Cloverdale Comments by Carol Russell and Reece Foxen - February 2018

Wine to me is passion. —Robert Mondavi

You don’t have to be a legendary vintner to know that all great wine makers share that same special passion. Just talk wine with one of them…or, better, with two. That’s exactly what we did when we met recently with

Kathleen’s husband and business partner, Jim Young, is also CEO/Vineyard Manager of the renowned family-owned Robert Young Estate Vineyard, in the Alexander Valley, where she worked prior to the start of their own wine business. But, before we tell you more about Kelley & Young Wines and their popular new tasting room, we feel we should explain that its name derives, and quite appropriately, from this beloved 1921 Carnegie building in which Cloverdale Public Library was housed until 1979.

Now, that said, we knew going into our meeting that talking wine with such experts as Kathleen and Madeline that they might be a bit…well… intimidating. However, theirs is a true passion, not only for the production, flavors, and food pairing of wines, but also for enriching their customers’ knowledge of and, thus, enjoyment of Kelley & Young’s award-winning products. So our wine talk wasn’t the least bit intimidating. We thoroughly enjoyed it!

Both mother and daughter are so knowledgeable, accessible and delighted to respond to our layperson’s questions, that we came away feeling we’d been invited with great generosity of spirit into the complex and beautiful world of wine. In short, we learned far more than we’d have thought possible.

Back to Wines at the Library & More!

With talented, trained Wine Educator and Chef Madeline to greet you, Wines at the Library offers a delightfully welcoming, distinctly attractive, yet happily comfortable décor in which to enjoy the marvelous varietals available. (Check them out: winegardeninn.com/kelley-young-wines-tasting-room/)

The success story of Kelley & Young Wines all began when a mega-glut of Sauvignon Blanc prompted her wise businessman father-in-law, Robert Young, to suggest to Kathleen that she start a new label to produce the sauvignon blanc she’d been wanting to create. Launched in 2007, the company still only buys grapes grown on the certified sustainable, 320 acres of the namesake winery that has been in the family since 1851.

This year Kelley & Young anticipates producing, and self-distributing to California’s finest restaurants and wine shops, from 1,500 to 2,500 cases of their 5 regular wines based on the lighter wines of Southern France along with, if conditions support it, 2 late harvest wines.

As you’ll discover at Wine at the Library and, if you don’t already know about their first Cloverdale triumph, by checking out or, even better, by checking into Kelley & Young’s glorious Wine Garden Inn. A Queen Anne Victorian home built in 1901 with three towers (round, octagonal, and square) added in 1913, the Wine Garden Inn maintains the feel of a century ago – with today’s comfort.

The combined passions of Kathleen, Jim, and Madeline for food, wine, and how to best to pair them have created a perfect team who are generating rave reviews for both businesses.

Wines at the Library: 119 S. Cloverdale Blvd., Cloverdale; Thurs.-Mon., 11am-5pm. Wine Garden Inn: 302 N. Main St., Cloverdale. Call 894-4535 for both.

If it's February, It's Citrus Fair Time!

For 126 years, rain or shine, the 1st fair of the year has taken place in Cloverdale drawing individuals, families, and friends from around our region and beyond. Friday, 2/16, through Monday, 2/19, the Fair’s on!

We look forward to seeing you and yours there enjoying all the exhibits, live entertainments, arts, crafts, animals, fun, food, good ole’ carnival thrills and so much more. We’re especially looking forward to seeing you during one of the liveliest parts of the Fair: Saturday morning’s downtown Parade. Among regular participants like the Lumberjacks, Humbolt State University’s Marching Band, two recently formed groups holding many common values will be marching– the Cloverdale Democratic Club, which works within that major party, and Indivisible Cloverdale, which works outside political parties.

These groups march together because both approaches are needed if the 2018 elections are to restore our beloved country’s mutual respect, progressive values, and inclusivity. cloverdalecitrusfair.org. For info and tickets.