The Yeah! Tasting Room to open in Sonoma Plaza

An innovative wine tasting room in Sonoma Plaza is scheduled to open on Sept. 1 after receiving unanimous approval from the Sonoma Planning Commission this month.

The Yeah! Tasting Room, featuring wines from Napa-based Extradimensional Wine Co. Yeah!, will occupy the 667-square-foot spot at 27 E. Napa St., suite E that the MacLaren Wines tasting room vacated in 2018. It will be located next to Along Came Lennox Interior Design and across from Aabha Indian Cuisine.

“The fact that the space was previously used as a tasting room was a factor for us in choosing the space,” said Kate Graham, who co-owns the wine company with her husband, winemaker Hardy Wallace. “It created a seamless transition, and we are able to use the existing features such as the bar, sinks and benches, which is more sustainable and doesn’t require a new construction project.”

Wallace and Graham collaborated with Matt Richardson to found Dirty and Rowdy Family Wines in 2010. Operating out of a space at the Sugarloaf Crush facility in Santa Rosa, it grew to produce 4,500 caseloads annually and helped promote the “natural wine” movement, focusing on organically grown grapes that are processed as minimally as possible through fermentation.

The company dissolved in 2021 and Wallace and Graham then began focusing on their new venture, Extradimensional Wine Co. Yeah!

“We have been making wine in Sonoma County for over 13 years, and in Sonoma Valley for six,” Graham said. “The opportunity to open a tasting room on the Sonoma Plaza is a big dream for us. The wine tasting room will support the Plaza and greater Valley by bringing in visitors who are interested in a different take on wine, as we focus on the lesser-known grape varietals.”

She said that the proposal to open the tasting room, which was approved by the Sonoma Planning Commission on July 20, supports the local economy element outlined in the City of Sonoma General Plan.

“It also aligns with the vision statement of the city council, including supporting Sonoma as ‘a vibrant, entrepreneurial economy fueled by retention and incubation of locally owned businesses,’” Graham said.

Wallace said Yeah! Tasting Room will offer not only standard wine tasting, but also private, multisensory experiences that combine wines with rare fragrances and music. It will also include community-building events that incorporate a range of the owners’ interests, such as cacao tastings, writing circles, sound journeys and artist pop-ups.

Visitors to the space will be greeted by a mural designed by renowned concert poster artist Brian Steely that incorporates California wildlife such as the magnificent condor amid a backdrop of deep green, gold and blue, representing the state’s diverse natural landscape.

Yeah! Tasting Room will be open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily, by appointment.

Reach the reporter, Dan Johnson, at daniel.johnson@sonomanews.com.