HAPPY NEW YEAR

2026

Us celebrating the New Year is getting through the Holiday Season and the 1st weekend until we close for our Annual break. YAY!

A week in flip flops is a great way to start the new year. Sunshine, seafood and sleep!

And back to the grind which I know is much better for us than many!

We always are open for the 1st long weekend of the year when many Bay area and beyond people visit Sonoma. Crab season currently starts after the 1st of the year. Everyone anticipates the announcement. This year crazy storms delayed the forecasted start for a few additional days.

We do our 1st event the weekend after Martin Luther King weekend.

The annual Crab Dinner, a Nothern Cal tradition.

We've done this event for at least 12 years and this being our 14th January in Graton, it could be our 14th?? We've got this dialed in and our wine family knows it. Reservations fill up quickly and the wait list does also.

Four courses of Crab!

Three wines for crab pairing picked from experience. Muscat is absolutely amazing with cold crab or in this case crab salad with Meyer lemon.

Crab cakes served with a roasted red sauce. My pick was Rose' to pair but I remember that the group chose all three wines evenly. Muscat, Rose' and Sonoma Coast Pinot. Pinot won by maybe one point and muscat one less but that's always subjective. I think I saw hands go up for more than one vote. :)

With food and wine pairings, you have to consider the sauce. Sauce and preparation style change everything for what wine will go best with. Add more lemon and the wine will change. Add hot sauce and bingo, the wine will change.

Mat's long standing favorite prep for crab is roasted and flavor packed. The crab tossed in an olive oil base loaded with garlic, chili flakes, fennel and thyme. And, Oh So Good! With Nightengale baguette

to soak up the crab bits and sauce.

Always a big hit!

You can do this at home, recipe on the web site under recipe tab.

We start with fresh live crab, steep it so it will not be over cooked and dry when roasted.

Pinot perfection for this dish.

We picked our most delicate Pinot from Sonoma Coast 2023 vintage. This wine is going out in our Spring Wine Club, this group got a sneak peak and were not dissapointed!

And to complete a dinner loaded with flavor and richness, just a little sweet treat. Full bellies, big smiles and ready for sleep.

We have had glorious weather to close January and begin FUN February. Coastal hike with crystal clear skies and 70 degree with no chill in the air. Makes winter easy.

And February is a jam packed month of FUN....

Mushroom Foray

Super Bowl

Valentines Day

 Closing 2025 and opening 2026

How we roll through December and open the New Year, starting with a sold out celebration dinner of Lobster. And then....

Lobster Dinner 2025

Our Celebration Dinner tradition began in 2007 as a winemaker dinner in December at Mosaic Restaurant in Forestville ( no longer open) . After they closed we moved to Zazu Restaurant on Willowside Road. After they closed we did one year at Big Bottom Market ( no longer in business ) to eventually find a permanent home at our Tasting Room after opening November 2012.

A night of celebration, library wines, large format, special menu, and great friends gathering to toast the Holiday Season and the end of the year.

For many years we did a 40 seat, 6 course dinner. After our 10th Anniversary of the Tasting Room Celebration Dinner, we chose to simplify to our Dining Room that seats 16 guests.

This year we offered three wines ( 2024 Rose' of Pinot, 2013 Chardonnay magnum, 2014 Bohemian Pinot Noir ) and five courses, starting with Lobster Rockefeller. A twist to a classic dish that Mat created. Rich and wonderful served with greens. 

Everyone wants to know when Mat will produce another Chard, not likely unfortunately due to the quality fruit we had produced and then lost the perfect for us vineyard source ( sold ). 

2013 Chardonnay magnum was the winning wine pairing.

   

Lobster Bisque was a favorite course for many, guests were asking for a gallon 'to go'. Not an easy dish to prepare but well worth the work. Bisque with chunks of fresh poached Lobster meat. This dish pairs so well with wine!!

Each wine was loved by the group but the Pinot won the best pairing!

When Mat discovered the best frozen french fries and started testing poutine recipes when friends came to visit, this was the start of a terribly good fetish!

Perfecting the gravy, adding locally sourced cheese curds and combining the components make for 

A LOT of food porn enjoyment! 

Pairing great with wine as well!

For the dinner, the lobster gravy was made with Asian five spice to be rich and delicious. 

The wine pairings were equally perfect. Some preferred the Rose' while others liked the Chardonnay or Pinot. There wasn't a bad combo to be had!

This dish should be on a menu at a local seafood specialty restaurant, it is soooooo good!

Trying to get in the spirit with some lighting and decorating.

I am a believer of Chardonnay & Lobster. I do not drink Chardonnay just because.

It has to be a great Chardonnay and a great pairing. 

This was the night for one of a very few magnums of 2013 Chardonnay left in our cellar.

Not only did it wow the attendees it was perfect with the Lobster dishes.

This is when Chardonnay shines!

Main course surf and turf, butter poached lobster and grilled filet mignon, asparagus with Bernaise sauce. No photo due to hot plates, plus service to ensure heat remained.

We switched the wine focus after the 1st three courses. Beef demands no white.

2012 Horseshoe Bend Pinot Noir Magnum, oh yes and oh my!

As the focus moved to main course, the winemaker chef finally has a chance to come into the Dining Room to chat.

Not be missed, our special decoration gifted from a wine club family member + the Lobster cookie 

( does not have lobster in it ).

2nd week of December, Sip'n Shop in Oakland, Taste West County Holiday Passport and a private event for a special wine club members Birthday. We did it. Three event's in 2 days!

Now it is time to sail through the Holidays, which we did in style. Lots of mushroom foraging, baking, special wines, toasting with friends and enjoying a low key Holiday season.

Puzzle tradition....need a puzzle? Come by, I always have some to pass along.

