The Pinot Posse Returns

We are delighted to announce that the Pinot Posse has once again selected us to host their annual Roaring Fork Valley dinner on Tuesday, January 20th at 6:00 PM.

This is a truly memorable—and highly interactive—wine dinner (if you’ve attended before, you know the fun) hosted by six acclaimed winemakers from California and Oregon. This year’s lineup includes returning Pinot Posse favorites:

Dan Kosta of Convene Winery,

Jim Prosser of JK Carriere Winery,

David O'Reilly of Owen Roe Winery,

Ed Kurtzman of August West Wines,

Adam Lee and Moret Brealynn from Busy Signal

Jay Boberg of Domaine Nicholas-Jay.

The evening will feature a four-course dinner paired with seven exceptional wines.
Cost: $175++ per person.

The Pinot Posse Dinner always sells out, so we encourage you to reserve promptly. Guests will also have the opportunity to purchase wines to take home at special pricing.

Don’t miss an evening of fantastic wines, outstanding food, and great fun.

To reserve your seat, please email Alisa at alisar@angeloelia.com.

++ plus tax and gratuity

Greg Brewer of Brewer Clifton, Diatom and Ex Post Facto Wines will be hosting a dinner on Tuesday, January 7th, 2025 at 6:30pm

Greg founded the legendary Brewer Clifton Winery in Santa Barbara in 1996 with his great friend Steve Clifton, with a mission to create small production, high quality, intense, site specific chardonnay and pinot noir. The winery shot to international fame in 2001 when the legendary wine critic Robert Parker Jr wrote in his year-end summary that “The wines of Brewer-Clifton were the single greatest revelation of all of his 2001 tastings.”  The accolades continued over the years including the #8 wine in the world from the Wine Spectator for their 2012 Santa Rita Hills Pinot Noir. Greg's illustrious career was capped in 2020 when the Wine Enthusiast Magazine named him the "Winemaker of the Year". Greg founded Diatom winery in 2005 focusing upon exceptionally pure expressions of cool climate chardonnay, and Ex Post Facto Winery in 2016 focusing on cool climate syrah. Steve and Greg met at the winery's first location in a warehouse in Lompoc in 2004 and have been friends ever since. Greg will be showcasing a chardonnay from Diatom, a syrah from Ex Post Facto and a chardonnay and a pinot noir from Brewer Clifton at the dinner.

The cost of the four-course dinner is $130 

Seats are limited & this event will sell out so please let us know if you would like to attend!

We are delighted to welcome the Pinot Posse back to Free Range for the sixth time on January 18th, 2024.

This is a truly unique, special wine dinner hosted by six different top flight winemakers from California and Oregon who will all be in attendance at Free Range:

Patton Penhallegon of Seasmoke

Jim Prosser of JK Carriere

Dan Kosta of Convene

Ed Kurtzman of August West

Bingo Wathern of Foxen Vineyard

Morgan Broadley of Broadley Vineyards

The six winemakers will visit your table as you enjoy a fabulous four course dinner featuring six different Pinot Noirs, one from each of the wineries,

Don't miss out on this fun event!

Cost $175 for four course dinner with matching wines *plus tax and gratuity

6.00 reception, 6:30 dinner

Reservations: (dont delay, this event will sell out)

Robin@freerangebasalt.com

or 970-279-5199

We are excited to welcome CHEF CHRIS back to Free Range on SUNDAY, OCTOBER 16th.

Chris will treat you to some of his & your favorite dishes while he was our chef at Free Range.

Chris is moving back to New Jersey to be closer to his family and so we are also celebrating him with a fun, interactive Four Course Dinner. Steve will have a wine pairing menu option available.

Cost is $68 for the four course dinner (plus tax and gratuity)

Wine Pairing option for an additional $50 per person

6:30pm dinner

Reservations: (dont delay, this event will sell out)

Robin@freerangebasalt.com

or 970-279-5199

Our next wine dinner will feature Pra winery one of the top producers in the Veneto region of Italy in the shadow of the Alps. Although the winery was only started in the early 1980’s it has come to be known as not only one of the benchmarks in the Soave appellation, but also one of the most important and visionary white wine producers in all of Italy (now expanding into red wine as well)! The winery is run by Graziano Prà, whose family owned their vineyards for generations but never produced wine, choosing to sell their fruit to the local cooperative which was the tradition in the region. Graziano has always been a big believer in natural viticulture and its positive effect on the wines and has farmed organically since the outset. The terroir in Monteforte d’Alpone in Soave features classic, very black, volcanic soils which help to impart an underlying power and minerality to the wines. Although Graziano Prà is best known for his whites, it is his red wines from Valpolicella that may be a bigger revelation. He purchased these vineyards which are located at around 450 meters, because the soils contain a high percentage of active limestone. So while most wines from this region are about power, ripeness and brawn, especially the Amarone, Prà’s reds have a bright freshness and mineral core. And speaking of truly unique, the man himself, Graziano Prà, is also truly a one of a kind. He is most definitely a ‘man of the earth”, with humble roots, a warm smile, and his feet firmly planted on the ground. That said, he is also a man of quiet precision, which shows in the quality and consistency of the broad range of wines he produces. If he were in a more ‘famous’ appellation, he would probably be considered a major rock star. But, no worries, he has Soave and Valpolicella running though his veins, and he likes it best that way!

