Planning your visit to Sonoma "County"? This might help.

Thanks for the useful and detailed guide. Will be visiting there soon.

I will post a more detailed review when I get back home but I will say that Valette is now must go territory on future trips to Sonoma. Probably one of the best meals I have ever had in CA wine country. We did the ā€˜trust me’ menu and were not dissapointed. We each received 5 different courses and each one rocked.

Brian,

Like everyone, I’m thankful for the work you put in on this forum. My wife and I have been going up to Sonoma for the past 30 years and we still look to your sticky for suggestions. It’s been a few years since we last hit Joseph Swann so we went up this past weekend. Going there makes me remember all again why I like this winery and the people there so much. Of wineries I enjoy, I always like to ask the staff if there are any new wineries that they would recommend or have come to their attention. The staff recommended Paul Mathews Winery in Graton. I don’t know if I can post a link but here one is: http://www.paulmathewvineyards.com/index.html

They said that the Paul Mathews Winery has a similar approach to winemaking as Rod B. and Joseph Swann. The Paul Mathews Winery is just a storefront with a bar counter in Graton, not far down the road from Dutton-Goldfield. The wine maker is Mat Gustafson. My wife and I really enjoyed their pinots, lower alcohol, lighter, ā€œlow input, using only native yeast fermentation and natural malolactic fermentation and minimal S02 in barrel…bottled without fining or filtering…Production at Paul Mathew Vineyards is modest, not exceeding 2,000 cases annually.ā€ [cribbing the quote from Prince of Pinot]. The staff and Barb Gustafson (who is also a sommelier and wife of Mat) were personable and gave freely of their time. We felt that we found a winery that makes a great addition to other worthy RRV wineries. Would you please add them to your sticky of wineries. Thanks.

I had my first Paul Matthew Pinot last night. It was the Ruxton Vineyard Designate. It actually came across a little ripe for me. In reading the descriptions on the website it was the one I really wanted to try. It was nice but not memorable. The label listed at 14.5 alcohol. Not what I would consider low. I’ll have to try some of the others.

The ones I enjoyed the most were the 2012 Bohemian (12.8% alcohol) and Horseshoe Bend Vineyard (HBV, 14.3%) Pinots. You mentioned the 14.5% of the Ruxton. I looked at the alcohol level for the 2012 Ruxton from their website and it shows as 13.3%. I don’t know if this means that you tasted an earlier vintage than the 2012’s I tasted and the winery has subsequently moved away from higher alcohol/riper wines. If you have a chance, give a try to the 2012 Bohemian and HBV a try.

Turn left off 101–Healdsburg it a good left launch

Great reading through this thread. There is a quiet winery on, I believe, Vine Hill Road that has two annual tastings for mailing list customers, and I guess some other tastings. I hope they stay on the down low as they seem to be doing just fine with a low profile approach. There is also a Gay ā€œresortā€ in Guerneville which has very good budget cabins. They are straight friendly but it is most def not for families with kids.

Hello everyone! Longtime lurker,first time poster. Just wanted to add Kinsella Estates to this list. If you are ever in the Healdsburg /Dry Creek area, please feel free to drop me a line at rich@kinsellaestates.com and come visit the Ranch!

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Another TRB wine. Shocking! Adding to the index!

Last time we were in the area we were cruising through Guerneville and ate at Boon Eat + Drink. really enjoyed our lunch and their wine selections.

Updated, thanks!

Do you guys have any recommendations for a nice dinner spot in Santa Rosa? Staying there and will be keen not to drive far after a long day of tasting (booked Littorai and Copain, open to other suggestions winery wise in that general area too).

Rob

Hip, up-tempo…
Bird & the Bottle - Downtown
Spinster Sisters - South A Street _SOFA
Jackson’s Bar and Oven - Railroad Square

Wine and dine… best value wine list in the County
Walter Hansel Bistro - West side, rural Guerneville Rd & Willowside

Let me drop in a recommendation for Limerick Lane. Really down to earth people and terrific wines. If you like the Carlise or Bedrock style, give em a shot. Arista is also a beautiful property. Just make an appointment with them. The tasting room is a bit like the Miles spit bucket scene in Sideways. The private appointments are worth it.

Honestly, not as ā€˜posh’ as some of these recommendations, be sure to try The Swiss Hotel in Sonoma (downtown) the food is EXCELLENT and well priced (so is the wine list). Mostly Italian food and California wines. Super cool ambiance and has a great bar!

It’s where a lot of locals go to hang out.

Chef Charlie Palmer’s guide to Healdsburg:
Lime Stone http://www.limestonehealdsburg.com
Bergamot Alley http://www.bergamotalley.com
Chalkboard http://www.chalkboardhealdsburg.com
Mauritson Wines http://www.mauritsonwines.com
Campo Fina http://www.campofina.com
Pigs and Pinot http://www.pigsandpinot.com

Lime Stone is shopping. I’m not doing a shopping section but have at it! :wink:
The others are already in the database:
Bergamot Alley is listed under Wine Bars / Tasting Collectives - Hbg
Campo Fina and Chalkboard both listed under Restaurants - Hbg
Mauritson listed under Dry Creek Wineries
Pigs and Pinot listed under Annual Wine and Food Events - March

Thanks for sharing.

Somebody’s feeling a bit feisty today… :slight_smile: :slight_smile: :slight_smile:

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