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We'll be the first to admit it — we were skeptical. Crispy chicken nuggets and golden tater tots topped with crème fraîche and caviar? Well, we tried it. We loved it. We paired it with our bubbles, and we were over the moon. Now we can't wait to share it with you.

Starting now, guests can book our new Posh Nosh experience Monday through Friday at the Château. On the plate: shatter-crisp chicken nuggets, hand-cut tater tots fried to a deep gold, a half-ounce jar of Tsar Nicoulai Classic Caviar, and a house sauce of crème fraîche whipped with lemon, fresh dill, and green onion. Sip a chilled glass of Ultra Brut, spoon a little sauce onto a nugget, crown it with pearls of caviar, and suddenly it all makes sense.

Now, the caviar and nuggets combo isn't exactly new. Rihanna — a loud and proud McNuggets devotee — popularized the pairing a couple of years ago, and McDonald's leaned in last Valentine's Day with a limited-edition nugget-and-caviar kit that sold out almost immediately.

As for caviar and tater tots, that brilliant match needs no explanation. Caviar on a hot, golden tot is the moment we didn't know we were missing.

Of course, it's the sparkle that makes it truly magical — an irresistible interplay of salt, fat, brine, and brisk beautiful bubbles. We’ve got it all waiting for you here at the Château, complete with blue skies and vineyard views.

But if you can't make it to Carneros any time soon, go ahead and treat yourself at home. Air fry your favorite frozen nuggets and tots, whip up our crème fraîche sauce, open a tin of Tsar Nicoulai, pour yourself a chilled glass of 2019 Ultra Brut… and hit play on Rihanna. Cheers!

 Crème Fraîche Carneros Sauce

Crème Fraîche Carneros Sauce

Ingredients

· 32 oz (4 cups) crème fraîche

· ¼ cup fresh dill, finely chopped (stems removed; loosely packed)

· 2 lemons, zested

· 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (adjust to taste)

· 1¼ teaspoons kosher salt, plus more if needed

Directions

Combine the crème fraîche, dill, lemon zest, lemon juice, and salt in a medium bowl. Stir gently until evenly incorporated. Taste and adjust with additional lemon juice or salt as needed. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving to let the flavors meld.
Makes about 4 cups.

Use as a dip or drizzle!

A Word on Tsar Nicoulai

The caviar deserves its own moment. Tsar Nicoulai is a California-based producer and one of the pioneers of sustainable farm-raised caviar in the United States, working out of the Sacramento Valley for decades. Their Classic tin is clean, briny, and buttery in all the right ways, with the kind of pure, oceanic finish that makes you understand why caviar has been a luxury worth obsessing over for centuries. We are proud to pour alongside it. Tsar Nicoulai tins are also available on our website and for purchase at the winery, so you can take the experience home with you.