Summer Evening in Sonoma Wine Country/ Greg Morthole/Winemaker/Rodney Strong/Davis Bynum

Recently Greg Joined me at Valette Healdsburg for many different courses and wines. We opened the great wines of Rodney Strong Vineyards and Davis Bynum. We have two great features...AGAIN,as the dishes just kept coming...,and quite frankly...Disappearing ! Harry Bryan joined the party as we closed the restaurant a couple nights in a row! First I will tell you about a couple of the wines and a few words of the great restaurant known as Valette Healdsburg. We have told you of the amazing Sav Blancs from rodney Strong and Davis bynum,and we now will discover the rose from Davis Bynum. Winemaking is light handed, with timely and deliberate choices made to craft a wine that genuinely reflects the vineyard and vintage. This rose has bright aromas and flavors, fresh acidity and a clean finish which is due to selecting exceptional blocks of fruit and picking early in the season when the acidity is naturally high and the sugars are low. The clone 113 block of Pinot Noir provided 92% of the finished blend, which was given 2 hours of skin contact to deepen the fruit and color before being pressed. The other 8% came from the clone 115 block, which also received 2 hours of skin contact. The resulting blend was chosen for its berry fruit, herbal and citrus notes and balanced finish. We also paired the beautiful Pinot Noir from Davis Bynum. Davis Bynum Pinot Noir showcases terroir: differences in flavor from distinct sites in the Russian River Valley. Our Russian River Valley Pinot Noir blends the characters of three distinct Russian River Valley neighborhoods and select blocks from the Petaluma Gap to create a wine with richness, balance and complexity. The darker fruit tones, richer mouthfeel and velvety tannins come from fruit grown in the warmer climate of the Santa Rosa Plains with its clay-rich soils underlain by volcanic ash. The fruit grown on the sandy soil of the warm Middle Reach neighborhood on Westside Road add to the spice, floral and red cherry fruit tones. The fruit from vineyards in the much cooler Green Valley neighborhood add fresh blueberry and vibrant acidity from the lauded Goldridge sandy loam soils. And a select piece from our hillside vineyard in the Petaluma Gap, within view of San Pablo Bay, adds racy acidity and briary fruit to the blend. Harry and I opened the Malbec and Reserve Cabernet from Rodney Strong. Our 2019 Reserve Malbec is rich with aromas of briary berry fruit, boysenberry and light oral undertones. On the palate, black cherry and currants give way to dried herbs and fine tannins for a lingering finish. Enjoy this wine with honey glazed pork chops, oven roasted winter vegetables or a petit filet with a spicy peppercorn sauce. Our Reserve wines are the result of a careful blend of individual lots from meticulously farmed sections of some of the very best vineyards in Sonoma County. Created in our small lot Artisan Cellar, Winemaker Justin Seidenfeld employs techniques such as cluster pre-sorting and extended maceration. With small tanks and equipment sized for the most discriminating vineyard selection process, our cellar is state-of-the-art and represents the Klein family commitment to producing the finest wines possible. Harry Bryan has been a great friend, and a source of great food and wine. Having an incredible passion for memorable food and beverage experiences, Harry Bryan is the perfect addition to work alongside executive chef, Nathan Davis and owners Aaron Garzini and Dustin Valette. Harry re-joins the Valette team as General Manager with over 20 years of professional experience in the hospitality industry. Harry comes to the property from award winning Timber Cove Resort on the Sonoma Coast where he was the Food & Beverage Director. His management experience also includes positions as Bar Manager with Heartland Brewery in New York City, Bar Manager and Floor Captain of the Versace House in Miami Beach, and General Manager of Mateo’s Cocina Latina in Healdsburg. We have two new audio features,with links below. Please click on the links and join us for these very entertaining features with the best in Sonoma Country wine Country!Cheers! Click here and join us as we enjoy great food and wine . Click here and join us as we enjoy great food and wine .