Entertain California-Style with Raeburn Winery Chardonnay and Pinot Noir Paired with Sonoma County Cheeses

One of the best ways to entertain friends and family is to have plenty of interesting wines to pour and a variety of cheeses to share. As much as I’d like to say that my skill set includes styling a cheese board like a professional, I can’t. Apparently my area of expertise leans towards pouring of the wines instead. (No surprise there.) However, just recently, I was sent (as samples) several cheeses from Cowgirl Creamery, Laura Chenel and Miyoko’s Creamery as well as two bottles of wine from Raeburn Winery – all located in Sonoma County. A bonus? I received a stunning custom, hand-made cheese board from Celtic Workshop. With exceptional wines and cheeses from California, hosting a gathering is a snap! C’mon over! I’m entertaining  California-style!

Pour Wines from Raeburn Winery in the Russian River Valley

Certified sustainable Raeburn Winery is located on Olivet Road, a lovely and serene country road in the Russian River Valley of Sonoma County. Originally built as an egg storage facility, the property was converted to a small production winery by well-known vintner Cecil DeLoach in 2000. In January 2005, the winery was purchased by Derek Benham, “wine and spirits innovator,” who joined the wine industry in sales with a Lodi based winery after graduating from college in the late 1970s. With additional experience as co-founder of Codera Wine Group, the Blackstone brand, Purple Wine Company and more, Derek created Raeburn in 2014. The egret crest on the label and the Olde English word “Raeburn” meaning “the river where one goes to drink,” pay homage to Derek’s mother, an active environmentalist who always said, “leave well enough alone.

Raeburn Chardonnay 2021 ($19.99) is a delicious nod to classic California-style Chardonnay. Grapes are hand-picked at dawn from several premium Sonoma County vineyards (Russian River Valley, Carneros, Dry Creek, Sonoma Coast), vineyards from Arroyo Seco in Los Angeles County and those in Monterey County in order to maintain ideal brix levels. Once at the winery, the fruit is whole cluster pressed and gently racked into French and Hungarian oak barrels for fermentation. The wine is 100% barrel fermented and aged sur lie for 9 months. On the nose, I found bright aromas of green apple, stone fruit, dried yellow flowers, herbs and white pepper. The creamy palate burst with notes of apples, ripe pears, vanilla and hint of caramel lifted with vibrant acidity.

Raeburn Pinot Noir 2021 ($24.99) is from grapes hand-picked in the early morning to preserve their acidity and delicate flavors. Once at the winery, Pinot Noir is destemmed and cold-soaked for a few days to enhance color and flavor. Fermentation is in small, open top tanks with twice daily punch downs. After pressing, the wine is racked into French oak barrels for 11 months of aging. Aromas of vanilla, bright red fruit, pomegranate, cranberries, and purple flowers were enticing. On the palate, notes of spice, blueberries, raspberries, and sweet cherries were on a foundation of food friendly acidity and integrated tannins. Balanced with a lingering finish, this wine is a keeper.  

Serve a Stellar Selection of Sonoma County Cheeses

If you want to elevate your next cheese board, add any (or all!) of the following cheeses that complemented both Raeburn Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. (Please check out each creamery by clicking the link provided.)

From Cowgirl Creamery in Petaluma, Mt. Tam is organic triple cream that was melt-in-your-mouth amazing. I found notes of mushrooms, fresh green grass and rich butter. Devil’s Gulch offered hints of dried red pepper and pepper flakes with buttery undertones. Wagon Wheel is a semi-firm cheese with subtle flavors of roasted nuts and leeks sauteed in brown butter – it’s perfect for melting on a cracker or for snacking on its own.

In full disclosure, we polished off the flavorful Laura Chenel Orange Blossom Honey Goat Cheese with a glass of Raeburn Chardonnay before the photo shoot. But there were more cheeses! The Original Goat Cheese was light, bright and creamy and the Cranberry Goat Cheese burst with fruit and touch of cinnamon. The Creamy Brie Soft-Ripened Goat Cheese was mild with notes of grass, nuts and lemon.

Crafted from plant milk are offerings from Miyoko’s Creamery, considered “the world’s finest plant milk creamery.” Now, I’m a huge fan. Classic Chive was savory with butter notes and could easily be used for cooking as well as included on a cheese board. Herbes de Provence reminded me of the south of France with its beautiful floral and tangy notes. A surprise was Black Ash, a real conversation stopper because it’s covered in black ash just that delicious with complex buttery notes of minerality and herbs. Any of these cheeses are mouthwatering served with fruit, crackers or baked en croute.

Entertain with style when you pour wines and serve cheeses from California!

Cheers! ~ Cindy

If you have time for one more article, read ‘Tis the Season for Dungeness Crab & Raeburn Russian River Valley Chardonnay. Click here.