Mayo Family Winery, Sonoma

It is the rare educational experience that employs all the senses; the tasting menu at the Mayo Family Winery is a deliciously didactic example. (Confession: my knowledge of wine-food combinations is not much further along from the day when a college roommate told me that whites went with fish and reds were for beef.)

Dusk imparted a golden glow to the Sonoma hills as ten of us sat down at the dining table. Chef Billy Oliver, impossibly young for one so knowledgeable about his craft, spoke in casual California cadences about the complex interplay between wine and food. The wine should either complement or contrast with the dish---one of those concepts that sounds good at first blush but acquires subtlety as one swishes it around in the mind.

The first offerings were lighter in flavor and texture, in accordance with the basic principle of building up to sharper, heavier dishes near the end.

Clockwise from the top: 1st photo: the tomato-basil hummus with 2004 Laurel Hill Chardonnay, sturgeon reuben with 2004 Kunde Ranch Gewurztraminer, smoked duck tostada with 2004 Darien Vineyard Pinot Noir.

2nd photo: coq au vin kabob with 2004 Syrah from D’Ambrosia Vineyard, beef bourguignon with 2003 Napa River Ranch Cabernet, and smoked porkloin BBQ sandwich with 2004 Sodini Vineyard Petite Sirah.



3rd photo: an apricot stilton blue cheese honeycomb brioche with 2005 Kunde Ranch Gewurztraminer.

My favorites were the lighter-flavored earlier selections, when my taste buds had not been desensitized. However, all pairings were excellent, and the finishing dish literally and figuratively was sweet. I agreed with the Wall Street Journal's assessment last September: “the single best deal in wine country….an awesome experience.”

The price has since gone up to $25, but the WSJ’s superlatives are undoubtedly still true. Perhaps more important than the dollar cost is time; one should budget at least 45 minutes to get full value for the experience.

The Mayo Family Winery Reserve Tasting Room is at 9200 Sonoma Highway, Kenwood, California 95452. The phone is (707) 833-5504. © 2006 Stephen Yuen

Chef Billy Oliver pours Chardonnay for a salivating patron.