Ink Grade Winemaker Dinner :
A tribute to the "invisible" hands that have shaped California’s viticulture for generations
April 15, 2026 5:30 PM
Special Guest: Matt Taylor, Winemaker
Shrimp Ceviche Verde
2022 Ink Grade Sauvignon Blanc, Howell Mountain, Napa Valley
**
Handmade Elote Sopes
2020 Haynes Vineyard “Vigneron” Chardonnay, Coombsville, Napa Valley
**
Yellowfin Tuna Tostadas
2020 Matt Taylor Pinot Noir, Korembi Vineyard, West Sonoma Coast, Sonoma Valley
**
Duck Carnitas Enchiladas
2018 Ink Grade “Andesol”, Zinfandel & Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley
**
Oaxacan Lamb Barbacoa
2021 Ink Grade Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley
**
Chocolate Flan Cake
Kaffeeklatsch “Altura Chiapas” Coffee, Mexico
$125 per person plus tax & gratuity
“Terraced on the extreme slopes of Howell Mountain, Ink Grade Estate possesses a raw tension that renders fruit of immense intensity and depth. If ever there was a site which imparted a feeling of reverence, Ink Grade is such a place.” — Matt Taylor, Winemaker
Matt Taylor Wines is eponymous for a reason; these bottles contain an inimitable intersection of place and viewpoint. A Sonoma County native from three generations, Taylor has pursued wine knowledge across the world, studying and working in Xerez, Burgundy, Hawkes Bay, Mendoza, Cafayate, the Russian River Valley and Napa Valley. It all led him to the same conclusion: wine should be as thorough an expression of place as possible.
The Wines
2022 Ink Grade Sauvignon Blanc, Napa Valley, California $39.99
A vivid expression of Napa Valley’s rugged Howell Mountain, the 2022 Ink Grade Sauvignon Blanc offers a compelling interplay between crystalline freshness and layered complexity. This wine stands out for its alpine-like minerality, vibrant citrus and stone fruit aromatics, taut acidity, and a sleek, mouthwatering finish. Its mountain provenance gives it a distinctive tension and purity not often found in typical Napa Sauvignon Blancs.
2020 Haynes Vineyard Vigneron Chardonnay, Napa Valley, California $64.99
For the first time in the long history of Haynes Vineyard, a single-vineyard, single-estate winery has been established on this legendary site. The vineyard is renowned as the crown jewel of Coombsville, possessing a combination of climate conditions and history that make its terroir entirely unique: a patchwork of soils, including diatomaceous earth and volcanic rock, an early planting of the famous Wente clone of Chardonnay, and a position as the coolest site in Coombsville.
A light and fresh wine from the Haynes Vineyard, the Vigneron Chardonnay showcases a mineral-tense expression of the site. Produced from 30-year-old vines, the youngest on the site, this Chardonnay expresses great pedigree and sense of place.
"Lime, cooked apple, crushed stone and dried flowers on the nose. Full-bodied yet compacted with a linear and firm texture that leads you down on to the palate. Ripe yet so vivid. From vines planted in 1992. Drink or hold.” - 96 points, James Suckling
2020 Matt Taylor Cuvée Kaela Pinot Noir, West Sonoma Coast, California $74.99
The Cuvée Kaela once again comes from a small parcel (1.20 acres) on the Komorebi property that was field grafted to a selection of Pinot Noir that has to date, continued to express itself more along the lines of Gamay than of Pinot Noir. It has more red fruit and lifted aromatics to it but carries the spice of whole cluster amazingly, yet it rejects the over-building of structure into it. It wants to be more playful, more aromatically expressive and more carefree.
The hand-crafted wines from the West Sonoma Coast are produced from the Komorebi Vineyard, Japanese for “sunlight filtered through trees”, perched just four miles from the Pacific Ocean and dry-farmed using organic and biodynamic practices. Winemaker Matt Taylor’s understanding of his vineyards with their long, cool growing season informs his whole cluster-fermented Pinot Noir and no-sulfur-added Chardonnay and inspired him to embark on planting Loire varietals for the future. These hand-painted bottles are defined by a poetic purity – they are a love letter to the land that only Taylor could write.
2018 Ink Grade Andosol Blend, Napa Valley, California $44.99
A PREMIER BLEND OF PURE MOUNTAIN FRUIT
Andosol draws inspiration from the historic field blends of California while paying homage to European principles of winemaking. Each year this cuvée is crafted to best express the unique mountain terroir comprised of volcanic rock and ash formed in the Miocene era almost five million years ago. Undoubtedly, this site and the inherent stress it lends to grape growing saturates the fruit with intensity and depth. The nutrient-rich volcanic soils and rugged site of the mountain vineyards lend vibrancy to this Zinfandel blend. A unique perspective of the Ink Grade Estate, this polished and bold wine is meant to be enjoyed in its youth but will also age incredibly well.
“The Andosol contains floral aromas including lilacs and roses, with ripe black cherries and strawberries and a note of pink peppercorn that lingers on the palate. The volcanic soils offer a distinctive iron and tar aromatic flavor married with the fine tannin and acid tension, expressing a profile akin to a cru Barolo.” ― Master Sommelier and Managing Partner Carlton McCoy Jr., May 2022
2021 Ink Grade Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley, California $94.99
Our 2021 Napa Valley Cabernet emerges from the glass with aromas of mulberry and blackcurrants, complicated by a Howell Mountain garrigue of bay laurel, pine resin, madrone blossom, manzanita flowers, and fennel flowers, plus notes of lavender, tarragon, and jasmine tea. Baking spices like nutmeg and clove are here too, with savory cured meat tones. On the palate, the wine has wonderful fullness and firm tannin that is accentuated by buttressing acidity. While you can enjoy it now, this wine is still in its infancy and will develop for two decades, possibly more.
94pts Wine Spectator- A textbook '21, with succulent and vivid boysenberry and blackberry fruit streaming along. Anise and apple wood, plus a fresh savory edge, add detail and range through the nicely defined finish. Drink now through 2036