It takes about 3 ½ hours to get to Santa Rosa from our home in Eureka. It’s a beautiful drive through redwood forests and the rural California landscape of dry pastures, grazing cattle, and grapevines. We recently made our monthly trip to Santa Rosa and while there, took some extra time to celebrate my birthday.
In the summer, I appreciate that Santa Rosa is much warmer than Eureka. I took a dip in the hotel pool as soon as we arrived, since I have to stay out of the water for a couple of days after my eye injection. After my late afternoon appointment and a short nap, we were ready to celebrate by having dinner at a lovely restaurant in Healdsburg, CA, where we usually stay.
Healdsburg has gone from a tiny settlement serving rural communities to a wine destination full of upscale stores and fine restaurants. We went to dinner at The Matheson, a relatively new restaurant that is now listed in the Michelin guide. It may become competition for the Michelin-starred restaurants in the area, Single Thread and Barndiva. It was not difficult to get a reservation at The Matheson for Thursday at 7 pm.
When we arrived, we found The Matheson is known for its Wine Wall, a selection of more than 90 wines by the glass, sold in portions ranging from a quarter to a full glass. A personal tasting can be assembled from their lengthy wine list by anyone sitting in the bar area. Diners can order from a slightly less extensive wine list, again in a variety of sizes. The list allowed each of us to have two different wines with dinner. I think it’s a great idea. I’d like to go back and try more.
There is a chef’s menu of four courses each evening. Wine pairings are available, too, either local selections or international. Our server went over the chef’s menu that evening but we opted to make our own choices. We shared an appetizer of risotto that was a lovely green color, seasoned with nettle, green garlic, and pale rock shrimp. All I tasted was deliciousness. Our main dishes were duck, and halibut, each accompanied by airy blends of potato and root vegetable. Dessert was another high point, I had chocolate in several forms and Jonathan had apricot sorbet and pastry. We went home happy.
In the morning we got coffee and found some breakfast. Our goal for the day was to go wine tasting. We stopped to buy some wine at Graziano, where we belong to the wine club, and to say hello to John, our favorite wine rep.
With wine stowed in the car we went on to visit a new winery for us, the DeLorimier Vineyards, and on a sunny day like this one, we sat on the patio with a view over the fields. It was Friday, still relatively early, and we were almost the only people there. The host asked what we were interested in, offering to let us taste whatever we liked best. I tasted whites, Jonathan tasted reds, and we left with a case of wine. The outdoor patio at DeLorimier is comfortable and shady. We would go back there with friends for tasting. We arrived home mid-afternoon, well supplied with wine until next month’s journey.
Sunday, we held a birthday party. I decided that we would have tea sandwiches and quiche followed by sparkling wine and cake. The festivities started at 11:30 AM so that we could go to the Trinity Alps Chamber Music Festival at 2:00 PM. The concert was held at the Morris Graves Art Museum in downtown Eureka. Jonathan made finger sandwiches and I made a wonderful birthday cake. Called Italian cream cake, the recipe included pecans and coconut. I put extra coconut between the layers along with chopped pecan brittle that I made myself and topped it all with cream cheese frosting. The result was so delicious that I only have photographs of the food. (And a picture of baby Aurora in her new Heidi dress from her great aunt and uncle’s trip to Switzerland.) There were funny cards and sparkling rosé, and we swept off to the concert.
Trinity Alps Chamber Music Festival is a real find. This group of musicians gathers in rural Humboldt County over the summer and makes two swings through the region, playing in venues from Weaverville to Mendocino. The program had to be changed at the last minute due to illness of a violinist, but the second half, Ravel’s Piano Trio, and the summer movement of The Four Seasons of Buenos Aires by Astor Piazzolla, were both excellent. I love Piazzolla’s music—he wrote a lot of pieces for tango, and this year’s composer in residence at Trinity Alps plays accordion as well as piano, and thus knows the world-famous tango composer’s music.
The Ravel was also excellent. I was thinking Bolero, but his piano trio has a lot going on in it and a very dramatic final movement. I’ve put the festival’s August swing through our area on the calendar. The audience was very enthusiastic and elicited one of the best encores I’ve ever experienced, Oblivion, another piece by Piazzolla. It was entrancing, and a fitting birthday celebration.
Hotel: Best Western Dry Creek Inn, Healdsburg
Restaurant: The Matheson, 106 Matheson St. Healdsburg, CA https://www.thematheson.com/
Wineries: Nelson Family Vineyards, 550 Nelson Ranch Rd. Ukiah, CA https://www.nelsonfamilyvineyards.com/
Graziano Family of Wines Tasting Room, 13275 South Hwy 101, Suite #1 Hopland, CA https://www.grazianofamilyofwines.com/
Music: Trinity Alps Chamber Music Festival, https://www.trinityalpscmf.org/
**A note about ads that appear when you read Llywinda Travels**
I don’t ordinarily see any of the ads that appear in my blog. I have no control over who advertises and where the ads appear, it’s the cost of using WordPress. I have seen some that I personally do not like. For example, I just noticed something that mentioned Eminem, whose lyrics are strongly prejudiced against women. I would never willingly advertise anything he or his name was attached to. Let me know if you see an offensive ad. I can always reconsider what platform I use.
Llywindatravels 2025 