Sonoma Magazine Celebrate Harvest 2024 by SMIDigital Operations

CELEBRATE

HARVEST 2024

A SUPPLEMENT TO THE PRESS DEMOCRAT

Hirsch Vineyards

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The Grand Cru of Sonoma

Our picks for some of the county’s most iconic vineyards. Plus, outstanding bottles to seek out from these storied sites.

Captured in Wine

What if you could literally lock the character of a wine within a photograph?

Hands in the Dirt

At Sebastopol's Climate Farm School, students learn all about harvest as they jumpstart new careers in sustainable agriculture.

On our cover: This fall marks the 36th harvest for viticulturist Everardo Robledo at Hirsch Vineyards near the coast. This page: Winemaker Jasmine Hirsch in the field. Cover photo and photo this page by Kim Carroll.

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contributors

JAMES JOINER never set out to be a photographer. After an ill-fated attempt at starting a skateboard company, he walked into the office of the local newspaper on his native Cape Cod and convinced them to launch an alt-weekly magazine. Budgets were tight, so he was given an old camera and told to do his best. Within a few years, Joiner was shooting for national publications and brands, combining a love of photography with a knack for multimedia storytelling. He’s worked at Esquire and The Daily Beast, produced a podcast for Patagonia’s 1% for twhe Planet, and formed creative partnerships with bands such as Modest Mouse and the Head and the Heart. James now lives with his family in Sonoma and works with Winery Sixteen 600 as well as a few other select labels (jjamesjoiner. com). Joiner photographed and interviewed seven independent local winemakers for “Captured in Wine" on p. 94.

Journalist TINA CAPUTO abandoned suburban Michigan for San Francisco in the early `90s and made her way up to Petaluma a decade later. When people ask why she moved to Northern California, she likes to joke that her primary motivation was “not living in Michigan.” While that was certainly true at the time, she immediately realized that she couldn’t have chosen better; she’d found her place and her people. As a first-generation Italian-American, Tina grew up with her family’s homemade wine on the table, and she has put that experience to good use throughout her 20-plus-year career as a wine writer and editor. For this issue, Tina was excited to highlight the industry’s unsung heroes: grape growers and the incredible properties they farm for our cover story on the Grand Cru vineyards of Sonoma (p. 82).

Photographer KIM CARROLL grew up in the south of Ireland and is known for his collaborative, optimistic, and instinctive approach to assignments. As a professional musician and filmmaker, Carroll has composed the music for several feature films, recorded with the London Symphony Orchestra, and co-directed a social justice documentary film series. Carroll recently traveled to the far northwest corner of Sonoma County to photograph Hirsch Vineyards for the cover of this harvest issue—a region of the county he knows well from photographing endurance bike races that travel the steep, winding roads nearby. When not working or with his family in Healdsburg, Carroll is often found knee-deep in a cold river, fly-fishing for trout and steelhead.

Photographer EILEEN ROCHE had her first experience reading a light meter at age 16 on a backpacking trip in the John Muir Wilderness. As a photographer, she is interested in telling stories of sustainability and climate, and is a regular volunteer at a local farm, where she recently cuddled a surprise July lamb. So when she was asked to photograph the educators at Sebastopol’s Climate Farm School (“Hands in the Dirt,” p. 104), she was thrilled to camp out in her tent at the school and capture its most stunning moments at sunset and sunrise. “The baby cows were especially curious and affectionate and came close for head scratches in the late afternoons,” she tell us. Roche’s time at Climate Farm School has inspired a recent passion project photographing farmers working in regenerative agriculture.

At the age of eight, journalist AUSTIN MURPHY spent two weeks on a sheep ranch in Casper, Wyoming, then surprised his mother by arriving home with the docked tail of a lamb in his suitcase. His time among livestock had been scant until recently, when Murphy took part in Climate Farm School, a week of food policy immersion and hands-on regenerative agriculture at Green Valley Farm and Mill outside Sebastopol (“Hands in the Dirt,” p. 104). Despite his own “general ineptitude,” as Murphy put it, he was inspired by the big brains and creative solutions put forward by his fellow students and their instructors, in whose company, he said, “it was much more difficult to be pessimistic about the future of the planet.”

For freelance writer VINCE VITALE, the choice of a home base has almost always been predicated on the corresponding food scene. After living in culinary hubs like Detroit, Chicago, Austin, LA, and Laguna Beach, he now calls Napa Valley home. Food also guides his travel, from shorter trips throughout the North Bay, to the age-old debate of ‘should I venture to a new international city, or just return to Italy?” The only thing he enjoys more than a local restaurant opening is watching his two Italian sons eat their way through Napa. As a fan of artist and winemaker Alice Sutro after becoming acquainted with her work during a stay at Healdsburg’s Harmon Guest House, he was thrilled to score an assignment writing about the artist’s beautiful Chalk Hill studio (Wild Abundance, p. 137).

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letter from the editor

HELLO AND HAPPY FALL!

My favorite early October tradition—in addition to cheering for my two boys at crosscountry meets—is watching and waiting as clusters of grapes in our backyard vineyard grow chubby and sweet. Five years ago, my family joined the community of Sonoma winegrowers in a very small-scale way, by planting a quarter-acre of vines that we care for ourselves (that’s my husband and younger son at left last year, destemming our tiny harvest by hand). I grew up on a family farm in Pennsylvania, and the annual cycle from pruning to harvest both takes me back and roots me firmly in the present day, surrounded by the history and tradition that is fall in Sonoma County.

A few miles away from our farm, another passionate crew of small-scale winegrowers gathers for their own harvest traditions. By a quirk of city planning, Sonoma’s Tex Juen Vineyard is one of the few anywhere owned by a municipality, and it’s run as a teaching vineyard by a group of hobby winemakers—a hopeful and industrious undertaking brought to life by writer John Beck (“The Town That Owned a Vineyard,” p. 57). The community spirit of these small-scale winemakers is infectious—and if you would like to get hands-on with harvest, the club would be happy to have you.

We widen our view with an ambitious look at some of Sonoma’s most iconic vineyards, a months-long research project which involved dozens of interviews with local growers and winemakers (“The Grand Cru of Sonoma,” p. 82). So many lists of favorite wines begin at the bottle, but we wanted to flip that script and begin in the vineyard, seeking out places that truly “wear their dirt,” as we like to say. As we launched into the project, one aspect we found compelling was comparing different wines made from the same fruit, so we chose to focus on landmark sites selling grapes to multiple producers—places like Rochioli Vineyards in the Russian River Valley, where third-generation winegrower and winemaker Tom Rochioli shared how the land is in his blood. “When you love what you do so much, it’s all a part of it,” he told me. “There are a lot of multi-generational farms out there, and I can bet you they’d tell you the same story.” Our list of iconic sites could easily have stretched twice as long. Did we make the right calls? We’d love to know your thoughts.

Also in features, photographer James Joiner shares a remarkable set of portraits of independent winemakers, each one shot on black-and-white film and developed in a bath of the winemaker’s own wine—a groundbreaking method that locks a bit of the wine into the image itself (“Captured in Wine,” p. 94). Joiner’s portraits, and the short interviews that accompany them, are diverse and revealing, with a cheeky, off-the-cuff point of view that I love. If you’d like to learn more, please go to sonomamag.com, where we’ll link to a fascinating video of Joiner’s process as well as podcast interviews with several of our star winemakers.

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The New Guard

Natural winemakers and their fans have a new headquarters in downtown

don’t call it a tasting room.

Sonoma—just

By JOHN BECK

Photography by BETH SCHLANKER

FOR YEARS, Dan Marioni of Marioni Wine and Aaron Brown, co-owner of Bardos Cider, have traveled up and down the West Coast and internationally to campaign for the love of natural wine and cider. It’s been a political movement of sorts for the distinct style, made most often with no added yeast or other inputs and sustainable farming in the vineyard.

But despite all its low-intervention, back-to-the-land ambitions, natural wine can get a bad rap at times. “The biggest misunderstanding is that natural wine is inherently funky, weird—you know, not wine anymore,” says Marioni. “It doesn’t mean that your Chardonnay all of a sudden turns into kombucha.”

On one of their tours, it dawned on Brown and Marioni that, coming from the wine-loving community of Sonoma, they shouldn’t need to travel to New York and Europe and Mexico to campaign for their labors. So now they have their very own campaign headquarters: Dos’ Bar. Dos’ started as a renegade popup and moveable feast around Sonoma, and has found new life in a brick-and-mortar space just off the Sonoma Plaza.

The term “tasting room” or “salon” isn’t quite right for the vibe this crew is cultivating. Located in a former Odd Fellows Hall, the rustic bar evokes backroad wineries or mythic California roadhouses with dollar bills hanging from low ceilings—think Washoe House with orange wine instead of PBR. The shelves are made of church pews found in a horse stable, repurposed and refinished by hand.

Nearly a dozen collaborators are featured, all part of the new guard of natural winemaking in the region: Anne Disabato and Noelle Vandendriessche at Etteilla Wines, Isabella Morano at Isa Wines, David Rothschild at Las Vivas, Caleb Leisure of Caleb Leisure Wines, Jack Sporer at Fres.Co, Matt Neiss at North American Press, and Brent Mayeaux at Stagiaire Wine.

This harvest, Dos’ is the place where these winemakers, who normally live in the cellar for months on end, have a place to lean against the bar—which means wine tasters looking to connect with winemakers during harvest also find refuge.

And since Brown is a storyteller above all else, when you walk into Dos’ Bar you might see shoutouts to anyone from Modoc chief Captain Jack Kintpuash and outlaw Joaquin Murrieta to rapper Mac Dre and organic farmer Amigo Bob Cantisano. “Dos is like a character,’’ he says. “So, we see ourselves as docents of these stories. We’re not taking credit for the stories, but we’re here to steward and foster and amplify the storytelling.”

Dos’ Bar, 521 Broadway, Sonoma. Open Fri. and Sat. 12 p.m. to 8 p.m.; Sun., Mon., and Thurs. 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. 707-933-6999, dos-bar.com

Dos' Bar, downtown Sonoma's new natural wine destination, evokes a mythic, Old-California vibe, with salutes to farmers and musicians on the wall and a lineup of hard-to-find gems from small, local producers. Winemakers who partnered on the project include Isabella Morano of Isa Wines and Matt Neiss of North American Press.

Wine Education in Spanish

Meeting a community need in Healdsburg

By SARAH DOYLE

JULIE ROTHBERG LAUNCHED ODYSSEY

WINE ACADEMY at Healdsburg’s Bacchus Landing in 2021 to provide classes with the Wine & Spirit Education Trust, or WSET, an internationally recognized certification pursued by many industry professionals. As president of Medlock Ames winery, Rothberg knows that the formal study of wine makes good business sense—not only for those who work in tasting rooms and other hospitality roles, but also for those who work in the vineyard.

Medlock Ames co-founder Ames Morison agrees. “Our vineyard team has such incredible site knowledge. They understand every idiosyncrasy of the vineyard and how that influences the fruit,” Morison said. “But they didn’t have a lot of knowledge about wine itself. I wanted

to help them understand how their hard work was contributing to the final wine through the WSET’s universally recognized training.”

But finding a local WSET teacher fluent in Spanish was difficult. So Morison, who is fluent in Spanish, decided to become a WSET-certified instructor. And in August 2023, Morison taught his first course to a group of Medlock Ames vineyard employees.

Agustin Santiago, a vineyard manager who has worked at Medlock Ames for 24 years, was one of the first to complete the six-hour program. “The class helped me learn how to taste wine and understand the flavors,” said Santiago. “It also helped me understand the aromas in the wine and what techniques I can use in the vineyard to improve those aromas. It will help me in my career because it improved my understanding of wine and opened my mind to new opportunities.”

Rothberg of Odyssey Wine Academy is developing custom wine education options for Spanish speakers.

The class experience was enlightening, but there were also some obstacles. “One of the challenges I didn’t anticipate is that many of the students had never taken a formal exam,” said Rothberg. With WSET’s standardized curriculum and mandatory 30-question exam, there was little Rothberg could do to modify the course for nontraditional learners.

Rothberg and Morison are now partnering with Sonoma County Winegrowers to develop a new, customized course targeted specifically to local vineyard workers, with Morison as the instructor. They hope to launch the partner program within the next year. “These classes will be really geared toward native Spanish-speakers who live in the community and may or may not work in wine,” said Rothberg. “For those who do work in wine, these classes can help them communicate with other Spanish speakers who may understand things better in their native tongue. We talk a lot about diversity and inclusion in the wine industry, but there are few resources for Spanish speakers.”

In addition to the customized course, Rothberg and Morison would like to continue to offer the WSET Level 1 class in Spanish as an option for those interested in formal certification. For Francisco López, co-owner of Bacchus Landing and Aldina Vineyards in Healdsburg, these options fill a critical niche in the community.

“It’s important we create these types of programs to educate people who have been historically overlooked—especially in our community where many Spanish speakers work behind the scenes in the wine industry,” said López. “Hopefully, these classes can help foster a more equitable and inclusive environment where people of all backgrounds can thrive.”

Rothberg is looking forward to this next chapter. “I do this because I feel strongly about wine education and creating access for our community,” said Rothberg. “The more people know about wine, the better. It’s really a labor of love.” odysseywineacademy.com

Julie

Beth Schlanker

Table Grapes

PLUCK A FAT GRAPE from its cluster, pop it into your mouth, and bite down gently—the sweet, smooth juiciness is the taste of early fall. Thin-skinned table grapes, in contrast to their thicker-skinned winemaking cousins, offer bright acidity, few if any seeds, and enchanting names like Perlette, Princess, and Flame. Colors range from rosy pink to icy green to deep blue-black.

Table grapes are wonderful on pizza and other flatbreads. And have you ever tried grilling them? Pull them off the bunch, pop them in a grill basket, and roast over the grill for a few minutes, then serve with feta cheese, a drizzle of olive oil, and crusty bread.

Table grapes play beautifully in this easy white gazpacho, which has been part of early Spanish food culture since long before the tomato arrived in Europe. This version, made with bread, garlic, almonds, and peppery olive oil, is finished with sliced table grapes and Marcona almonds—a welcome first course at the fall table.

Ajo Blanco

Serves 4-6

5 to 6 ounces sturdy sourdough bread, a few days old, in chunks

6 plump garlic cloves, peeled

Hot water

1 cup raw almonds, blanched and peeled

4 tbsp. sherry vinegar

1 tsp. hot Spanish paprika

Kosher salt

Freshly cracked black pepper

6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling

¾ cup sliced seedless table grapes

⅓ cup toasted and salted Marcona almonds

Place the bread in a deep bowl and add room-temperature water to cover. Set aside for at least 30 minutes and up to 3 hours. Put the garlic into a small bowl, cover with hot water, and set aside for the same amount of time.

When the bread is very soft, squeeze out as much water as possible and put the wet bread into the bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Drain the garlic and add to the bread, along with the blanched almonds and sherry vinegar. Add 1 cup room-temperature water to the mixture and pulse several times, until the mixture is quite smooth. (Soaking the bread, then squeezing out the water, then adding water back in gives the soup a velvety texture.)

Add the paprika, season generously with salt, and add several turns of pepper. Pulse several more times, then, as the machine is processing, add the olive oil in a slow, steady stream.

Taste the soup and adjust to your taste. Add a bit more vinegar if not tart enough, or a bit more olive oil if too tart. Try a bit more salt or pepper to help the flavors bloom.

Set a strainer over a deep bowl, pour the soup into it and use a sturdy wooden spoon or pestle to press as much of the liquid through as possible. Discard what is left behind. Cover the soup, and chill thoroughly in the refrigerator.

To serve, pour the chilled soup into small bowls and add a swirl of olive oil to each portion. Top with sliced grapes and toasted almonds and enjoy right away.

–Michele Anna Jordan

Favorite Tacos

Whether as fuel for the crushpad, for a hike, or for harvesting in the garden, tacos are a classic. Narrowing down a list of Sonoma’s best tacos feels like a near impossibility, but here’s a great first try for the warmth of early fall. -Heather Irwin

BEST OF THE BEST

Quiote Mexican Restaurant

These handmade blue corn tortillas—topped with fresh rock cod, cochinita pibil with pickled onions, or al pastor and salsa verde, are at the top of my list. Add a side of guacamole with serrano chiles and crispy raspadas or brothy Rancho Gordo beans. 121 Kentucky St., Petaluma. quiotemx.com

BEST FISH TACOS

El Molino Central

Beer-battered fish tacos with salsa de arbol and avocadolime mayo are the best around. Crispy beef brisket tacos with sour cream, avocado, and pickled escabeche are also a can’t-miss. 11 Central Ave., Sonoma. elmolinocentral.com.

Galvan’s Eatery

Seeing the long lines for these brother-owned food trucks is always heartwarming because they truly believe in the food they’re sharing with the community. My favorites are the messy, gooey quesabirria and crispy carnitas. Weekly stops listed online at instagram.com/ galvanseatery

Chef Efrain Balmes makes the best Oaxacan food in Sonoma County, infused with his heart and soul. Best bets include Baja fish tacos and potato tacos. 18133 Sonoma Highway, Sonoma. sonoma-eats.com

ALL TOGETHER Mitote Food Park

You’ll be hard pressed to find a bad taco at this Roseland collective. Favorites include quesabirria from Los Magos, mushroom tacos from Lucha Sabina, huitlacoche at Antojitos Victoria and cochinita pibil at Mami’s Panuchos. 665 Sebastopol Rd., Santa Rosa. mitotefoodpark.com

ON THE ROAD

El Roy’s

Between their multiple food trucks and a Petaluma brickand-mortar, these tasty tacos are practically everywhere you need them to be. Convenient and always a good bet on the run. 210 Edith St., Petaluma and mobile. elroysxpressmex.com

STREET FOOD CLASSICS

El Fogon

Though not technically a taco, the epic Machete, a forearmlength corn tortilla filled with meat (al pastor!), cheese, sour cream, tomato, and cilantro, is a favorite. The focus on Mexican street classics makes this a great lunch stop or casual dinner. 623 Fourth St., Santa Rosa, and 6650 Commerce Blvd., Rohnert Park. elfogonca.com

HEAVENLY AL PASTOR

Cielito Lindo

The very best versions of al pastor feature a pineapple atop the rotisserie, dripping sweet juices onto the meat. There are no shortage of local options, both spit-grilled or griddled, but Cielito Lindo is one of the best. 52 Mission Circle, Santa Rosa. instagram.com/ cielitolindosantarosa

COMMUNITY SPIRIT

OAXACAN STYLE

Sonoma Eats

Growing Community

A cooperative garden in Healdsburg cultivates heritage crops for local farmworkers.

By JENNIFER SAWHNEY

EARLY ON A SATURDAY MORNING, just as the sun rises, Patricio Cadena and Santiago Madrigal Rojas check rows of chiles, tomatoes, zucchini, and other produce at a community garden in Healdsburg. Established on a privately owned acre of land just a stone’s throw from upscale wineries and tasting rooms, the Jardín del Pueblo, or people’s garden, is a source of pride for the community.

The bustling garden was established in 2022 by Zeke Guzman, president of Latinos Unidos del Condado de Sonoma, a Santa Rosa farmworker advocacy group, on an acre of land he owns. Most of the volunteers are local farmworkers who come on their days off, some after long nights of harvest, to tend to the garden and take veggies home to feed their families, Guzman explains. Continued on next page...

Healdsburg's Jardín del Pueblo was founded to help feed local farmworkers.

Photography by CHRISTOPHER CHUNG

Santiago Madrigal Rojas says tending the garden in his spare time is a way to return to his roots. He grew up in a farming community in Mexico and remembers spending more time in the fields than at school. “One feels comfortable here,” he says.

“I like the fields. I like helping people,” adds Cadena.

Crops include tomatoes, chiles, cactus, even hibiscus plants—foods many volunteers grew up eating in Mexico. “I’m letting them develop a garden as to what they eat and what gets consumed,” Guzman says.

Last October, the garden was the recipient of an $89,000 Monarch MK-V electric tractor, which is being used both to tend crops and to train locals in electric tractor technology and maintenance. “That tractor’s amazing,” Guzman says. “I’ve never driven a tractor before that has an iPad on it.”

In 2023, the garden produced 8,000 pounds of food for the community, according to local nonprofit Farm

to Pantry, which helped develop the garden along with Bruce Mentzer, co-founder of Healdsburg’s Farm to Fight Hunger. Mentzer’s Farm to Fight Hunger was also founded to donate produce to locals in need.

This past spring, Guzman planted chayote, peanuts, and banana plants, whose leaves are being harvested this fall to wrap tamales, a practice seen in communities in Oaxaca and parts of Central America, in contrast to the more familiar corn husk wrappings in other regions of Mexico.

And over the summer, Guzman welcomed a group of local high-school students as interns, supported by grants from partner nonprofits. The interns and other volunteers worked on a new children’s garden with a bounty of strawberries and summer blackberries as well as veggies that will be harvested in the fall. “They’re laying out the plan. It’s their garden,” says Guzman.

Clockwise from top: Intern Natalia Soriano tends young strawberry plants. Founder Zeke Guzman. Berries and other fruits are abundant in early fall.

Advocating for Native Owls

Barn owls don’t much care that it’s harvest. But they do perform an important service for winegrowers.

By Nate Seltenrich

BARN OWLS ARE THE SOLE VINEYARD WORKERS TO TAKE NO NOTE OF HARVEST SEASON. From their perspective up in tree hollows, barn lofts, and custom nest boxes mounted on poles, the rows of vines laden with ripe fruit are of little interest.

They’re focused instead on the ground below, where their work is done and their food—rodents—is found. A family of barn owls may eat more than 1,000 in a single season, which translates into a lot of critters that won’t be feasting on the tasty (so we hear) roots of grapevines.

Kelsey Reidinger of Sonoma County Wildlife Rescue says that roughly half of the 40 or so new nest boxes installed annually through its 13-year-old Barn Owl Maintenance Program (BOMP), are placed in vineyards. “Because gophers can cause such issues for winegrape growers, barn owls are attractive to vintners,” she says.

