Melissa DeForest hauls out her recently cut Douglas fir tree with her daughters Avery, 5, and Kaitlyn, 7, as part of “The Great Charlie Brown Christmas Tree Hunt” hosted by LandPaths at Riddell Preserve west of Healdsburg on Sunday, December 2, 2018. (BETH SCHLANKER/ The Press Democrat)
Each year on a preserve outside Healdsburg, a simple tradition — finding the perfect tree — takes on a greater purpose: protecting the forest from wildfires. Since 2017, nonprofit LandPaths has invited the public to Riddell Preserve for its annual “Great Charlie Brown Christmas Tree Hunt.” It’s a fun, eco-friendly event where visitors help thin the forest by cutting down a free holiday tree.
The scenic preserve has 400 acres of peaceful oak woodlands, majestic redwoods and rolling grasslands overlooking breathtaking Dry Creek Valley. Removing scraggly trees and invasive species reduces wildfire risk in overgrown areas made vulnerable by decades of fire suppression.
The day starts with a morning caravan up to the preserve, where drizzle often descends and dew is still visible on the forest floor. Pauline Hsu, who brought her two young children to last year’s hunt to cut down a live tree for the first time, says her family loved learning about the different species in the forest, including a massive lion’s mane mushroom they spotted.
Holiday sweaters and lots of smiles at the Riddell Preserve in Healdsburg for a tree hunt that helps the forest. (Miranda Carreño / Courtesy LandPaths)
After the hunt, the LandPaths stewardship team delivers dozens of trees to the Bayer Farm and Jeff’s Garden to be distributed for free to community members. Leilani Clark, LandPaths communication director, says the day fits right in with the group’s mission to get more families outdoors. “It feels really good, and it connects people with the land,” she says.
If you missed the annual Charlie Brown Tree Hunt on Dec. 7, LandPaths will host a Charlie Brown tree give-away from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., Dec. 14, at Bayer Farm in Santa Rosa. The event is first come, first served, and includes warm beverages as well as holiday crafting opportunities.
The nonprofit will also host a Winter Celebration from 3-6 p.m., Dec. 21, at Bayer Farm in Santa Rosa. Bring your favorite cultural dish to the celebration to win a prize. The event will include holiday music and a wreath-making station (materials and instruction provided).
Hacienda Beach, seen from the bridge over River Road, continues to be a hotspot in the ongoing dispute over public access to privately owned beaches along the Russian River in Forestville, Friday, July 5, 2024. (John Burgess / The Press Democrat)
Wayne Speer remembers decades ago when logging trucks would roar past his Forestville Club at all hours. Today, the lumber mill is long gone. Even his dark, windowless dive bar is a throwback to another era.
But walk down Front Street (aka Highway 116) for a block or two, and you’ll see signs of a new spirit taking root in Forestville. Maybe it’s the trippy Ricky Watts mural in front of the Record Mill vinyl shop. Or the newly opened, Asian-inspired Bazaar Sonoma next door, serving an addictively simple egg salad sandwich with yuzo mayo and crispy lotus on milk bread.
Leading the charge, Sonoma Pizza Co. opened shop across the street two years ago, building an instant following with wood-fired pizzas stacked with everything from peaches and pork cheek bacon to mushrooms and fennel sausage. Under towering redwoods and glowing paper lanterns, the shop’s back deck is a great place to savor a night out.
Zhong Dumplings with BaSo homemade chili crisp and sweet pork dumplings from Bazaar Sonoma, BaSo | Restaurant & Konbini, Oct. 17, 2024, in Forestville. (John Burgess / The Press Democrat)Mushroom Mycopia pizza at Sonoma Pizza Co. in Forestville. (Heather Irwin / The Press Democrat)
“Forestville is kind of like the last area in Sonoma County to get gentrified,” says Brian Borchers, who owns Russian River Cycle Service, which makes custom bikes and rents to riders eager to get out on the 5.5-mile West County Regional Trail. Connecting Forestville to Sebastopol and Graton, the popular route runs past farms, vineyards and cafes.
Nightingale Breads owner Jessie Frost isn’t too worried about Forestville turning bougie, she says. “It’s still funky, and sweet and lively, but it’s also weird — and I mean that as in good weird. It’s west county weird.”
