish.
St. Francis Winery & Vineyards 2017 Sonoma County Old Vines Zinfandel ($22) VALUE For a refreshing change of pace and price, this smooth, spicy wine can often be found in markets for less than the winery sticker price. It’s medium- bodied for everyday drinking and loaded with briary blackberry and rich cherry fruit, plus black pepper and warm baking spice.
Wilson of Dry Creek 2017 Sawyer Dry Creek Valley Zinfandel ($42) This wine is bold and mouth-coating, yet has a strong acid backbone and tannin structure. It’s layered and complex, with dark fruit flavors and great balance.
Rhone-Style Reds
Cline Cellars 2018 Sonoma Coast Syrah ($20) VALUEThe Cline family’s Diamond Pile Estate vineyards in the Petaluma Gap AVA produced this young, exuberant wine, which balances savory notes of black pepper, espresso, and olive tapenade with sweet, ripe blackberry, blueberry, and dark cherry fruit.
Jeff Cohn Cellars 2016 Misc Stuff Sonoma County ($45) The “stuff” is actually a “GSM” – a blend of Grenache, Syrah, and Mourvedre – and it packs a wallop, with sinfully rich dark cherry and berry fruit, complex waves of anise, espresso, dark chocolate, and fresh herbs, and mouth-coating texture. A wine for hedonists, it begs for service with barbecue.
Rockpile Vineyards 2017 Buffalo Hollow Rockpile Petite Sirah ($60) Here’s a big, brawny wine, as one would expect from Petite Sirah, yet there is plenty of jammy blueberry, blackberry, and black plum fruit to soften the sizeable tannins. With a crack of black pepper and hints of licorice and ground coffee beans, it offers complexity as well as muscularity.
Thirty-Seven Wines 2018 Paradise Vineyard Petaluma Gap Grenache ($26) Al and Lisa Brayton’s wines have shed their Sonoma Coast designation in favor of the more precise Petaluma Gap AVA labeling. Their energetic and floral Grenache, made by Shane Finley, is richly flavored, with juicy wild berry, pomegranate, and black raspberry fruit, supple texture and a bit of smoky oak on the finish.
Two Shepherds 2016 Saralee’s Vineyard Russian River Valley Grenache Noir ($32) Grenache can be bold and potent, delicate and nuanced, and everything in between. William Allen’s version is decidedly on the elegant side, pretty rather than powerful, and Pinot Noir-like, with charming red fruit, medium body, smooth tannins, and brilliant natural acidity.
Other Reds
Bedrock Wine Co. 2018 Bedrock Vineyard Sonoma Valley Heritage Red ($50) Winemaker Morgan Twain-Peterson tapped his old-vine Bedrock Vineyard for this crisp, crunchy blend of Zinfandel, Carignan, and Mataro. It has an earthy minerality, ripe black fruit, lashes of savory spice, and fine complexity.
Imagery Estate 2017 Sonoma County Tusca Brava Red ($56) This is Sonoma’s version of a “Super Tuscan” wine from Italy, a mix of Sangiovese, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Malbec. The Sangiovese shows itself in pert acidity, brilliant red cherry and berry fruit and dried herbs; the remaining grapes contribute palate depth, tannins, dark berry, and cherry flavors, and a semisweet chocolate note adds interest. Be brave.
Jacuzzi Family Vineyards 2018 Sonoma Coast Sangiovese ($28) Jacuzzi and its sister Sonoma winery Cline Cellars get great results from their estate vineyards in the Petaluma Gap AVA of the Sonoma Coast region. There is a solid acidity in this medium-bodied wine, with red cherry and berry flavors and subtle shadings of dried oregano and tomato leaf. It’s Chianti Classico, Sonoma style.
Kenwood Vineyards 2016 Jack London Vineyard Sonoma Mountain Red Wine Blend ($35) This unusual blend of Zinfandel, Merlot, and Syrah works beautifully, creating a succulent wine brimming in dark cherry and red-berry aromas and flavors. The finish is long, spicy, and juicy.
Robledo Family Winery 2018 Seven Brothers Sonoma Valley Tempranillo ($45) This wine might be too easy to drink, with juicy blackberry, dark cherry, and plum aromas and flavors and hints of spice and leather. The texture is plush, the tannins round, and the finish long and satisfying.
Jevon Martin and Marjorie Pier were told funds for the small-business loan they applied for had run out. (Christopher Chung / The Press Democrat)
Franklin D. Roosevelt once said, “When you reach the end of your rope, tie a knot in it and hang on.” He may have been talking about the Great Depression, but that same desperation applies to our pandemic economy. At this point, more than eight months after the outbreak began, even the knot is starting to wear thin.