The other half of the group’s owl boxes go into other types of agricultural fields. Either way, the real winner is the region’s overall ecological balance, since barn owls are natural predators of gophers, and our open landscapes are their natural habitat. That’s why they’re called barn owls, after all: They tend to find shelter there, surrounded by farmland. Barns and fields mimic the tree cavities in grasslands and savannas to which they’re adapted. (Great horned owls, also common countywide, prefer more wooded areas.) Resident owls also forestall the need for rodent poisons, which can be counterproductive by also killing predators.

Though barn owls don’t give a hoot about harvest, late summer and early fall are important for other reasons. This is when juvenile owls, at their own ripe old age of two months, fledge from the nest. And it’s when vacant owl boxes must be thoroughly cleaned, another service that Sonoma County Wildlife Rescue provides. “After they’re born, these owls are doing all of their business inside of the box, and they do no housekeeping,” Reidinger explains. “Over the 60 days that they’re in the box, it leads to inches of material.”

After all, a clean owl box is a healthy owl box, and a healthy barn owl is worth more than its weight in fine wine.

To learn more about the Barn Owl Maintenance Program or determine if your property is right for a barn owl box, visit scwildliferescue.org/bomp or call 707-992-0274.

Dry WhiteAromatic Wines

CLOSE YOUR EYES and imagine an orange grove in bloom, as the heady perfume of citrus blossoms draws you in like a bee to nectar. That’s the experience of drinking Muscat Blanc, an aromatic winegrape first cultivated in ancient Greece.

Muscat has found itself among a growing category of dry, aromatic white wines that flaunt mouthwatering acidity and a crisp, invigorating finish. These dry aromatic whites contrast with centuries of tradition with sweet Muscat wines like Italian Moscato, Spanish Moscatel, and French Muscat de Beaumes-de-Venise.

In addition to Muscat Blanc, varieties commonly made into dry, aromatic whites include Riesling, Gewürztraminer, Albariño, Torrontés, and Viognier. Their intense perfume can be traced to a class of organic compounds called terpenes, found primarily in the skin of the grape and produced during veraison, the stage where grapes turn color. Linalool, geraniol, and citronellol are all examples of terpenes. Each offers a distinct aromatic character: linalool smells like lavender, for example, and citronellol has a sweet citrus-y profile.

“I find dry, aromatic white wines to be among the most versatile wines out there,” says Alex Sarovich, sommelier and founder of Own Rooted Hospitality in Healdsburg. “I can never keep enough of them in my refrigerator. Their floral, tart citrus characteristics allow my brain to relax—plus they are typically quite affordable!”

-Sarah Doyle

FOUR TO TRY

MARTINELLI WINERY

2022 Muscat of Alexandria

Russian River Valley $28

Produced from the Martinelli family’s 135-yearold vines, this rare Muscat of Alexandria offers aromas of honeysuckle and white flowers, followed by orange blossom, Asian pear, honey, and balanced acidity on the palate.

MAURITSON

2022 Muscat Blanc

Big Valley District $33

With fruit sourced from the Mauritson Family’s organic vineyards in Lake County, this Muscat Blanc offers bergamot, orange rind, jasmine blossom, dried rose, and undertones of freshly minced ginger.

FURTHERMORE WINES

2022 Riesling

Sonoma Coast $38

This dry, award-winning Riesling, which won a double gold medal at the 2024 Press Democrat North Coast Wine Challenge, offers elegant floral notes with bright cassis, stone fruit, and Asian pear.

VALETTE WINES

2022 Kick Ranch

Sauvignon Blanc

Fountaingrove District $37

From chef Dustin Valette and winemaker Jessie Katz comes this incredibly juicy Sauvignon Blanc with aromas of orange blossom, white peach, and pink grapefruit. Ages on the lees for a silky finish.

The super-delicious oatmeal cream pies at downtown Healdsburg’s Quail & Condor have been a rock-star menu item since the bakery’s early days, often selling out by mid-morning. Housemade oatmeal cookies, all spicy and chewy, and delicious buttercream are perfect fuel for all kinds of fall pursuits—on the trail, on the crushpad, or on the road. So who’s down with these OCPs? Just about everyone, it seems. 149 Healdsburg Ave., Healdsburg. 707-473-8254, quailandcondor.com

THE SEASON’S OTHER CRUSH

By CAREY SWEET

Photography by BRYAN MELTZ

DRY CREEK VALLEY’S

sprawling Preston Farm & Winery is an oasis of fruit and flowers beside a meandering, salmon-spawning stream. Visitors often hear a symphony of birds, singing and chattering and fluttering their joy. Yet on this particular warm day, the birds were taking it easy—probably staying cool in the shade of the olive and apple trees. The only sound, to a careful ear, was the meditative hum of thousands of bees, hanging out by the front entrance to their hives.

Bees are smart, says Sonoma County Bee Company owner Candice Koseba. They increase their population rapidly in late spring and forage for nectar and pollen at warp speed while there are lots of things in bloom. That’s in anticipation of chilly winter, when the bees hunker in their hives, dining on the food they’ve stored in their honeycomb from earlier in the year. A spell of scorching heat is good reason for the bees to chillax for a bit. Such seasonal sensibilities mean the best time for beekeepers to gently harvest honey is in the fall, when the sweet stuff is especially abundant and beekeepers can be sure to leave enough in reserve to help ensure the hive makes it through winter.

Candice Koseba crushes local honeycomb to harvest fall’s golden honey.

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Autumn is the only time you’ll find Koseba deep in what she calls her “honey crush.” She will have spent the previous weeks visiting her hives, collecting heavy, fragrant frames of honeycomb, then ever-so-carefully bringing it into what she calls her “sugar shack,” a tidy cottage workshop at the entrance to Preston Farm.

A honey crush is an uncommon thing, left to boutique (or some might say, obsessive) specialists. Most commercial honey is extracted by placing saturated honeycombs into a centrifuge machine, which spins and removes the honey en masse. In contrast, Koseba works like a masseuse, placing her frame bins atop a strainer tub, then carving out the honeycomb by hand with a 3-inch paring knife. She reaches into the tub with both hands, gently crushing the combs, in a sticky ritual that releases more nutrients.

“When you do it in a spinner, it pulls the honey out—but when you crush by hand, the honey sinks down through all that beautiful comb,” she says. “The wax is covered in pollen, and the comb is laced with propolis, so crushed honey keeps a lot more of all the good things.” Bee pollen, which is gathered from plants and stored in the honeycomb along with the honey, is rich in vitamins, minerals, enzymes, amino acids, and antioxidants.

Clockwise from top left: Checking on hives outside Healdsburg. Koseba crushes comb to harvest the honey locked within. Wooden bars like these sit inside the hive; bees build the comb down from the top, using the bar as an anchor.

Koseba leaves her messy work to let it rest a while, with the amber-hued syrup leisurely dripping into a tap bucket, then does a final pass through a fine strainer. “When we pour it out, there’s still a lot of wax in it, and there might be bee parts in there, or pieces of wood frame that came from when we were scraping. But this strainer catches all of that,” she says. “Then we bottle it—no heat.”

Regular honey is pasteurized for smoother texture and longer shelf life, but that heat can often destroy some of honey’s healthiest compounds, like the bee pollen and antioxidants, she notes. “Regular” honey can also contain added sweeteners like sugar or corn syrup (though in that case, it must be labeled a blend).

“WHEN YOU DO IT IN A SPINNER, IT PULLS THE HONEY OUT—BUT WHEN YOU CRUSH BY HAND, THE HONEY SINKS DOWN THROUGH ALL THAT BEAUTIFUL COMB.”

Aficionados can taste the difference: Sonoma Coounty Bee Company honey beckons with a more dynamic but delicate flavor, enchanting with complex notes instead of just sweet through and through.

For all her expertise, every day is a learning experience, Koseba admits. Though she’d trained as an herbalist and chef, she’d never thought much about bees before opening her company in 2019. Back then, she was working with SingleThread owners Kyle and Katina Connaughton as a culinary liaison. She and her husband, chef Aaron Koseba, had first met the Connaughtons after hosting them at a coastal foraging dinner in Carmel-by-the-Sea.

Top left: Straining freshly crushed honey before bottling. The honey is unprocessed and unfiltered. Above: Koseba reaches for a smoker, a tool used to keep bees calm during work inside the hive.

KOSEBA QUICKLY REALIZED THAT THE HAPPIEST BEES ARE SONOMA COUNTY’S OWN WILD BEES, WHO ARE NEVER FED ARTIFICIAL FOOD OR ANTIBIOTICS, EVOLVING STRONG ENOUGH MAKE IT ON THEIR OWN.

After learning the SingleThread folks wanted to keep bees on the 5-acre Healdsburg farm that feeds their restaurant, Candice Koseba joined the Sonoma County Beekeepers Association and took courses at Santa Rosa Junior College with local bee guru Serge Labesque. Apiarist Rob Keller of Napa Valley Bee Company taught Koseba the theories of sustainable beekeeping which emphasize strong, locally adapted genetics.

Koseba quickly realized that the happiest bees are Sonoma County’s own wild bees, who are never fed artificial food or antibiotics, evolving to be strong enough to make it on their own. Or, as Keller famously calls them, “bionic bees.”

“They know where the nectar sources are, where the water is, what the weather’s like—they’re adapted, and they’re just better,” Koseba explains.

Soon, she began keeping bees at her house near Dry Creek in a heritage-style log hive, which is as it sounds: a hive from a log with a large hole bored through the center for the bees to make their home.

At first, Koseba harvested honey in her kitchen, but she soon needed more space, and thought of the relationship she’d built with Preston Farm owner Lou Preston while working with SingleThread. Preston had an empty workshop— previously used as a “vinegar shack”—and happily rented it to her. She installed 50 hives nearby and started catching local swarms that area people wanted relocated each spring.

Right: A sustainable log hive with a removable window that allows Koseba to check on the bees' health without opening the hive entirely.

Below right: Careful recordkeeping is a key to success.

She also learned to steel herself for some of her hives to dwindle down in winter, as nature takes its course. “It’s just natural that not every colony is going to survive,” she says. “There are so many environmental factors affecting the bees that are out of our control, but I used to really beat myself up and cry when a colony would die out. It’s like getting a pet, except a lot of them.”

Sonoma County Bee Company is still in its nascent stage, with honey sales limited to 3- or 9-ounce. hand-labeled jars. There’s no wholesale, because as she explains, “We only harvest honey when there is a surplus, in order to preserve our magnificent honeybee population. When we have honey we have it. When we don’t, we don’t.”

That’s why she waits until October to start her honey crush.

“In August, I’ll start looking at hives, saying, OK, this one looks like we could take soon, this one we have to wait, or this one, no— we can’t take any at all.”

Harvest time is special to Koseba because it’s when she reflects on the partnerships she’s developed with the bees. It’s bonding season with her tribes, in a sense, as she makes the rounds of their hives.

Right: The vast majority of bees in the hive are female. Below: At harvest, Koseba slices the comb from the frames to crush it. The smell of honey can attract bees.

TO LEARN MORE: Candice Koseba’s annual honey crush happens in October. Her Sonoma County Bee Company offers small-batch raw and creamed wildflower honey, herbal skincare, and beeswax home accessories, plus apiary consulting and hive management services. 707-756-6010, sonomacountybeecompany.com

“I THINK HONEY IS AN INGREDIENT THAT NEEDS TO BE MORE EXPENSIVE—LIKE TRUFFLES—SO PEOPLE VALUE IT MORE.”

She salutes their labor even after their honey is gently removed, melting the spent wax in a solar heater next to her shack, and handcrafting them into gorgeous, honeycomb-patterned candles and honey storage boxes “People love that they can serve their honey from the wax cells it came from,” Koseba says.

Now, she is expanding her hives into other areas, to see how they produce. One group that’s doing exceptionally well is in downtown Healdsburg, surrounded by luxurious residential gardens lush with flowers and fruit trees.

“It’s so fun to see my rural bees are the tough nuts, and then my downtown girls are more posh,” she says. “So we can split the bees up for more hives, and keep more of them generating in the areas they like.”

If some people think her raw honey is pricey, Koseba cheerfully shrugs.

“I think honey is an ingredient that needs to be more expensive— like truffles—so people value it more,” she says. “Especially real, raw honey that comes from hives that are treated in the right way. We’re not here to strip their honey, we’re here to celebrate and honor the bees.”

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The Town that Owns a Vineyard

AMATEUR WINEMAKERS FARM AND MAKE WINE FROM A TEACHING VINEYARD IN SONOMA—AND THEY’RE ALWAYS WELCOMING NEW LEARNERS.

By JOHN BECK Photography by KENT PORTER

TAKE A TRIP THROUGH MOST SMALL TOWNS and you’ll find the usual public amenities: A park, a library, maybe even a pool—but a city vineyard?

Welcome to Tex Juen Park and Vineyard in Sonoma, where about an acre of Merlot, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, and Cabernet Sauvignon is meticulously maintained and harvested by a devoted crew of hobby enologists called the Sonoma Home Winemakers.

“It was a big lot of weeds when the city took over,” says Doug Ghiselin, who helped establish the tiny, unassuming vineyard on Leveroni Road near downtown Sonoma in the 1990s, along with namesake Henry “Tex” Juen, better known as a prolific stonemason who built many Sonoma Valley wineries. “Somebody called it a vineyard. But the only vines that were there at the time were the big, heavy, thick ones—the Sauvignon Blanc at the end of the rows.”

Originally calling themselves “The Valley of the Moon Dilettante Enological Society,” the group planted new vines donated by local wineries and grapegrowers. Where once there was a mink farm, and later an artist colony, now there is a “teaching vineyard.” If you want to learn printmaking or ceramics, you go to the local community center. For budding viticulturists and winemakers, there is Tex Juen vineyard.

On a recent morning, midway through another heat wave, Ghiselin and six other members set up a table in the shade alongside the vineyard. They’re part of “the Leveroni Group,” a subgroup within Sonoma Home Winemakers who do most of the care and harvesting. Within minutes, they’re popping a 2019 Merlot, aged in Ghiselin’s makeshift wine cellar, aka a crawlspace beneath his house.

The Merlot tastes like any moderately priced bottle you might pull off the shelf at a local wine shop. To the bikers, joggers, and walkers that pass by frequently along the adjacent Fryer Creek Trail, it seems perfectly normal that the group are standing around drinking wine at 11 in the morning.

In 2023, the Leveroni Group filled two barrels of Chardonnay and two barrels of Merlot from around 1,000 vines on just over an acre (a few additional rows of Cabernet Sauvignon and Sauvignon Blanc are farmed by other members). Some of the wine will go to the city of Sonoma, for pouring and auctioning off at fundraisers and events. But most is split between members.

Over the years, member Bob Brindley has catalogued the most common reactions he gets after pouring homemade wine for the uninitiated. They range from “I’ve had worse” and “it’s drinkable” to “not bad” and “this is really good”—the last comment uttered almost in shock.

Sonoma Home Winemakers club member Jeff Clark at a pre-harvest work party at the club's teaching vineyard in the town of Sonoma.

Dressing up the morning work party’s picnic table with a tablecloth and a spread of gourmet cheeses and almonds is member Rebecca Kreeger, who joined the group in 2019 after she and her husband bought a home with 63 Cabernet Sauvignon vines that needed caring for. Kreeger’s block was too small to hire a professional vineyard company, so she came to a monthly meeting looking for pruning tips. Before long she was out in the vineyard with Ghiselin and the gang.

The group has around 50 devoted members, many who have small vineyards at their homes. They regularly attend monthly meetings, where wine industry guest speakers often share their expertise and year-round vineyard work parties, where they do jobs like pruning, suckering, weeding, and sulfur dusting. Many volunteer at harvest, collecting grapes in truckloads of 5-gallon buckets. Some are retired or semi-retired, while others are near the end of their careers. Vocations include salumi salesman, travel industry executive, fabricator of large-scale art installations, savings and loan asset manager, and newspaper ad rep. One member, Joseph Daniel, made a documentary called “Tiny Vineyards,” and now makes wine professionally.

They all have a similar dream— to make the best possible wine on what is often the smallest scale possible, with the least amount of expensive tools.

Without professional resources, sometimes basic winemaking

THEY ALL HAVE A SIMILAR DREAM—TO MAKE THE BEST POSSIBLE WINE ON WHAT IS OFTEN THE SMALLEST SCALE POSSIBLE, WITH THE LEAST AMOUNT OF EXPENSIVE TOOLS.

needs like temperature control can be a challenge. Over the years, there have been plenty of mistakes and lessons learned. About a decade ago, the city cut off the water. The group has been learning to dry-farm ever since, except for new plantings.

One year, they were fermenting Chardonnay in aluminum beer kegs when a newbie filled them too high and all of the kegs bubbled over. Another year, they didn’t have the technology to determine if the wine had gone through malolactic fermentation. They bottled it—and corks started popping when warm weather hit.

“We’re always trying to find ways to make what we do better, or make the wine better, and so a lot of that is learning from experience,” Brindley says. “We’ve had situations where something didn’t work out and was a big disappointment. And other times we’ve seen really, really big improvement.”

In 2020, the Chardonnay was loaded with too much residual sugar, which led to super-high alcohol content. “It was totally oxidized,” says Brindley. “It tasted like a bad sherry, which you don’t want in a Chardonnay.” Most of it went down the drain, but some people distilled it into rubbing alcohol. Kreeger bottled it in plastic spray cans she uses to clean around the house.

In a way, it’s nothing new. “The Chardonnay never really came out that good back in the day,” says Ghiselin. The reason? “We didn’t have a lot of wine snobs in the group back then,” he says with a dry laugh. After working 30 years in the Vallejo shipyards, he enjoys poking some good-natured fun at some of the less blue-collar winemakers who have joined the ranks over the years.

At an open house in January, part of the mission was to actively recruit the next wave of home winemakers. Paz Del Rascate and Jesse Castro, both in their 30s, were immediately hooked. The friends were already working locally in wine production but wanted to branch out from their day jobs. At their first meeting, a member offered them 100 Chardonnay vines to maintain, harvest, and turn into wine. Soon after, someone else offered them 86 Merlot vines. And the offers kept coming. This harvest,

Longtime club officer Doug Ghiselin, left, with Rebecca Kreeger, at Ghiselin's home wine cellar in Sonoma. Ghiselin has won several medals for his homemade wines.

“I KNOW IF WE NEED MORE HELP, THEY’LL BE THERE. YOU CAN’T DO THIS ALONE – IT TAKES A COMMUNITY.”

they’ll be making wine from nearly 1,400 vines they’ve adopted.

“It’s been crazy,” says Del Rescate, who used to ferment cheap wine in a bag, back in his dorm room at Texas A&M. “And in exchange, all they want is a little bit of finished wine.”

Overwhelmed with the amount of pruning, they reached out last winter to Kreeger for help. “She sent out a post, and all of a sudden eight members came out to help us prune,” says Castro. “They had only met us like once or twice. I was like, ‘Wow, is this for real?’ The fact that they came out to support us just speaks volumes.”

When harvest rolls around, “I know if we need more help, they’ll be there,” says Del Rescate. “You can’t do this alone—it takes a community.”

THE WAY OF THE VINE

Small “teaching vineyards,” testing grounds where future winemakers and grapegrowers can get their hands dirty and learn how vines change with the seasons, have taken root at schools all across Sonoma County. There are teaching vineyards at Sonoma Valley, Windsor, Santa Rosa and Analy high schools—and even an acre of Pinot Noir still farmed at the now shuttered El Molino high school campus.

Wesley Hunt, a viticulture instructor in the ag program at Healdsburg High School, grew up on 10 acres in rural Mendocino County. She was learning to farm old-vine Zinfandel as soon as she was old enough to drive a tractor. “It was something fun to do with my grandpa,” she remembers.

competitive pruning skills. Since Analy ag teacher Emily Lokka started the pruning team three years ago, they have won Sonoma’s Saralee McClelland Kunde Memorial Youth Pruning Contest all three years and placed third overall in the state Future Farmers of America competition the past two years.

Viticulture students who go on to study at Santa Rosa Junior College, can further hone their pruning and harvesting techniques on an acre at the college’s Shone Farm.

“When I came on board in 2006, I said, ‘I need an acre for a student teaching block,’” says Merilark Padgett-Johnson, SRJC instructor and viticulture program coordinator.

Sonoma Home Winemakers hosts monthly educational talks and group events at the Sonoma Community Center. There are also twice-monthly Saturday morning work parties at the Tex Juen Park and Vineyard in Sonoma. New members are always welcome. For more information, visit sonomahomewine.org.

At Healdsburg High, Wesley's students grow Petit Verdot, Merlot, and Cabernet Sauvignon in a half-acre vineyard at the center of campus. In advanced agriscience and farm-to-table classes, Hunt assigns each group of students a row to nurture all year long, from pruning to picking.

“When we did the actual harvest last fall, it was funny, because we kept track of which rows produced the most,” she says. “They love a good competition.”

At Analy, students take pride not only in yearround vineyard management—pruning, suckering, moving netting and wires, harvesting—but also in their

So, in addition to the 90 acres of professionally farmed grapes the college sells to wineries, there is also a block set aside just for students. “I call it my outdoor lab,” she says. It’s where students learn pruning, canopy management and harvest techniques. And, in the student ID block, they learn to size up the difference—in-person rather than from a book—between more than 40 different varieties. And the best perk? The students get to keep the grapes they harvest. “Every year, they harvest it and take it home and make wine in their carboys,” says Padgett-Johnson.

Club member Jesse Castro checks on the fruit at the Tex Juen Vineyard in Sonoma.

KEEP UP TO DATE WITH THE LATEST AT sonomamag.com/ biteclub

Bite Club

New restaurants, new dishes, and favorite spots at harvest time.

BY HEATHER IRWIN

Arandas

The smell of dried chiles toasting in his mother’s kitchen is one of chef Adrien Nieto’s favorite childhood memories. As she prepared her homemade salsa with spicy chile de arbol, he would wake with a coughing fit, a sure sign that breakfast was ready. “Basically, the stuff was pepper spray,” he says.

It’s also one of the most nostalgic recipes on the opening menu of Healdsburg’s Arandas restaurant, located in the former Chalkboard restaurant space inside Healdsburg’s Hotel Les Mars.