You want weird? Try naming a town “Forrestville” in the 1860s, after an early settler named Andrew Jackson Forrester, and then dropping the “r” and changing it to “Forestville.” True story.
People toast Ryme rosé at Ryme Cellars in Forestville. (Courtesy Ryme Cellars)
Turn right at Rick’s Auto, and you’ll wind up at Ryme Cellars, where husband-and-wife owners Ryan and Megan Glaab have a thing for Italian varieties like Vermentino, Fiano and Aglianico.
Come late fall and early winter, Forestville is one of those towns where everyone pitches in during the holidays. A guy nicknamed “Falcon Mike” hangs the Christmas lights along Front Street. Teaming up with the local chamber of commerce, Record Mill owner Chris McDonald started a new holiday town fair last year that returns on Dec. 7 with 30-40 local vendors and a roaming New Orleans brass band.
In the three years he’s owned the Record Mill, McDonald has seen nearly every walk of life coming in and out of the redwoods that surround the town. “It’s a drive-through town, but blue-collar locals are still here,” he says. “I feel like it’s one of those last west county towns that has a rural vibe that spans a full spectrum of people.”
Where to visit
A selection of breads from Nightingale Breads in Forestville. (Courtesy of Nightingale Breads)
Nightingale Breads
Loyal customers would probably riot if owner Jessie Frost discontinued her best-selling sliced seeded sourdough. For the holidays, Frost makes boxed panettone and a delicious gingerbread, adding Moonlight Brewing Company’s Death and Taxes black lager to the batter. 6665 Front St., 707-887-8887, nightingalebreads.com
Sonoma Pizza Co.
Try the wood-fired Pepperoni Nirvana pie prepared Chris’s Way with hot honey and ricotta, paired with local Joseph Jewel zinfandel. Or the “Italian Stallion” sandwich — what more could you need? 6615 Front St., 707820-1031, sonomapizzaco.com
Canneti Roadhouse
Chef-proprietor Francesso Torre makes his own olive oil, focaccia and fennel salame, and his classic “Tuna of the Chianti” swaps pork shoulder for fins. 6675 Front St., 707-887-2232, cannetiroadhouse.com
Dried Early Girl Tomato inflated with mozzarella espuma over basil oil and topped with caviar and fried curry leaf from chef Craig Wilmer at the Farmhouse Inn restaurant on River Road in Forestville, Friday, Aug. 18, 2023. (John Burgess / The Press Democrat)
Farmhouse Inn
Last year, wine mogul Bill Foley purchased a majority stake in this exclusive luxury hotel (once bought out by Elon Musk for his birthday party) from siblings Joe and Catherine Bartolomei, who grew the 1873 vintage farmhouse into a world-class destination. 7871 River Road, 707-887-3300, farmhouseinn.com
River Bend Resort
A budget-friendly option with a giant Paul Bunyan statue out front. Where else can you spend the night in a 1970s VW Bus restored with hardwood floors? 11820 River Road, 707-887-7662, riverbendresort.net
Ryme Cellars
This Italian-leaning boutique winery hosts appointment-only tastings and super-tasty BBQ pickup parties. 6450 First St., 707820-8121, rymecellars.com
The Record Mill
Crate-digger alert: Owner Chris McDonald’s Japanese pressing of Bobby Charles’ self-titled 1976 album is a pretty good score. 6566 Front St., 707-820-7666
Extra-virgin olive oil from McEvoy Ranch in Petaluma. (McEvoy Ranch)
Olio nuovo (“new oil” in Italian) is the olive oil bottled and released immediately after the annual harvest, before the oil begins to mellow.
With a bright, lean, freshness, olio nuovo can range from robust to more mellow in flavor. The strongest are often described jokingly as “two-cough” selections, with a peppery bite that is highly prized.
Sonoma County’s olive harvest kicked off early this year, with the first of the season’s olives heading to the mill in early October. Harvest typically continues through early December. Two primary mills, McEvoy Ranch and Olivino, process olives for many of the county’s local farms, and there are also public mills in Sebastopol, Glen Ellen, Sonoma and Healdsburg. With a number of places to taste local olive oil, here are eight picks for the season.