“It’s like gardening. People love to have a garden, but if you don’t water the garden, the plants will die,” says Andy Weinberger, owner of Readers’ Books in Sonoma. “If you don’t support these stores and boutique-y shops you think so highly of, they’re not gonna be there anymore. You gotta water the garden.”
The easiest thing we can do this holiday season is order from Amazon and never leave our houses. But while we wait for a barrage of boxes to magically land on our front doorstep, we should ask ourselves, why do we live here? Why not Kansas? Or Oklahoma? At least part of it has to do with a sense of community. That sense that we all chose this same spot to put down roots.
“You’re buying something from the source,” says Jennifer Conner, who makes and sells artisanal leather handbags at In the Making in Petaluma. “At the end of the day, I’m not just selling bags. It’s bigger than me, it’s important.”
From a couple finding ways to keep their tiny restaurant open while raising two young children to a septuagenarian who runs a winery all by himself, here’s an inside look at a handful of local businesses holding on to that Rooseveltian knot. While each tells the story of how they’ve weathered the storm so far, what they’re really telling us is how they need our help more than ever.
Tamales Mana
Selling essential foods for essential workers, even after a Covid scare.
In July, when an employee tested positive for Covid-19, owners Manuel Perez and his wife Lucina Cardona thought it might spell the end.
“We wondered if anyone would ever want to eat our tamales again,” Cardona says, snacking on a sweet raisin tamale one afternoon at their storefront and commercial kitchen on Petaluma Hill Road in Santa Rosa, where they make around 1,200 tamales a day. A “God Bless America” sign hangs on the wall beside her.
Over the past 10 years, since Perez started selling the addictive stuffed masa treats in a Food Maxx parking lot and in front of a Grocery Outlet, the couple has cultivated a devoted following. In the beginning, everything was made by hand, including the salsa, in their small apartment off Stony Point Road. Instead of lard, they used soybean oil. As a memento, they still have the original countertop food mixer that Cardona bought thanks to a generous Mervyn’s employee discount.
In an age when many Mexican immigrants send money back to their homeland, Perez and Cardona went in the opposite direction, asking relatives in Mexico to loan them money to buy a new $9,000 cart with permits. It was the biggest risk they’d ever taken.
But after their main cook, who whips up a new batch of tamales at 1 a.m. every morning, tested positive for the virus, the pair had to shut down operations for 14 days — the equivalent of more than 16,000 tamales or $42,000 in sales.
“Fortunately, I had already applied for the PPP loan and it arrived in time to help our employees get through,” Perez says. “But it was still a very scary time for everybody.”
When the quarantine was lifted and no one else tested positive, the restaurant made only half the daily tamale quota to test the waters in that first week back. “We wanted to see if anyone would come,” Cardona says. “When they lined up again, we knew how lucky we were.”
Their tamale cart in the shopping center at the corner of Dutton and Sebastopol roads accounts for about 80% of sales, with the rest coming from takeout orders at the Petaluma Hill Road shop. Workers line up as early at 5:30 a.m. to pick up lunch before heading out, often to fields, vineyards, and construction sites. In a sense, Tamales Maná (“tamales from heaven”) makes essential food to fuel essential workers.
As December approaches, the couple is hoping to recoup some of the money they lost during the quarantine and the early months of COVID when sales were down at least 40% and they had to reduce employee hours. It helps that tamales are such a huge Mexican holiday tradition. Cardona remembers eating her first tamales during holiday celebrations in Mexico City where she grew up. And Perez ate them as a kid, always wrapped in banana leaves, which were plentiful where he lived in Acapulco.
“The holidays are so crazy, and everyone has to have their tamales, that last year we had to add Dec. 23 as a day to pick up tamales, because we could not possibly make any more tamales for Dec. 24,” Perez says. “We are hoping even with the pandemic, this year will be the same.”
Jeremiah’s Photo Corner
Where the owner knows your name — and what kind of film you need.
“I’m a visual person,” says Jeremiah Flynn. He remembers faces like he remembers old, quirky cameras and the photos he took with them. When a regular shows up at his Santa Rosa shop, he says, “I’ll remember, oh this person likes taking photos on road trips or taking photos of their children. This person is looking for black-and-white film or a certain kind of photo paper.”