In a town rich with Mexican cuisine, Nieto focuses on creating dishes that express the complexity of being American-born with a Mexican family history, culture, and identity. “I grew up with this duality, which is a really interesting experience for lots of us who grew up Chicano,” he says. “We say it’s ni aqui ni alla—not from here or there. It’s the soul of our family and our experiences as Americans.”

In 2011, Nieto was the runner-up on “MasterChef,” besting 16 home cook contestants on the Gordon Ramsay reality show. At the time, he was a 28-year-old server, and vowed to keep cooking despite the loss. The near-win catapulted Nieto into culinary jobs in Chicago, New York, San Francisco and Los Angeles, with his most recent stint in Dallas with “MasterChef” alums Jennie Kelley and Ben Starr at a private, invitationonly dinner party called Frank.

He now leads a young kitchen staff quickly jelling into a cohesive team, working in a cozy, modern cantina space with dramatic lighting, leather chairs, and low, vaulted ceilings.

“When you visit my family’s home, my relatives will ask you if you are hungry or thirsty, and if you shake your head ‘no,’ they will bring you a plate and tequila anyway,” says Nieto. “It’s that kind of soulful experience, of feeling you’re in our home, that I want to create here at Arandas.”

Nieto’s taco game is still evolving, but these green chorizo tacos with artichokes and white beans are the best of the bunch, a DIY affair with stunning blue corn tortillas. Open nightly. 29 North St., Healdsburg, 707473-8030, arandashealdsburg.com

BEST BETS

Guacamole Y Mas Fresh guacamole served with crispy chicharrones, pickled vegetables, and housemade tortilla chips made with Masienda heirloom corn masa. Served with Nieto’s mother’s salsa recipe.

Ostiones Nieto has a flair for the dramatic, and these oysters are a showstopper. Simple oysters get dolled up with tart, sunset-orange leche de tigre sauce with pops of turmeric, ginger, and lemongrass.

Papas A can’t-miss dish. Nieto poaches baby potatoes in dashi broth and then roasts them to crispy perfection. Served with chili salt, avocado crema, chives, sesame seeds, and furikake, and topped with smoked trout roe.

Above: The bar at Arandas, inside the Hotel Les Mars in Healdsburg.

Left: The alluring ostiones (oysters) with mango leche de tigre, served on a bed of river stones.

Nick Winn/Courtesy Arandas Healdsburg

SONOMA

Verano Cafe

Living in a culinary mecca like Sonoma is great and all, but sometimes you just want a plate of breakfast hash that’s not covered in edible flowers and dehydrated sumac.

Local restaurateurs Beronica Peres and Carlos Rubio get it. Their recently opened Verano Cafe sits in the former Animo space, wedged between an auto repair shop and McDonald’s along Highway 12 in the unincorporated town of El Verano. It’s not a spot most people would give a second glance. And that’s not necessarily a bad thing.

The hearty, diner-style menu was designed with Sonoma residents in mind. An “if you know, you know” sort of place, mostly discovered by word of mouth. The extensive list of choices includes everything from pancakes, to fried chicken with Belgian waffles, to chilaquiles, plus burgers and a croque-monsieur.

What sets Verano Cafe apart from standard diner fare, however, is a dedication to using locally sourced ingredients. Peres sources bread from Basque Boulangerie, and tortillas from nearby El Molino Central. She’s proud of the fact that corned beef for the hash is made inhouse, along with pastrami for their Reuben, rémoulade for the fish and chips, and Hollandaise sauce for the lineup of Benedicts.

Peres and Rubio have hit upon a winning combination of well-made food that doesn’t need silly frills to attract a grateful local audience. And in a county with plenty of upscale dining options, this Sonoma secret is a respite from gourmet acrobatics and sky-high prices.

Open for breakfast and lunch Tues.-Sun. 18976 Sonoma Hwy., Sonoma. 707-931-6837, veranocafesonoma.com

BEST BETS

Corned Beef Hash Made in-house, this corned beef is crisp and flavorful, topped with a poached egg and microgreens. Potatoes, onions and Cheddar cheese round out the mix, along with a heavy dose of green peppers. Once you spear the egg, the soft yolk coats the whole mess deliciously. Easily the best dish on the menu.

Lemon Pancakes Plate-size pancakes are fluffed up with cottage cheese, eggs, and lemon for a unique take on the traditional stack.

Boarder Benedict Chorizo is the surprise guest on the traditional eggs Benedict with slices of avocado and creamy Hollandaise. Served with seasoned potatoes.

Reuben Buttery sourdough toast is a departure from the usual rye, with pastrami, sauerkraut, and actual Gruyère (rather than the usual Swiss swap-out). A side of rémoulade sauce is a must for dipping.

The Rueben sandwich with fries and and a passionfruit mimosa. Below: the Boarder Benedict with chorizo and avocado.

John Burgess

HEALDSBURG

Acorn Cafe

After trying several well-meaning efforts from creative chefs, the idea of green eggs and ham has always struck me as something best left for Dr. Seuss. But a Turkish egg version with ham from Journeyman Meats, green goddess yogurt, dukkah spices, crushed pistachios, and a jammy egg could easily persuade me to try it in a box, with a fox, or pretty much anywhere.

Chef Beryl Adler, the owner of Healdsburg’s Acorn Cafe, located in the spot that housed the landmark Oakville Grocery for 25 years, is slated to open in late summer (fingers crossed for August, says Adler).

In addition to the Turkish green eggs and ham, the menu will boast tiramisu French toast made with brioche from Santa Rosa’s Goguette Bread, bacon eggs Benedict with brown butter Hollandaise, fried chicken sandwiches with housemade teriyaki sauce, lemon pancakes, and açai bowls.

The interior has been completely remodeled, with more windows and expansive indoor seating, in addition to the much-loved patio seats with a view of the plaza and wine tasters at nearby Lioco Wines. “The whole purpose of me wanting to open this cafe is to create a space where my wife can come after dropping my daughter at school and grab a beverage with friends,” says Adler.

After Acorn Cafe closes at 5 p.m., Adler hopes to create a community space inside the building for pop-up restaurants. “It’s for entrepreneurs who dream of opening a restaurant, so rather than committing to a lease, they can test the waters here,” he says. (Healdsburg has long been a prime spot for new restaurant concepts, with places like Molti Amici, Maison Healdsburg Wine Bar and other tasting rooms serving as launchpads for entrepreneurial chefs.)

Adler previously worked at the W Hotel in Seminyak, Bali, and Ritz-Carlton locations in Half Moon Bay and Grand Cayman in the Caribbean. While coming up with the concept for Acorn Cafe, he created the in-house menu at the nearby Black Oak Coffee Roasters in Healdsburg. Though the Ukiahbased coffee company is not a partner in the new Acorn Cafe, “this little acorn fell from their family tree,” he jokes.

Scheduled to open in late August. Breakfast, brunch, and lunch daily. 124 Matheson St., Healdsburg. 707234-7557, acornhealdsburg.com

Everest Restaurant

PEMBA SHERPA HAS NEVER SUMMITED MOUNT EVEREST, but two of his restaurants have. In May, legendary Everest climber Kami Rita, a relative of Pemba Sherpa, carried a small flag bearing the restaurant’s logo on his record-breaking 30th ascent. With eyebrows encrusted with ice, Rita snapped a quick picture at the snowy summit, planting the small banner and smiling like a man ready for a warm cup of daal.

Pemba Sherpa and his brother, Pasang T. Sherpa, Everest’s co-owner, left Nepal for the U.S. in their 20s, seeking a new life as restaurateurs. The two are partners in several local restaurants— the Cotati outpost of Everest Restaurant is their newest, opened in July.

The menu combines Nepalese, Indian, and Chinese influences, with curries, chicken soup with Nepalese spices (thukpa), chow mein, butter chicken, biryani, and naan. Daal bhat, a combination of lentils and rice, and thakali thali are uniquely Nepalese. “We are all proud we can bring our hospitality and flavors to our guests. We are also very fortunate this country gives opportunities to everyone who wants to work hard,” says Pemba Sherpa.

Open for lunch and dinner daily. 572 E. Cotati Ave., Cotati (there is a sister location at 56 E. Washington St., Petaluma). 707-795-7680, everestcotati.com

BEST BETS

Thakali thali A combo platter with small copper bowls of rice, daal, pickles, papadum, veggies, chicken or lamb, and dessert. Vegetarian versions are also available.

Chicken tikka pizza Italy meets India in this mashup of creamy tikka masala or red curry sauce paired with marinated chicken, mozzarella cheese, onion, tomatoes and green onions—a great introduction to Indian food.

Lamb chili momo Ten lamb-filled momo dumplings covered in a sweet-spicy chili sauce with fresh bell peppers and green onions. The Cadillac of momos.

Paneer tikka masala If you’re going for this classic creamy tomato sauce dish, try it with cubes of Indian cheese rather than the usual chicken or lamb. I like the chew and squeakiness of paneer. There’s also a vegan version with tofu and coconut cream.

Daal rassam This hearty lentil soup is loaded with garlic and massively flavorful.

Above left: Apricot shrimp with rice and a side of naan. Above: Thakali thali offers a taste of many different dishes, including daal and vegetables.

John Burgess

HEALDSBURG

La Terrasse at Costeaux Bakery

IT’S NOT A COINCIDENCE THAT CHICKEN PAILLARD IS ON THE MENU AT THE NEW LA TERRASSE. The pounded, breaded and pan-seared “poulet” doused in butter and lemon is a siren song for longtime locals who will, with minimal prodding, regale you with tales of hubcap-size plates of paillard drenched in brown butter at Bistro Ralph, which closed in 2016. Whether or not you’ve had it is a benchmark of your true Healdsburger-ness.

Chef Jorge Flores also had a soft spot for chef Ralph Tingle’s paillard and got his blessing to create a unique riff on the dish, using chicken thighs instead of breast and a healthy dose of garlic. Already, it’s the most popular item on the La Terrasse menu.

But La Terrasse isn’t a new restwaurant, exactly. Somewhere between a pop-up and a speakeasy, it’s Flores’ new wing-spreading dinner service at Costeaux French Bakery. After spending two years at the bakery, chef Flores and bakery owner Will Seppi launched a streamlined al fresco dinner service using a skeleton staff and the bakery’s cozy, enclosed patio for an intimate experience aimed at locals rather than tourists.

The quiet weeknights have proven to be an ideal time to reach residents with a (relatively) affordable menu. Located two blocks off the plaza, the century-old bakery has long been a refuge for regulars who come for onion soup, baguettes, cinnamon walnut French toast, chilaquiles, croissants and éclairs.

On the French-inspired menu are crisp smashed fingerling potatoes with mustard aioli for dipping; onion tart with caramelized onion, goat cheese, duck prosciutto, and a poached egg; Wagyu beef burgers; mussels in white wine sauce with grilled bread; and braised short ribs with rosemary polenta and salad.

Open for dinner Tues. and Weds. 417 Healdsburg Ave., Healdsburg. 707-433-1913, costeaux.com

Erik Castro

Top: Jorge Flores, who runs the kitchen, with sous chef Isabella Cafferata. Above: mussels in white wine with caramelized onions and garlic.

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Aging Well

Today’s “seniors” are living longer than any generation in history. They tend to enjoy a healthier diet, are more active and in better shape. They’re aware of the importance of a healthy lifestyle, have access to effective medicines, and embrace a high-functioning, engaged way of living. In the pages that follow, you’ll find some of the region’s best resources to help you or a loved one get the most out of life for decades to come. As a wise person once said, “It isn’t the years in your life that count, it’s the life in your years!”

Ensō Village

Ensō Village, located in Healdsburg, California, is America’s first Zen-inspired life plan community with a focus on mindful aging, nature, sustainability, mindfulness, and healthy life choices for adults 60+.

enso.kendal.org

RESIDENT-DRIVEN PROGRAMS

As a primarily independent living community, the engagement programs at Ensō Village are developed and organized by its community members. From your home, the world is yours to discover and explore with daily programming such as meditation; Tai Chi; yoga; art and art therapy; gardening; hiking, walking and biking groups; concerts and outings of all sorts.

AMENITIES

From tranquil to lively, the shared spaces at Ensō Village are designed to celebrate joy, curiosity, and equanimity. The 15acre campus offers gracious amenities that include a Zendo meditation hall, performance venue, yoga room and deck, indoor heated pool and hydrotherapy spa, state of the art fitness center, electric car charging stations, guest suites, and much more.

NOT-FOR-PROFIT

SUSTAINABILITY

In the fundamental design of the community, Ensō Village places as much focus on sustainability as the safety, comfort, and health of its residents. The community incorporates an innovative solar panel energy system, upholds strict waste reduction standards through recycling and composting, utilizes a rainwater collection tank, and offers free electric vehicle charging stations for its visitors.

As a collaboration between the San Francisco Zen Center and The Kendal Corporation, Ensō Village operates as a not-for-profit company with an all-inclusive monthly fee and largely repayable entrance fee based on the size of residence and type of contract selected. Call us today to schedule a tour and discover which path fits you best.

DINING

With a strong emphasis on healthy living at Ensō Village, we ensure the food prepared for the community is locally sourced, seasonally varied, and organic whenever possible. Enjoy chef-prepared meals that provide an array of vegetarian, gluten free, and vegan options as well as a flexible dining program that provides residents with monthly dining credits to use at all on-site dining venues.

At Ensō Village, Flowing Streams provides assisted living and memory support services with tailored levels of care for those who can benefit from specialized support.

LIFE PLAN

At Ensō Village, residents take comfort in knowing that if they should require higher levels of care in the future, their community is there for them. The entire community is licensed as an RCFE, which allows you to receive higher levels of in-home care. Every effort is made to deliver services to you at your residence or in an assisted living and memory support suite.

SERVICES

To ensure your time can be allocated to the activities that give you joy and purpose, Ensō Village offers an array of services that include housekeeping, maintenance, full-service valet, transportation, and comprehensive wellness programs. Through Flowing Streams, individualized care plans provide personal support such as three freshly prepared daily meals and snacks, available 24-hour nursing, medication assistance, and diabetic services.

DIRECT ADMISSION TO CARE CENTERS AVAILABLE

Flowing Streams at Ensō Village provides a higher level of care for independent living residents, and it’s also available for direct admission without an entrance fee. As a community member, you’ll enjoy access to exceptional care services, amenities, and diverse social engagement opportunities. Contact us directly to speak with a counselor about Flowing Streams at Ensō Village.

Mackay Dressler

Families encounter many changes with each passing year (marriages, births, deaths, divorces). No matter what phase of life you are in, we are committed to ensuring your estate plan evolves with you.

OUR “WHY”

Everyone deserves compassion, understanding, comfort, and peace of mind. Our commitment to caring for you and your loved ones is at the core of our practice. We dedicate ourselves to providing unparalleled attention to your family’s needs. Our clients are prepared for all of life’s transitions and are never alone when dealing with the toughest times life has to offer. We believe every family deserves a smooth, supported transition, whatever form it takes.

When you create an estate plan with us, we take care to support that legacy. Through our educational offerings, we make sure you and those you choose to carry out your plan know exactly what to do and when to step in. Our free threeyear reviews keep your plan up to date. When any of your planned or unplanned transitions arrive, your “team” is ready and stress, fear, and chaos are eliminated.

WHO WE ARE

Life is a journey marked by transitions, some inevitable others unforeseen. In order to create a tailored plan for you, we first must listen to your goals, dreams, and desires for the future. We take those wishes and create a meaningful plan to meet all of your needs. Each family is unique, with dynamics and circumstances all their own. We know how to address these and produce a strategy that promises peace of mind and calm in the emotionally charged moments of your life.

Over 25 years of experience in the legal field brings a deep understanding of complex issues, which allows us to navigate challenges with precision. Our firm’s quarter-century of experience ensures you have a seasoned ally who can provide effective solutions tailored to your unique needs. Bridget and Miranda compassionately lead and prepare hundreds of families for their most difficult moments. Our clients have confidence their family is protected, and their legacy is preserved.

YOUR LEGACY

WE LISTEN

HEALTH AND FITNESS

Stay active physically with a workout in our fitness and wellness center, which also features a studio offering yoga, Pilates, and tai chi classes. And when it’s time for a post-workout reward (or simply just because), our luxurious spa offers massage and other integrative wellness therapies in private treatment rooms. There’s even a salon, with talented stylists – because looking your best is part of feeling your best.

The Watermark at Napa Valley

The Watermark at Napa Valley is an award-winning, luxury senior community offering active independent living, assisted living, and memory care.

ACTIVITIES AND EVENTS

At The Watermark at Napa Valley, you or your loved one can enjoy life as the days unfold, knowing that our talented team members take care of everything. And with on-site amenities that include a movie theater, health and fitness center, art studio, and even bocce and pickleball courts – along with a wealth of events and activities daily – the opportunities for cultural enrichment, entertainment, and well-being are truly limitless.

PERSONALIZED CARE

GOURMET DINING

The exceptional culinary team at The Watermark at Napa Valley crafts each meal to perfection, punctuating fare with fresh, local ingredients that celebrate the delicious flavors of wine country. With five distinct dining venues, ranging from formal dining to casual grab-and-go bites, and offering a variety of unforgettable culinary experiences to choose from, you never have to compromise on living an elevated lifestyle tailored to all that you desire.

With independent living, assisted living, the bridge, and memory care, The Watermark at Napa Valley features personalized services that evolve along with an individual’s needs. We make sure our care – customized to every individual at all levels – is exceptional as well. Our caregivers are loving, empathic, and focused on helping each resident thrive. It’s no wonder they often come to be considered a second family by members and their loved ones.

North Bay Home Care

North Bay Home Care is a fully licensed and insured home care agency that provides exceptional and compassionate in-home, non-medical services for seniors in the entire Bay Area. Our dedicated team of caregivers is committed, reliable, and experienced in supporting clients to be as independent as possible in their daily tasks.

COMPASSIONATE CARE

Are you tired of the constant struggle to keep up with household chores while also caring for your loved one? It’s time to break free from the endless cycle. Our team of warm, understanding caregivers is here to make your life easier. At North Bay Home Care, we provide a wide range of in-home senior care services to the entire Bay Area.

WHEELCHAIR TRANSPORTATION

Wheelchair transportation is essential for individuals with mobility challenges. At North Bay Home Care, we provide safe and reliable wheelchair transportation services. Our trained staff ensures comfort and security during transit, allowing clients to maintain independence while attending both necessary appointments and enjoyable activities.

GETTING STARTED

CUSTOMER RECOMMENDATION

“I am incredibly grateful to you and the team for the grace you have been in my life and most importantly my mom’s life. Thank you for all you have done for my mom and my family. Words cannot sufficiently express the place you hold in my heart. With love and gratitude.” – Alis

We offer free in-home assessments for your loved ones. During the assessment, we learn about your loved one’s needs and collaborate on the hours of care. These can range from a few hours a day to the full 24 hours. The cost of in-home care varies based on the level of care needed, number of hours required, and your location.

INDEPENDENT LIVING

Cogir of Rohnert Park residents enjoy resort hotel-like amenities including restaurantstyle all-day dining, cleaning service and private bus transportation. Quality, comfort and enjoyment are paramount to Cogir and residents take advantage of the warm accommodations and professional hospitality services to pursue their passions, socialize and enjoy every day.

Nestled near Santa Rosa in the Wine Country is a wonderful senior community you’ll love calling home. Welcome to Cogir of Rohnert Park, a rural place with a modern appeal.

Scan to learn more!

ASSISTED LIVING

Assisted Living residents benefit from the same hotel-like amenities as our independent residents, but with added personalized attention and care in the privacy and security of their apartment home. Prior to moving in each assisted resident and their family will be consulted to develop a tailored care plan based on the resident’s needs, personality and wishes.

AMENITIES

RESPITE CARE

From recuperating after surgery to a temporary refuge from a fire or flood, a shortterm stay provides a safe and secure option for your loved one to take the necessary time to heal. With the help of a full-time professional caregiver, your loved one can focus on getting better instead of managing medications, preparing meals or spending time on daily tasks.

A wealth of resort-inspired amenities makes day-to-day living enjoyable. Starting with the lovely porch and courtyard and continuing with the serene walking paths that lead to the area’s biggest rose garden with a working vineyard, our community has a relaxing, country feel you’ll appreciate. The outdoor pool and the fitness center help residents stay as active as they wish.

Valley Orchards Retirement Community

Our family developed Valley Orchards in 1983. We pride ourselves in offering an affordable all-inclusive monthly rate. If you choose to leave for any reason, we ask for a calendar month’s notice. All you need to move in is a deposit of one month’s rent. Many apartments have private patios or balconies at no additional charge.

Without question, there is a strong sense of family among our staff and our residents. We work together, we play together, we laugh together and we cry together. People sincerely care about one another here. There is a feeling of vibrancy and community not found in large, corporate-owned retirement centers.

AMENITIES

Our chefs cook up three nutritious meals daily. Housekeeping regularly maintains your space and provides linen service. Get around town via scheduled daytime transportation or walk to nearby shopping. Take part in the health and wellness program, contribute to the community garden or treat yourself at the beauty salon.

ACTIVITIES

This active senior community maintains a full schedule of daily activities. Take part in bingo and other fun games, coastal trips and luncheons, spiritual study groups, arts and crafts classes, educational activities, ferry trips to San Francisco, musical performances, movie matinees and more!

OUR COMMUNITY

We’ve been helping people in Sonoma County improve their lives through better hearing for more than 60 years. We have five conveniently located offices with professionally trained audiologists and hearing specialists to provide you with the very best care. We are family owned and operated and treat each patient as if they were family too.

Kenwood Hearing Centers

We offer a complete suite of hearing care services to help you with all your hearing needs. Services include hearing aids, repair, service, adjustments, hearing tests and evaluations, custom ear molds and plugs, pairing of accessories and Bluetooth devices, consultations, and more.

The first step on your journey to better hearing is a hearing test. A hearing test is used to determine if you have hearing loss and, if so, the type, degree, and configuration of your specific loss. Based on your test results, we can develop a plan to improve your hearing.