Molly Jackal volunteered to help pick olives during olive harvest at Baker Lane Vineyards in Sebastopol, Nov. 8, 2018. (Erik Castro/for Sonoma Magazine)
Baker Lane Estate
Stephen Singer’s 2024 Occidental Blend is not labeled “olio nuovo” but will be available soon enough after pressing that it is a de facto nuovo, with vivid flavors of artichoke, freshly mown hay and green apple. Online sales only. singer.wine
DaVero
The benchmark estate olio nuovo is sassy and elegant, with complex bitter and pepper flavors. 766 Westside Road, Healdsburg. 707-431-8000, davero.com
Figone Olive Co.
At their small shop on the plaza in the town of Sonoma, Figone releases an olio nuovo shortly after milling their blend of Spanish and Italian varieties.483 First St. W., Sonoma. 707-2829092, figoneoliveoil.com
Gold Ridge Organic Farms
Grower Brooke Hazen offers four olio nuovos: the classic Tuscan blend plus Picholine, Minerva and Arbequina single-variety oils. Hazen picks a bit later in the season, producing oils with a voluptuous, buttery texture. 3387 Canfield Road, Sebastopol. 707-823-3110, goldridgeorganicfarms.com
Olive oil pouring out of a spout into a large plastic container at Gold Ridge Organic Farms custom milling service facility in Sebastopol, Nov. 9, 2018. (Erik Castro/for Sonoma Magazine)Extra virgin olive oil from McEvoy Ranch in Petaluma. (Courtesy of McEvoy Ranch)
McEvoy Ranch
This olio nuovo evokes the subtle flavors of winter greens — think cardoons, chicories and dandelions — with a trail of peppery heat, a signature quality of the estate’s seven Tuscan cultivars.5935 Red Hill Road, Petaluma. 707-778-2307, mcevoyranch.com
Olivino
The olio nuovo is a blend of five Tuscan cultivars from a 2,500-tree orchard that straddles the border of Sonoma and Mendocino counties and is milled with a traditional grinding stone and gravity press.14160 Mountain House Road, Hopland. 707-7441114, olivino.com
Preston Farm & Winery
Chaste Maiden Early Release Organic Olive Oil is a blend of 10 Italian and Spanish cultivars. Even in its youth, it is a delicate oil, with less of the peppery heat that defines many other oils.9282 West Dry Creek Road, Healdsburg. 707433-3372, prestonfarmandwinery.com
The Olive Press
The olio nuovo is made from the Spanish cultivar Arbequina, which hints of freshly mown grass, artichoke, apple and banana. 24724 Arnold Drive, Sonoma. 707-939-8900, theolivepress.com
Spud Point Marina in Bodega Bay. (Mariah Harkey/Courtesy Sonoma County Tourism)
Windblown locals know when the best weather rolls through this gorgeous coastal hamlet. “Fall and winter is probably my favorite time of the year because you don’t have all the fog like you do in the summer,” says Shona Campbell, who recently opened Rocker Oysterfeller’s at Lucas Wharf with her husband Brandon Guenther, bringing a new iteration of their popular Valley Ford seafood restaurant to the coast.
“Also, it’s more locals and less traffic in the fall and winter,” says Campbell, who also serves as president of the local chamber of commerce.
A boom-and-bust town that seems to ride the waves of the latest tourist or fishing season, there’s something still delightfully old-school about Bodega Bay. You can see it in the weather-beaten, yellow fishermen statues, the kite shops, the salt-water taffy shops (watermelon is the best-selling flavor at pink-and-white-striped Patrick’s of Bodega Bay) and the glass-encased shark jaws hanging on the wall at the Tides Wharf and Restaurant.
A beer with the Captain’s Platter, served with Dungeness crab, calamari, beer-battered shrimp, rock cod and fries. At Rocker Oysterfeller’s at Lucas Wharf in Bodega Bay on Friday, Aug. 23, 2024. (Erik Castro / For The Press Democrat)
Underneath the tourist kitsch, there’s still an authentic fishing village, even if it’s just barely hanging on by a 15-pound microfilament. The last two salmon seasons have been canceled. Every fall, the opening of crab season seems to get pushed back by state fish and game department officials wary of long crab-trap lines entangling migrating whales.