Open for the past 11 years in the South A Street Arts District, Jeremiah’s Photo Corner has the antique
appeal of a Dickensian curiosity shop. It’s the place to go for refurbished medium-format Hasselblad and Mamiya film cameras and hard-to-find Polaroids. Or film sold from a refrigerator. Or darkroom supplies to develop your own film. “People will show up and say, ‘I’m so-and-so’s mom or boyfriend and they said you would know what I should get them for a birthday present.’ We’re that kind of shop.”
So when the pandemic hit and Flynn was limited to curbside special orders and email queries, all those visual cues disappeared. Sales plummeted at least 80% in the first few months. Instead of walking customers around his packed one-room shop or sending them rifling through boxes labeled “shutter release cables” or “tripod heads,” Flynn spent countless hours “sending email volleys back and forth for a minimal $20 sale.”
To adapt, he bought rolling shelves and set popular supplies closer to the door, where customers can now shop individually while leaning over a baby gate. He started selling more vintage cameras on his Etsy site, noticing an uptick once federal unemployment stimulus checks kicked in. Worried that he couldn’t make rent, much less put food on the table, he immediately applied and received an Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) for $2,000. And once PPP loans were approved for self-employed business owners, he received a “much-needed” $6,500 boost in August. He’s also very thankful for an understanding landlord who let him skip rent for the month of September.
It all helps, but he’s still having a hard time keeping the doors open. “Whenever I used to meet with my CPA, he would say, ‘Hey, this is not sustainable, you need to change things up.’ And now, he doesn’t need to say that anymore. Now, it’s like I’m barely getting by. And he always says, ‘Are you living off of this?’ But I’m OK—at least I’m single with no kids. If I need to eat beans, I’ll eat beans.”
A talented photographer in his own right, Flynn also makes vintage tintype portraits. The photos are cast on metal plates that give subjects an otherworldly, often sepia glow. He recently moved his tintype studio outdoors to make room for social distancing. He’s offering family portraits ranging from $350 to $650, and he’s hoping people will be inspired to shop local this holiday season.
“Because it’s so little volume, now it really matters,” he says. “I’ve sold a few cameras off the shelf and it’s like, ‘Oh my god, I have a little bit of money.’ I don’t have breathing room, but at least I have enough to pay the rent and pay PG& E and keep the doors open and stay here for at least another month. Obviously, I can’t tread water forever.”\
Street Social
A dream becomes real, the world takes a turn — and fried chicken comes to the rescue.
After nearly a decade, 2020 was going to be the year it all came true. While working their way through restaurants across California, Jevon Martin and Marjorie Pier bonded one night over a 14-year-old Balvenie scotch after a shift in a Santa Monica restaurant, realizing they both often replayed the same movie in their minds, picturing what it might be like to one day open their own restaurant.
In January, when the couple, now parents to two young daughters, opened Street Social opened in a remote 300-squarefoot space in Petaluma’s Lan Mart building, word spread quickly thanks to rave reviews of dishes such as duck fat caramel corn, kohlrabi and scallop chowder, and beet tartare. On any given night, all six tables were filled, and reservations grew weekly. But when the pandemic hit, “You can’t print what was going through my mind at the time,” Martin says. Sales dropped off completely and they had to cut loose all three staff members and go it alone, reducing hours to Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights.
“Everything went into panic mode,” Pier says. “Or pandemic mode,” Martin adds.
At first, Martin and Pier tried selling banh mi sandwiches, but even at $14, they weren’t earning enough to turn a profit. They experimented with theme nights and comfort food staples like barbecue and shrimp and grits. Nothing clicked until Martin rolled out a gluten-free fried chicken recipe that was 10 years in the making. “I never thought in a million years, I’d be doing fried chicken,” says Martin, who learned his trade at Le Cordon Bleu and more recently cooked at Glen Ellen Star. “It was just something I liked to do for fun.”
“We went with it in week two and that’s pretty much been our saving grace,” Pier says. “It’s what’s kept us afloat.” They even took the bird on the road for a few fried-chicken pop-ups around the county, calling it “The Coop.”
Sales were down at least 80% in March and April but have since hovered around 40% of normal. They’ve had success with a prix fixe chef’s table on Saturdays that allows Martin to flex his culinary imagination, one night dreaming up savory French toast with sea urchins and blueberry jam. “We’re constantly re-inventing ourselves,” Martin says. “Not to be cliché, but it seems like every other week we have to re-strategize.” One big help has been Pier’s parents, who live in Sonoma and watch the couple’s daughters every night they’re running the restaurant.
After four months of waiting for their EIDL bridge loan to be approved, Pier and Martin were told the funds had run out. Even though they qualified for partial unemployment as business owners, they had to take out a small SBA loan they will have to pay back at 3.75% interest.