HEARING AID TEST DRIVE

At Kenwood Hearing Centers, we believe the only way to know which hearing aid is right for you is to experience the benefits in your day-to-day life, which is why we offer the Hearing Aid Test Drive. It’s a hassle-free, no-pressure process that truly puts you in the driver’s seat. As a patient, you will always have the opportunity to participate as actively as you wish in all hearing care decisions.

Kenwood Hearing Centers provides hearing tests, hearing aids, and other hearing care services.

THE OF SONOMA

OUR PICKS FOR SOME OF THE COUNTY’S MOST ICONIC VINEYARDS—AND AMAZING WINES TO SEEK OUT FROM EACH SITE

BY TINA CAPUTO, ABIGAIL PETERSON, AND CAREY SWEET

ANY WINEMAKER WORTH THEIR BOOTS WILL TELL YOU THAT GREAT WINES ARE MADE IN THE FIELD.

To work with grapes that have been grown with integrity, and to allow that fruit to express the ineffable qualities of soil and sun and weather, is what winemaking is all about.

If you’re new to wines from Sonoma County, think of this feature as an interesting cross-section of what the county is known for, at all price ranges—a shortcut to worthwhile sites and bottles to try. When you come across one of these vineyards or producers at a local bottle shop or on a restaurant’s wine list, you’re in for an interesting adventure.

Level up by using individual listings to seek out different expressions of a single vineyard from two or more different producers. Open the wines side-by-side, and see what you can taste in the way each winemaker has interpreted those grapes. Wines made from these celebrated sites “wear their dirt,” as we like to say—they bring our region to life.

Gap’s Crown Vineyard

MEET THE GROWER EVERARDO ROBLEDO

HIRSCH VINEYARDS

This year will be the 36th harvest for viticulturist Everardo Robledo, who comes from a family of master grapegrowers in Napa and the Carneros. Alongside David Hirsch and David’s daughter, Jasmine Hirsch, Robledo has farmed this spot vine by vine, dialing in the right combination of cover crop and water and trellising to bring out the essence of place. “We keep our own philosophy, the Hirsch philosophy. We never go for high yield, no. We have to follow our own way.” Robledo and his wife raised four children in a redwood-shaded home adjacent to the vineyards that are his life’s work (the kids took one of the longest bus rides in the state to get to school, winding inland for nearly two hours—after a 20-minute drive down from the ridge to the bus stop). Robledo’s youngest son, 17-year-old Ricky, now works at Hirsch alongside his father. “Sometimes I feel tired,” says Robledo. “But I have in my mind that we have to keep going, to continue to do what we have to do… Burt Williams told me if you have a problem in the vineyard, just think it through. It’s not the same problem every time. You can have a lot of experience, but you’re always learning.”

HIRSCH VINEYARDS

Fort Ross-Seaview AVA, 6 miles northeast of Jenner

Pinot Noir, Chardonnay

Producers: Hirsch Vineyards, Williams Selyem, Twomey

This renowned vineyard wouldn’t exist without the vision of David Hirsch, who bought a former sheep ranch on a remote, windswept ridgetop with a view of the Pacific in 1978 and planted his first vines two years later. As the story goes, Hirsch, who had worked in the fashion business, didn’t necessarily have grapegrowing in mind for the second chapter of his life; a winemaker friend visiting from Santa Cruz was the one to tell Hirsch that if he planted grapes, the wines could be world-class. The “geologic jumble” of a site, a mile from the San Andreas fault, with 72 planted acres across dozens of different soil types, has been farmed biodynamically since 2011.

“Viticulture is a multi-generational endeavor. My father is going to be 80 next month, and he's planting new vineyards, and replanting vineyards—and, you know, he's not doing it for himself. It's something that you do for the future, not knowing when the peak expression of that vineyard will emerge. Maybe somebody else will make those wines. It's about getting to be a part of something that is so much bigger than us, and has such a long timescale.”

– Jasmine Hirsch, winemaker, Hirsch Vineyards

THREE TO TRY:

Hirsch Vineyards 2021 “San Andreas Fault” Estate Pinot Noir, $65. hirschvineyards.com

Williams Selyem 2021 Hirsch Vineyard Pinot Noir, $100. williamsselyem.com

Twomey 2021 Hirsch Vineyard Pinot Noir, $95. twomey.com

MONTE ROSSO

Moon Mountain AVA, in Sonoma Valley, about 2.5 miles northeast of Agua Caliente Zinfandel, Cabernet Sauvignon, Semillon

Producers: Louis M. Martini, Scribe Winery, Robert Biale Vineyards, Turley Wine Cellars

This storied vineyard—originally called Mount Pisgah—dates back to 1886, when San Francisco grocers Emmanuel Goldstein and Benjamin Dreyfus planted Zinfandel and Sémillon at the site. Some of their original vines are still in production today, and the Sémillon plantings are among the world’s oldest. Louis M. Martini bought the vineyard in 1938 and

renamed it Monte Rosso (“red mountain”) for its red volcanic soils. He added Cabernet Sauvignon in 1940—also still in production— then expanded plantings to include Cabernet Franc, Malbec, and Rhône varieties. Gallo bought the 250-acre vineyard in 2022 along with Louis M. Martini Winery.

“Cabernet Sauvignon from Monte Rosso has this beautiful blue fruit quality and floral aspect. The tannins are usually what you expect with mountain fruit or very high elevation fruit—very rustic—but they are much more supple at lower Brix levels. For the style of wines we like to make, which are a little bit lower in alcohol and higher acidity, that’s a perfect match for us.”

– Gustavo Sotelo, director of winemaking, Scribe Winery

THREE TO TRY:

Louis M. Martini Winery 2021 Monte Rosso Vineyard Gnarly Vine Zinfandel, $100. louismartini.com

Scribe Winery 2021 Monte Rosso Cabernet Sauvignon, $88. scribewinery.com

Robert Biale Vineyards 2022 Monte Rosso Zinfandel $85. biale.com

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GAP’S CROWN

Petaluma Gap AVA, 3.5 miles northeast of Penngrove

Pinot Noir, Chardonnay

Producers: Three Sticks Wines, Sojourn Cellars, Blue Farm Wines, Patz & Hall Winery, Trombetta Family Wines

Many winemakers view this 137-acre hillside vineyard as the crown jewel of the Petaluma Gap appellation. Sitting at an elevation of 300-900 feet, the rocky site is heavily impacted by cooling afternoon winds and fog that flow from the Pacific Ocean through a gap in the coastal mountain range, through the town of Petaluma and south to San Pablo Bay. Premier Pacific Vineyards developed Gap’s Crown in 2002-2005, and in 2012, Bill Price III of Three Sticks Wines purchased the vineyard. Maritime influence, diverse soils and a range of elevations all contribute to the concentration and balance of Gap’s Crown Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.

THREE TO TRY:

Three Sticks Wines 2021 Gap’s Crown Chardonnay, $75. threestickswines.com

Blue Farm Wines 2021 Gap’s Crown Vineyard Pinot Noir, $85. bluefarmwines.com

Sojourn Cellars 2022 Gap’s Crown Pinot Noir, $75. sojourncellars.com

Clockwise from top: Gap's Crown, Hirsch Vineyards, Monte Rosso

Sticks Wines, Kim Carroll, Kent Porter, Kim Carroll.

“I work with two Pinot Noir clones, Dijon 667 and Dijon 777, and Gap’s Crown showcases them beautifully. The constant breeze helps drive the deep fruit and spicy profile of the wine. What I love about the vineyard is that it always delivers. Even with the fluctuating weather each year, the vines are always balanced and can handle the changes in weather. My Gap’s Crown bottling has a distinct voice and adds a great, fullbodied, slightly more coastal element to my lineup of Pinot Noir.”

– ANNE MOLLER-RACKE, WINEGROWER AND PROPRIETOR, BLUE FARM WINES

RITCHIE VINEYARD

Russian River Valley AVA, Eastside Road, 3 miles northeast of Forestville

Chardonnay, Pinot Noir

Producers: DeLoach Vineyards, Arista Winery, DuMOL, Domaine de la Rivière, Woodenhead Vintners, Ramey Wine Cellars

Planted in 1972, Kent Ritchie’s property is iconic for its ancient seabed of sandy Goldridge soil laced with volcanic ash and pockets of tufa rocks. Original vines still thrive here, draping gnarled trunks on rock dappled grounds following the downslope of a volcanic vent jutting up through the sandstone—a rare terroir for Russian River Valley. Winemakers consistently sign up on a wish list to buy more fruit.

“Like all great vineyards, Ritchie has a factor limiting its vigor—in this case, the layer of tuff prevents vine roots from growing too deep (in search of water). Our 20 rows of vines happen to be an alluring field blend of Old Wente and Musqué selections—part of the original 1972 planting—giving the wine structure, balance, and aromatic complexity.” – David Ramey, winemaker, Ramey Wine Cellars

THREE TO TRY:

Ramey Wine Cellars 2021 Ritchie Vineyard Chardonnay, $85. rameywine.com

Woodenhead 2019 Ritchie Vineyard Pinot Noir, $56. woodenheadwine.com

Domaine de la Rivière 2021 Ritchie Vineyard Chardonnay, $85. domaineriviere.com

MONTECILLO VINEYARD

Moon Mountain AVA, at the top of Nelligan Rd., near Glen Ellen Cabernet Sauvignon

Producers: Stewart Cellars, Bedrock Wine Co., Turley Wine Cellars, Arnot-Roberts, Di Costanzo, Beta Wines, DuMOL

At the top of the Mayacamas Mountains that separate Sonoma from Napa, and topping out at 1800-2200 feet, Montecillo has views across the entire northern Sonoma Valley. The site was originally planted in the late 1850s, which invites a sense of awe at the fortitude it took to look up and imagine planting a vineyard at the wild, rocky, windswept mountain summit—entirely by hand. These days, Montecillo’s highly prized mountaintop Cabernet Sauvignon comes from dry-farmed vines that date to the 1960s. Blair Guthrie, winemaker at Stewart Cellars, which purchased Montecillo in 2022, has traced Montecillo’s history and believes his family is only the fourth owner in over 160 years.

“It’s definitely a very magic site. We believe it was planted in 1857, which always blows my mind because California was barely a state. And it blows my mind that people were up on the mountain that early on—viticulture wasn’t really anything back then, and what was existing was all on the valley floor…The other thing is that the vineyard just does really well— it’s a very low-input vineyard. It seems to have this magic terroir where the soil is so rich and giving that the vineyard is just super healthy. Even in difficult years it still produces magic wine.” -Blair Guthrie, winemaker, Stewart Cellars

THREE TO TRY:

Bedrock Wine Co. 2021 Montecillo Old Vine Cabernet Sauvignon. bedrockwineco.com

Beta Wines 2018 Montecillo Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon. beta-wines.com

DuMOL 2021 Montecillo Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon. dumol.com -

LAS BRISAS

Carneros AVA, off Ramal Road in Sonoma Pinot Noir, Vermentino, Chardonnay, Pinot Blanc, Albariño, Riesling

Producers: Mahoney Family Vineyards, Carneros Ranch, Ryme Cellars, Marine Layer Wines, Bouchaine Vineyards

Francis Mahoney, a champion of Carneros as a prime growing region for Pinot Noir and Chardonnay since the 1970s, planted Las Brisas in 1997 at the site of a former dairy farm. Its name pays tribute to the

Montecillo Vineyard

This page: Kent Porter. Opposite: Courtesy Dutton Ranch.

winds that drive morning fog from the vineyards and deliver cooling marine breezes in the late afternoon. These conditions help the grapes mature slowly, with plenty of hang time, resulting in a bright and juicy profile across varieties. Still owned by Mahoney’s Carneros Wine Company, Las Brisas is planted to 91 acres, including Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Vermentino, Pinot Blanc, Albariño and Riesling.

“I’ve been a longtime admirer of Francis Mahoney and his willingness to plant alternative white varieties. Being at the southern end of Sonoma County brings a great cooling effect to the vineyard that buffers the warmer temperatures in areas to the north. There’s a great natural acidity in these varieties at this vineyard, and distinct freshness and vibrancy that weaves really well into the Marine Layer style of wines.”

– Rob Fischer, winemaker, Marine Layer Wines

THREE TO TRY:

Bouchaine Vineyards 2022 Las Brisas Vineyard Pinot Blanc, $46. bouchaine.com

Mahoney Family Vineyards 2023

Las Brisas Vineyard Albariño, $26. carneroswinecompany.com

Marine Layer Wines 2023 Las Brisas Vineyard Vermentino, $35. marinelayerwines.com

ROBERTS ROAD VINEYARD

Sonoma Coast and Petaluma Gap AVAs, 10 miles north of Petaluma

Pinot Noir, Chardonnay

Producers: Montagne Russe, Saintsbury Winery, Anaba Wines

The Sangiacomo family farms 1,600 acres across multiple Sonoma County sites, yet Roberts Road stands out as the growers’ most sought-after vineyard. Planted in 1999 to 130 acres of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, the Roberts Road site boasts the uncommon feature of having two watersheds. The vineyard is distinguished by its marine influence and fog that hangs in the vineyard from morning until mid-day. These conditions foster a long, slow ripening process—Roberts Road is typically the last Sangiacomo vineyard to be harvested each year—and exceptionally balanced grapes.

THREE TO TRY:

Anaba Wines 2021 Pinot Noir, Sangiacomo Roberts Road, $74. anabawines.com

Montagne Russe 2021 Roberts Road Chardonnay, $50. russewines.com

Saintsbury Winery 2022 Roberts Road Pinot Noir, $80. saintsbury.co

DUTTON RANCH

Green Valley AVA, about 6 miles northwest of Sebastopol

Chardonnay, Pinot Noir

Producers: The Calling, Patz & Hall Winery, Dutton-Goldfield Winery, Kistler Vineyards, Martin Ray Vineyard & Winery

Legendary in Sonoma County grapegrowing circles, the Dutton family farms 1,400 acres of winegrapes and organic apples in the Russian River Valley, Green Valley, and Sonoma Coast. The family’s winery property and ranch near Sebastopol is home to the Dutton Ranch vineyard—the grower’s main fruit source and a vineyard designate since 1979. Warren Dutton planted the original 35-acre plot to Chardonnay in 1967 and it has since grown to include 30 acres of Chardonnay and 10 acres of Pinot Noir. Aside from meticulous farming by Warren’s son Steve Dutton, the vineyard’s special sauce is its location in Green Valley, which runs cooler than other parts of Russian River Valley.

“The distinctiveness of the vineyard is the personality of the site itself. Our Dutton Chardonnay is like our other wines from the neighborhood, but there is an uncanny applelike sense to the finished wine. It’s as much about the texture, like the snap of biting into a just-ripe Gravenstein apple, as the flavors. With the Pinot Noirs the Duttons grow for us, they have a sense of effortlessness and precision. Working with them is a true partnership and there isn’t a doubt in my mind that it makes the wines better.” - Jason Kesner, Kistler Vineyards

THREE TO TRY:

The Calling 2022 Roberts Road Chardonnay, $35. thecallingwine.com

Dutton-Goldfield Winery 2022 Dutton Ranch Pinot Noir, $50. duttongoldfield.com

Martin Ray 2023 Concrete Chardonnay, $43. martinraywinery.com

“Roberts Road is one of our latest-ripening Pinots. More coastal vineyards have that bright fruit right off the bat, whereas this also has a lot of other layers going on. It plays well into that nice blend of beautiful fruit, but it has a lot more rustic character as well. The Sangiacomos really care about their land and the people who work for them, and they want everybody to make great wine.” – KATY WILSON, WINEMAKER, ANABA WINES

STEVE DUTTON

DUTTON RANCH

Fifth-generation farmer Steve Dutton has a special bond with the Dutton Ranch vineyard; his dad planted it on the family ranch the same year he was born, in 1967. For more than 35 years, Dutton has farmed his “brother” vineyard, plus more than 60 additional Sonoma County sites. He attributes the vineyard’s distinctive character to its location on an eroded hillside in Green Valley. “The soil is typical Goldridge sandy loam,” he says, with a clay layer at the bottom. “The Chardonnay gets lots of green apple and high acidity.”

While some growers say they feel anxious at harvest time, Dutton looks forward to the season. “It is the best time of year, by far, and the most exciting,” he says. “It’s satisfying to make a product that starts out in our field. Then I love to bring people back to the vineyard and say, ‘You’re drinking wine from this field right here.’ Wine is one of the few things that you can trace all the way back to the land.”

“I love to bring people back to the vineyard and say, ‘You’re drinking wine from this field right here.’ ”

DURELL VINEYARD

Sonoma Coast AVA, off Arnold Dr., Sonoma Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Pinot Blanc, Syrah

This landmark 600-acre ranch with 160 acres of vines lies in a unique setting at the intersection of three different grapegrowing regions, offering elements of each—the cool and foggy coast, the moderating bay influence from the Carneros, and the warmer temperatures of the Sonoma Valley. Nearly every afternoon, a stiff wind blows in, which slows down the ripening of the grapes and helps develop fruit of a nuanced, complex character. It’s a pioneering site in the county, first planted in the 1970s and spawning dozens of top wines from different producers over the years, including its own widely propagated clone of Syrah. The vineyard is owned by vintner Bill Price of Three Sticks Wines, which offers a guided hike through the vineyard on Sundays—an experience worth seeking out.

“I always feel when I’m at Durell that I’m at the confluence of great forces and powers. As you go into the different areas, you see that in the soil too—you see the ancient riverbeds, you see the sandy, silty soil up top and you see the volcanic pumice stones. You see all this difference and you just know that things are swirling around that one spot. It feels like a sort of nexus.” -Ryan Prichard, director of winemaking, Three Sticks Wines

Producers: Three Sticks Wines, DeLoach

Vineyards, Kistler Vineyards, Sojourn Cellars, Scribe Winery, Dunstan Wines, La Crema Winery, Banshee Wines, Auteur Wines

THREE TO TRY:

Three Sticks Wine 2022 Durell Vineyard Origin Chardonnay, $70. threestickswines.com

Dunstan Wines 2021 Durell Vineyard Pinot Noir, $75. dunstanwines.com

Banshee Winery 2019 Durell Vineyard Pinot Noir, $70. bansheewines.com

CHARLES HEINTZ VINEYARD

Sonoma Coast AVA, 1.5 miles northeast of Occidental Chardonnay

Producers: DuMOL, The Calling, Williams Selyem, DeLoach Vineyards, Littorai Wines

Grower Charlie Heintz’s grandparents bought this ridgetop property in Russian River Valley more than a century ago and planted Zinfandel—among other crops—at the site. During Prohibition, they replaced the vines with apple orchards. The family reentered the wine realm in 1982, replacing most of the apple trees with Chardonnay. That turned out to be a pivotal decision; sitting at an elevation of nearly 1,000 feet and caressed by coastal fog as it flows through the vines, the 50-acre Charles Heintz vineyard is considered one of the Sonoma Coast’s finest, prized by winemakers for its structured, high-acid Chardonnay.

“We’ve crafted so many memorable wines from these magical vines since I first set foot in the vineyard way back in 1998. The wines are incredibly distinctive, unlike anything else in Sonoma or California as a whole, and that’s down to the special vineyard site itself. High elevation, close to the ocean, long-lingering fog influence, late-season ripening, and precise farming combine to give the fruit striking intensity and style.” – Andy Smith, winemaker, DuMOL

THREE TO TRY:

Williams Selyem 2022 Heintz Vineyard Chardonnay, $68. williamsselyem.com

DuMOL 2021 Charles Heintz Vineyard Isobel Chardonnay, $89. dumol.com

The Calling 2021 Heintz Vineyard Chardonnay, $70. thecallingwine.com

BEDROCK VINEYARD

Sonoma Valley AVA, 3 miles northwest of Boyes Hot Springs

Zinfandel and “mixed blacks,” including Carignane, Alicante Bouschet, Petite Sirah, and more

Producers: Bedrock Wine Co., Robert Biale Vineyards, Reeve Wines

This 152-acre vineyard has a surprising Civil War connection. Generals William Tecumseh Sherman and Joseph Hooker founded the site, then known as Madrone Ranch, in 1854

Clockwise from top left: Courtesy Bricoleur Vineyards, John Burgess, Dan Quiñones/Courtesy Three Sticks Wines.

and planted the first vines. Senator George Hearst, father of publisher William Randolph Hearst, replanted the vineyard in the 1880s, and it changed hands many times before winemaker Joel Peterson bought it in 2005 and renamed it Bedrock. Today, Peterson’s son Morgan Twain-Peterson of Bedrock Wine Co. farms the historic site, which recently became the world’s first old-vine vineyard to achieve regenerative and organic certification.

“Between the site, the age of the vines, and farming practices, fruit from Bedrock shows an intensity that is special in the world of old vine Zinfandel. The concentrated flavors of bramble fruits, violet, and dried herbs serve as a foundation, along with the notable Bedrock structure, for our wine that really showcases the vineyard’s identity. The concentration and complexity of the fruit we get from Bedrock is rare and something we always enjoy seeing evolve in barrel and bottle.” – David Natali, winemaker, Robert Biale Vineyards

THREE TO TRY:

Reeve 2021 Bedrock Vineyard Merlot/Cabernet Sauvignon, $52. reevewines.com

Bedrock Wine Co. 2022 Sonoma County Cabernet Sauvignon, $40. bedrockwineco.com

Robert Biale Vineyards 2022 Bedrock Vineyard Zinfandel, $65. biale.com

TELDESCHI VINEYARDS

Dry Creek Valley AVA, Dry Creek Rd., outside Healdsburg Zinfandel

Producers: Bedrock Wine Co., Once and Future Wine, Carlisle Winery & Vineyards, F. Teldeschi Winery, Del Carlo Winery

Opposite: Kick Ranch, Bedrock Vineyard. This page: Durell Vineyard

Two branches of the Teldeschi family are synonymous with Dry Creek Valley Zinfandel, one of Sonoma County’s signature varieties. In the 1970s and 80s, Frank and Mike Teldeschi were brothers who shared a driveway but rarely talked. Both brothers and their descendents grow landmark Zinfandel—Ray Teldeschi, son of Mike, now farms four sites in Dry Creek Valley, including his father’s historic home ranch, and sells fruit to Carlisle Winery. And John Teldeschi, son of Frank, farms his father’s ranch and has had a decades-long relationship with pioneering winemaker Joel Peterson of Ravenswood (and now Once and Future Wine), who has called the Zinfandel from Teldeschi a wine that “sings of place.”