“We’re having a really hard time getting by,” says fisherman Tony Anello, who has been fishing for 56 years, and recently sold his boat, the Annabelle. He remembers when there were more than 100 boats fishing out of Spud Point Marina. Now, there are maybe 20, he says.
One of the smartest things he ever did was open Spud Point Crab Co. with his wife Carol Anello. The clam chowder that you see steaming in pots in the front has won nearly every tasting competition ever entered, and the crab sandwiches melt in your mouth. “Thank God for that, because if I had to count on fishing again, I would never be able to make it,” says Tony Anello.
Fishing boats at Spud Point Harbor in Bodega Bay. (Kim Carroll/Sonoma Magazine)
Getting into the holiday spirit, Campbell and Guenther are planning to host a series of New Orleans-style, three-course réveillon dinners at Rocker Oysterfeller’s throughout the month of December — without a doubt, oyster stew will be on the menu.
The most convenient place to stay on the main drag is The Inn at the Tides, especially if you’re one of those Hitchcock fans who can’t resist watching a looping video of Tippi Hedren renting a boat (in her fur coat) at the Tides in the 1963 film “The Birds.” From the hotel, it’s a short drive to the trailhead for the Pinnacle Gulch Coastal Access Trail, which leads a half-mile down to the beach along a narrow ravine. At low tide, you can hook up with the Shorttail Gulch Trail and make it a 1.9-mile loop, or wander down to Doran Beach in the other direction.
If four legs suits you better, hop on a horse and choose from beach rides, sunset ridge rides and wetlands expeditions offered through Five Brooks Bodega Bay equine outfit.
But sometimes the best thing to do is nothing at all. “I think people who come here are looking for relaxation, and some good Pacific air,” says Campbell. “It’s just a quiet, little village.”
Where to visit
Head to Spud Point Crab Co. and pick up delicious clam chowder, best enjoyed overlooking the ocean at Bodega Head. (John Burgess / The Press Democrat)A sunset horseback ride at Chanslor Ranch in Bodega Bay. (Courtesy Sonoma County Tourism)
Spud Point Crab Co.
When the crab season is delayed in Bodega Bay, the Anellos source their crustaceans from either California fishermen plying in-season waters above Fort Bragg or from Oregon and Washington fisheries. 1910 Westshore Road, 707-875-9472, spudpointcrabco.com
Rocker Oysterfeller’s
This Southern-style roadhouse serves Louisiana hot barbecue oysters, barbecue shrimp, and shrimp and grits. 595 Highway 1, 707-772-5670, rockeroysterfellers.com
The Inn at the Tides
Perched on a hill above the Tides Wharf and Restaurant, the 86-room hotel offers sweeping views of the bay. 800 Highway 1. 707-875-2751, innatthetides.com
Pinnacle Gulch Coastal Access
Enjoy the recent $50,000 renovation of a 101-step stairway along this secluded beach trail. 20600 Mockingbird Road, 707-875-3540, parks.sonomacounty.ca.gov
Five Brooks Bodega Bay
This wide-roaming equine outfit also offers horse-and-kayak combo trips. Some rides cross through newly preserved public lands at nearby Chanslor Ranch. 2660 Highway 1, 707-589-5040, fivebrooksbodegabay.com
Outdoor seating at Tony’s Seafood Restaurant in Marshall. (Tony’s Seafood)
Chef Matt Weinberger has taken over the kitchen of Tony’s Seafood in Marshall. Chef Matt Shapiro previously held the position.
Weinberger was a former chef at Santa Rosa’s Grossman’s Noshery & Bar (he created the restaurant’s Weinburger patty melt). He was also the opening chef at Marshall’s Nick’s Cove restaurant together with his wife, chef Heather Ames.
