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Anderson Valley Wine

Overview

Wine Style Guides

  • White Wines
  • Red Wines
  • Sparkling Wines

Wine Ratings

  • Anderson Valley Pinot Noir

 

Links in Main Article:
 Mendocino Wine

Winegrowing Regions

  • Mendocino AVA
  • Potter Valley
  • Redwood Valley
  • Ukiah Valley

Varietal And Style Guides

  • Gewurztraminer
  • Sauvignon Blanc
  • Cabernet Sauvignon
  • Pinot Noir
  • Sparkling Wines

Links in Main Article:
California Wine

Regional Guides

  • Napa Valley Wine
  • Monterey Wine
  • Carneros Wine
  • Mendocino Wine
Varietal Guides
  • California Chardonnay
  • California Merlot
Wine Style Guides
  • California Dessert Wines
  • Carneros Pinot Noir
  • Napa Chardonnay
  • Napa Cabernet
  • Rutherford Cabernet

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Between Ukiah and the coast, between sun and fog, sits the Anderson Valley. But for all its beauty—and this may be the most beautiful Californian wine valley of them all—the Anderson Valley was long isolated.  Its commercial beginning was in the early 1970s as a venture of urban dropouts who coincidentally shared a fancy for Gewurztraminer, Tony Husch of Husch Vineyards and Ted Bennett of Navarro Vineyards being leaders of that small group. 

 

By 1990, a pair of Champagne houses owned the two largest Anderson Valley wine concerns, and almost half the vineyards. The iconic French wine producer Louis Roederer bought land west of Philo in 1983 on the grounds that the weather was every bit as bleak as their home in Champagne.   As they were looking to set up their very own California sparkling wine operation, Mendocino County's cool, coast-hugging Anderson Valley fit their requirements perfectly. 

There is much more to explore however, within the spectrum of Anderson Valley wines.  They are as distinctive as everything else local; where sun-roasted interior growers (see: Napa wine) focus their attention on Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet and Zinfandel, their fog-chilled counterparts in Anderson Valley concentrate on Chardonnay, Gewtirztraminer, and, above all, sparkling wines.

 

Anderson Valley Terroir

The Anderson Valley follows the Navarro River, and is the closest region to the Pacific coast, with some sectors that are distinctly cool and foggy due to the maritime influence.  Usually, this situation is a boon to winemakers, making for a growing season for grapes that is extremely long throughout a region.  But in the Anderson Vallet an unfortunate consequence is that in some years the region is so cool that the grapes do not ripen, or they succumb to rot due to damp weather conditions.  Frost is always a problem on the valley floor and some form of protection is mandatory. One positive, that more than a few winemakers have deftly taken advantage of, is that resulting from the dampness in the vineyards Botrytis at the end of the season occurs frequently.

Nearly all the vines are on a succession of gently sloping terraces caused by the Navarro River cutting down into the base-rock in a battIe against successive upward lurches of the North American plate. The alluvial soils on most of these benchlands are moderately to quite fertile. Soils higher up are leaner and more acidic.

 


 

 

Wine Styles

White Wines
Within the Anderson Valley, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Zinfandel are often excellent, but it's the Gewiirztraminers and Rieslings which most often leave a lasting impression.  They come dry, off-dry and in a full on dessert style.  The Gewurztraminer is as good as California can grow it.  White Riesling and Chardonnay grown anywhere in the valley have much more delicate aromas and much higher acid levels than their inland counterparts; however, they do best when sited at the higher elevation, southeastern end of the valley where they can get enough sun to ripen fully. When it succeeds, Anderson Valley Chardonnay tends to be crisp, with apple and spice notes.