Cost of the dinner is $99 for four courses including wines. Limited space available. Please call (970) 279-5199 or email Robin robin@freerangebasalt.com for reservations. Salute, Steve and Robin

Meet & Celebrate Local Farmers Kate McBride of The Otherside Ranch, and Dalene Barton & Kaye Davis of Skip's Farm to Market, with special guest Joe Buckel of Buckel Family Wines.

Enjoy a Three Course Dinner by Chef Chris while getting the opportunity to chat to the farmers about what they do. Only $48. *Optional Wine Pairing with Buckel Family Wines, also available. Dinner starts at 6:30pm. Reservations: 970-379-3099 or robin@freerangebasalt.com

Kate, a former World Pro Tour and world record holding Ski Racer, is 6 time World Champion of 24 hours of Aspen (holding the World Record of 80 laps). Kate graduated Summa Cum Laude from Princeton University and in 2009 graduated with honors from CMC and received her certification as a Veterinary Technician. Her ranch offers Raw Dairy Product from their Milk Share Program, or Pork, Beef, and Lamb from animals that lived long lives grazing their natural Colorado Grass, they do not feed their animals GMOs, EVER.

Erin Cuseo, Owner and Farmer at Erin’s Acres, has been growing food for over 10 years- 4 of those years spent here in the Roaring Fork Valley. Her farm specializes in organically grown vegetables picked at their peak ripeness. You can find her veggies at the Basalt Sunday Market, Carbondale Farmer’s Market, and through her CSA share program.

Come support and meet these bad ass women, making a huge contribution to local farming & ranching in this valley. The three course dinner by Chef Chris, using products from the Otherside Ranch and local vegetables from Erin's Acres Farm is only $48. We will be ringing the Dinner Bell at 6:30pm. Call 970-279-5199 or Email Robin robin@freerangebasalt.com for reservations.

Steve and Matt Inglis will be "Dueling Somms"; they will each select a wine of the same grape varietal and go head-to-head to see which one you prefer. Everything will be tasted blind and you will be the judges!

The first course will be a chardonnay course, followed by a pinot noir course and culminating with a grenache course. Chef Chris will prepare delicious food to accompany each of the courses. Matt Inglis is the former Director of Wine at the Roaring Fork Club, and is currently the Director of Food and Beverage at the Maroon Creek Club.

Reception 6:30pm, Dinner 7pm. The cost of the dinner is $99 for four courses and six different wines.

Please email Robin robin@freerangebasalt.com or call (970) 279-5199 for reservations.

We are excited to announce the next "Meet and Celebrate Our Local Farmers Dinner" on Thursday, September 5th with José Miranda of Rocking TT Bar & Erin Cuseo, Owner and Farmer at Erin’s Acres.

Come support and meet the Farmers, while enjoying a three course dinner by Chef Chris using buffalo from Jose's Rocking TT bar Ranch and local vegetables from Erin's Acres Farm.

Cost is only $48 for three courses. We will be ringing the Dinner Bell at 6:30pm.

Call 970-279-5199 or Email Robin robin@freerangebasalt.com for reservations.

Please join us for this fabulous exploration of the new cutting edge wines from Spain. Manuel Sanchez, a wine specialist for Jorge Ordonez selections will be hosting the dinner. Jorge Ordonez is almost single-handedly responsible for changing the whole landscape of Spanish viticulture. The old school wines of Spain were often orange in color and aged too long in oak, they lacked the vibrancy and polish of other top wines from around the world. Jorge Ordonez and handful of other top professionals saw the opportunity to take the amazing old vines that Spain has and introduce new world wine making practices, creating a new order that rivals the top wines from anywhere else in the world. We will be featuring three amazing wines from Valdeorras, Calatayud and Toro - the common denominator for all of these wines is amazing old vine plant material that has been crafted into world class wines.   Welcome reception and hors d'ouevres at 6.30pm, dinner at 7.00pm.

Four course dinner with wines $99

Please email Robin robin@freerangebasalt.com  or call (970) 279-5199 for reservations.

