Anderson Valley Wine

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Anderson Valley AVA is located within Mendocino County in the North Coast region of California. It’s considered one of the coolest regions in the state, with dense areas of fog, cool winds and rain, with just enough sun to favor conditions for a long growing season, leading to balanced acid structure in the grapes.

Anderson Valley is named for a mid 1800s pioneer family who isolated themselves from the rest of the frontier packs and were drawn to the valley’s natural beauty, fertile grounds and abundant wildlife. Soon, other settlers, mainly the Swiss and those from the Eastern US, came to join them. Most early attempts at wine-making failed due to cold and frost conditions near the valley floor. It wasn’t until the 1890s that an influx of Italian immigrants found their to the valley and settled in the Greenwood Ridge section, which is considerably higher, sunnier and warmer than the lower parts of the valley. These immigrants are credited with starting the practice of commercial Read more »

Prohibition between 1920 and 1933 but a sudden cork in the works. Although some “backdoor” operations at wineries were being practiced, including making bootleg “jack ass wine” out of sugar-spiked, watered down Alicante (a grape that has naturally dark juice that doesn’t lighten when diluted), most vineyards were forced to shut down and wither.

Things didn’t fare better after the Repeal, however. In 1946, the Italian Swiss Colony company saw potential in the valley and offered incentives to grow Ugni Blanc, Colombard, Chasselas and Carignan. However, they didn’t research the growing conditions very well and the grapes turned out to be far more acidic and harder to grow than they desired, with bad frost seasons and difficult harvests. Worse, they didn’t take measures to graft onto American rootstocks, so many of the vines suffered from Phylloxera, that pesky bug everyone thought was eradicated by the turn of the century. Most of these vines ended up being pulled.

In the 1960s, experts at University of California at Davis saw the excellent potential of growing conditions in Anderson Valley, as long as suitable grapes are planted. Physician Donald Edmeades had followed the study and selected varietals for planting at a vineyard with a sign that read “Edmeades Folly.” Skeptics waited. Then Gretchen and Tony Husch planted Gewurtztraminer, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir nearby, eventually starting Husch Winery in 1971, Alexander Valley’s first commercial endeavor since the Prohibition. Slow expansion to the industry took place throughout the decade.

In 1982, the French firm Louis Roederer Estates established an outpost in Anderson Valley, seeing its potential for Pinot Noir and Chardonnay production for an American version of Champagne style sparkling wines. This caused a surge in Anderson Valley’s popularity as a quality wine-making designation.

Most of the growing region is in the cooler, north-west section of the valley, closest to the Pacific Ocean. Popular varietals are Pinot Noir and the Alsace grapes such as Gewurtztraminer, Riesling, Pinot Gris, Muscat and Riesling (an annual Alsace wine festival started in 2006). The south-east section sees higher temperatures suited to Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Zinfandel. ~Amanda Schuster

– Description from Amanda Schuster (hide)

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Wine Harlot's Brown Sugar & Mustard Glazed Planked Alaska Salmon

Brown Sugar & Mustard Glazed Planked Alaska Salmon, a simple, but elegant dish that I find is a classic pairing for pinot noir, whether you pick a wine from the Anderson Valley, Oregon, Sonoma or Burgundy, it's always a perfect pairing with salmon

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Popular wines made in Anderson Valley under $20

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Copain Pinot Noir Anderson Valley les Voisins

Varietals Produced in Anderson Valley View all

Gewürztraminer

Gewürztraminer’s direct and obvious charm has made it a popular varietal in almost every corner of the wine world. Ex...
Chardonnay

British wine writer and critic, Jancis Robinson, once noted that throughout the 80’s and 90’s in the United States, C...
Pinot Noir

“With so voluptuous a perfume, so sweet an edge, they make the blood run hot,” Joel Fleischman, wine columnist at Van...
Syrah

The irony here is that Syrah’s origins could give Carmen Sandiego a run for her international wallet. Syrah’s deepest...