 

  d

Navarro Cluster Select Late Harvest Gewürztraminer Anderson Valley $25

  d Roessler  Wiley Vineyard Riesling Anderson Valley $18
  d Zina Hyde Cunningham  Gewürztraminer Anderson Valley $18
  d Handley  Gewürztraminer Anderson Valley $18
  d Navarro  White Riesling Anderson Valley $18

 

 

 

 

Red Wines
Red grapes such as Cabernet and Zinfandel are also grown successfully on hillsides above the valley where they will not be affected by the fog.  Lingering around the appellation's western boundary a nice amount of old, slow-ripening, above ­the-fog, cool-country Zinfandel vines make some wines that are like none other from the variety.  Yet these wines still demonstrate the best characteristics of California Zinfandel: they are typically dark, lean, firm, balanced, and intensely berrylike in flavor.

Where the Navarro River makes its abrupt turn toward the sea Pinot Noir thrives on west and southwest facing slopes--these are the real red superstars of the region. 

 

  d Goldeneye  The Narrows Vineyard Pinot Noir Anderson Valley $70
  dd Standish  Mayflower Pinot Noir Anderson Valley $80
  dd Drew  Fog-Eater Pinot Noir Anderson Valley $35
  d Breggo  Donnelly Creek Pinot Noir Anderson Valley $55
  d Ici/La-Bas  Les Révelés Pinot Noir Anderson Valley $30
  d Black Kite  Stony Terrace Pinot Noir Anderson Valley $48
  dd Anthill  Abbey-Harris Vineyard Pinot Noir Anderson Valley $46
  d Arista  Ferrington Vineyard Pinot Noir Anderson Valley $50
  dd MacPhail  Toulouse Vineyard Pinot Noir Anderson Valley $40
  d Migration  Vin Gris of Pinot Noir Anderson Valley $20

 

 

 

 

Sparkling Wines
It was first Louis Roederer, and then Scharffenberger which successfully threw the region's weight behind traditional method sparkling wines from Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.  Many critics regard these as America's best so far.

 

  d Pacific Echo NV Crémant Champagne Blend Anderson Valley $23
  d Roederer Estate NV Brut Sparkling Blend Anderson Valley $22
  d Roederer Estate  L'Ermitage Sparkling Blend Anderson Valley $45
  d Scharffenberger NV Brut Sparkling Blend Anderson Valley $19
  d Pacific Echo Brut Champagne Blend Anderson Valley $33

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On the Market: Anderson Valley Pinot Noir

$35 and Under
$36-$50
$51+

95 Drew  Fog-Eater Pinot Noir Anderson Valley $35
92 Ici/La-Bas  Les Révelés Pinot Noir Anderson Valley $30
91 Brutocao  Riserva d'Argento Pinot Noir Anderson Valley $32
90 Raye's Hill  Henneberg Vineyard Pinot Noir Anderson Valley $26
90 Migration  Vin Gris of Pinot Noir Anderson Valley $20
90 Black Kite  Pinot Noir Anderson Valley $35
89 Roessler  Bluejay Pinot Noir Anderson Valley $32
89 County Line  Rosé Pinot Noir Anderson Valley $20
88 Raye's Hill  Estate Bottled Pinot Noir Anderson Valley $26
88 Migration  Pinot Noir Anderson Valley $30
87 Standish  Philo Rosé Pinot Noir Anderson Valley $22
87 Raye's Hill  Wrightman House Vineyard Pinot Noir Anderson Valley $30
87 La Crema  Pinot Noir Anderson Valley $29
87 Handley  Pinot Noir Anderson Valley $25
87 Claudia Springs  Klindt Vineyard Pinot Noir Anderson Valley $28
87 Baccharis  Floodgate Vineyard Pinot Noir Anderson Valley $28
86 Malm  Pinot Noir Anderson Valley $26
86 Breggo  Pinot Noir Anderson Valley $35
85 Raye's Hill  Wightman House Vineyard Pinot Noir Anderson Valley $22
85 Husch  Vin Gris Pinot Noir Anderson Valley $16
84 Handley  Rosé Pinot Noir Anderson Valley $16
84 Brutocao  Pinot Noir Anderson Valley $24

 

