Mendocino:
Wine, Spirits and Beer all Under the Radar
Mendocino
Country is a lot like my sister - the middle child who
never gets any attention. Napa and Sonoma command the lion's share
of wine in Northern California and though Mendocino (just Mendo
as it is known) is only slightly north of Sonoma, few wine lovers
ever seem to make it that far. But they should and there's more
than just wine.
|
Bonterra's
Biodynamic Vineyard |
Mendo
is best known for the highest percentage of organic and biodynamic
vineyards anywhere in California. There are only 84 wineries here
and grapes were originally planted in the late 1800s but Prohibition
effectively killed them off, so the area turned to apples, walnuts
and peach orchards, some of which still produce fruit. The same
time that the Mondavi brothers planted vineyards in Napa in the
mid-1940s, Charlie Barra, the patriarch of Mendocino wine, was
busy planting grapes in Ukiah, the most populous city in Mendocino
located along Highway 101. "Bob and Peter Mondavi, the Wente's
and Louis Martini came up and they helped me pick out grapes and
parcels," Charlie told me over dinner.
Today,
solar panels are present in vineyards, on winery buildings, and
by the side of the road. To facilitate biodynamic farming (essentially
a closed loop farming system whereby natural farming methods are
used and nothing manufactured is allowed) sheep graze the weeds
between grapevine rows and chemical and pesticides are not allowed.
Even the plastic green ties that most of us use in our gardens
to tie tomato plants to stakes are not allowed. In its place is
a natural tying method, used by both Bonterra and Chiarito wineries
- pliable willow tree stalks - as they will eventually return
to the earth from whence they came. This doesn't mean every winery
has gone "green;" many still farm with traditional chemicals,
but you won't find a greater concentration of farmers who trust
the land to work as it has for thousands of years.
|
John
Chiarito makes amazing wines like Negro Amaro and Nero D'Avolo |
And
every type of winery is represented in Mendo: from the massive
Bonterra Vineyards who churn out 300,000 cases of inexpensive
though effective organic wine, to the majority of small family-run
operations with less than 2,000 cases. Some of the best include
Philo Ridge, Rivino, and Chiarito. Just because wine is organic
doesn't mean it's worth buying. But Mendo is doing organic correctly,
whereby the farming is sustainable and what's in the glass is
good. Wineries like Philo Ridge makes small amounts of terrific
Pinot Gris. Rivino produces the less-than-appreciated Cabernet
Franc and excels with it. And Chiarito, whose small vineyard near
the minuscule town of Talmadge, is producing exceptional Zinfandel,
Petite Sirah and an obscure, though terrific grape, Nero D'Avola.
|
Graham
Tatomer from Santa Barbara pours his Reislings grown near
Vendenberg at the Alsace Festival |
The
other wine region, the Anderson Valley, located over a twisted
mountain road about 40 minutes to the west, is home to traditional
Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, from respected producers like Londer,
as well as producers such as Greenwood Ridge who make terrific
Semillon and Merlot. But the Anderson Valley is also known for
cooler climate varieties like the aromatic white wines found at
the Alsace Festival held each February in Boonville. Producers
from California, Oregon, Michigan, New Zealand, even France and
Germany show up to show off their whites including Riesling, Gewürztraminer
and Pinot Gris.
Beers and Spirits
|
The
spirits of Germain-Robin |
There's
also beer. Back in the day along the Russian River from Redwood
Valley to Healdsburg in Sonoma, a span of 50 miles, hops were
the dominate crop. Mendo now claims breweries like the Ukiah Brewing
Company, the first organic brew pub in the nation. The food includes
grass fed burgers and to go with that consider the $5 pints like
the Palace Porter, or the Emancipator, a Bavarian doppelbock.
There is also the Anderson Valley Brewing Company just outside
of Booneville where they have an 18 hole disc golf course and
horseshoes. Pints range from $4-$6 and their barley beers aged
in bourbon barrels are excellent. And for those who seek spirits,
the Germain-Robin Distillery, open only by appointment, will fulfill
your need for small-batch distilled spirits ranging from a diversity
of brandies to grappa to un-aged clear whiskies. You'll be like
a kid in candy shop and you will probably tear up when you leave,
but if apple brandy, cognac, rose liqueur, and Absinthe are beverages
you pine for, make time for Germain-Robin. You will drop some
serious cash, but you will be happy.
Check
It Out:
Article
and Photos courtesy of Michael Cervin
Read more of Michael's work at www.MichaelCervin.com
and www.CervinsCentralCoast.blogspot.com