The
little town of Sonoma is home to the northernmost of the California
mission churches, the estate of the last Mexican governor of the
territory, and California’s most historic town square. It
is also the cradle of fine winemaking in California. From 1850
on, vineyards and wineries flourished not just at the town of
Sonoma, but also in every corner of what has become Sonoma County.
From Carneros, the little neck of land stretching down to the
San Pablo Bay (here Sonoma is wedged in between Marin and Napa
counties), to the upper reaches of the County at Cloverdale and
the Mendocino County line, Sonoma County stretches about 75 miles.
It reaches from the mountains that shield Napa Valley in the east,
to the Pacific coast in the west. By 1920 it was home to over
200 wineries. Earthquakes, financial panics, and prohibition culled
that number severely. By the end of prohibition most of the fine
wine potential of the region had been set aside in favor of high
volume (cheap) grape types for bulk wine and home wine production.
Today, order is restored. Again, the number of premium wineries
approaches 200. Over 1,100 growers have over 50,000 acres of grapes
almost exclusively for the production of fine table wines. Old
vineyards have been revitalized and new ones have been planted.
Vineyards dot the coast, line the valleys, and crest the mountains.
Virtually every type of premium wine is made somewhere in Sonoma.
The southernmost section of Sonoma, Carneros, is the coolest.
Proximity to the San Pablo Bay, and cooling breezes from the Pacific
provide ideal circumstances for Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Other
grape types (notably Merlot) have also yielded great wine in Carneros.
Not surprisingly the region has also become home for several of
California’s finest sparkling wine producers. Domaine Carneros,
Gloria Ferrer, Schug, and Buena Vista are among the Carneros producers
well represented in our area.
Although geographically very separate from Carneros, much of the
Russian River Valley appellation offers similar conditions. Here
the direct outlet of the river into the Pacific provides cool
coastal air on even the warmest summer evening. In fact the thermals
rising from the hot valley floors to the east, pull cool moist
ocean air in with perfect reliability. De Loach, “J”,
Siduri, Sonoma-Cutrer, and Rodney Strong are among the dozens
of producers specializing in Russian River wines.
Sonoma-Green Valley, is a notable sub-section of the Russian River
district. Although there are several growers in Green Valley,
the one winery well represented in our area is Iron Horse whose
best-known products are exquisite sparkling wines.
Chalk Hill is the eastern-most sub-section of the Russian River
district. This somewhat warmer region is represented mostly by
the winery of the same name, which owns much of the vineyard planted
on the hill country leading up to the Napa County line.
South of Chalk Hill and heading back toward the town of Sonoma
are the two very important (although not very large) appellations
Sonoma Valley and Sonoma Mountain. Sonoma Mountain rises 2,400
feet above the surrounding terrain. The east facing slopes of
this mountain are given a special designation justified by microclimate,
topography, and soil types. The mountain also forms the western
boundary of the Sonoma Valley appellation, which runs in a sort
of funnel opening down into Carneros. Benziger, Moon Mountain
Estate, Gundlach-Bundschu, and Kenwood all produce wines with
the Sonoma Valley or Sonoma Mountain appellation.
The three least coastal sections of Sonoma County are Knights
Valley, Alexander Valley, and Dry Creek Valley. These are separated
from each other by a series of ridges. Knights Valley is north
of Napa Valley. The main wine to represent this region to us is
Beringer’s Cabernet. Alexander Valley stretches north of
Knights Valley toward Mendocino. Rodney Strong, Chateau St Jean,
Silver Oak, Alexander Valley Vineyards, and Murphy-Goode all produce
wines from Alexander Valley. Dry Creek Valley is west of Alexander
Valley and north of the Russian River. Its most famous wineries
are Pedroncelli, Ferrari-Carano, Dry Creek Vineyards, and Gallo
of Sonoma.
For more detailed info, and lots of links, check out Sonoma growers
and wineries at www.sonomagrapevine.org
and www.sonomawine.com.
Richard
deBondt has been President of Northampton Wines, a Greenville
retail store, since its founding in 1975. In 2003 he and his associates
opened “The Wine Café” featuring fine dining,
and wines to match.
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