94 MacPhail  Toulouse Vineyard Pinot Noir Anderson Valley $40
94 Arista  Ferrington Vineyard Pinot Noir Anderson Valley $50
93 J. Jacaman  Toulouse Vineyard Pinot Noir Anderson Valley $40
93 Anthill  Abbey-Harris Vineyard Pinot Noir Anderson Valley $46
92 Roessler  Savoy Pinot Noir Anderson Valley $42
92 Harmonique  The Noble One Pinot Noir Anderson Valley $48
91 Roessler  Hein Family Vineyard Pinot Noir Anderson Valley $46
91 Phillips Hill  Toulouse Vineyard Pinot Noir Anderson Valley $40
91 Copain Wines  Kiser En Bas Pinot Noir Anderson Valley $50
91 Black Kite Stony Terrace Pinot Noir Anderson Valley $48
91 Black Kite Redwoods' Edge Pinot Noir Anderson Valley $40
91 Black Kite Kite's Rest Vineyard River Turn Pinot Noir Anderson Valley $48
91 Baxter  Toulouse Vineyard Pinot Noir Anderson Valley $45
90 Navarro  Deep End Pinot Noir Anderson Valley $38
90 Harmonique  Delicacé Pinot Noir Anderson Valley $48
90 Foursight  Charles Vineyard Pinot Noir Anderson Valley $46
90 Demuth  Pinot Noir Anderson Valley $40
90 Anthill  Demuth Vineyard Pinot Noir Anderson Valley $38
89 MacPhail  Ferrington Vineyard Pinot Noir Anderson Valley $48
89 Copain Wines  Hein Family Pinot Noir Anderson Valley $50
88 Zina Hyde Cunningham  Reserve Pinot Noir Anderson Valley $50
88 Standish  Day Ranch Pinot Noir Anderson Valley $40
88 Phillips Hill  Oppenlander Vineyard Pinot Noir Anderson Valley $42
88 Copain Wines  Hacienda-Secoya Pinot Noir Anderson Valley $45
88 Brutocao  Riserva d'Argento Pinot Noir Anderson Valley $38
87 Zina Hyde Cunningham  Pinot Noir Anderson Valley $40
87 Saintsbury  Cerise Vineyard Pinot Noir Anderson Valley $45
87 Cakebread  Pinot Noir Anderson Valley $49
86 Dogwood  Pinot Noir Anderson Valley $40
85 Woodenhead  Wiley Vineyard Pinot Noir Anderson Valley $46
85 Londer  Londer Estate Grown Pinot Noir Anderson Valley $46
84 Whetstone  Savoy Vineyard Pinot Noir Anderson Valley $46


96 Goldeneye  The Narrows Vineyard Pinot Noir Anderson Valley $70
96 Goldeneye  Confluence Vineyard Pinot Noir Anderson Valley $75
95 Standish  Mayflower Pinot Noir Anderson Valley $80
95 Breggo  Savoy Vineyard Pinot Noir Anderson Valley $55
94 Goldeneye  Gowan Creek Vineyard Pinot Noir Anderson Valley $75
93 Goldeneye  Pinot Noir Anderson Valley $52
93 Breggo  Donnelly Creek Pinot Noir Anderson Valley $55
93 Barnett  Savoy Vineyard Pinot Noir Anderson Valley $52
92 Standish  Triangle Block Chinook Pinot Noir Anderson Valley $65
90 Standish  Bosc Block Chinook Pinot Noir Anderson Valley $65
89 Williams Selyem  Ferrington Vineyard Pinot Noir Anderson Valley $59
89 MacPhail  Frattey Shams Vineyard Pinot Noir Anderson Valley $55
89 Londer  Paraboll Pinot Noir Anderson Valley $52
89 Goldeneye  Pinot Noir Anderson Valley $52
87 Woodenhead  Morning Dew Ranch Pinot Noir Anderson Valley $50
87 Tudor Wines  Balo Vineyard Pinot Noir Anderson Valley $60
87 MacPhail  Wightman House Pinot Noir Anderson Valley $60
87 Hartford Court  Velvet Sisters Vineyard Pinot Noir Anderson Valley $55