Top-notch wines, seafood and mushrooms abound in Sonoma County

NAPA

Wine Spectator names its 2021 Wine of the Year

Wine Spectator, a Napa-based lifestyle magazine covering wine and wine culture, has named Dominus Estate Napa Valley 2018 as the 2021 Wine of the Year, as part of its annual Top 100 wines list.

Dominus Estate is located in Napa Valley’s Yountville AVA (American Viticultural Area) and is a result of vintner Christian Moueix’s experience of more than 50 vintages on two continents. It is predominantly made with cabernet sauvignon, plus cabernet franc and petit verdot.

Dominus Estate Napa Valley 2018 received 97 points and costs $269. There were 4,000 cases made. You can find Wine Spectator’s complete list of Top 100 wines of 2021 at top100.winespectator.com.

HEALDSBURG

Seafood Sunday at Spoonbar restaurant

Spoonbar, h2hotel’s signature restaurant in downtown Healdsburg, is offering Seafood Sundays in January, with a rotating three-course prix fixe meal and wine pairing for $49 per person.

This Sunday’s (Jan. 9) menu features the seasonal Dungeness crab. On Jan. 16, the menu includes Marin Miyagi Oysters with mignonette or potato and leek soup; Fish & Chips with malt vinegar aioli and pickled salad; and any dessert on the dessert menu.

For complete menu information and reservations, go to bit.ly/3FSRITs.

MENDOCINO COUNTY

Head north for fabulous fungi events

Along with a rising snow pack, the rain has brought a bounty of wild mushrooms to Mendocino County, one of the nation’s top regions for foraging fungi.

If you’re looking for a mushroom foraging adventure this winter, take to the trails on your own or sign up for a foraging tour to look for the coveted candy cap, chanterelle, porcini and hedgehog mushrooms.

Many of Mendocino’s best chefs plan to roll out prix-fixe fungi menus, daily specials and full-on fungi celebrations. The two-Michelin star Harbor House Inn is offering an eight-course meal centered around mushrooms. Other top spots planning mushroom dishes include The Bewildered Pig, the Boonville Hotel, MacCallum House & Restaurant, Trillium, Café Beaujolais, The Golden Pig, Patrona and The Little River Inn.

Check directly with wineries to find out about tours and schedules, given the current COVID-19 conditions. For details, go to visitmendocino.com/walk-on-the-wild-side.

Staff Writer Diane Peterson can be reached at 707-521-5287 or diane.peterson@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @dianepete56