Please join us on Thursday, July 11th for a special wine dinner hosted by Matt Licklider of Lioco Wine Company. Lioco Wine Company the brainchild of two wine professionals, and was conceived in the back alley behind the legendary Spago restaurant in Beverly Hills by wine director Kevin O’Connor and wine salesman Matt Licklider. The two colleagues, critical of the heavy-handed wines of the day, wondered if it were possible to make some Californian wines that favored nuance over sheer power. In 2005, relying on nothing more than their palates and their rolodexes, the two embarked on a winemaking odyssey. Europe was the inspiration, as were the more restrained Californian wines of the 1980s. This particular dinner has special significance for us as Matt was our roommate in Aspen back in the mid-1990s before he embarked on his career in the world of wine! The focus of the winery is on hand-making small lots of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Carignan from very special cool climate sites with older vines.

6.30pm Hors d’oeuvres and cocktail reception, Dinner 7pm

Cost of the four course dinner with wine is $100 per person,

plus tax and gratuity.

Reservations: robin@freerangebasalt or 970-379-3099

Free Range is excited to announce a fabulous wine dinner hosted by Jasmine Hirsch of the iconic Hirsch Vineyards of the Sonoma Coast. Hirsch Vineyards is located two miles from the Pacific Ocean at 1,600 feet elevation and is recognized as one of the finest Pinot Noir vineyards in the new world; and has been described by the Wine Spectator as a “California grand cru". Founded by David Hirsch in 1980, it is the oldest premium Pinot Noir planting on the True Sonoma Coast. Hirsch has provided fruit over the years to some of the country's finest wineries including Williams Selyem, Littorai, Kistler, Failla and many others. In 2002 Hirsch started producing its own estate Pinot Noirs and Chardonnays in very limited quantities, and these highly sought-after wines display elegance, concentration and site-specificity. The four course dinner by Chef Chris will be accompanied by four different estate wines including some current releases and some very rare library selections.

Limited Reservations available and required. Cocktails and hors d'oeuvres at 6.30pm and dinner at 7.00pm.

We are delighted to be hosting a wine dinner with Mark Vlossak, owner and winemaker of St. Innocent Winery. In a recent review of Oregon’s top 50 wines, Mark just received the #1 and #4 spots; & their 2014 Freedom Hill Pinot Noir was just voted to be in the top 100 wines in the world by the International Wine Review Board!

Mark and I have been friends for over 25 years and St. Innocent has always represented the yardstick by which I measure all other Oregonian wineries; and they consistently come up short!

The wines are small production, and because of the exceptionally high quality and incredible reviews from the press, they are never easy to find.

Mark has never hosted a wine dinner in Colorado before, and so we are thrilled that he has chosen to partner up with us for his first.

The four course dinner will feature a balance of his white and red wines, and is a great deal at $99.

Please call (970) 279-5199 or email Robin @ robin@freerangebasalt.com for reservations taken between 5:30pm and 8pm

The Pinot Posse Wine Dinner

We are delighted to welcome the Pinot Posse again for a second year at Free Range Kitchen and Wine Bar

This is a truly unique wine dinner hosted by six different top flight winemakers from California and Oregon who will all be in attendance at Free Range:

Jim Prosser of JK Carriere

David O'Reilly of Owen Roe

Craig Strehlow of Camlow Cellars 

Ed Kurtzman of August West 

Jenne Lee Bonaccorsi of Bonaccorsi Wine Company ~

Brian Loring of Loring Wine Company

You will be seated at a table with one of the six winemakers and enjoy a fabulous four course dinner featuring six different Pinot Noirs, one from each of the wineries!

Don't miss out on this fun event!

Cost $120 for four course dinner with matching wines

6.30pm reception/ 7.00pm dinner

Reservations: (dont delay, this event will sell out)

Robin@freerangebasalt.com

or 970-279-5199

AldenAlli Wine Dinner hosted by Dan Kosta

Dan Kosta, co- founder of the legendary Kosta Browne label, has a new business partner, Emeril Lagasse, and a new exciting wine project AldenAlli Wines. The AldenAlli name came from the first names of Dan and Emeril's wives, Alden Lagasse and Allison Kosta. AldenAlli is a very small production winery that focuses on Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir and Russian River Valley Zinfandel. This brand is a sure fire hit to take off in the next couple of years, don’t miss out on this opportunity to discover these wines before everyone else does!

We are delighted to announce an exceptionally special Wine Dinner with Larry Turley of Turley Wine Cellars on Wednesday August 8th at 6.30pm. In case you are unfamiliar, Turley Wine Cellars is the preeminent producer of Zinfandel and Petite Syrah in the world. Period. From their menu of 31 wines, Turley produces 25 different zinfandel releases, 23 vineyard-designated, all organic and sourced from some of the oldest and finest vineyards throughout the state. For decades now their bottlings have represented some of the most sought after, collectible wines that this country produces. 

