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Mendocino Wine
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California’s most northerly serious wine growing region has come a long way from being simply a silent supplier of first rate grapes to larger, more storied producers based farther south.
In recent decades many quality producers have actually set up shop in Mendocino, large wineries such as Robert Mondavi, Beringer, Duckhorn—have all developed their own vineyards here. In it they have found a steady supply of fine grapes, but also they enjoy the fact that the cost of land in Mendocino Co. is approximately one-fifth of the cost of similar land in Napa Valley. They have become keen to the fact that while vintners and growers in Mendocino do not enjoy the sales and marketing exposure in the urbanized San Francisco Bay Area that Napa and Sonoma do, but neither do they have to surmount the massive financial barrier to entry posed by land prices. The loggers who pioneered Mendocino came from America's northeast, and built so closely in the style of their original homes that the region not only looks like a movie set of Maine, it is one. In fact it has portrayed Maine so often it should have honorary citizenship. But it does not take a motion picture director to be spellbound by the haunting light along this coast. One of California’s largest and climatically diverse wine regions, it is a place where the pounding ocean stages a timeless battle with 300 foot cliffs, only to give way not far inland to towering ancient redwoods that can date back to year zero on the western calendar.
Winegrowing RegionsMendocino AVAThe coverall AVA in Mendocino County includes the more specific Anderson Valley, McDowell Valley, and Potter Valley AVAs, as well as the county's most substantial vineyard plantings along the Russian River course from Redwood Valley southward through Ukiah to Hopland and on south into Sonoma County's Alexander Valley. But as it encompasses both the Anderson Valley to the west—a place where thick marine fogs are the main weather characteristic—and the extremely different Potter Valley, Redwood Valley and McDowell Valleys inland, the larger Mendocino AVA isn’t necessarily much help to wine consumers on the label. For those familiar, these are well defined regions, although they are rarely reflected on the bottle because of the much greater name recognition that the larger Mendocino designation carries. Generally speaking, Cabernet Sauvignon and Sauvignon Blanc have been reliable in the large zone along the Russian River. Petite Sirah and Zinfandel and from growers on the benchlands can reach great heights in the hands of motivated winemakers. Chardonnay from vineyards such as Lolonis has been surprisingly fine. Fetzer is the dominant winery by size; Jepson, Parducci, and Hidden Cellars are others of commercial importance.
The Anderson Valley : see Anderson Valley Wine
Potter Valley AVADirectly east of Redwood Valley, Potter Valley is a good sized, albeit sparsely populated grape growing region. Its premier achievement to date has been Sauvignon Blanc, but it also has a history of interesting botryized wines made possible by its unique combination of high water table and warm inland weather. Sweet Semillon, Riesling, and Gewurztraminers have garnered some attention over the years, and are definitely worth trying out if one wishes to become acquainted with the special character of the region. Because it has no wineries, the region is not well known, despite the fact that it is almost as big a growing district as Anderson Valley. And besides its botryized wines, its fruit, both white and red, is usually destined for sparkling wine houses.
Redwood ValleySome of Mendocino’s oldest vineyards are in the Redwood Valley AVA, which shows immense versatility. North of Ukiah, past Lake Mendocino and several hundred feet higher, with most of the vineyards planted on sites above sea level, it receives a stiff breeze every afternoon through a gap in the coastal mountains near the town of Willits. While cooler than neighboring Ukiah, it is still warm enough to ripen Zinfandel and Italian varieties, as well as a range of white grapes. Cabernet Sauvignon and Barbera also seem do particularly well in the Redwood Valley, taking on nuances of flavor complexity which are often missing in the same varieties ripened past peak perfection in the Ukiah or Hopland districts.
Ukiah ValleyFurther north along California Highway 101 and the south-flowing Russian River, the mountains pinch more narrowly, then widen again into a much bigger expanse surrounding the city of Ukiah—the agricultural center of Mendocino Co. The Ukiah Valley has many pear orchards and has long produced hearty red wines bound for Italian family-style restaurants. The best vineyards, red and white, are planted on bench lands flanking the Russian River, and higher up are older vineyards planted with Italian and Rhone varieties. These more elevated vineyards mark what is the most noteworthy topographical feature of the Ukiah Valley—a series of high benches 200 feet above the river on the eastern side. They are well-drained sites, and have been for years growing outstanding Zinfandel from ancient, gnarled vines. Unfortunately its grapes have historically gone to factory-sized wineries, lost in the mix of generic red blends. But they do have a distinct geographic character deserving of top billing on their own wines. This is particularly true with the white grapes, Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc, which grow magnificently on the bottomlands close to the river. return to top
Wine Styles in MendocinoMendocino shares Sonoma's versatility, producing good Chardonnay and Viognier, robust reds, and fine sparkling wines. Organic viticulture, pioneered by the Fetzer family, has also been pursued avidly throughout the county, and about 25 percent of all vineyards are certified as organic Varietal Guides:
White Wine Varieties Gewurztraminer Varietal flavor here easily achieves lichee character year after year. In the finest seasons, it can be almost spicy. A range of winemaking styles also delivers an interesting range of wines, from dry to off-dry, with varying touches of oak.
Sauvignon Blanc Until the early nineties, the approach in almost every cellar had been to minimize oak or dispense with it altogether in favor of keeping vineyard flavors front and center. A few, most notably Buena Vista, used about half a percent of residual sugar to highlight the wine's fruit characteristics. Starting about twenty years ago, more winemakers began using barrel fermentation and Semillon to amplify the range of styles.
Red Wine Varieties Cabernet Sauvignon
Pinot Noir
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Buying Guide: Top Mendocino Sparkling Wines
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