“Those are vines that are truly farmed the way they have been for 70 or 80 years, and all dry-farmed. They’re the most beautiful headtrained vines you’ll ever see, because it’s literally one generation that trained the next to prune, which is just so rare to see.” -Morgan TwainPeterson, winemaker, Bedrock Wine Co.

THREE TO TRY:

Bedrock Wine Co. 2021 Teldeschi Ranch Heritage. bedrockwineco.com

Once and Future 2022 Teldeschi Vineyard “Frank’s Block.” onceandfuturewine.com

Carlisle Winery 2021 Dry Creek Valley Zinfandel, $58. carlislewinery.com

KICK RANCH VINEYARD

Fountaingrove District AVA, off Calistoga Road outside Santa Rosa

Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Sauvignon Blanc, Grenache, Mourvèdre, Petite Sirah, Syrah, Viognier, Zinfandel

Producers: Shared Notes Wine, Ram’s Gate Winery, Tom Eddy Winery, Valette Wines

Sprawled on the western slope of Spring Mountain in the Mayacamas, the 43.5-acre site is relatively young—planted between 2000 and 2002—but the Fountaingrove AVA is new, too, established in 2015, and is finally earning well-deserved respect for standout terroir and detailed microclimates. This Certified California Sustainable site is revered for its rolling hills of rich, boulder-strewn soils spun from ancient bedrock and volcanics, concentrated in an alluvial fan that all works together to make vines dig deep roots and focus their energy on rich fruit. The site was purchased by Windsor’s Bricoleur Vineyards in 2018; acclaimed winemaker Bob Cabral, of Williams Selyem and Three Sticks fame, joined the team in 2023.

“The cool, coastal climate is dictated by Pacific winds racing through the nearby Petaluma Gap, with south-facing vine rows attracting optimal sun exposure. Since the estate’s inaugural vintage in 2004, there have been 82 Kick Ranch wines that have received reviews of 90 points or higher from leading critics. We consistently receive waiting list inquiries for Sauvignon Blanc, Syrah, and Grenache in particular.” - Bob Cabral, winemaker, Bricoleur Vineyards

THREE TO TRY:

Bricoleur Vineyards 2022 Kick Ranch Sauvignon Blanc, $36. bricoleurvineyards.com

Shared Notes 2023 Les Leçons des Maîtres Sauvignon Blanc, $85. sharednoteswine.com

Valette 2022 Kick Ranch Sauvignon Blanc, $37. valettewines.com

MEET THE GROWER KATEY

BACIGALUPI

ROW

BACIGALUPI VINEYARDS

Katey Bacigalupi Row grew up on her family’s Goddard Ranch, home to the “Paris Tasting” Chardonnay block that helped Chateau Montelena beat its French counterparts in the famous 1976 showdown. Now, as co-manager of Bacigalupi Vineyards with her twin sister Nicole Bacigalupi Dericco, she is involved with everything from daily growing operations to managing the Bacigalupi wine brand.

What makes Goddard Ranch special, she says, is its longevity. “You don’t get old vine Chardonnay very often,” says Row. “It’s not planted in the ideal setting—it’s in a rocky volcanic clay, so the vines struggle a lot.”

While emotions run high at harvest time, Row says it’s worth the effort to see the culmination of the year’s work. “It’s an incredible privilege to [be part of] what my parents and grandparents have worked for.”

ROSSI RANCH

Sonoma Valley AVA, Lawndale Rd., Kenwood Grenache, Syrah, Mourvèdre, Zinfandel, Grenache Blanc

Producers: Carlisle Winery & Vineyards, Winery Sixteen 600, Sosie Wines, Loxton Cellars, Dane Cellars, Mayo Family Winery, Jeff Cohn Cellars

Set between two ridges near the back entrance to Trione-Annadel State Park, Rossi Ranch has layered views all the way across the valley to the Mayacamas. The site was originally planted by the Rossi family around 1910 and was farmed by the legendary Val Rossi well into his 80s. Many of the 1910 blocks, including a Zinfandel-forward field blend, were later replanted to Rhône varietals. It’s 42 acres of highly prized, hard-to-come-by fruit, and has earned the nickname the “To Kalon of Grenache” from winemaker Tony Biagi. Fun fact: You can see this vineyard up close on public roads. In Kenwood, Lawndale Road bisects the site, about a half-mile west of the junction with Warm Springs Rd.

“The thing that’s so beautiful about Rossi is it sits on this uplift of land, and wherever you look, east or west, there’s an incredible view. When you walk through the vineyard, you have a real sense of the terroir and the history there—I’ll be walking through, just picking up golf-ballsized pieces of obsidian. It’s surrounded by oak forest on all sides, and I think some of that implants into the vineyard, in a slight sense of herbalness in the fruit.” -Bart Hansen, owner and winemaker, Dane Cellars

THREE TO TRY:

Winery Sixteen 600 2018 Val Rossi Hommage, $67. winerysixteen600.com

Dane Cellars 2019 Valeria Blend Rossi Ranch, $60. danecellars.com

Mayo Family Winery 2022 “Josephine’s Cuvée” Grenache Blanc Rossi Ranch, $45. mayofamilywinery.com

STUHLMULLER VINEYARD

Alexander Valley and Chalk Hill AVA, near Healdsburg

Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Cabernet Franc, Malbec

Producers: Stuhlmuller Vineyards, Silver Oak, Aperture Cellars, Overshine Wine Co., Dutcher Crossing Winery, Mazzocco Sonoma, DeLorimier Winery, Bannister Wines, Williamson Wines

This diverse family-owned vineyard with 155 planted acres is at the cooler, southern end of the Alexander Valley near where it meets the Russian River and Chalk Hill valleys. The site was first planted in the 1980s and for years, the family were growers only, selling their fruit to high-end labels like Silver Oak. The Stuhlmuller family built a small winery in a historic red barn on the property in the early 2000s, where standout winemaker Leo Steen oversaw winemaking for years. (Steen’s protégé, Zac Childers, now heads up the program.) Stuhlmuller’s 30-year-old Chardonnay is highly prized as is the 30-year-old hillside Cabernet Sauvignon, some of which is snapped up by Jesse Katz at Aperture.

“I began here as an intern in 2011—this place just spoke to me. It was definitely where I saw myself; where I wanted to land. My office looks due east towards Mount Saint Helena, and when I’m up on the catwalk above the tanks, I can follow the treeline down to the Russian River and then up towards Fitch Mountain.

Clockwise from top left: Courtesy

Bacigalupi Vineyards, Leigh Ann Beverley/Courtesy Overshine Wine Co., Mack

Lucid/Courtesy Stuhlmuller Vineyards.

We’ve got cattle on the property in the upper hillside, and stands of redwood, Douglas fir, oaks and manzanitas, plus jackrabbits, egrets—a very idyllic setting… One year, we had a bear get into the top block of Chardonnay. It’s a tiny little block and the yields are very low up there with the volcanic soils—but that bear ate really well.” -Zac Childers, winemaker, Stuhlmuller Vineyards

THREE TO TRY:

Stuhlmuller Vineyards 2020 Estate Cabernet Sauvignon, $45. stuhlmullervineyards.com

Dutcher Crossing 2021 Stuhlmuller Vineyard Chardonnay, $45. dutchercrossing.com

Bannister 2018 Chardonnay, $34. bannisterwines.com -

LAS CIMAS

Russian River Valley AVA, off Westside Rd., near Healdsburg

Zinfandel, Chardonnay, Nebbiolo, Grignolino, Ribolla Gialla, Erbaluce, Favorita, Falanghina, Fiano, and more

Producers: Idlewild Wines, Comunità, Arnot-Roberts, Ryme Cellars, Jolie-Laide

Beyond Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, this is a site that showcases the diversity of grape varieties that grow beautifully in Sonoma County and in Russian River Valley. The ranch has undergone a recent transformation under Healdsburg winemaker Sam Bilbro and owner David Drummond, who bought the 500-acre, high-elevation site in 2018 (see p. 160). Bilbro and Drummond knew there was a greater purpose to this site and changed over roughly 50 out of the site’s 70-plus planted acres to unusual, difficult-to-source Italian varieties—46 different ones. The site has views that stretch across wide swaths of the county, and the grapes are now grown with organic and regenerative farming practices.

“From when I first got there, and this was basically a conventionally farmed production vineyard, to now—it’s vibrant, there’s a diverse clover-based cover crop, and every spring there is crimson clover that is just booming, and you see bees buzzing all over the vineyard, you see other insect life, good predatory insect life. The place is just alive now. It’s alive in the soil, it’s alive in the general ecology you can see, and then it’s alive in the diversity of the plantings. It’s all of that at once.” -Sam Bilbro, winemaker, Idlewild Wines, Comunità

THREE TO TRY:

Idlewild Wines 2023 Freisa Las Cimas Vineyard, $42. idlewildwines.com

Arnot-Roberts 2023 Falanghina Las Cimas Vineyard. arnotroberts.com

Jolie-Laide 2022 Mondeuse Noire Las Cimas Vineyard, $42. jolielaidewines.com

BACIGALUPI VINEYARD

Russian River Valley AVA, on Westside Rd., near Healdsburg

Chardonnay, Pinot Noir

Producers: Williams Selyem, Russian River Vineyards, Vaughn Duffy Wines

The 120-acre homestead Goddard Ranch was established in 1956 by the late Charles Bacigalupi, along with wife Helen. Today, the

winery is still run by several generations of the same family and has expanded to several other nearby vineyards, all flourishing with natural tributaries and springs encouraging distinctive cool-climate character. Goddard is most famous for its Chardonnay block that went into the legendary 1973 Chateau Montelena Chardonnay that won the 1976 Judgment of Paris and helped put the California wine industry on the global map. Lesser-known lore is that Charles Bacigalupi coaxed luminary vintner Karl Wente to give him some French Pinot Noir budwood, one of the first well-documented plantings of the variety in the Russian River Valley.

“Goddard Ranch still boasts some of the original Paris Chardonnay blocks thriving with vines from the 1960s. It’s also home to a massive, ancient oak tree that I love—I visit it when I’m out in the vineyard to admire how beautiful the whole property is.” -Ashley Herzberg, winemaker, Bacigalupi Vineyards

THREE TO TRY:

Bacigalupi 2022 Goddard Ranch Chardonnay, $65. bacigalupivineyards.com

Vaughn Duffy 2022 Bacigalupi Vineyards Pinot Noir, $75. vaughnduffywines.com

Russian River Vineyards 2022

Bacigalupi Vineyards Chardonnay, $67. russianrivervineyards.com

This page: Las Cimas Below left: Stuhlmuller Vineyard.

FLORENCE VINEYARD

Rockpile AVA, near Lake Sonoma Zinfandel, Petite Sirah

Producers: Florence Vineyard, Rockpile Vineyards, Calafia Cellars, Mazzocco Sonoma, Pezzi King Vineyards, Carol Shelton Wines

On a high ridgetop bordering the far northwest corner of Dry Creek, overlooking the two long arms of Lake Sonoma, is the Rockpile AVA, one of the most unforgiving, out-there places to grow grapes in Sonoma County. Wildfire and drought are constant concerns, as is the nearby presence of the Rodgers Creek fault. In 1994, Jack Florence Jr. planted the first blocks of the now-legendary Rockpile Zin, bringing over budwood from Cloverdale’s tiny, hundred-year-old St. Peter’s Church Vineyard. His family is one of the pioneers here, along with the Gloeckners of Westphall Ranch, the Park family of Rockpile Vineyards (now owned by Wilson Artisan Wines), and the Mauritsons of Mauritson Wines. At 1200 feet in elevation, Florence’s 12-acre vineyard is a rocky, northward-facing site that yields fruit with intense flavors and a distinct minerality. Florence has sold the fruit for decades and began making his own wine in 2020.

“It’s just the sheer ruggedness of it, the closeness with nature. It’s quiet enough that you

really feel like you’re in another world. So much of Sonoma County is close into towns now, but this is one of those places that is still way out there. The way the fog rolls in over the hills and comes up from Lake Sonoma, gives that surreal feel to it and puts you at one with nature.” -Jack Florence Jr., Florence Vineyard

THREE TO TRY:

Rockpile Vineyards 2021 Florence Zinfandel, $63. rockpilevineyards.com

Florence Vineyard 2021 Rockpile Petite Sirah, $60. florencevineyard.com

Mazzocco Sonoma 2021 Rockpile Florence Reserve Zinfandel, $65. mazzoccosonoma.com

TERRA DE PROMISSIO

Petaluma Gap AVA, about 4 miles east of downtown Petaluma

Pinot Noir

Producers: Williams Selyem, The Calling, Gary Farrell Winery

Gently rolling hills overlook the Petaluma River, spanning 50 acres kissed by wind and fog flowing from the Sonoma Coast and San Pablo Bay. As the name says, this is “the land of promise.” The first 32 acres were planted in 2002, with every row farmed as it is

today, customized to each client winemaker’s meticulous instructions. The property’s Dijon clones produce smaller berries and clusters, but that’s what makes the fruit so coveted for its concentrated flavors and mischievous nature that ambitious winemakers love to pamper. Terra de Promissio’s own wines are so valued that they are allocated almost exclusively to its members.

“We get just 5 tons from 2 blocks from this gem of a property, but I love its ideal terroir for its balance of earth and fruit characteristics. The soil, sun exposure, hill elevation, vine density, and the wind and fog of the Petaluma Gap all contribute to the grapes developing a slow maturation and extended hang time. This results in intensely flavored grapes and a chemistry for age-worthy wines.” – James MacPhail, winemaker, The Calling

THREE TO TRY:

The Calling 2021 Terra de Promissio Pinot Noir, $80. thecallingwine.com

Gary Farrell 2019 Terra de Promissio Pinot Noir, $90. garyfarrellwinery.com

Williams Selyem 2022 Terra de Promissio Pinot Noir, $78. williamsselyem.com

MANCINI RANCH

Russian River Valley AVA, near the corner of Olivet & Piner roads in Santa Rosa Zinfandel, Carignane, mixed field blend

Producers: Ridge Vineyards, Carlisle Winery & Vineyards, Reichwage Winery

The historic 16-acre vineyard is a very rare, dry-farmed field blend of some 21 varieties, planted between 1922 and 1924 by Italian immigrant Luca Mancini amid still-existing ancient oak, walnut, apple, pear, and plum trees. While lots of Zin and a good amount of Carignane dominate, the site is a wonderland of so many obscure grapes that it becomes a magical adventure exploring them all. Abouriou, Blauer Portugeiser, and Elbling are just a few of the delights, and in 2018, current vineyard owner Max Reichwage grafted even more marvels like Mondeuse, Plavac Mali and Clairette Blanche. Reichwage is working diligently to restore the previously neglected property’s soil and vine health, honoring a truly unique salute to Sonoma County’s winemaking roots.

“The old vines tend to produce very little fruit (about 1 ton per acre) and are very fragile— many of the trunks would topple over if we didn’t manage them so carefully. But I bought this vineyard to satisfy my own curiosity about the plantings, and also as a way to evaluate more heat-tolerant varieties due to our warming climate and drought. There is

Florence Vineyard

Left: Jack Florence Jr./Courtesy Florence Vineyard, Opposite, top: Chad Surmick.

even one unknown variety of teinturier (rare, red-flesh grapes) that UC Davis does not have in their DNA database, so I jokingly refer to it as ‘Mancini Bouschet.’” –Max Reichwage, winemaker, Reichwage Winery

THREE TO TRY:

Ridge Vineyards 2022 Mancini Ranch Blend, $42. ridgewine.com

Carlisle 2022 Mancini Ranch Zinfandel, $56. carlislewinery.com

Reichwage Winery 2021 Mancini Ranch White Wine, $35. reichwage.com

ROCHIOLI VINEYARD

Russian River Valley AVA, on Westside Rd., near Healdsburg

Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Syrah

Producers: J. Rochioli Vineyard & Winery, Gary Farrell Winery, Ramey Wine Cellars, Williams Selyem, Castalia Wines, Holdredge Wines, Longboard Vineyards

When visionary winegrower Joe Rochioli Jr. passed away in 2022 at the age of 88, his obituary noted that he was survived by his family—and the 900,000 vines he lovingly cared for on his family’s ranch. Rochioli Jr. was considered the founding father of Russian River Valley Pinot Noir. Back in 1968, he was likely the first to plant Pinot Noir in the valley, and his son, Tom Rochioli, and grandchildren still oversee the family’s 130 planted acres today. Rochioli was also one of the first to divide their plantings into blocks based on terroir and to make wines separately from those blocks. In addition to the classic Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, Rochioli is known for some of the oldest plantings of Sauvignon Blanc in the state.

“When I walk through those old vineyards, I do think about the past... I remember my grandfather walking through the Sauvignon Blanc vineyard right before he died, looking at those massive vines. If you knew my father—I think I'm much like him. Especially when I was a young guy, finding my way, doing the work, really seeing every vine over and over—you get to know them. You see a plant that was trained a certain way, or grew a certain way, and you recognize it. You get to know their growth patterns. It just really gets in your blood. I think when you love what you do so much, that is all a part of it.” – Tom Rochioli, winemaker, J. Rochioli Vineyard & Winery

THREE TO TRY:

J. Rochioli Vineyard & Winery 2022 Estate Pinot Noir, $72. rochioliwinery.com

Gary Farrell Winery 2020 Rochioli Vineyard Pinot Noir, $90. garyfarrell.com

Longboard Vineyards 2023 Rochioli Vineyard Chardonnay, $56. longboardvineyards.com

BERNIER ZINYARD

Dry Creek Valley AVA, off Canyon Road, just west of Geyserville

Zinfandel, Petite Sirah

Producers: Peterson Winery, Dutcher Crossing Winery, Quivira Vineyards, Sbragia Family Vineyards

Zinfandel isn’t the only crop that Bernier Farms grows on the rugged, dusty hillsides of the Dry Creek and Alexander valleys—the Bernier family also cultivates 14 varieties of garlic—but it’s definitely the most celebrated. Founding grower Paul Bernier learned the secrets of dry farming grapes in the 1970s from “old Italians” who came before him and built a reputation for producing great Zinfandel on marginal land. With help from his son Zureal, Bernier planted Zinfandel on the family’s home ranch in the early 1990s and added Petite Sirah in 2003. The resulting Bernier Zinyard, covering just 2.5 acres and entirely dry-farmed, is the family’s longest-running vineyard designate and a winemaker favorite.

“The soil on their hillside is unique, with a nice mix of sand and loam. The Berniers practice dry-farming, organic composting, and use cover crops, all of which make for strongly established but balanced vines. The resulting grapes and wine always are always tasty and picked at a lower sugar (content) than many other Zin vineyards to retain their acid and sugar balance. The wine usually finishes in the low 13 percents [in ABV] and has a more delicate, perfumed character than darker, jammier Zinfandels.” - Jamie Peterson, winemaker and general manager, Peterson Winery

THREE TO TRY:

Peterson Winery 2019 Bernier Zinyard Zinfandel, $36. petersonwinery.com

Dutcher Crossing 2019 Bernier-Sibary Vineyard Zinfandel, $52. dutchercrossingwinery.com

Quivira Vineyards 2018 Pillsbury Vineyard Zinfandel, $50. quivirawine.com

HOW WE CHOSE Our team of three worked in collaboration to research this list, speaking with growers, winemakers, wine retailers, and sommeliers to arrive at a list of notable vineyards. The goal is to represent some of the best of Sonoma across different regions and varieties, recognizing both historic sites and newer ones. We felt one of the more interesting aspects of the research was found in comparing different wines from the same location—so we focused on places that sell their fruit to multiple producers.

MEET THE GROWER ZUREAL BERNIER

BERNIER ZINYARD

Sometimes, what defines a great vineyard isn’t what the grower does in the field, but what he or she doesn’t do.

“We’re not watering and we’re not fertigating. We are not coddling these vines,” says Bernier, who helped plant and develop Bernier Zinyard in Dry Creek Valley with his father, Paul, a longtime practitioner of dry-farming. “They express exactly what they are, which are vines growing from the land in almost a semi-wild manner.”

Born and raised on Bernier Farms, he says the most important thing he’s learned from his dad is to trust in nature. “We are living in a changing climate, but these vines are strong and resilient,” says Bernier. “It’s easy to worry when it’s 100-plus degrees, but it doesn’t do me any good. It’s better to accept the season as it progresses.”

“We are not coddling these vines – they express exactly what they are, which are vines growing from the land in almost a semi-wild manner.”

CAPTURED IN WINE

What if you could literally lock the character of a favorite wine within a photograph? With groundbreaking technicality and an insouciant edge, these images of Sonoma winemakers reshape the boundaries of traditional film portraiture.

INTERVIEWS AND PHOTOGRAPHY BY JAMES JOINER

HOTOGRAPHERS HAVE LONG EXPERIMENTED with developing black-and-white film in solutions of instant coffee, beer, and other liquids—a time-honored and nontoxic alternative to traditional chemical processes.

Sonoma photographer James Joiner has now done the same with wine. He turned to longtime collaborator Ian Sullivan to help refine the method, and together they honed in on a process with red wine that worked not just well, but extremely well. Joiner now has an ongoing partnership with Kodak to photograph the people he has come to know and admire in the wine world and develop the portraits in wines that hold meaning for the subjects, with the ultimate aim of releasing a book. Each portrait bears the mark of the winemaker via the subtle rosy glow from the wine in which it was developed.

Joiner’s interest in wine was ignited in 2008 after meeting Sonoma winemaker Tony Coturri through a friend. Coturri offered him a bottle and, when Joiner declined, saying he didn’t really like to drink, Coturri poured him a glass anyway. “Wine isn’t drinking, it’s stories in a bottle,” Coturri told him.

Something clicked, launching Joiner into an obsession with the stories of wine and the people who work with it. “There’s a poetry in wine, and a poetry in analog photography,” Joiner explains. “So to be able to capture someone on film and have the actual light and energy from that split-second of exposure bond with the wine—it’s incredibly magical. The moment gets fused together forever inside the silver halide crystals that make up the black-and-white image. Plus, the process is completely nontoxic, which is important to me.”

