This past week, I had the pleasure of staying at the Farmhouse Inn. Located in a small valley off the road in Forestville, the Farmhouse Inn has all the amenities one needs to have a relaxing stay in Sonoma. There’s a pool, spa, chicken coop, food truck as well as a Michelin star restaurant on site. The Farmhouse restaurant has been awarded one Michelin star for 13 years in a row!
The property is owned by siblings Catherine and Joe Bartolomei, whose family has farmed in the area for five generations. They work the vineyards and farms that feed the Inn with eggs, honey, pinot noir, microgreens, pigs, turkeys and seasonal vegetables.
Upon arrival at Farmhouse Inn, we were greeted by a valet and porter willing to whisk our luggage up to our room. I tend to pack a lot and I always value hotels that have staff ready to help you with your baggage before you’ve even left the car.
As you enter the Farmhouse Inn compound, the first thing you may notice is the trademark red Michelin plaque fixed to the outside of the restaurant – a sure sign that good food awaits! As you continue to your room via the well gardened and manicured footpath, keep an eye out for the resident feline named Charlotte. She’s a friendly addition to the property and loves to say hello!
Once inside our well furnished and decorated room, we found a massive bathtub with a variety of bath soaps and soaks. I had never used brown sugar in my bath before, but it sure made things sweet!
All rooms feature house made curated welcome food amenities and nightly turndown service. Their turndown team leaves amazing gluten free chocolate chip cookies on the bedside table. But what good are cookies without milk? Look in the room refrigerator as there’s fresh cold milk for you to dunk your cookies!
The Farmhouse Inn’s expert concierge team curated a personalized itinerary for us and went above and beyond to arrange two separate wine tastings at Small Vines and Emeritus. Farmhouse has a winery partner program where 25 wineries extend VIP treatments (many offer complimentary tastings) and increased experiences like food pairings and special seating. It’s a signature benefit of Farmhouse!
Emeritus
Our first stop was Emeritus’ Hallberg Ranch Estate which produces pinot noir from their dry farmed estate vineyards. We sampled their estate-bottled pinot noirs (one a beautiful rose). It was nice to “wine down” and learn about their wines from our host Maia, who was very kind and knowledgeable. The setting was comfortable with pleasant vineyard views.
Small Vines
We then stopped at Small Vines that crafts exquisite pinot noir and chardonnay. It was a treat to meet Kathryn and Paul Sloan, tour their winemaking facility, and taste their wonderful wines! Their warm hospitality and graciousness made us feel comfortable and at ease. I enjoyed learning about their dedication to achieve smaller yields (less fruit per vine) from higher-density vine spacing. Small Vines employs Grand Cru style spacing of vines in order to grow the highest-quality wine grapes. Their wines can be found at high-end restaurants such as The French Laundry in Napa Valley to Manresa in Los Gatos.
For meals, one night we ate at Farmstand their casual “food truck” concept that serves touchless take away. We dined on delicious shrimp ceviche and a kale & chickpea salad. It was a delightfully fresh meal served with a Summer mocktail and strawberry lemonade.
On the second night, we treated ourselves to dinner at Farmhouse! One of us picked the three course offering, and the other selected the four course offering.
We dined on:
Yellow Thai Gazpacho – Maine lobster, lemongrass salad, avocado, lime, nuoc cham, cilantro
Hokkaido Scallop – Fava bean-corn succotash, chorizo, parsley nage
Corn Ravioli – Garlic, chili, corn, sun gold tomato, arugula, pepato cheese
Rabbit Rabbit Rabbit – Applewood smoked bacon wrapped loin roasted rack, confit of leg, fingerling potato whole grain mustard cream sauce
Snake River Farms New York Sirloin – Roasted romano beans, porcini, duck fat potato, maitre d’ butter, red wine sauce
Lemon Tart – Strawberries, boysenberries, blueberries, huckleberry coulis
Chocolate Soufflé – Crème anglaise, cocoa nib cookie
Throughout the experience, the staff was personable and knowledgeable. The setting was quaint yet refined.
Overall, it was a wonderful meal made only better by the fact it was one of my first outside of the house after four months of sheltering in place!
The following morning, we got a farm fresh start to our day with breakfast in-room. We ordered the Farmhouse Plate, avocado toast, pastries, fruit, orange juice, and fresh coffee. It was #BreakfastGoals!
After breakfast, head to the pool for some rest and relaxation. It’s the perfect spot to lounge with a book or take a dip.
When it comes to s’mores, the Farmhouse Inn knows what’s up! A complimentary s’mores kit was placed in our room, in addition to deadly s’mores brownies. I couldn’t help but want s’more and more!
The Farmhouse Inn also offers a complimentary wine tasting every evening from 4:00pm – 5:00pm. Top local vintners do a full educational tasting.
With five star service, incredible amenities, beautiful interiors and grounds, it’s easy to see why Farmhouse Inn ranks among the most highly rated hotels in the world! This intimate property allows ample space for social distancing and it was a truly stylish staycation in Sonoma County!
Great write-up. We are looking at going here for Amanda’s birthday.