Fish and chips at Tony’s Seafood in Marshall. (Heather Irwin/The Press Democrat)
Cafe La Haye owner Saul Gropman, center, is selling his well-known Sonoma restaurant to José and Marta López-Nuñes. Photo taken at the restaurant on East Napa Street on Thursday, Dec. 12, 2024. (Robbi Pengelly / The Sonoma Index-Tribune)
After 28 years as the face of Sonoma’s Cafe La Haye (140 East Napa St.), owner Saul Gropman has announced his retirement and that he will be selling the restaurant to a longtime employee.
On Monday, Gropman wrote on social media that he would be “passing the torch” to Jose Lopez, who has worked at the restaurant for 22 years, and Lopez’s wife, Marta.
Reached by phone, Gropman said that in the wake of his 70th birthday, it was time to move on.
“A couple years ago, Jose asked if I ever wanted to sell, he wanted to be the first in line,” said Gropman. “The team is super solid, and Jose wants to keep running it as is, with the whole staff staying. I didn’t want to bring in someone new who would bring in their own team.”
Saul Gropman, proprietor of Cafe La Haye restaurant on East Napa Street in Sonoma, has announced his retirement after 28 years. (Robbi Pengelly/Sonoma Index-Tribune)
Gropman added that he kept the restaurant running through the COVID-19 pandemic so that he wouldn’t have to lay off any of the eight staff members.
“They’ve been with me so many years, and they are like family,” he said.
Cafe La Haye opened in 1997, with Gropman working the front of house and business partner/chef John McReynolds leading the kitchen. Though the 34-seat bistro began serving only breakfast and lunch, Gropman realized that the only way to keep the business afloat was to drop the breakfast and lunch service and only serve dinner.
“John and I opened Cafe La Haye for a song, which you could do in those days. We were pretty much giving (breakfast) away,” he said.
During Cafe La Haye’s first decade, Gropman split his time between the restaurant and as head of the classical guitar program at San Francisco State University.
McReynolds, who died in July, left the restaurant in 2007 and became the founding chef of Stone Edge Farms and the author of the “Stone Edge Farm” cookbook.
In 2009, Jeffrey Lloyd became the executive chef at Cafe La Haye after stints at Michael Mina and Aqua Restaurants in San Francisco.
Dayboat scallops in a jasmine-dashi broth and pearl pasta with spinach at Cafe La Haye in Sonoma. On Thursday, March 27, 2014. (Beth Schlanker / The Press Democrat)
Cafe La Haye was a darling of San Francisco Chronicle restaurant critic Michael Bauer, frequently appearing on his Top 100 restaurants list. In 1998, Bauer called the restaurant one of the best finds of the year, and from that point, Gropman said, things never slowed down at the restaurant.
In 2018, the Michelin Guide noted Cafe La Haye for “fresh ingredients, carefully prepared in a good meal” and praised the restaurant for 18 years, though it never won a star or Bib Gourmand.
“I never wanted a star and I felt like we’re not a Michelin-star restaurant. We’re a bistro,” said Gropman. “I’ve seen too many people get a star or a Bib Gourmand and lose it, and that’s harder.”
Chef Lloyd left the restaurant this summer. Chef Marco Echeverria, the current executive chef, has worked at Cafe La Haye since 1998.
Gropman said he plans to remain at the restaurant through early January and is looking forward to spending more time playing his guitar. “I’ve got plenty of things I want to do,” he said.
Chicken Guy will open in American Canyon in Dec. 2024 (Shutterstock)
The first Bay Area outpost of celebrity chef Guy Fieri’s Chicken Guy! restaurants will open Thursday, Dec. 12, in American Canyon in Napa County.
The 2,800-square-foot, 43-seat fast-casual restaurant is part of an exclusive 10-restaurant deal with Santa Rosa-based Chandi Hospitality Group to open the popular chicken tender restaurants across the San Francisco Bay Area and in Sacramento.
“We are immensely proud to open our first Chicken Guy! location, marking the beginning of our 10-unit partnership with this exciting, growing brand,” said Sonu Chandi, owner of Chandi Hospitality Group. “Chicken Guy! offers a flavor-packed dining experience that we know will resonate with Napa County locals and visitors alike, and we are confident it will quickly become a community staple as we expand the brand throughout Northern California.”
