A Sonoma Summer Backyard Barbecue

On a glorious late afternoon in June, we had the pleasure of joining our friends Marla and Geoff Bedrosian, proprietors of Domaine de la Rivière at their beautiful home, surrounded by the sun-drenched vines of their estate property, Vineyard eleven in the heart of Russian River Valley for the ultimate summer cookout.

This was no ordinary backyard barbecue. Invited were the “Who’s Who” of Sonoma and Napa wineries and winemaking. Guest vintners and wineries brought a selection of their boutique wines and delicious foods to enjoy with them! Guests in attendance were Shadowbox Cellars in Napa (Monty and Sara Preiser, proprietors, and their son and winemaker Justin Preiser), Shadybrook Estate (Kristine Youngberg, General Manager), and Kale Wines (winemaker Kale Anderson—who is also the winemaker for Domaine de la Rivière and his wife, Ranko), along with the Venü team.

Our Hosts: Domaine de la Rivière, Winner Best of Class for Pinot Noir at the 2024 American Fine Wine Competition. In the early 1990’s the Bedrosians started to develop a palate for different types of wines. Geoff started to research different varietals to understand the areas where different grapes were grown and they became California wine country enthusiasts traveling frequently to Sonoma and Napa which helped define their passion for small crafted wines and the stories they told.

“We found that each bottle told its own story. The personal connections we made in Sonoma County, with the people, land and the wine, clarified for us, the Russian River Valley was where we felt a sense of home.” -Marla and Geoff Bedrosian

In 2011, they jumped at the chance to purchase a small Pinot Noir vineyard, in the Middle Reach of the Russian River Valley, that was in search of an owner to care for its needs, nurture its vines, and take an emotional interest in the fruit it produced. As it turned out, they were the “lucky ones” entrusted with Vineyard eleven. After growing and selling their grapes for several years, a passion for creating their own wines developed. Today Vineyard eleven has been re planted with two distinct growing blocks: Red Barn Block with Clones UV-Vosne-Romonée, Pommard and Swan, and, Heritage Block with Clones Swan and Mount Eden. The couple proceeded to build their stunning “Sonoma Farmhouse-Style” residence on the highest elevation of the 25-acre estate. Inspired by a stay at the renowned Farmhouse Inn nearby, Marla and Geoff hired the same firm to build their wine country dream home, which the couple designed.

Kale and Ranko Anderson were amongst the first friendships Marla and Geoff formed while making their move from the east coast to Sonoma County. By luck of fate and days after they started farming Vineyard eleven, they were seated next to Kale and Ranko at a supper in the Vineyard at Kick Ranch, at the time owned by Dick Keenan.

“It was our passion for wines that brought us together and our love for family, friends and, ironically soccer that created a long-lasting diversified relationship. We remained friends through the trial and tribulations of raising children, farming vineyards, and crafting wines.” -Marla and Geoff Bedrosian

As newcomers to the Valley eager to become part of their new community, Marla and Geoff attended many social gatherings, but one in particular was a game-changer. It was a warm Russian River summer evening barbecue with great food, fantastic wine and good friends when the subject of creating their own wine label came up. Kale simply suggested…”Why don’t I make the wine for you?” And so began the Bedrosian’s “love letter” to Sonoma, and inspired our beautiful get-together, where we were fortunate to be privy to the elegant rusticity and warm hospitality of friends in wine country.

Marla, a fabulous chef and hostess marinated a Leg of Lamb, which Geoff cooked on the grill, and prepared a delicious Orzo Salad and a salad with greens and edible flowers from the backyard garden, and avocado. Although her career was in marketing, Marla could easily be an event planner—this evening took several months to plan, and this effort definitely showed. Marla and Geoff set the stage for a glorious evening under the setting sun, and soon the stars, choreographing every detail so everything was just perfect! From the fresh sunflowers and snapdragons throughout the sumptuous open kitchen and entertainment space indoors and out, French linens from Provence, flowers in full bloom, glowing lanterns, soft music, strings of lights hanging from the overhead trellis, and heat lamps (it did get chilly later on)—it was magical! Not to mention the setting—a magnificent terrace overlooking the pool, gardens, and vineyards as far as the eye can see, this is summer in Sonoma!

Shadowbox Cellars

Justin and Monty Preiser

Our friends Monty and Sara Preiser, co-proprietors of Shadowbox Cellars in Napa and their son, winemaker Justin Preiser were a natural fit for the event. Monty and Sara are veteran wine writers, co-founders of The American Fine Wine Competition, wine judges, wine lecturers, and connoisseurs—we all dined together the previous summer at Michelin Star La Toque in Napa where we shared great food, wine, and conversation, so we were compelled to do it again. Also, we learned that winemakers Justin and Kale are good friends—it truly is a close-knit community in wine country, even spanning both Napa and Sonoma Valleys. We felt honored to be part of it.