“Sonoma is just… it’s an incredible spot,” says Joiner. “It’s been one of those rare places where you always seem to be in the right place at the right time, full of chance encounters and small-world moments.”

ROSALIND MANOOGIAN FOG CREST VINEYARD

“Shooting a proper portrait isn’t about just capturing someone’s likeness. That’s for driver’s licenses and passports. Portraits should speak to who the subject is and give insight into their character. To do this properly, most photographers have to learn to get out of the way and adapt to the situation. Meeting Rosalind at her Fog Crest Vineyard estate tasting room, it immediately became clear that her elegance and confidence should take center stage. After shooting and talking with her for almost an hour, it was obvious she was as lyrical and complex as the Pinot Noir she produces. This shot—developed in a stunning 2018 Fog Crest Estate Pinot Noir—is more serious than some of the others, and for that reason, it’s also one of my favorites. What’s that saying? ‘Fashion is fleeting, style is forever.’ Rosalind, and her wines, have style for miles.”

HARDY WALLACE EXTRADIMENSIONAL WINE

CO. YEAH!

“This was taken the very first time I met Hardy, at his production facility in Kenwood. While his expressiveness and stoke is well documented, nothing prepares you for the ball of positivity that is Hardy in real life. I shot this with a fisheye lens because I love how the distortion makes him feel larger than life. Fun fact, this was taken moments after discovering we were born in the same hospital in Salem, Massachusetts. Developed in Hardy’s 2022 Extradimensional Wine Co Yeah! Marvelous Mourvèdre, a beautiful, playful wine that defies the varietal’s brooding stereotype.”

KATIE ROUSE AND CORINNE RICH BIRDHORSE WINES

“One of my favorite things about these wine film portraits is forcing myself to make an expressive image in a place I’ve often never been with someone I don’t really know. To be fair, I’d worked with Katie a bit in her role as assistant winemaker at Bedrock Wine Co., where this was shot, but never Corrine. The newlywed couple were a photographer’s dream, more than willing to go the extra mile, as evidenced by the frames of Katie hosing Corrine down—something she certainly didn’t mind on a 104-degree July day. Processed in their 2021 Birdhorse Barbera, a delicate wine whose high acid content paired perfectly with the duo’s playfulness and the frenetic energy of the images.”

PATRICK CAPPIELLO MONTE RIO CELLARS

“I met Patrick before he was a winemaker, at his restaurant Pearl & Ash in New York City. He taught me how to saber Champagne with an iPhone for a story I was doing, and we stayed in touch. The way Patrick has willed himself into being a pivotal part of a new generation of winemakers always impresses me, as does his adherence to a DIY, punk-rock ethos. The framing, film, and super-wide lens make me think of classic early 90s skate and hip-hop images, a vibe that works well for him. This was shot on Kodak Tri-X film and developed in Cappiello’s ebullient 2021 Monte Rio Cellars Zinfandel, which I think lent itself to the boldness of the images.”

BIBIANA GONZÁLES RAVE

CATTLEYA WINES, ALMA DE CATTLEYA, SHARED NOTES

“Bibiana met me at her winery for the shoot but was so excited to hear that I loved coffee she rushed me to another part of the building to show off her single origin, female-farmed coffee company, all roasted in-house and sourced in her native Colombia. Her excitement is as palpable as her sophistication, whether discussing the nuance of coffee imports or the clones that go into her breathtaking farming-forward wines at Cattleya. Quick to laugh and naturally gregarious, Bibiana made photographing her, much like enjoying her wines, almost too easy. Developed in her mind-blowing 2021 Cattleya ‘The Reward’ Syrah, a wine so special they only make a handful of cases, fitting for a portrait of a winemaker of the same caliber.”

CHRIS CHRISTENSEN BODKIN WINES

“When Chris rolled up to his Sebastopol winery and got out of his car with a vintage saber as big as his smile, I knew this was gonna be a fun one. Equal parts insightful, eccentric, and hilarious, Chris is as effervescent as his sparkling wines, several of which he happily beheaded for our shoot (see also p. 94). We only went through one roll of film—12 frames—and after developing them in his wonderfully autobiographically emoji-labeled 2022 Bodkin Light Skinned Zinfandel, I can say almost all of them rank among the favorites I’ve ever taken.

Digital bonus: We’ve teamed up with photographer James Joiner and his friends at The Wine Makers podcast for a series of winemaker interviews in September. For links to podcast episodes and a video of Joiner’s developing process, visit sonomamag.com.

AT SEBASTOPOL’S CLIMATE FARM SCHOOL, VISITING STUDENTS SPEND A WEEK LEARNING ABOUT REGENERATIVE FARMING, PLANTING AND HARVESTING ORGANIC FOODS, AND GETTING A JUMPSTART ON NEW CAREERS IN CLIMATE SCIENCE AND ADVOCACY. WRITER AUSTIN MURPHY AND PHOTOGRAPHER EILEEN ROCHE PUT ON THEIR BOOTS AND HEAD BACK TO SCHOOL.

HE WOMAN STANDING AT THE EDGE of a field of row crops brandishing a large knife was not, in fact, an extra from a “Mad Max” sequel. This was Erika Foster, a soils expert with Point Blue Conservation Science, and on this June morning, Foster and a colleague were leading a workshop on soil health at Climate Farm School, a visionary week-long program that immerses climate leaders of all ages and backgrounds in principles of food policy and hands-on regenerative farming.

Bad-ass though it looked, the knife in Foster’s hand wasn’t especially sharp, or dangerous. It was a traditional Japanese trowel called a hori-hori, one of several tools that Climate Farm School students used to work the soil in this corner of “campus”—the 172acre Green Valley Farm + Mill outside Sebastopol.

Our assignment that morning was to extract a soil sample, then perform a “field texture assessment,” adding water and making mudballs out of our sample to determine its percentage of sand, silt, and clay. Those percentages would tell us much about the soil underfoot.

Watching the mudball experiments go down was the indefatigable Laney Siegner, the founder and co-director of the school and a pioneer in applying “experiential approaches” to climate change education in farm settings. Siegner worked on regenerative farms while earning a Ph.D. at UC Berkeley and explains she was blown away by the hands-on knowledge of the farmers, many of whom had advanced degrees of their own.

The daughter of a teacher, she found herself asking how she could connect others to the wisdom of those who farm the land. Climate Farm School was born, and three years later has two host sites in California—the other is in San Benito County—plus one in the northwest, one each in Vermont and New York state, and a sixth in Italy.

I’d come to the course with scant knowledge of farming, although I did love the E.B. White novel “Charlotte’s Web,” and was profoundly relieved when Wilbur the pig was spared. Beneath my nodding, studious mien on that first morning of school was a hidden cynic wondering: Who were these people, shelling out several thousand dollars to play farmer?

THAT CYNIC washed out of Climate Farm School in the first 20 minutes. Any skepticism I’d harbored was replaced with respect for my fellow students, and gratitude for their big brains and willingness to do a deep dive on the planet’s most intractable problems, and determination to solve them.

The school combines online sessions with a week of “getting your hands dirty on a working farm,” according to a course description.

They mean that literally. Out in the field, as we assessed our mudballs, Erika Foster pointed out, “There are more individual organisms in that handful of soil than there are people on the planet. Thousands and thousands of bacteria and fungi, protozoa and archaea, all of the many large classifications of life, are found within soils across the world.”

We saw several up of those classifications up close: lots of wriggling worms inconvenienced by our research, along with pill bugs and a millipede.

Greg Richardson, another soil expert from Point Blue, likened the exercise to snorkeling. “You stand at the edge of the water, and it’s choppy, or flat. But it’s not until you put your head underwater that you realize how much is going on.”

The curriculum devised by Siegner and her co-director, Ryan Peterson, focuses on regenerative agriculture, a philosophy and approach to farming and ranching intended, according to the National Resources Defense Council, “to restore soil and ecosystem health, address inequity, and leave our land, waters, and climate in better shape for future generations.”

It made sense to start with soil—“the foundation of everything we’ll be doing the rest of the week,” said Siegner.

Richardson had begun that morning’s session by asking us to go around the circle, introducing ourselves and detailing our “background” and “experience.”

In this company, it seemed inappropriate to reply truthfully—Hi, I’m Austin and I once tried to aerate my lawn with a pitchfork but ended up killing it—so I ignored that instruction.

We learned that Nitesh Dullabh, a wise and kind 50-something from Los Altos with a background in “environmental-social-governance issues,” now runs a consultancy, helping businesses and other entities practice “regenerative sustainability.”

Ashwini Ramanathan was visiting from New York City, where she tends a garden on the patio of her apartment and is working towards a master’s degree at Columbia University in Sustainability Management. She spoke of her keen interest in the “reciprocal relationship” between climate change and agriculture. “As someone who lives in a large city,” she later shared, “my exposure to farmland and understanding of how my food is grown is limited.”

Carley Hauck, an author, podcaster, and Stanford instructor, had been studying regenerative agriculture on her own for the last four years, she told us. She volunteered at Coastal Roots Farm in Encinitas and was interested in someday starting her own farm.

Smiling, effervescent Khadine Singh studied mechanical engineering at Columbia and now lives in San Francisco. A native of Trinidad, she’s in her 11th year at Google. “My thing is data and people,” she told me, “finding the intersection of how I can use my data and statistical skills and engineering skills to help people.” For the last four years her work has focused on climate. She’s also deeply interested in food supply and soils, “and I’m super-excited to learn more.”

We were all interested in improving the gardens we maintain at home, or, in my case, in learning how to stop needlessly killing innocent flora. But my classmates also had far more righteous and farreaching plans. They were widely, deeply read on the problems wrought by a warming planet and had cleared this week on their schedules to learn how to become more effective warriors in the battle to save it.

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: EAST BAY SCHOOL GARDEN PIONEER WANDA STEWART LEADS AN AFTERNOON SESSION ALONGSIDE FOUNDER LANEY SIEGNER. A QUIET MOMENT IN THE FARMHOUSE CLASSROOM. A SHARED MEAL CENTERED AROUND VEGETABLES, EGGS, AND OTHER INGREDIENTS

HARVESTED ON SITE. STUDENT ASHWINI RAMANATHAN, VISITING FROM NEW YORK CITY, IN THE TOMATO FIELDS.

AS A FORWARD-THINKING, outside-the-mainstream outfit, Climate Farm School fits comfortably in the continuum of Sonoma County enterprises asking big questions about land use, sustainability, and farming practices.

Green Valley Farm + Mill, our home for the week, is a community of farmers sharing land and opportunity. Nearby are Earthseed Farm, California’s first Afro-Indigenous permaculture farm, Solar Punk Farms, a queer farming collective, and Heron Shadow, a tranquil 7.6-acre property whose founders teach Indigenous farming practices. Sebastopol is also home to Elizabeth Whitlow, executive director of the Regenerative Organic Alliance, the nonprofit overseeing the Regenerative Organic Certified program for food, fiber, and personal care ingredients.

Many who enroll in Climate Farm School arrive with an interest in a career change or pivot, said Siegner. A week on the farm, in the company of experts and like-minded students, usually reinforces that yearning. Students “have used the course to change and grow,” said Siegner. A few have gone on to start their own regenerative food companies. One specializes in Korean bone broth; another in chickpea pancakes, and two former students teamed up to start a pasta company in Brooklyn.

Siegner and Peterson have plans to scale up the school operation. In addition to their six current sites, they have scoped out a “pipeline” of a halfdozen other farms in Massachusetts, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Ireland.

There seems to be no shortage of people thirsty for the kind of hands-on experiences Siegner and Peterson have developed, despite the cost, which is around $3,000 and covers meals and housing for the in-person week at the farm, plus three weeks of online courses and access to a vibrant network of alumni.

Some scholarships are available, which is helpful, said Siegner, “because we have a lot of scholarship need.”

That’s part of the reason Climate Farm School became a nonprofit in March, “so we can fundraise more to support the cost of the course. We don’t want financial access to be a barrier,” she said.

IT WAS FUN, GOING BACK TO SCHOOL, stretching my brain to retain, for instance, CLORPT. That’s the ungainly word for the five factors which control soil formation: CLimate, Organisms, Relief, Parent material and Time.

“It’s not a very intuitive acronym,” allowed Richardson, after teaching it to us.

The five components of CLORPT are not to be confused with the Five Soil Health Principles

embraced by regenerative agriculture adherents, including “reducing disturbance” to avoid breaking up the soil, and “keeping the soil covered” with mulch or a cover crop, to prevent erosion.

Based on the number of times it cropped up, so to speak, the most important soil health principle was plant diversity, an antidote to monoculture crops.

Applying these principles, Richardson says, will “bring the way we farm back into alignment with how natural systems tend to work.”

To better understand how soil-building results in healthier food systems, one morning we traipsed a half-mile to the northern end of the property, where 22-year-old farmer Alice Tibbetts operates a 1.5-acre plot called Fledgling Farm.

The month of June had been intense—“the crunch month,” she told us, between harvesting for her weekly CSA distribution and “big plantings” of melons, winter squash, nightshades and other veggies. “And the weeds are insane.”

She’s learned, among other things, to let go of perfection. While much of her produce is beautiful, beetles gnawed holes in some of the chard this season. “So I was like, ‘OK, CSA members, here’s your holey chard. Sorry but not sorry. I tried my best. And it’s still delicious.’”

While the work is hard and unrelenting, Tibbetts told us, she tries to think of it as more of a ritual, “so it doesn’t feel like work, it feels like life practice.”

She was also listening to an audiobook called “Radical Acceptance.”

“It helps me deal with weedy beds.”

It felt good to pitch in alongside her, laying down some mulch, trying my hand at the versatile “scuffle hoe” to root out small weeds, and helping plant Little Gem lettuces between rows of peppers.

Tibbets asked that we press down at the base of the lettuces when planting. That would create “good root contact” and a slight depression, where water could pool.

Not long after, I was chagrined to see her revisiting some of the lettuces I’d planted, using her fingers to slightly deepen that pool. “I would love to see a little more impression around the plant, if that makes sense,” she said, addressing no one in particular.

I looked around, as if searching for the culprit, even though that slipshod planter was me.

LATER, TO A WARBLING MUSICAL SCORE of barn swallows and the occasional, joyous exclamations of Siegner’s 2-year-old daughter, Juniper, co-director Ryan Peterson led a talk on the trillion-plus-dollar bundle of bills, appropriations, and regulations now known as the Farm Bill. That massive amalgam of omnibus legislation is passed every five years—in theory. The current Farm Bill expired last September.

Most programs have been extended while legislators haggle over the next version.

We learned about Earl Butz, the agribusiness-friendly Secretary of Agriculture in the early 1970s, who supercharged the movement to industrialize American farms, which vastly increased food production but, in Peterson’s view, has also resulted in a host of ills.

While diversifying their crops could make many farmers better able to withstand natural disasters, pests, and diseases, the current Farm Bill incentivizes monocropping, Peterson explained to the group. “So we’ve got an insurance system that pays out in times of low resilience, and at the same time creates low resilience.”

Not gonna lie—it can all get a little heavy, at times, dwelling on climbing temperatures and dysfunctional ag policies and forecasts that global topsoils will deplete in 60 years.

Well aware of this, the course designers allowed some space to address the angst. Since losing her home near the Trinity Alps in a 2021 wildfire, Ana Alanis, a Climate Farm School alumna, has worked to raise awareness around the mental toll of the climate crisis.

“My hope for today,” she said, “is to create some space for the value of climate emotions”—the fear, anger, anxiety and other feelings brought on by climate change. One classmate spoke of a recent, intense conversation she’d had with her husband, who agreed with her that the planet was in trouble but did not agree that this trend could be reversed. She found herself reflecting on “what does that mean for us, for our planet, for our lives, thinking there’s nothing we can do.”

The woman looked forward to grappling with those questions at Climate Farm School, she said, because she was confident “people here would help me work through it. And you have.”

Carley Hauck, the author and self-described “truth-teller,” wasn’t bashful about sharing her opinion that things are going to get much worse before they get better.

“There’s going to be a hell of a lot more suffering before we really wake up and make a lot of changes.” More people will have perished, she predicted, and more species will have died off.

“And I feel rage. Why are we not waking up? Why are we making this so much harder than it has to be?

She explained that she doesn’t “shush” the part of her that’s in touch with her rage. “I have to move it. I have to pound pillows, swim, yell.” Once she’s past it, she said, “I can move into fierce, compassionate action.”

ON THE LAST FULL DAY OF SCHOOL, it was time to focus on “models of transformation” designed to give students hope, or at least “pause us from worrying,” explained Siegler. Friday’s model was Wanda Stewart, a highly respected food justice activist, urban farmer, community builder, and legendary gardener in the East Bay.

One of her titles now is executive director of Common Vision, a nonprofit committed to planting fruit tree orchards and gardens at low-income schools. Stewart has helped with

countless gardens, none more glorious than the sprawling, thriving victory garden at Hoover Elementary School in west Oakland. Starting in 2015, students transformed what had been a dirt patch to a 10,000-square-foot garden space.

In her first week at Hoover, Stewart recalled in 2020, “a sweet first-grade boy was having a temper tantrum. He looked me in the eye and threw the chair across the room. When I asked him why he did that, he said, ‘I’m hungry.’ That’s when we got busy growing food for the kids, to show them they could grow their own food, to incorporate outdoor learning into their world, and most importantly to feed them.”

Food waste, we’d learned, is a global issue with widespread negative effects. Stewart told the story of how she and her allies were addressing it on a local level.

Around the time of the pandemic, the organic grocery delivery service Good Eggs in Oakland found itself in high demand. Business was so good, in fact, that they were discarding large amounts of high-end groceries. “In America, the better a business is doing, the less it cares about the trash it’s throwing away,” said Stewart.

Good Eggs invited Stewart and her fellow volunteers to take that food—sirloin steak, legs of lamb, organic whole chicken—and distribute it as they saw fit. “At first we started giving this food away at the gardens where we worked.” Then they started giving it to local public school students.

“We’re feeding the kids who had the least, the food of those who had the most,” says Stewart, who believes that upgrade in nutrition makes them better students. “Because they’re not coming to class hopped up on what the school district feeds them.”

She’s told administrators at the district, “You gotta stop feeding the kids crap now. We’re giving them brioche hot dogs, y’all are giving ’em cardboard.”

TO HELP US TRULY INTERNALIZE OUR LESSONS on regenerative agriculture, chefs Maggie Cely and Megan Wang—on loan from Brooklyn’s Rule of Thirds restaurant and Saraghina Bakery, respectively—prepared meals with ingredients from Green Valley Farm, including sublime yogurt from the cows who sometimes greeted us but mostly ignored us we strolled past each morning.

On the final night of farm school, sitting at tables underneath the arbor, Stewart, the food justice warrior, buttonholed Richardson, the Point Blue soil specialist. She was preparing to apply for some grants, and wondered how she might measure carbon sequestration for the school gardens in which she works—“where we’re mulching on top of asphalt.”

“On top of asphalt? I don’t get that,” said Richardson.

“We have large spaces where there’s nothing but asphalt,” Stewart explained. Rather than tear the asphalt out, which is prohibitively expensive, “we put down cardboard and mulch and mulch and mulch across the years.”

Richardson lit up. Now that he understood, he had a number of suggestions, on which he expounded in a quintessentially Climate Farm School exchange.

In the gloaming after dinner, students and instructors sat

IN

THE GLOAMING AFTER DINNER, STUDENTS AND INSTRUCTORS SAT AROUND A FIREPIT TO REFLECT. ONE STUDENT SAID THE HIGHLIGHT OF THE WEEK WAS HEARING OF WANDA STEWART’S SUCCESSES IN URBAN SCHOOL GARDENS.

around a fire pit to reflect. One student said the highlight of the week was hearing of Stewart’s successes in urban school gardens. Her own emerging interest was in how she might get involved in a similar movement near her home in the Northwest, “working with kids, helping them realize how good food can be, where it comes from, and how they can be a part of it.”

“Try Black Futures Farm in Portland,” Stewart suggested from across the table. “And I got a name for you in Washington.” Khadine Singh, the Google executive from San Francisco, also listed time with Stewart as a highlight. “I think we can’t have this discussion” about reforming systems “without talking about food justice.” Without Stewart’s talk, she said, Climate Farm School would’ve felt incomplete.

Singh said her week on the farm had deepened her connection to the land. “The more we take care of the earth, the more we take care of ourselves,” she said, before adding a sobering note. “The planet’s going to be fine... The earth will right itself. We’re just trying to make sure we can live on it.”

FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THE LOCAL FARMERS

SHARING LAND AT GREEN VALLEY FARM + MILL IN SEBASTOPOL, VISIT GVFAM. COM. CLIMATE FARM SCHOOL RUNS PROGRAMS AT GREEN VALLEY FARM + MILL A FEW TIMES A YEAR, IN ADDITION TO PROGRAMS AT OTHER FARMS IN THE U.S. AND EUROPE. FOR A SCHEDULE, VISIT CLIMATEFARMSCHOOL.ORG.

Building a secure future

When it comes to financial and asset management with an eye toward retirement, most informed individuals and families want their estate planning handled by experienced professionals. Whether it be in a legal, financial, fiduciary, or logistical role, the right estate and retirement experts can help households focus on what’s important to them and prioritize the steps involved in executing a plan that will pay dividends now and for generations to come. Please take some time to read about the experts profiled on the following pages – they very well could benefit you!

Anderson Zeigler

Over the past 40 years, Anderson Zeigler has developed a deep well of expertise in assisting high net worth individuals and families with complex estate and tax planning, trust administration, and business succession needs. Our estate planning attorneys are experts in specialized trusts that can help minimize tax gains from highly appreciated assets. They can assist with transfers of assets to the next generation while maximizing the estate tax exemption and reducing your estate taxes. If you need a generation-skipping trust, or plan to make charitable contributions as part of your inter-generational estate planning needs, we are here to help.