Our Christmas Dinner on Boxing Day due to power outage. Seared Duck Breast, Chanterelle Mushrooms paired with one of Mat's 1st Pinot's from 2002. The label was in rough shape but the cork was perfect and the wine was amazing. We have a magnum and a 750 mL remaining.

            

                                 Color, flavor, cork....all in great shape. Mat was thrilled to taste this!

My tradition of baking was in the form of nut and seed brittle this year, nick named brittle crack. 4 batches and a few different iterations.

The MOST prolific mushroom season since way long, it just keeps giving. Every time Mat goes out, we have 2 pounds to clean and eat. Black trumpets abound + chanterelles, hedgehogs large and small.

                                           Let's call it a year! Next up 2026, here we come! CHEERS

 Holiday Season is here

This week begins the festivities and we are loaded with events this year. 

Grape harvest is our busiest season of course but when Mat's done in the vineyards and the cellar he puts on his hiking shoes and goes hard into foraging and puts on his chef's apron to test recipe's.

This year the mushroom season has started off with a serious bang! Mat has already had several days with pounds of chanterelles, black trumpets and hedge hog mushrooms. Sometimes we don't see them till January and this year he found pounds in November. 

Our 2026 Mushroom Foray is hoping to be a stellar event for all. Coming up February 6/7th. Our 1st offering of this event since 2021.

Mat creates a menu that is worthy of high lighting mushrooms but also the foragers. When everyone returns from the hiking, sometimes wet from rain, definitely hungry, and often exhilarated from forest finds. This Duck Stew was a test run that was loaded with duck, mushrooms, potato and exactly what we like to serve for lunch. This will be the main course for lunch.

Dabbling in the kitchen when it's available. I did a focaccia trial with good success. Not sure if anyone but our neighbors will taste this. But I am proud of my 1st attempt.

In between events and tasting room, we had a 30 hour break away to San Francisco. A little work visiting accounts and a lot of fun eating at great restaurants. Plus a show at the Masonic which is always a treat!

In the tasting room, tis the season for us to have a puzzle going. Some people partake but it's mostly me taking a break from my computer.

A very regular discussion in Graton and specifically questions to us, 

' what is happening across the street? '

 I finally have some answers, the Graton community purchased the property across Graton Road to create a Town Square. 

Across Ross Road where the old fire station was, is headed by some of the same locals. We co hosted two fundraisers at the tasting room. This vibrant group of 4 Gen Z's shared their vision, food bites, fermented juices while I offered the guest our Wines and they explained the plan to turn the space into a cafe, coffee shop, neighborhood gathering spot - 'Graton Station '

This has also kept us busy! 

  

Thanksgiving open for 3 hours - noon - 3pm. 

Annual December Celebration with a Lobster focused dinner ( sold out ), the Holiday craze through December. And then a much needed break in January.

Check out our events page for details and follow up directly with any questions.

We are here and hope to see you in Graton over the Holidays.

cheers

 OCTOBER means Wine Club

Our twice a year wine club release, celebration, tasting, shipping and gathering. This is what keeps us in business, enjoying our people and keep on, keeping on.

Wine has been around for 8,000 years and the reason it lasts is because there is always something new. A new vintage or varietal and a winemakers way of telling their own story. 

New releases are always fun. We pack and ship for a month as updates come in and people schedule's allow. Our scheduled pick up party doesn't work for everyone's calendar so we see a pitter patter of members all year long. 

2024 Grenache

2023 Bohemian Vineyard Pinot Noir

2023 TNT Vineyard Pinot Noir

We are pairing the wines with a classic gumbo, oh so good. Perfect fall food and pairs well with each of these wines.

This October we also did a super local winemaker dinner with our friends at Trillium Wine Bar.

20 seats fills this room.

     

3 course menu started with fresh oysters on the half shell that kept appearing happily. We paired with our 2024 Sauvignon Blanc. This is a staple item that Trillium always has available raw version and baked. I enjoy stopping by for a regular oyster fix. ( little secret, they also sell by the dozen 'to go' by request when available )

An antipasti platter with our 2024 Muscat Blanc. I heard someone say ' best babaganoush ever'.

Greg makes his own breads, pastries, cakes.

Duck zanzibar ( orange, lime, chili and clove ) paired with 2 double magnums

2016 Bohemian Vineyard Pinot

2016 TNT Vineyard Pinot.

I LOVED the duck with our bohemian Pinot others preferred the TNT. Great dish, not a menu item.

     

And his desserts are worth keeping room for. This chocolate torte was yummy, creamy, rich and a perfect finish for this fun local's evening. Plus I got my weight lifting and steps in serving the double magnums.

              

Plus we also did a little 'Come Over October' event supporting the wine industry to promote positive wine consumption in community setting.

Test run for our 1st Modern Filipino Dinner with our neighbor who LOVES to cook and entertain. He fits in so well next door. 

We tasted and tested wine pairings to understand the cuisine and what wines are most suited.

  

                                                 

And then we hosted a full table of interested wine club members to taste the menu paired with PMV wines. We liked the Muscat best with the 1st couple courses and so that was the 1st pick to pour. 

3 wines to taste with each course, Rose', Muscat & Grenache for the 1st and 2nd course.

Mat chose the library Pinot magnum and so I picked the 2021 TnT as a total opposite pinot profile and Grenache.

Grenache, 2012 Horseshoe Bend Pinot magnum & 2021 TnT Pinot for the 2 meat courses.

What everyone was expecting to be served, lumpia. Although this is dessert, not expected!

Fun was had by all!!! The food, the wines, the cooks, the guests, so great we'll do it again in 2026

Next up, Holiday Season, Crab season, Mushroom season, OH BOY!