Popular Wineries in Anderson Valley View all

Harmonique

"Producers have turned The Valley’s pristine cool climate grapes into honest wines. Sophisticated...
Greenwood Ridge Vineyards

Since 1980, Greenwood Ridge Vineyards has developed a reputation for producing award-winning esta...
Navarro Vineyards

Welcome to Navarro Vineyards. Our family has been growing grapes, making wine and producing non-a...
Anthill Farms Winery

We're very excited to offer you our 2006 wines. It's sometimes hard for us to believe that this v...
Lazy Creek Vineyards

Lazy Creek Vineyards is named for the meandering creek that runs through the 95-acre ranch locate...
Handley Cellars

Our estate vineyard experiences cool foggy nights and bright sunny days, the perfect climate f...

People getting updates on Anderson Valley Wines

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Anderson Valley on Snooth

May 2013

Actually, found some interesting comparisons of Anderson Valley v. Sonoma Coast v. RRV on Littorai's website.How do Anderson Valley Pinot Noirs compare to the Sonoma Coast?There is no easy response to this question since our wines are really driven by the personality of the site rather than regional characteristics. However, one can make a human... Read More

Forum post in the topic Pinot Noir Thread - Domestics...
May 2013

Thanks for chiming in GT and NGGreg, notice I avoided the minerality talk for ... for ... me as well, as does Anderson Valley, Williamette (I'm starting to collect Big Table Farm's SVD lineup). Also curious as to how the German's are coming along with their PN, Spatburgunder, but distribution here in the states is a bit of an issu Read More

Forum post in the topic Pinot Noir Thread - Domestics...
May 2013

Much better results with Cabot's Anderson Valley 2010... Strawberry, Raspberry, Pomegranate, and maybe just a slight bit of funk on the nose. The palate is medium in weight, showing good red fruits consistent with the nose and strong acidity. I did feel some heat on the finish, which was very mellow, and medium in length. An impressive effort ov... Read More

Forum post in the topic Pinot Noir Thread - Domestics...
May 2013

Thanks for the rec's guys, and I'm glad we haven't gotten into ... ... and I picked up some Cabot Anderson Valley last week, couldn't pass it up @ $23.99 retail. After popping one last night, it's no doubt good stuff and I'll probably get more.Here's one I had over the weekend by Cargasacchi. Had held them in (above average) regard as a name i... Read More

Forum post in the topic Pinot Noir Thread - Domestics...
May 2013

Pinot has been a much celebrated topic here on Snooth over the years I've ... Hills, Sonoma Coast, and the Anderson Valley leading the pack. Further north, there is the famed Willamette area in Oregon to explore. New Zealand and other regions like Germany's Ahr also warrant monitoring. Now let the games begi Read More

Forum post in the topic Pinot Noir Thread - Domestics...
May 2013

Walt Pinot Noir Blue Jay 2011

Snoothrank:

Nice earthiness on the nose. Red and blue fruit. Light spice on the palate over red and blueberry fruit. Lots of strawberry and raspberry flavor. Nice!90 pts.5/9/13 Read More

Wine review by VegasOenophile
May 2013

Happpy Cinco di Mayo! Check out my latest article at www.vinogger.com ... Valley, Alexander Valley, Anderson Valley, Hopland & Lake County and please like Vinogger on Facebook and follow Vinogger on Twitte Read More

Forum post in the topic 5 Northern California Wine...
May 2013

Happy May 1st! There are some amazing wine events this month including ... ... Valley 5/17-19 & Anderson Valley Pinot Noir Festival 5/17-19. Check out the events page of www.vinogger.com for details and links for ticket purcha Read More

Forum post in the topic May Wine Events SF Bay Area
April 2013

Cabot Vineyards Pinot Noir Anderson Valley 2010

Snoothrank:

No written review

Wine review by drsint
April 2013

Porter Creek Carignane Mendocino County Old Vine 2010

Snoothrank:

Bitter apple, oil, shale, and juniper show lovely purity, freshness and intensity on the nose, with hints of gamey meats and nuanced, slightly smoky dark berry fruit topped with a hint of tar and lots of wild plum. In the mouth this is a bit rustic with firm but well judged tannins, but the masses of wild plum up front, followed by pure bright a... Read More

Wine review by BRUNOHOEPERS
Sep 12, 2011

had a great Anderson Valley, gewurtztraminer from Breggo Cellars !! at BWE in Brooklyn,excellent !

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Sep 26, 2009

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