On a warm California evening in February, I had the opportunity to attend Gary Farrell Vineyard & Winery’s 16th Annual Crab Dinner. The event brought a wonderful crowd of interesting people together for a night to enjoy extremely limited library releases of Gary Farrell wines.
Known for producing elegant and well-balanced single vineyard Pinot Noir and Chardonnay; Gary Farrell Winery has deep roots in the Russian River Valley. It was around before the Russian River AVA was even established in 1983.
The Crab Dinner started in Gary Farrell’s tasting room that featured gorgeous beamwork that framed stunning views over the Russian River Valley. Hors d’oeuvres were served as the sunset lit up the surrounding forest.
The gourmet bites included:
- Duck Confit with wild lingonberry jam, crispy shell, and micro arugula
- Skewered bacon wrapped sea scallop with lemon aioli
- Cowgirl creamery Mt. Tam on brioche accompanied by apple and pear salsa with vanilla and preserved lemon jam
They were paired with the following beautifully crafted wines:
- 2016 Bacigalupi Vineyard Chardonnay
- 2016 Hallberg Vineyard Dijon Clones Pinot Noir
From there, the party moved to the cellar where a table that spanned the length of the entire room had been set up. Twinkling lights hung from above, it was quite a sight!
To start the meal service, we had a Cacio e Pepe pasta served with a 2016 Bacigalupi Chardonnay and a 2016 Hallberg Pinot Noir. This classic Italian dish was wonderfully prepared and the wines complimented it nicely.
Next came the part everyone had been waiting for – a whole Dungeness Crab!
As we cracked crab and ate our way through the monstrous crustacean, 2016 Durell Chardonnay and 2016 Bacigalupi Pinot Noir were poured. The crab was incredibly fresh and succulent.
The following sides accompanied the meal:
- Smashed German butterball potatoes with Syrah grapeseed oil
- Roasted brussel sprout and red onion skewers with olive oil herb glaze
- Ciabatta bread bites with sweet butter
Each guest settled their sweet tooth with a petite chocolate decadence cake with poached tangerines, tangerine butter and fresh vanilla ice cream. It was garnished with seasonal jam, candied orange zest, and a chocolate stick.
While the wine and dinner was what brought me to Gary Farrell’s Annual Crab Dinner, it was the conversations and connections that I savored the most. Gary Farrell did a fantastic job bringing together a great crowd of the wine lovers who share a fondness for their wine. Overall the event was great fun. Conversation flowed, crab was cracked and wine was poured. I had a wonderful time attending and hope to be back next year!