Anderson Zeigler is a full service law firm with collaboration as its core value. Clients of the firm have access to experts in business law, litigation, real estate, employment law, land use, intellectual property, and family law. With the tools and knowledge at our disposal, we can help you and your family create and grow intergenerational wealth, and protect your assets

into the future. We can often fix mistakes by your prior advisors, as our attorneys are highly skilled in spotting and addressing issues to ensure that every one of your assets is protected and covered by a comprehensive and cohesive estate plan.

With deep roots in Northern California, we understand and love Sonoma County. This is where we live, raise our families, earn our living, and give back to our communities through service on non-profit boards and pro-bono efforts. We routinely work as a team with accountants, financial advisors and other professionals outside the firm to help clients implement savvy wealth management strategies. Chances are, if you need an outside consultant, we have a relationship with someone who can help. Whatever your needs may be, the firm has the expertise, resources, connections, and passion to help you and your family do your best.

At Anderson Zeigler, we have you covered from A to Z.

Front row from left to right:

• Zachary Carroll – Estate planning and trust administration (Associate)

• Catherine Banti – Estate planning and trust administration, business law, taxation, real estate, and intellectual property law (Shareholder)

• Kenneth Cyphers – Estate planning and trust administration, real property, and business law (Shareholder)

Back row from left to right:

• Robert Rutherfurd – Business law, including entity formation, succession planning, mergers and acquisitions, and real estate law (Of Counsel)

• Christopher Mazzia – Civil litigation and counseling involving employment, real estate, business, probate, and environmental law (Of Counsel)

• Daniel Post – Civil litigation and appeals in commercial, landlordtenant, real property, construction, and tort disputes (Shareholder)

• Rose Zoia – Real estate and business transactions, land use, and appellate work (Shareholder)

• Michael Shklovsky – Civil litigation and counseling in business, employment, real estate, and probate disputes (Managing Shareholder)

• Richard O’Hare – Civil litigation, family law, and intellectual property prosecution and litigation (Associate)

• Michael Fish – Family law, civil litigation, business transactions, and attorney-client fee disputes (Of Counsel)

• Kathleen Mullins Henderson – Family law, civil litigation, and education law (Associate)

• Ryan Thomas – Civil litigation and counseling in areas of business and real estate transactions (Shareholder)

Not pictured:

• Lisa Yoshida – Business transactions, construction contracts, real estate (Shareholder) ANDERSONZEIGLER.COM | (707) 545-4910

Redwood Credit Union

Secure Your Family’s Future with Redwood Credit Union’s CFS* Wealth Management Services

Why Choose RCU Wealth Management?

The CFS* Wealth Management team at RCU, led by Tom Hubert, Esteban Zuno, and Jackie Lou Raquidan, is built with extensive banking and financial services experience. Our team, comprised of over 15 advisors and six investment coordinators, is focused on your financial well-being. We partner with you to navigate the complexities of the financial landscape, offering valuable resources to simplify your life.

Our Commitment

Your financial success is our utmost priority. We pride ourselves on building meaningful relationships with our members across generations. Trust and doing the right thing guide our interactions, ensuring you feel confident and well-supported on your financial journey.

Our Value Proposition

Our personalized approach goes beyond numbers, delving into

Tom Hubert

the meaningful “why” behind your financial goals. We understand that managing your finances is about genuinely understanding what matters to you.

Our Comprehensive Financial Solutions

Investment Management: Our strategic allocation and thoughtful selection of assets aim to optimize growth while balancing risk tolerance and long-term objectives.

Retirement Planning: We provide a systematic process to evaluate goals at any stage of your retirement journey, focusing on establishing a stable income and attaining your desired lifestyle.

Tax Efficiency: We help you organize your assets and income to make well-informed financial decisions, factoring in tax implications to preserve more of your wealth.

Wealth Preservation: Our smart financial practices safeguard the long-term longevity of your accumulated wealth for future generations.

Risk Management: We identify, assess, and reduce potential

financial risks that may adversely impact your portfolio.

Our Disciplined Approach

Our five-step “G.U.I.D.E” philosophy places you at the center of our planning process, ensuring that your financial success aligns with your goals and dreams. Here’s how we do it:

Get to Know You: We start by understanding your financial goals, concerns, and overall situation. This includes a thorough review of your current versus desired state and being sure we act in your best interest.

Understand Your Situation: Through goals-based conversations, we assess your income, expenses, assets, liabilities, and risk tolerance.

Implement Proposal: We analyze data, validate information, and deliver recommendations with the necessary documentation. Develop a Financial Plan: We collaborate with your other professionals to create a comprehensive portfolio strategy, using an

open architecture platform and quality products through CUSO Financial Services.

Establish Frequent Reviews: We monitor and review your plan regularly, making tactical and strategic updates as needed to manage lifestyle events and take actionable steps.

Get Started Today

Stop into a branch or visit our website to learn more about RCU Wealth Management. Begin the journey of securing your legacy with Redwood Credit Union.

Jackie Lou Raquidan, and Esteban Zuno

Transcend Wealth Partners

Transcend Wealth Partners is a distinctive wealth management firm in that it does not provide investment advisory services. Instead, owners Maya Boguslavsky and Cynthia Calderon dive deeply into all other aspects of complex wealth and tax planning, accounting, reporting, and administration.

Having worked with ultra-high net worth families for 20 years, we know investing money is just one aspect of wealth management. It entails broader and more comprehensive services such as entity management, trust administration, accounting, direct investing, financial reporting, cashflow management, and tax planning.

We are a turn-key private family office solution without the conflict of providing investment advisory services, making us unique in the industry. Trust us to simplify complex information, thoughtfully manage ongoing financial responsibilities, and protect your legacy for generations to come.

Managing a family wealth enterprise can be overwhelming to families and that is where our firm adds value – we not only guide families in their wealth planning, we ease the burden of wealth by taking on the responsibilities for the administration and compliance associated with wealth management.

Our work puts your family first. By facilitating meetings, providing resources, educating younger generations, and taking on the tedious aspects of your financial affairs, we act as your executive team so you can focus on what matters most to you. We offer highly personalized, handson service and carefully select our clients so that we may tailor our services and ensure your individual needs are met. All decisions are based on your best interests with full transparency and no conflicts so you feel empowered, personally and financially.

We offer peace of mind, now and in the future. Wealth means having the resources to live a meaningful life, but

Cynthia Calderon

the wealth planning process doesn’t have to be complicated. We simplify the details so you can find clarity in planning for your wealth and enjoy doing what’s best for your family and your community – both today and in years to come. We build strong connections with one another, our clients, and our community. We invest in and respect the value of our relationships.

We believe in being honest in both our words and our intentions. We’re transparent in our actions and genuine in our interactions. Further, we strive to create a positive change in the world, always challenging ourselves and one another to grow and be better. We also embrace creative solutions, even when they’re not the easiest ones, and tenaciously work together to overcome obstacles.

You want to preserve your wealth and your legacy. We simplify the wealth management process for you, creating and executing strategic solutions so you have more clarity, time, and peace of mind. Working in partnership with

you and your other advisors, we oversee your finances and provide consolidated reporting, giving you full transparency without the administrative burden. By handling the dayto-day management of your affairs, we give you the space and freedom to focus on the business, personal, and philanthropic interests and passions that are most important to you. 722

Maya Boguslavsky

Chris KathrynL’Orange Korn, The Korn Law Group

The Korn Law Group is a husband and wife law firm and mediation service with offices in Orinda and Healdsburg, specializing in trust and estate matters ranging from estate planning to trust and conservatorship litigation. Kathryn Korn, a former chair of the Trust and Estates section of the Contra Costa Bar Association, handles estate planning, trust and estate administration, advising estate fiduciaries, preparing special needs trusts, in addition to serving as an experienced mediator in these matters. Chris L’Orange has an extensive litigation background encompassing business issues, trust contests, and elder abuse cases. He is also a member of the American Board of Trial Advocates, a nationwide organization that carefully selects its members based on their trial experience. We recognize that creating an estate plan or being involved in estate litigation can be extremely stressful. We work to minimize or eliminate that stress by helping the client navigate the complex array of cases and statutes governing estate planning, ultimately ensuring their goals and aspirations are met. We also realize that trust and estate litigation can easily overwhelm a client with its uncertainty, both in cost and result. Our job is to create an organized and practical plan that has achievable goals, is compatible with the client’s wishes, is cost effective, and circumstances permitting, creative in its approach. Our priority is obtaining the best result for the client.

Kathryn and Chris live, work, and cycle in Healdsburg accompanied by their two French bulldogs, Chloe and Stella.

Lori Beth Merrill Paladin Fiduciary Services

My name is Lori Beth Merrill, and I welcome you to Paladin Fiduciary Services, serving Sonoma and neighboring counties. A fiduciary is someone entrusted to manage another’s medical or financial affairs when they are unable to or choose not to do so themselves. The State of California maintains rigorous annual licensing requirements for professional fiduciaries.

At Paladin Fiduciary Services, our philosophy is one of autonomy. We encourage you to remain in control for as long as possible, with support from our experts when needed. Unlike direct wealth advisors, we offer a holistic approach: personally arranging estate planning; payment of financial obligations; benefit applications and medical and care coordination.

Our role is to collaborate seamlessly with you, your attorney, financial advisors, banking institutions, and health care providers, while maintaining proven relationships with them.

Consider whether the family member or friend named in your living trust as successor trustee, executor of your will, or as a power of attorney for health or finance has the necessary time, expertise, and objectivity to handle these responsibilities effectively. Will their involvement affect family dynamics or lead to additional legal costs?

Choosing and naming a professional fiduciary to fill these designated roles means having dedicated advocates who prioritize your needs and wishes. When it’s time to manage the intricate details of your affairs, we will navigate a transitional path with respect and resolve.

Bill Ryan Exchange Bank Investment Officer

Your trusted local partner

Selecting an investment manager is one of the most important decisions you can make. At Exchange Bank we’ve offered full-service trust and investment services tailored to meet our clients’ individual needs for more than 60 years.

We believe in using proven investment strategies to produce optimal results. Our approach is based on three key principles that have been shown to have the most impact on outcome: asset allocation, diversification, and managing expenses. We carefully balance risk and reward tailored to each unique situation, risk tolerance, and financial goals.

As a fee-only fiduciary investment manager, we do not accept commissions of any kind. It’s about making smart, straightforward investment decisions to help local clients achieve their financial goals.

Call Bill today at 707-524-3151 for a complimentary consultation.

Exchange Bank products are: Not a deposit Not FDIC insured

Not guaranteed by the bank Not insured by any

May go down in

Brett Rhodes Rhodes Law Attorney, Founder

Modern Estate Planning in California: Secure Your Future with Rhodes Law

In today’s evolving landscape, protecting your financial future is crucial. Brett Rhodes, attorney and founder of Rhodes Law, is committed to safeguarding his clients’ legacies through comprehensive estate planning. Located in Santa Rosa, Rhodes Law serves Sonoma County and the North Bay, reflecting Brett’s dedication to providing peace of mind and security.

More than an estate planner, Brett Rhodes is a guardian of legacies, offering clarity and protection in the complex realm of estate law. Named to the 2024 Northern California Super Lawyers Rising Star list, Brett’s expertise and compassionate approach distinguish him in his field. His philosophy centers on building strong relationships with clients, understanding their unique needs, and crafting estate plans that ensure their wishes are honored and assets protected. He works closely with clients, offering guidance and support throughout the planning process. Rhodes Law stands out for its community commitment, regularly sponsoring local events and providing personalized service. This involvement, coupled with Brett’s meticulous attention to detail, differentiates the firm as a trusted estate planning partner.

With a 5-star rating on AVVO and an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau, the firm exemplifies excellence and reliability. Clients at Rhodes Law find not only legal expertise but also a dedicated advocate for their financial security.

Securing your financial future and protecting your loved ones is essential. A comprehensive estate plan preserves your assets and ensures your wishes are honored, offering peace of mind for the future.

A winemaker and a designer craft a family home full of layered texture and creative repurposing—and more than a little bit of serendipity.

place

Bringing Nature Home

by ABIGAIL PETERSON photography by EILEEN ROCHE

ADEEP-ROOTED CONNECTION to the landscape marks the rustic home of architectural designer Lisa Steinkamp and winemaker Scot Bilbro. On 5 rural acres in Healdsburg (“but just two minutes from Big John’s Market,” Lisa says), the couple and their son live in a simple, barnlike structure with broad connections to the outdoors from nearly every room. “The thing we’ve always loved about this property is no matter where you are on it, whichever structure you’re in, you’re just looking at more wilderness,” says Scot. “It feels like you’re on a much, much bigger property than you are.”

The couple, who met in the early 2000s, were living in downtown Healdsburg in 2013 and had been looking for rural land for several years when Lisa got a tip from an old friend that the property was for sale. Though the outbuildings were in rough condition and overgrown with brambles, they could see the contours of the land held a beautiful shape, overlooking a sweeping view of a pond populated with herons,

Wide glass doors open to a patio, where Healdsburg winemaker Scot Bilbro watches his son, Booker, fish for bass in the nearby pond.

turtles, and other wildlife. “I was just itching to be able to walk out onto some meadow, to have some larger confines around us,” says Scot.

He and Lisa designed the home together and undertook much of the construction themselves, endlessly discussing the framing of the view through the antique windows they’d found, accumulating repurposed doors and redwood siding—even teaching themselves how to use SketchUp to draw their plans. Lisa envisioned a classic California indoor-outdoor home with pocket gardens and living spaces that blurred the distinction between inside and out. “The thought process was to create a very small envelope of curated space around the house,” she explains. “It’s

very clean, intentional. It was important not to have an immaculate garden space, but to feel like we were living in nature.”

Downstairs is one large room with separate spaces carved out for living, dining, lounging, and cooking. There’s a single bathroom that the entire family uses, and a bedroom for their son, as well as multiple sets of doors with views out to the pond and fields. Scot and Lisa’s room is upstairs, reached via a set of stainless-steel scaffolding Scot repurposed from his winery—the type of stairs more commonly used to access the tops of wine tanks during fermentation.

The interior, including 25-foot-tall walls in the main living space, is clad entirely in gorgeous, inch-

Creative repurposing at play in the interior of Scot Bilbro and Lisa Steinkamp’s Healdsburg home. Above, reclaimed redwood siding and a repurposed metal meat-locker door. Right: Stainless steel winery scaffolding leads to the upstairs sleeping space.

Courtesy The Madrona

LANDSCAPEDESIGN  CONSTRUCTION  MAINTENANCE

thick, foot-wide reclaimed redwood boards. “We were almost finished, and Scot kept saying, ‘Hey, why don’t you sheetrock the walls,’” recalls Lisa. “And I said ‘I can’t. I can’t do it.’ I didn’t know what I was waiting for. But then I got a call from our wood guy, who had found some secret stash of barnwood sitting under a tarp somewhere. So I jumped in his truck and we got the wood, and that clad the entire space.”

Though it was built less than a decade ago, this is a storied home, one layered with a history and personality that reveal much about the family that built it. The living areas have wide comfy couches and lots of pillows for reading and nesting. Lisa is drawn to pieces with a background: a chandelier draped in fringe, opera costumes purchased for a song at a sample sale, handmade ceramics, an antique upright piano. “The place is from the heart,” says Lisa. “It’s cozy—which is weird to say with 25-foot ceilings, you know.”

Their design decisions have been guided by a feeling of what is right for the home and the property, even if their choices seem unconventional or unusual. “Our signal that we’re doing the right thing is whenever somebody says, ‘Why are you doing this?’ or ‘What do you see in this property?’” says Scot. “Basically, whenever someone tells us we’re crazy, we’re like, ‘Oh, we’re on the right track.’ Usually Lisa and I are totally in sync in terms of feeling there’s potential and magic in a place, and it’s all the better when nobody else can see it.”

Above: Lisa purchased the large-scale art above the sideboard online. It’s a series of cards that clip together to form a colorfield representation of Vermeer’s “Girl with the Pearl Earring.”

Right: Double-height ceilings in the main living space.

The couple are proud to be passing along their creative values to their son, Booker, who was just a toddler when they first moved to the property and is now 13 years old. “We are doing a really good job of training our kid that used is good,” says Lisa. “In a world where fashion is in constant turnaround and quality has gone down and mountains of throwaway clothing are sent far across the ocean, he’s learning all that’s not necessary.”

Booker, who wants to be a pilot, spends his summers outside fishing for bass on the pond or tinkering with motorcycles and model airplanes. With a cheeky high-schooler’s sense of humor, he names all of the goslings on the pond Ryan—there’s a whole bevy of Ryan Goslings hatched each spring. “Booker’s exposure to all this has gotten us to the point where he’s the one who reminds us how to play outside. He gets us out on the lake, out on the paddleboard,” says Scot.

Above: Booker’s bedroom on the first level is one of the few spots in the home with a door that closes—much of the rest of the space flows openly. Below: Reclaimed redwood siding extends into the rustic farm kitchen.

The family lives in tune with the seasons, throwing the doors wide open each morning and eating outdoors on the patio most nights. Scot likes to grill whole fish or lamb, Booker rolls out pasta from scratch, and the three of them make big salads with produce grown in raised beds made from half-ton bins from the winery. “Being in the wine industry, having every seasonal change mean something’s happening is really fun,” says Scot. “And it makes you feel connected to your job, and what’s going on, and where you live in a different way.”

“I work really hard to be present. When you’re working in agriculture, you’re always looking ahead. There’s a similarity between working on projects at the house and growing grapes and making wine. You’re in the midst of a perpetual transformation—you’re watching the leaves come out, you’re watching the canopies. Suddenly there’s fruit, and suddenly again, it changes color, and then you’re in the cellar. I just think it’s an amazing process… It’s like one big choose-your-own-adventure story.”

A Creative Approach in Healdsburg

Scot and Lisa’s imaginative Healdsburg home epitomizes their approach to working life. Lisa is the principal at Lisa Steinkamp Design, an architectural design company that connects with clients mostly by word of mouth. “I specialize in re-imagining spaces. I’m really good at going into an existing home and very quickly figuring out how it needs to be shifted—not just into a new era, but into a new feeling.” lisa.steinkamp@gmail.com

Scot Bilbro is the owner/winemaker at Marietta Cellars, founded by his father, Chris Bilbro, in 1978 and known for its Old Vine Red, a wine that replicates old-school field blends of Zinfandel and other local fruit with deep history in the region. Call for tastings, offered Mon.-Fri. 707-433-2747, mariettacellars.com

When not cooking together at home, Lisa and Scot love dinner at Diavola Pizzeria & Salumeria in Geyserville. “It is our favorite restaurant, full stop,” says Lisa. “Every dish brings joy, and chef Dino Bugica is a genius. How lucky are we?” The sister property next door, Geyserville Gun Club, offers fantastic bar food and cocktails

inspired by Dino’s travels to East Asia. 21021 Geyserville Ave., Geyserville. 707-814-0111, diavolapizzeria.com

In downtown Healdsburg, the couple visit Gallery Lulo for fine art, jewelry, and design. “The owners, Katherine Schjerbeck and Karen Gilbert, have brought beauty to our town and into my life. Every piece of jewelry I wear is from Lulo,” says Lisa. 303 Center St., Healdsburg. 707-433-7533, gallerylulo.com

At harvest—or anytime really—the family looks forward to sandwiches on the front porch of the 1880s-era Dry Creek General Store. Scot’s family has winemaking roots in the valley. “Gia Passalacqua knows flavors and would be able to cook in her sleep,” Lisa says. 3495 Dry Creek Rd., Healdsburg. 707-433-4171, drycreekgeneralstore1881.com

In tiny Forestville, Ryme Cellars offers an authentic and very personal wine tasting. “The owners, Ryan and Megan Glaab, are known to make ‘his and hers’ versions of varietals. Super-fun.” 6450 First St., Forestville. 707-820-8121, rymecellars.com.

GLOBALROOTS SONOMA

Sat,September21

12p.m.–7:30p.m.

WorldMusicFestival  4Stages

SamReider&JorgeGlem TraditionalVenezuelanrhythms alongsideAmericanjazzandroots music.

LilaDowns

Winnerof6LatinGrammysand oneGrammy,celebratedsinger LilaDownsisoneofthemost powerfulanduniquevoicesthat existtoday.

DakhaBrakha

AccompaniedbyIndian, Arabic,African,andUkrainian traditionalinstrumentation, DakhaBrakha’spowerfuland uncompromisingvocalrange createsatrans-nationalsound rootedinUkrainianculture.

CanzoniereGrecanico Salentino Italy’sleadingtraditionalmusic ensemblere-inventingSouthern Italy’smusicalanddancetraditions fortoday’sglobalaudience.

CañaDulceyCañaBrava Spreadingthetraditionalmusicof Veracruzthroughmultiplerhythms, traditionalstringinstruments, percussion,zapateado,andpoetic improvisation.

ARFlamencoTrio AngelinaRamirezisaflamenco movementartistwhosework exploreswhatitmeanstobea queer,latinxflamenca,practicing inatraditionalRoma/gitanoform ofdance.

Wild Abundance

Artist and winemaker Alice Warnecke Sutro cultivates creativity out of doors on her family’s Chalk Hill ranch.

by VINCE VITALE photography by LIZA GERSHMAN

ALICE WARNECKE SUTRO has always looked to the land for inspiration. The rugged Warnecke Ranch, a 265-acre property in Sonoma’s Chalk Hill region with over a mile of frontage along the Russian River, has been in her family for six generations. The ranch is the place that feeds her soul, she says—the place where she can be the best version of herself. “It’s why I manage the vineyard, make the wine, and do the work. It’s all about the connection to the ranch.”

Growing up, the river was a peaceful place to swim and explore, and now she takes her two children there to do the same. “It’s so beautiful down there. It’s imprinted in my mind as the most energizing place I can go.”

Alice—a grapegrower, winemaker, and visual artist—studied art history at Stanford and once held one of those student jobs that seem to only exist in the movies: maintaining works of art in the university’s outdoor sculpture garden. While literally soaping down a priceless Rodin bronze, she realized she was drawn to explore the places that had been home to the great artists she loved, and that being able to touch and experience

The land farmed by artist Alice Warnecke Sutro has been in her family for a century.

art in person was grounding to her artistic practice. Alice later lived and worked in Florence and Moscow before returning to the Bay Area’s California College of the Arts for a master’s degree in fine arts. It was in graduate school that the young artist experienced a bit of a creative crisis. A professor had questioned aspects of her work, and she retreated to the family ranch to regroup. Alice found herself sitting on the ground, with her drawing paper beneath her, inside a large pigeon coop. Looking up at dozens of white pigeons, which had been raised on the ranch for 30 years, she simply began to draw what she saw.