On a recent Friday night, with six tables carefully spaced along a wall in the breezeway outside their restaurant, and a menu featuring melt-in-your-mouth lengua pastrami, made from beef tongue Martin bought at a small Mexican market near his home, the couple yielded an average turnout. They always shoot for around 12-16 covers a night while working as a duo, and they did half that. One party canceled after their reservation time.
They’re hoping a steady run of holiday season reservations will push them into the new year with some much-needed cash flow. After nearly a year of scraping by and juggling daily roles as server, dishwasher, chef, sommelier, and manager — have they thought about calling it quits?
“Oh no, no,” says Martin, without missing a beat. “Absolutely not. The way we got this opportunity, it’s like something you read in a book. I really believe we weren’t given this opportunity to fail. No matter what comes our way, we gotta keep pushing forward. If we fail, it’s because of us, not because of the circumstances. I believe we’re going to be here for a long time.”
Frick Winery
One man, seven acres of vines, and a mailing list that’s keeping things afloat.
“That’s one of my favorite books,” Bill Frick says with a grin, as he stands in the driveway of his Dry Creek winery, talking about Hemingway’s “The Old Man and the Sea.” It’s hardly a surprise Frick connects with the classic tale of one man’s struggle against nature. Since his wife died nearly 20 years ago, the winemaker has billed his business as “7.77 Acres and a Man.”
At 73, he does everything but pick the grapes. He sorts them, presses them, and makes wine out of them — around 1,100 cases a year – before pouring and selling them in the tasting room all by himself. He’s also a one-man shipping crew.
“A few years back, I looked into hiring a part-time employee in the tasting room so I could maybe take off a few days a year,” Frick says. “But it would cost me a minimum of $3,000 a year just for worker’s compensation. The only way I can make a living here is by keeping my overhead low. I need to pocket as much of the cash flow as I can.”
Heavy smoke from yet another wildfire hangs in the air. The owner of a nearby Dry Creek winery had just announced he won’t pick any of his grapes this year due to lingering smoke taint.
“I’m just kind of going day to day on whether I’m going to pick or not,” Frick says through his mask. He remembers making a wine back in 2008 that had faint smoky notes due to a wildfire in the region and “it almost developed a cult following. People came back for it. They loved the smoky characteristic of the wine.” He even thought about bottling a “Wildfire Red” that year.
When the pandemic hit, Frick Winery was blindsided like nearly everyone else in the industry. He had to shut down his tasting room, which accounts for about 80 to 90% of sales. “On paper it was pretty horrible,” he says, especially when considering he has no distribution in stores, only a handful of restaurants uncork his wines, and he never created a subscription-based wine club.
But Frick quickly turned to his mailing list of about 1,800 customers, alerting them to discounts and free shipping offers. “The only thing that saved me are my loyal followers,” he says. “A lot of them are really interested in my well-being.” Locals bought cases and picked them up curbside. To serve customers around the country, Frick converted his tasting room to a mailroom and began shipping and receiving seven days a week.
Sales were down around roughly 40 to 50% the first two months, but then “June was really bad.” As tasting rooms were allowed to reopen, he moved tastings outside to the parking lot, where he could hold forth over a large table and customers could space out by appointment only.
In a one-on-one setting, it’s his story that sells the wine. Nearly every person on his mailing list has visited the winery at some point and discovered his niche of Rhône varietals amid a sea of Zinfandel, Cabernet, and Chardonnay, often learning how to pronounce “counoise” and “cinsaut” along the way.
It’s an unlikely scenario for a guy who was a bit of a loner as a kid: “I don’t know too many people. I don’t enjoy talking.” His late wife, Judith Gannon, an artist who often ran the tasting room, would be pleasantly surprised at his outgoing nature these days, he says with a laugh. And she’d probably be impressed with his online pivot during Covid-19 as well.
“I can survive this pandemic,” he says. “But I’m no spring chicken, and I’m getting sick and tired of these fires. In my fantasy, I start imagining, ‘where can I go and live at peace and not have to worry?’ But everywhere I look has the same fuel in place for these kinds of fires.”
In the Making
Two artists bet on an antidote to mass consumerism with locally made gifts.
As artists who opened a retail space, Jennifer Conner and Siri Hansdotter like to joke that they’re not “numbers people.” But the two friends have had to become bean counters over the past eight months, even if the numbers aren’t what they dreamed of eight years ago when they first imagined their downtown Petaluma gift shop and studio, In the Making.