Larry only hosts one or two events like this per year, so we are exceptionally fortunate to have our old friend come and visit us in our small wonderful town of Basalt! 

Join Us on Tuesday May 15th, 2018 for our First Guest Chef Event at Free Range Kitchen

We are thrilled to have our great friend Barclay Dodge, Chef/Owner of Bosq in Aspen collaborating with Free Range Chef, Chris Krowicki, featuring a three course seasonal dinner, using local ingredients from Colorado farms and ranches.

We had the pleasure of working with Barclay at Renaissance Restaurant in Aspen almost 25 years ago. He has gone on to become one of the most highly regarded chefs in the state. Barclay traveled the globe and worked with such luminaries as Ferran Adrià at El Bulli in Catalonia (Michelin three star restaurant ranked for many years as the #1 restaurant in the world), and at the fabulous Michelin two-star restaurant Can Caig in Barcelona, as well as the Rancho Valencia Restaurant in the Rancho Valencia Resort and Spa in San Diego.

Barclay exploded on to Aspen's fine dining scene when he opened Restaurant Mogador in 2001. He has now truly perfected his art at Bosq, which is one of our personal favorite restaurants. It features globally inspired cuisine using fresh, local ingredients in Barclay's wildly creative dishes.

Cost of this amazing four course dinner is $49 per person.  Optional wine pairing will be available.

CALL 970-279-5199 or CLICK HERE FOR RESERVATIONS

*taking reservations for this dinner between 5:30pm and 8:30pm

Join Us on Tuesday March 27th, 2018 for our Last WINEMAKER DINNER of the Winter Season!

We are featuring the incredible wines of Bodega Catena Zapata from Mendoza Argentina.

Bodegas Catena Zapata is widely recognized as Argentina's premier winery. It's founding father, Nicolas Catena is a legend known the world over for being the man who single-handedly brought the wines of Argentina on to the world stage.

Here is what the great wine writer Jancis Robinson has to say about him:

“Nicolás Catena Zapata is justly credited with putting Argentinean wines on the world map—by the best expedient of focusing entirely on quality. It's great to know he has started a wine dynasty, too.”

Dena Krenik of Winebow Imports will be hosting the dinner.

More info click here: http://www.catenawines.com/

Chef Chris is preparing an amazing 4 course menu with paired wines @ $99 per person

CALL 970-279-5199 or email robin@freerangebasalt.com for reservations

*taking reservations for this dinner between 5:30pm and 8:30pm

UNDISCOVERED ITALY

WINE DINNER 

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 28th, 2018

at FREE RANGE KITCHEN & WINE BAR

hosted by Hallie Hammonds of Portovino Importers

Come and discover the outstanding wines from some of the "lesser known" parts of Italy like Sicily, Sardegna and Valle d'Aosta.

Portovino Importers specialize in "Groovy Italian Wines" from small family owned wineries. Their philosophy is summed up by the statement from the great Veronelli: "The worst farmer’s wine is better than the best industrial wine".

Cost of the dinner is $99 for four courses plus wines.

More info click here: http://portovinoitaliano.com/

WEDNESDAY JANUARY 17th, 2018

This is an exceptional dinner hosted by six different top flight winemakers from Oregon and California. 

 In attendance at FREE RANGE:

~Jim Prosser of JK Carriere

~David O'Reilly of Owen Roe

~Craig Strehlow of Camlow Cellars

~Ed Kurtzman of August West

~Jenne Lee Bonaccorsi of Bonaccorsi Wine Company

~Dan Kosta of Kosta Browne *featuring his new line of wines: AldenAlli

The Fun...

You will be seated at a table with one of the six winemakers and enjoy a fabulous four course dinner featuring six different Pinot Noirs, one from each of the wineries!

Don't miss this opportunity for a truly unique event.  Cost is $120 for 4 courses w/wine. Chef Patrick's menu coming soon.  Email reservation requests to robin@freerangebasalt.com

TUESDAY DECEMBER 5th, 2017

Join one of the "Grandfathers" of American Pinot Noir for dinner & a tasting of his fabulous wines.

Sinskey vineyards has been an industry leader for more than 25 years known for beautifully balanced, pure, un-manipulated wines.

Rob has also been a pioneer in California for the whole organic and bio-dynamic farming movement, as they began to convert all of their vineyards as early as 1991.

Please join us for this wonderful event with one of our oldest and dearest friends in the business.  Cost is $99 for 4 courses w/wine. Chef Patrick's menu coming soon.  Email reservation requests to robin@freerangebasalt.com