“It’s hard to draw a bird because they always move. It was exciting, drawing faster and looser. Letting go of control made me more creative, exploratory, and adventurous—and then the line in my work didn’t seem stale,” she says.

Today, Alice continues that freely given expression, and has become known for life-size figurative line drawings as well as live art performances. She likens the performances to drawing under pressure— a concept she explores in the tradition of artists like Niki de Saint Phalle, one of her creative inspirations.

At Healdsburg’s Gallery Lulo, where she first explored the concept of live drawing, she’d sit in the gallery and invite people off the street to step inside, where she would draw them live and then give away digital copies of the portraits to the subjects.

“I don’t think museums are always the best places for art. They make it rare and inaccessible,” she says, pointing out that long ago, art was a form of ritual and often didn’t culminate in a single, stand-alone work.

Last summer, Alice created a monumental outdoor piece set in an olive grove at Petaluma’s McEvoy Ranch. Her “I’m On a Roll” mural spooled out in one 100-foot-long roll of paper, with 20 life-size portraits of real-life people, solicited on the spot and drawn in a span of 12 hours— an experience she likens to running a marathon, as she dug deep for the physical strength and focus to finish the work.

“I was looking at subject matter and drawing, so my brain was working there.

While talking to them, I was an active listener and active in the conversation and tried to remember things about them, but then I was also aware of the people around me. They are my audience also.”

The live performance aspect of her art creates a deep connection with people. “At the heart of my projects, there is always a person-to-person interaction. Drawing from life gives my line a certain quality and helps make my work look how I want it to,” she says.

Her recent installation, “Mistress of Memory,” at Healdsburg’s Harmon Guest House plays with the concept of hotels as transitive spaces, featuring life-size figurative drawings of women holding balloons over their bodies. Alice created art for six guest suites, plus a large mural in the hotel restaurant—all accompanied by a flash-fiction writing project where hotel guest are invited to interpret the works. It’s a narrative, she explains, about making, and perhaps losing, memories.

“I like to open up my practice to other people. I think of it more like theater, like having a director or set producer.”

Left: Alice is known for large-scale portrait projects, often drawn on site and out of doors. With quick brushstrokes, she captures the essence of personality. Below: Recent works on paper inside Alice’s rustic studio on her Chalk Hill ranch.

Below: The whitewashed interior of her art studio has a relaxed country feel, with plenty of places to stretch out. Right: Alice sets aside largescale art projects during harvest but creates shorter pieces on the fly.

“AT THE HEART OF MY PROJECTS, THERE IS ALWAYS A PERSONTO-PERSON INTERACTION. DRAWING FROM LIFE GIVES MY LINE A CERTAIN QUALITY AND HELPS MAKE MY WORK LOOK HOW I WANT IT TO.”

Alice Warnecke Sutro’s installations will be on display at Harmon Guest House through September, and she is currently at work on a new exhibition at Escolar on the campus of Santa Rosa Junior College in November. For more information, visit alicesutro.com. To shop Alice’s wines, including a crisp Sauvignon Blanc and her favorite Cabernet Sauvignon from Warnecke Ranch, visit sutrowine.com.

But drawing under such intense circumstances can take a toll. She utilizes her ranch as a place to recuperate “before getting back out there.” Her small, rambling studio, filled with family antiques and artifacts from around the ranch, was once used by her father, a landscape architect, as a drawing studio. It smells of the redwood from which it was built.

Alice says the studio is a place to look inward and work privately on smaller art pieces as well as short stories for an upcoming book.

“The internal work balances the public-facing part of the art,” she explains.

In late summer and early fall, Alice’s art takes a back seat to her duties as a rancher, grapegrower, and winemaker. Alice and her aunt, Margo Warnecke Merck, manage an 80-acre vineyard which produces some 350 tons of grapes that are sold to labels like Decoy, Matanzas Creek, and Herzog. Alice holds back an additional 20 tons

of fruit for her own label, SUTRO Wine Co. Her favorite fruit to work with is Cabernet Sauvignon, she says. “It’s the variety that can do the most. I love the grippiness and bitter taste.”

“I do often think about the tannins as deep shadows on a painting.”

With a heavy harvest workload, Alice typically pauses larger works for a few months, though she keeps a working list of musings and ideas close at hand and manages to create some time to write. She also occasionally uses an app on her iPad to “finish the stories” on drawings that are not yet complete. But the time away from more ambitious projects is another chance to recharge. “I like that distance from it. I get reinvigorated to return to art-making with the seasons.”

Ever the farmer, with the promise of the future in mind, Alice is hopeful that this fall’s harvest will be the best vintage ever. After all, she says, “All farmers are idealistic romantics at heart.”

Below: The whitewashed interior of her art studio has a relaxed country feel, with plenty of places to stretch out. Right: Alice sets aside largescale art projects during harvest but creates

“AT THE HEART OF MY PROJECTS, THERE IS ALWAYS A PERSONTO-PERSON INTERACTION. DRAWING FROM LIFE GIVES

MY LINE A CERTAIN QUALITY AND HELPS MAKE MY WORK LOOK HOW I WANT IT TO.”

Alice Sutro’s installations will be on display at Harmon Guest House through September, and she is currently at work on a new exhibition at Escolar on the campus of Santa Rosa Junior College in November. For more information, visit alicesutro.com. To shop Alice’s wines, including a crisp Sauvignon Blanc and her favorite Cabernet Sauvignon from Warnecke Ranch, visit sutrowine.com.

Alice says the studio is a place to look inward and work privately on smaller art pieces as well as short stories for an upcoming book.

“The internal work balances the public-facing part of the art,” she explains.

In late summer and early fall, Alice’s art takes a back seat to her duties as a rancher, grapegrower, and winemaker. Along with her aunt, Alice manages an 80-acre vineyard, which produces some 350 tons of grapes that are sold to labels like Decoy, Matanzas Creek, and Herzog. Alice holds back an additional 20 tons of fruit for her own

label, SUTRO Wine Co. Her favorite fruit to work with is Cabernet Sauvignon, she says. “It’s the variety that can do the most. I love the grippiness and bitter taste.”

“I do often think about tannins as deep shadows on a painting.”

shorter pieces on the fly.

HARVEST GETAWAY

Escape for the weekend to the town of Sonoma, as locals celebrate the 200th anniversary of the first vineyards in the valley.

With harvest in full swing, fall is one of the best times to visit the town of Sonoma. The town goes all-in for September’s Valley of the Moon Vintage Festival, which this year celebrates the 200th anniversary of the planting of grapes at downtown's Mission San Francisco de Solano. If you’re out early enough in the morning, you might catch a glimpse of a truck stacked high with bins of grapes coming down the road—picking mostly happens in the middle of the night.

Here are our suggestions for a perfect three-day weekend getaway itinerary, timed to make the most of early fall.

FRIDAY

If you can swing it, try to arrive early enough in the day for a visit to the year-round Sonoma Valley Certified Farmers Market (9 a.m-12:30 p.m. Depot Park, 241 First St. W.) The season’s bounty is doubled this time of year as the last of summer’s succulent tomatoes and corn meet fall pumpkins and chiles. Don’t miss flowers from Glen Ellen’s Oak Hill Farm and Mike the Bejkr’s fantastic whole-grain sourdough breads.

From the market, you can walk to Corner 103 (103 W. Napa St., 707-9316141, corner103.com), where the gracious Lloyd Davis, a former banker who is active in the Association of African American Vintners, and his team focus on teaching about wine in a friendly, welcoming environment. The tasting option paired with food ($60 per person) is worth the investment.

In the afternoon, drive a few miles outside town to get in some country time with the sweet creatures living at Charlie’s Acres, a sanctuary that provides homes for goats, pigs, chickens, and other farm animals ($50, 3201 Napa Rd., charliesacres.org).

Dip your toes into the casual-chic scene at Valley Swim Club (18709 Arnold Dr., 707-243-3032, valleyswim.club), a walk-in-only outdoor dining spot modeled after an East Coast clam shack. There isn’t any actual swimming to be had here— that’s just the name—but there are incredible fried oysters, fish sandwiches, and rice bowls to be enjoyed underneath cheery, red-and-white-striped umbrellas.

The luxe tasting lounge at downtown's Corner 103. Below: Rescued chickens and other farm animals at Charlie's Acres farm sanctuary.

DavisFamilyVineyardshasbeenanintegral partofSonomaCountysince1997.Food& WineTrailsisproudtopartnerwithOwner& WinemakerGuyDavisforanincredibleten nightsinPolynesianparadise!Comeraisea glassofDavisFamilywinewithusaboardthe OceaniaCruises’elegantshipNauticaand discoverhiddenTahitianwinetreasures.

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Sonoma’s Big Anniversary This fall marks 200 years since grapes were first planted at Mission San Francisco Solano, a milestone that will be celebrated in epic fashion at the Valley of the Moon Vintage Festival, put on by the Sonoma Valley Vintners & Growers Alliance. The festival will feature food, music, tastings, the official blessing of the harvest—and, most raucously, the famous annual Grape Stomp competition on the plaza, no experience required. September 26-28, valleyofthemoonvintagefestival.org

Back downtown, the speakeasy-style bar scene upstairs at The Beacon (497 First St. W., 707-7211107) is a sophisticated, high-design counterpoint to the more downhome aspects of your first day in town, and it stays open until 11 p.m. Wind down with an excellent craft cocktail (the complex, herbal Mother Teresa is a favorite) as you chat with upbeat, in-the-know bartenders—always the best kind.

SATURDAY

Around the plaza, much of the early morning action centers around caffeine as harvest crews fuel up for long days. There’s heavy traffic at the Peet’s and Dutch Bros. on Broadway, but you’ll want to head straight to Monday Bakery (117 E. Napa St., 707-699-2960, mondaybakery.com) where the lattes are smooth and the croissants extra flaky.

Sonoma Garden Park, just outside town, is a community garden,

nature center, and farmers market rolled into one (19996 Seventh St. E., 707-996-0712, sonomaecologycenter.org/sonomagardenpark). There are quiet places to picnic and stroll, plus a Saturday morning harvest market where you can pick up great gardening advice along with your tomatoes. Back in town, our favorite casual lunch is definitely Mexican street food from El Dorado Cantina (405 First St. W., 707-996-3030, eldoradosonoma.com/ edk-cantina), the fun little sister to the upscale El Dorado Kitchen. Get your tacos to go and enjoy them across the street on the plaza. From there, you can shop and wander downtown a bit—browse beautiful, eco-friendly housewares at Jak W (124 W. Napa St., 707-721-1207, jak-w. com) or colorful gifts imported from Mexico at Hola Vida Collective (539 First St. W., 707-343-1442, holavidacollective.com).

Clockwise from top: Shopping at Hola Vida Collective. Takeout tacos from The Cantina at El Dorado Kitchen. The annual Vintage Festival includes a raucous grape stomp open to the public.

It’s no fun to rush from spot to spot, and in doing so, you lose a lot of the uniqueness in the wines themselves. On a Saturday afternoon, one or two tastings is the sweet spot. In addition to Friday’s Corner 103, here are a few other close-by favorites: Obsidian Wine Co.’s newly opened Base Camp (don’t miss the obsidian outdoor fireplace), Pangloss Cellars (gorgeous stone-walled surroundings), Darling Wines (youthful vibes, low-intervention winemaking), Winery Sixteen 600 (Grenache lovers and Deadheads must visit) and Sosie Wines (friendly people and French-style wines).

Dinner at downtown’s Tasca Tasca is a wide-ranging adventure into delicious Portuguese small plates (122 W. Napa St., 707-996-8272, tascatasca.com). Order a lineup of five or seven small bites and have your friends do the same—you can try much of the menu this way, though our favorites will always be the crab empanadas and the bacal-

spot to explore after brunch. The simple chapel, with its delicate painted trim and religious artifacts, brings a sense of timelessness to a Sunday afternoon (114 Spain St., 707-938-9560, sonomaparks. org). Before you head home, there’s hopefully time for one more tasting. At Bartholomew Estate Vineyards & Winery, you can combine that tasting with a short hike through the vineyards and up the mountain (1000 Vineyard Lane, 707-509-0540, bartholomew estate.com). Pause near the top to take a snapshot in your mind of the vineyards starting to turn fall colors—a wonderful way to carry the season back home with you.

-Abigail Peterson

hau, aka salt cod fritters. If your appetite is larger and your mood even more mellow, go for heaping pastas at the Swiss Hotel (18 W. Spain St., 707-938-2884, swisshotelsonoma. com)

SUNDAY

A lazy brunch is definitely the way to go on a Sunday morning in early fall, and by far, our favorite casual spot is the back patio at Baker & Cook, a short drive from downtown, for excellent veggie quiche, French toast, biscuits and gravy, and some of the most delicious scones in town from baker and former firefighter Jen Demarest (18812 Hwy. 12, 707-938-7329, bakerandcooksonoma.com). If you’re looking to linger a bit longer in a resort setting, the patio at El Dorado Kitchen is a great bet, with smoked salmon Benedict or filet mignon and eggs (405 First St. W., 707-996-3030, eldorado sonoma.com).

Downtown’s historic Mission San Francisco Solano is a lovely

Brunch on a grapevine-studded patio at Baker & Cook. Relaxing with the view at Bartholomew Estate Vineyards & Winery. Mission San Francisco Solano on the plaza in downtown Sonoma.

Clockwise from left: John Burgess, Courtesy Bartholomew Estate, Crista Jeremiason

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FAVORITE COOKING CLASSES

Central Milling Artisan Baking Center, PETALUMA Petaluma’s Keith Giusto Bakery Supply store isn’t just a great place to pick up artisan flours and cool kitchen tools. It’s also home to a gleaming teaching kitchen, where top bakers and chefs offer hands-on education. In October, catch a class on crispy fried chicken with chef David Groff, formerly of San Francisco’s Zuni Café. 1120 Holm Road, Petaluma. 707778-1073, centralmilling.com

Sonoma Family Meal, PETALUMA

This nonprofit only provides tasty, nourishing food for community members in need—700,000 meals and counting since 2017—it also offers culinary instruction for nontraditional students as well as one-time cooking classes. Classes typically cost around $100, and proceeds help fund Sonoma Family Meal’s mission to feed local families. 1370A Redwood Way, Petaluma. 707978-2340, sonomafamilymeal.org

Wind & Rye, PENNGROVE Laci

Sandoval worked her way through some of Northern California’s top kitchens, including Boulevard in San Francisco, before falling in love with Sonoma County and opening a cooking school. In a beautiful farmhouse-style teaching kitchen, Wind & Rye offers classes in everything from butchery and sausage-making to cake decorating for kids. Guest instructors include Leah Scurto of Windsor’s PizzaLeah and Nicole Plue, winner of a James Beard Award for outstanding pastry chef. Classes typically run four hours and conclude with a shared meal and drinks. 4615 Acacia Way, Penngrove. windandrye.com

Quail & Condor, HEALDSBURG Last spring, this standout bakery began hosting twice-monthly hands-on cooking classes that offer a taste of how retail bakers practice their craft— without having to roll out of bed at 5

a.m. Learn techniques like laminating puff pastry dough or whipping up the spot’s legendary parmesan-onion drop biscuits. Instructor and staff baker Lisal Moran knows baking can be intimidating, so she peppers her instruction with lighthearted tales of her own kitchen disasters. 149 Healdsburg Ave., Healdsburg. 707-4738254, quailandcondor.com

The Epicurean Connection, SONOMA

This is the place to get hands-on with some stretchy, melty goodness. For more than three decades, cheesemaker Sheana Davis has been championing the local farmstead and artisan cheese movement and teaching cheesemaking. Learn the art of pulling mozzarella or create your own 2-pound wheel of Crème de Ricotta, spiced to your personal taste. Each 90-minute session includes a sampling of artisan cheeses paired with a glass of wine. 19670 Eighth St. E., Sonoma. epicureanconnection.com -Tina Caputo

Clockwise from far left: A bread baking class at Petaluma's Artisan Baking Center. Laci Sandoval, left, owner of Wind & Rye, with guest instructor Daniel Kedan, who is also on the faculty at Napa's Culinary Institute of America. Learning to make fresh cheese at The Epicurean Connection in Sonoma.

KANZLER VINEYARDS’ NEW TASTING ROOM

In 1992, Stephen and Lynda Kanzler purchased 20 acres in Sebastopol covered with abandoned apple trees and blackberry brambles. “My parents were accidental farmers,” says son Alex Kanzler. “They liked the community, they liked the schools, and they built the house.” The first of the family’s 15 acres of Pinot Noir were planted in 1996. There was never a plan to make their own wine. But when the popularity of Pinot exploded in the early 2000s (remember the movie “Sideways”?) and local vintners began commanding high scores for wines made from the Kanzlers’ fruit, it was hard not to consider it. Stephen Kanzler’s first vintage was in 2004; Alex took over the winemaking in 2011.

The family’s tasting room opened in July, filled with earthy furnishings and California art. “We filled the space with things that really resonate with us and the land,” says Breauna Kanzler, Alex’s wife. “We want people to feel comfortable and we want this space and the wines to feel approachable.” Tastings include a flight of five wines—a rosé of Pinot Noir, a Chardonnay, and a trio of Pinot Noir—and a walk through the gorgeous vineyards. Tastings $75. 2109 Sanders Rd., Sebastopol. 707-827-3874, kanzlervineyards.com

-Dana Rebmann

Yoni

Goldberg/Courtesy Kanzler

Family Vineyards

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SANTA ROSA’S FRIDA FEST

On Sunday July 28, downtown Santa Rosa’s Courthouse Square was home to the second annual ¡Viva la Vida! Frida Fest, a gathering organized by VIDA Cultural Arts, a local nonprofit founded to build community and support Sonoma County Latino-owned businesses. Activities included a Frida Kahlo lookalike contest, painting and craft projects, and a photo booth in front of a model of the famous Casa Azul, Kahlo’s home in Mexico City, which is now a museum dedicated to her art. In keeping with the theme of the day, visitors both young and old arrived in costume and enjoyed a colorful mercadito organized by Sueños Market and live music from vocalists Mónica María and Katiana Vilá. vidaculturalarts.org

Clockwise from top: Cielo Bella Castro in front of the festival's welcome sign. Performer Mónica María. Yessenia Mendez and Mia Alonso Mendez participated in the Frida Kahlo look-alike contest.

SONOMA VALLEY MUSEUM OF ART GALA

On Saturday July 13, the stone courtyard at Sonoma’s historic Buena Vista Winery was a grand setting for the annual gala to benefit the Sonoma Valley Museum of Art. Around 200 guests gathered for a live and silent auction and a dinner prepared by chef Lisa Boisset of The Cook & the Drummer, paired with Buena Vista wines. Guests were entertained by live performance painter David Garibaldi, who produced two works on site that were auctioned off later in the evening. Guests also enjoyed a documentary film detailing the museum’s impact in the Sonoma community, produced by National Geographic filmmaker Ron Bowman.

The event supports museum exhibitions, artist talks, family craft days, youth art experiences, and other community-focused events. “I think the museum’s programs are very impactful in people’s lives,” says gala co-chair and longtime SVMA board member Scott Foster. “The museum integrates the community into the entire artistic process, and I think that’s one of their strengths.” svma.org

Ann Trinca/Courtesy Sonoma Valley Museum of Art

Clockwise from left: SVMA board president Carole Coplan welcomes guests. Dinner and entertainment in the historic courtyard at Buena Vista Winery. Gala co-chairs Scott Foster, left, and Paul Arata. Ginny Krieger, left, of the Sonoma International Film Festival, with friends.

the finish

VINTNERS

DAVID DRUMMOND AND

SAM BILBRO

“It was serendipitous,” says Sam Bilbro of the first time he met David Drummond back in 2018. Drummond, the retired chief legal officer of Google and a former football wide receiver at Santa Clara University, had recently realized a lifelong dream by purchasing a 550-acre ranch in Sonoma. But there was a problem. “It was 2019 and the grape glut had set in,” says Drummond. “I didn’t have any long-term contracts, so it was a very lean year for me.” Bilbro, who specializes in Italian-style winemaking convinced Drummond to take a leap into the Italian wines they both loved, regrafting the entire vineyard over to 46 different types of Italian grapes, many of which are quite rare in California. Six years later, the vines are thriving, and the two partners are diving headlong into a new venture called Overshine Wine Co., showcasing a trio of distinct brands. In June, Drummond purchased Idlewild from Bilbro, who has stayed on as managing partner and winemaker. Drummond also bought Armida Winery, reimagining it as Overshine, a name inspired by the hip-hop band Onyx, and their newest label, Comunità, recently made its debut. -John Beck

If wine brands were musical bands “Overshine might be Sly and the Family Stone, maybe updated with a hip-hop beat,” says Drummond, whose brother Ray Drummond is a well-known jazz drummer. “And Comunità would be more of a blend of what formed me musically, something like Robert Glasper, a jazz guy who leans heavily on soul and hip-hop.” At the other end of the spectrum, “Idlewild would be the Clash,” says Bilbro.

Everybody under the tent “The ethos of Overshine as a company is about openness, diversity, and welcoming folks,” Drummond says. “Fine wine is sometimes exalted in a way that makes it seem not accessible to lots of people. So, we talk about doing that differently, using cultural signposts, whether it’s music, or the way we talk about wine, or the way we talk about our place, to make it clear that everybody is welcome…We’ll talk about how it feels to drink the wine, how it feels to be out there on the patio on a sunny day, listening to Grover Washington Jr.”

Introducing Overshine “In reworking the tasting room, and fully remodeling the interior, we want it to be a spot where you want to come and spend your afternoon,” Bilbro says. “You’re not here for a transactional experience, standing at the bar, and then you get out of here. It’s more about, you come sit on the couch and lounge and enjoy your time and listen to some music, and have some great wines, and really enjoy that slice of the good life.”

Joshua Harding/Courtesy Overshine Wine Co.