Monty earned his law degree in 1976 and before he semi-retired to spend his time in the wine industry he litigated major cases in about 20 states involving the safety of vaccines, tools, and medical practices. Sara Preiser graduated in 1973 with a degree in drama, and then became a spokesperson for DuPont and women’s fashion when Lycra was invented. They met on a blind date in New York in 1977, and were married the next year. They lived in West Virginia for 15 years before moving to Florida in 1992. After becoming empty-nesters, they decided to write about food and wine as a joint hobby, which led them to the Napa Valley. Soon they were well recognized wine writers and founders of the most complete guide to Napa wineries and restaurants. From there it was a short step to making wine, which they first did in 2006. In 2009 the couple took partners and Shadowbox Cellars was born. Justin grew up in South Florida and with both parents being food and wine writers, there is little doubt how he was drawn to Napa After school at the University of Colorado in Boulder. His winemaking philosophy is simple: “Begin with fantastic vineyards that display the best characteristics for a particular variety, then, don’t screw it up.”

In addition to being an excellent winemaker, “Chef Justin” is quite accomplished in the kitchen. He brought a gorgeous “Butter Board” with Crudites for a starter, and melt-in-your-mouth Sous Vide Pinwheel Steak stuffed with spinach and cheese as a main course.

Shadybrook Estate

Shadybrook Wines and Himachi by Kristine

The Shadybrook Estate story begins with Alice and David Alkosser’s inherent love of land and deep passion for fine estate wine. Having traveled around the world visiting and learning about the many wine producing regions, they centered their focus on Napa Valley starting in 2005. Four years later, they discovered a magnificent vineyard property in the hills of Coombsville and decided to create an estate where all of their dreams could be realized. After acquiring another two adjacent parcels, they implemented the best quality viticultural and sustainable practices in order to take the existing estate vines to the next level. By the 2010 harvest, Alice and David had convinced Rudy Zuidema, a prestigious winemaker in the valley, to experiment vinifying the fruit of their new vineyard. To their delight, the resulting wine was of a quality even beyond their expectations. The market concurred and created a success story that has led them to continue producing these amazing wines ever since. Seeking a new home to control production of their wines, the Alkossers’ purchased the historic Rapp Quarter Horse Ranch in the heart of Coombsville in 2016, which added a state-of-the-art winery, an indoor tasting room, a commercial kitchen and a luxurious 4,000 square foot outdoor tasting patio overlooking the vineyard. This became the home of Shadybrook Estate Winery. Recently, Justin Preiser joined Kristine at Shadybrook Estate as Director of Hospitality, in addition to his responsibilities at Shadowbox, so naturally we all wanted to learn about and taste their wines.

Kristine, an avid home cook and angler brought a local White Fish she had caught the day before and prepared a wonderful Crudo plate while we watched, in addition to beautiful homemade baguettes.

The Venü Magazine team, Tracey, Matt, and Fred went shopping at Oliver’s Market in Windsor, a fabulous gourmet market to add our touches to the meal. As expected, we found lots of fresh fruit, some of it local, and made a colorful fruit salad. We wanted to balance out and complement the meal by selecting some fresh, local seafood. We wanted something easy to prepare, and I wanted to be sure it was local, or at least from the West Coast. When we saw the beautiful thick-cut Pacific Swordfish Steaks, we were sold! I marinated the swordfish in chimichurri for half an hour, and grilled it for just a couple minutes per side, checking to be sure it was not yet firm when we pulled it off the grill to let it rest before serving. Served with additional sauce and lemon, it was moist and delicious. Nothing says summer better than grilling.

Fred with swordfish platter

Kale Wines

Native to Sonoma County, Kale Anderson was organically exposed to wine country. Growing up as a competitive athlete, with a deep-rooted love for the land, he was in awe of the beauty of the landscape right in front of him. Initially inspired by his father, he intended to pursue a degree in medicine at the University of California, Davis. Ironically, during course work at university he found his true calling while studying DNA repair in plants in Davis’ Plant Biology program. It was during this time that he discovered his passion for winemaking while taking a basic viticulture and enology class. He later graduated with a Bachler of Science in Viticulture and Enology from Davis. Over the next several years Kale worked at Colgin Cellars, Terra Valentine Winery, Cliff Lede Vineyards in Stags Leap District and most recently at Pahlmeyer where he (and Pahlmeyer) received a first 100-point score from The Wine Advocate in December 2016 (the first perfect score Parker has given to Pahlmeyer).” Kale believes that each wine has a story of its own. He patiently orchestrates the development of the fruit after it is off the vine and gently guides it through the craft of wine making. By marrying modern tools and equipment with traditional practices the unique characteristics of the fruit coupled with the terroir in which it grew, creates authentic artisanal wines. Kale and Ranko established their own label, Kale Wines, creating Rhône inspired wines from extraordinary vineyards in Northern California under their own label.

Ranko and Kale

Ranko prepared a beautiful vegetable crudité appetizer from her garden. We had heard about Ranko’s proficiency in creating delicious desserts, so we made sure to save room, and were glad we did. Her Rhubarb Crostata with Vanilla Ice Cream was out of this world! What a way to finish a picture-perfect evening in Sonoma!