By 707 correspondent, Deirdre Bourdet.
ESTATE, the lone Italian member of the girl’s family, has always been known for its fun promotions, like Pizza & Pinot happy hour ($15 for a pizza and glass of local pinot noir), Sunday Bubbles & Brunch ($3 prosecco and mimosa bar, holla!), and the uh-mazing four-course Cena di Famiglia ($26). In my humble opinion, this place has some of wine country’s best—and most delicious—deals on evening feasting, bar none.
In addition to its usual crowd pleasers, though, ESTATE has just added a new party theme called Negroni & Nibbles. Every Tuesday night in the bar from 5pm on, you can score a Negroni and some complimentary nibbles from the chef (with your first round) for only $6. In addition to the classic version of the cocktail, ESTATE does a Negroni Sbagliato (prosecco, Punt e Mes, Campari), Aperol Negroni (gin, Aperol, Carpano Antica), and the Cin Cyn (gin, Cynar, sweet vermouth) to mix things up, Sonoma style.
They’ve also introduced an artisanal grappa cart with a mind-boggling array of different options. I was floored (both figuratively and literally) by the enormous range and variety of styles. A delicate little chamomile-infused number by Distilleria Marolo (made from nebbiolo grapes) bore absolutely no resemblance to the peaty, bourbon-like Spirit of the Harvest grappa produced by Sonoma Valley Portworks from petite sirah grapes. The obscure citron-infused grappa (“di acqua di cedro”) from Nardini was a fresh and true palate cleanser, totally unlike the gut-searing grappas of hellfire that most of us have tried. My server also hooked us up with a taste of the “Mirtillo Martini,” a tasty concoction of blueberry-infused grappa, honey-infused grappa, and grenache verjus that deserves a permanent spot on the drinks menu.
If you like grappa, or if you think you don’t like grappa, you need to take a trip on this grappa cart and grab a cab home.
ESTATE, 400 W. Spain St. at 4th St. W., Sonoma, 707-933-3663.