Chicken Guy! will open in American Canyon on Dec. 12, 2024. (Shutterstock)
The chicken-centric menu — created by founders Fieri and Robert Earl, the CEO of Planet Hollywood — centers around battered and brined fried chicken tenders that are pressure-cooked and served with a selection of 10 sauces, including Fieri’s famous Donkey Sauce as well as bourbon brown sugar barbecue, buttermilk ranch, garlic Parmesan and Nashville hot honey sauce.
Sandwiches will include the Bourbon Brown Sugar BBQ with grilled or fried chicken tenders, pepper jack cheese, special sauce, slaw, pickles and barbecue kettle chips all stuffed under a bun; the Buffalo Mac ‘N’ Cheese with tenders, smoked bacon, buffalo mac and cheese and garlic Parmesan sauce; and the Pepperoni Chicken Parm.
The restaurant also features hand-spun shakes, loaded fries, pickle chips and fried chicken dumplings with smoked bacon drizzled with Donkey Sauce.
Chandi Hospitality Group senior vice president/COO Joti Chandi, left, and founder/president Sonu Chandi pose for a portrait at the rebuilt Mountain Mike’s Pizza location on Cleveland Avenue in Santa Rosa on Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2019. Chandi Hospitality Group made a deal to open 10 of Guy Fieri’s Chicken Guy! restaurants in Northern California. (Alvin Jornada / The Press Democrat)
Chandi Hospitality Group currently owns seven Mountain Mike’s Pizza restaurants and oversees an additional 12 locations throughout Northern California. The group also owns Beer Baron Bar & Kitchen in downtown Santa Rosa, where it previously operated several additional restaurants, including Bollywood Bar & Clay Oven, which closed in 2020.
The first Chicken Guy! opened in 2018 at Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida. The chain now has additional locations in Florida, as well as in New York City, Atlantic City and at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas. There is also a Chicken Guy! at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, but that location is not considered a full restaurant since it has a limited menu and no kitchen.
The new Chicken Guy! restaurant at 200 American Canyon Road will be open 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday. chickenguy.com
Stay tuned for more details on additional Chicken Guy! locations in the Bay Area.
When Ann and Alec Peters of Kenwood sought to transform the family home they’ve lived in since 1994, they turned to Sonoma designer Stephanie Meyer of AVCO Design. Meyer designed a “gentle” transformation of the circa-1940s dwelling where the Peterses raised their children. Refreshed, the home welcomes those children, now grown, and their young families for more memory-making visits and holidays.
The heart of the home’s remodel is the dining area, where the family likes to gather for treasured mealtime, conversation, poker games and more. It was fitting, then, to have the couple’s son Ross — of Ross Peters Woodworking in Oakland — design the table.
Dining room in the Kenwood home of Ann and Alec Peters. (Mike Murtaugh)Bedroom. (Mike Murtaugh)
Using steel wool and vinegar to activate the wood’s tannins, Peters created a striking ebony-hued varnish. The dark, turned-leg table stands in grand contrast to the airy-but-rich palate of cream and yellow. Modern brass-and-glass lights offer a sharp topper to the transitional look. The look is balanced with a lightening of the floor — European white oak planks replaced a red Saltillo tile.
In the kitchen, Meyer said, “we bounced light by painting the knotty pine cabinetry.” The continuation of herringbone European oak floors from the dining room into the kitchen creates, in Meyer’s words, “a dynamic rhythm connecting the renewed gathering spaces.”
Upstairs, the unoccupied “teenager” rooms were transformed to accommodate visiting families. A closet creates an alcove for a handsome wood toddler bed. Yellow horses give a playful element that’s balanced by mature patterns in denims with a range of hues.
This circa-1920s residence in Petaluma is currently listed for sale. With three bedrooms and two-and-a-half bathrooms plus a guest cottage, the dwelling is currently listed for $3,395,000.(Robert Vente / Open Homes Photography)
In Petaluma’s historic district, a swoon-worthy antique home is coming soon to the real estate market. The circa-1920s residence on D Street enjoys fabulously ornamented style with modern upgrades. With three bedrooms, two-and-a-half bathrooms and an adjacent guest cottage, the dwelling is currently listed for $3,395,000.