In the first months of the pandemic, sales of their handcrafted jewelry, handbags, clothing, art, and household items — all made in Sonoma County — dropped to almost nothing. “It was terrible,” says Conner, who, in addition to running the store, is a designer who crafts vegetable-tanned leather into handbags that will last a lifetime. “I don’t we think we sold anything. People were terrified to spend any money.”
“People were only buying toilet paper,” says Hansdotter, who creates one-of-a-kind jewelry out of sterling silver, yellow and rose gold, and precious stones.
It wasn’t until customers qualified for unemployment that the card swipers lit up again. “As soon as people started getting checks, the online sales picked up and I had a good little run,” Conner says.
Then in July, when the $600 weekly federal stimulus ran out, sales plummeted again. The two split their $2,000 rent with a furniture maker in the back of the shop, but even, then they couldn’t pay it every month as they had since opening in 2017. “We paid what we could,” Hansdotter says. “You can’t bleed a stone, and we felt like what we paid was fair given the circumstances.”
Early on, Conner and Hansdotter applied for PPP loans and were rejected, so both went on unemployment. If sales were down 80 to 90% in the spring, by the summer sales had picked up to about half of what they were the previous summer, and they were back to paying full rent. Online sales grew, and people were allowed to once again enter the store in limited numbers.
“We have customers who come in and they don’t need anything, but they come in to support us,” Conner says. “Those are the people who are keeping us afloat. One woman came in and bought an expensive bag and said, ‘I just want to support you.’ Things like that kind of make you tear up a little bit.”
As holiday shopping ramps up, they’re hoping for a big push into 2021. Conner stocked up on American-made leather back in September when suppliers were at least two months delayed on orders. Hansdotter is keeping her jewelry cases well stocked, and even with an uncertain future, she has hope for the value of locally made goods.
“It’s not mass consumerism. It’s important for people to feel like they can buy something that’s not disposable,” she says. “They’re going to have these things for the rest of their lives. Their kids are going to have these things. It’s an heirloom you’re going to pass down. I think today more than ever, that message is really important.”
Readers’ Books
An independent bookseller fights to continue the legacy of his late wife.
It doesn’t take long for Readers’ Books owner Andy Weinberger to get to the punch line: “In the book business they spell retirement ‘D-E-A-D.’” You work until the very last breath, he explains. “Golden parachute to what? They can carry me out on a board, that’s fine.”
Even though he’s in it for the long haul, Weinberger admits it started feeling like final days when sales dropped 61% in April and 52% in May. But booksellers have always found a way to persevere — beyond steep Amazon book discounts, beyond forecasts of waning readership, and beyond the latest plague.
In the early days of the pandemic, “we were in a bit of shock,” he says, but it didn’t take long to pivot and start offering no-touch book pickups left on the back patio in the Readers’ Garden. The shop “managed to eke out some sales” as one employee made book deliveries by bicycle and others mailed online orders.
“My landlord said to forget about the rent, so I conveniently forgot about it,” he says, at least for a month. And other support came out of the blue. “I had one woman who sent a letter in the mail with a check for $1,000 and a note that said, ‘We want to see you around.’” Weinberger applied for a PPP loan in March and eventually got $27,000 in support, which meant that many of his employees could go off unemployment. “In theory, you have to pay it back,” he says. “But they have loan forgiveness if you use it to pay your payroll and your mortgage or rent, so that’s what I did.”
After 29 years, “fortunately or unfortunately, we’re the only bookstore in town,” he says. That means while people were stuck at home with ample time to read, the 2,000-square-foot shop, stocked with more than 18,000 titles, was the only local option. Readers’ Books hosts a regular slate of author events, and has brought in such figures as Bill Moyers, Deepak Chopra, and Anthony Bourdain over the years. But all live events have been canceled since March, though Weinberger did manage a virtual event in September to read from his own book, “Reason to Kill,” the latest in a series of mysteries.
Though sales have started to bounce back, he’s hoping things will pick up further during the holidays, and that people will turn to the annual CALIBA (California Independent Booksellers Alliance) end-of-year booklist for shopping tips. And he plans to mount his annual Book Stars program, where customers donate money for books for kids in Sonoma Valley who don’t have enough to read. “This year more than ever, there’s a need for this,” he says.
Undaunted by the pandemic, what keeps him going is not only the routine of work — putting in several hours in the store in the morning and then writing mystery novels in the afternoon — but also the spirit of his wife Lilla, who died suddenly last year. “It was a big shock to my system, and this store is like family to me,” he says. “It’s a legacy I want to continue for her.”
