FUN February

My motto for 2026!

Goodbye Dry January - Hello FUN February

Mushroom Foray '26

Since 2008 we have hosted a Mushroom Foray.

This year for the 1st time we offered an additional special opportunity, 'Stay & Foray'. 

Our mushroom foray has always been a one day event and this year the 'Stay & Foray' included 2 night stay at the Inn with a Friday evening Winemaker Dinner. What an opportunity!

We also offered the individual day event.

Mat preps a 4 course Dinner and Barb does a dessert to all be paired with very limited PMV wines from our cellar.  

Friday evening Inn the small group of guests got to enjoy the fireplace and a more intimate dinner with Winemaker, Mycologist and Winemakers wife. :)

First course Kale and white bean soup. Our favorite Salad from Restaurant Hazel 'little gem Caesar' for the 2nd. Third course Mat's riff on 'Mosaic Mushroom Toast'. A beautifully rich and wonderful dish that pairs incredible with Pinot. Nightengale sourdough batard toast with a layer of tripe cream Brie topped with sauteed mushrooms with madera cream, shallots.

Main course, filet au poivre with pocini mashed potatoes.

          

Magnums - 2015 Bohemian for the Mosaic Mushroom dish.

2015 Ruxton Pinot & 2015 Syrah for the Filet au poivre with mushrooms and porcini mash potatoes.

Dessert with are one and only shiner of late harvest Viognier.

            

It was great to have guests staying right there, no rush for the dinner services as we all enjoyed the dishes. We sat down about 6:30 and final course at 9pm. It was so perfect!

Saturday morning we get the fire and coffee going while mulling about until 11am when the troops arrive for the day Foray.

22 ready and willing participants raring to go. Water and bags in hand. And off they go while we stay back to prepare the lunch.

We give the group a window to return and within 30 minutes somebody comes back. This year we had a large array of mushrooms, mostly hedgehogs and black trumpets foraged.

David talks about all things mushroom while reviewing the display found.

Hedgehogs

                              David our local mycology specialist and guide.

A large Hedgehog

Lunch is served, beet salad, duck stew, cookies and 2 double magnums.

2013 TNT Pinot Noir and 2013 Horseshoe Bend Pinot

             

We had not hosted our foray since 2019 or 2020 due to reasons that were out of our control. We were a little out of practice and might have lost some momentum. But the 6 guests that joined for the 'stay' raved about the experience. As well the one day foray joiners stayed till the bitter end, soaking up the happiness and camaraderie. Such a joy to hear the laughs, see the hugs, the new friendships created and all around FUN!

My cup was filled! Thank you. Same time next year!

                                              

 

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