Traditional details include an iron gate, a coffered arched entrance, a marble fireplace, a claw-foot tub, 10-foot ceilings and large windows. The century-old home also includes a modernized electrical system, a furnace with air conditioning, new windows and a new roof. The bricks have been repointed, too.
Kitchen. (Robert Vente / Open Homes Photography)Bathroom. (Robert Vente / Open Homes Photography)
The kitchen has a sharp, black-and-white aesthetic with marble countertops and white cabinets contrasted by black handles and a black La Cornue range. The black and white aesthetic continues to the staircase and into the main bathroom upstairs.
A wall of windows in the dining room overlooks the lush backyard. The traditional style is echoed there, too, with a brick patio, large lawn and English garden-style plantings of espalier trees, hedges and roses.
For more information on this home at 853 D St., Petaluma, contact listing agent Robert J. Rapp, Compass Real Estate, 127 Fourth St., Petaluma, 707-695-9542, robertjrapp.com
Pinot Noir and Chardonnay are Sonoma County’s claims to fame, but with the region’s vast acreage and diverse microclimates, it’s also a terrific place to grow dozens of other wine grapes. At Unti Vineyards in Dry Creek Valley, visitors can explore wines made from a multitude of interesting varieties more commonly found in Italy and southern France.
The story
When George Unti purchased land in Dry Creek Valley in the early ‘90s, he didn’t intend to start a winery. The property did include some Syrah and Zinfandel vines, though, and George’s son Mick happened to work as a national sales manager for Kendall-Jackson.
The father-son duo started making wine together for fun, and after a few vintages as home winemakers, they launched Unti Vineyards in 1997.
Left to right, Mick and George Unti of Unti Vineyards in Healdsburg. (Courtesy of Unti Vineyards)
The following year, the Untis bought a new property just north of the original Healdsburg site and started planting. As avid fans of wines from Italy and southern France, they opted for varieties not commonly found in Dry Creek Valley — grapes like Grenache Noir, Dolcetto and Picpoul.
Today, the Unti estate hosts 16 grape varieties, including experimental blocks of Falanghina and Biancolella.
The vibe
Unti is strictly a stand-at-the-bar affair, as in Ye Olde 1990s, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t a welcoming place to visit.
The tasting room is small and intimate, yet it feels spacious thanks to a vaulted ceiling and windows that face out onto the vineyard and let in plenty of sunlight.
The tasting room at Unti Vineyards in Healdsburg. (Courtesy of Unti Vineyards)
Step up to one of the tasting counters, select six wines you’d like to sample from a dozen or so options, and the fun begins.
If you need help choosing among unfamiliar varieties — and there are lots of them — not to worry. The unpretentious Unti staff is great at explaining the styles and flavor profiles of the wines, and they enjoy sharing the stories behind them.
On the palate
Exploration is the name of the game at Unti. Be sure to try the 2023 Cuvée Blanc ($38), a blend of Vermentino, Grenache Blanc, and Picpoul. The wine is floral and citrusy, with a rich mouthfeel. The 2022 Barbera ($35) is deep and dark, with enough acidity to save it a seat at the dinner table. The 2023 Rosé ($65 for a beautifully packaged magnum) is an Unti classic, made from Grenache Noir and Mourvedre. Also be on the lookout for a new vintage of the sold-out Sangiovese, due for release in late January, and a spring Fiano. Tastings cost $25, waived with any bottle purchase.
Mick Unti, vintner of Unti Vineyards in Healdsburg, with his dog, Dagueneau. (Courtesy of Unti Vineyards)
Beyond the bottle
Dry Creek General Store is a mere two-minute drive from Unti, so it’s practically mandatory to stop in for excellent sandwiches, prepared salads and other gourmet goodies. The local historic landmark now features new parking spaces, and yes, the funky adjoining bar has reopened — saddle barstools and all.
Unti Vineyards, 4202 Dry Creek Road, Healdsburg. Open every day by appointment. untivineyards.com
Tina Caputo is a wine, food and travel writer whose work has appeared in numerous publications, including SevenFifty Daily, Visit California, HuffPost and Sonoma magazine. Follow Tina on Twitter @winebroad, view her website at tinacaputo.com and email her story ideas at tina@caputocontent.com.
