Pinot Noir’s Place
For a good while now Anderson Valley, a remote valley not far from the Pacific Coast in Mendocino County, has been my favorite Pinot Noir producing region. Everything about the narrow valley conspires to produce Pinot Noir of great character.
Today, the SF Chronicle’s wine section has a review of a number of Pinot Noirs from Anderson Valley. The set of reviews includes those wineries that worked to make a name for Anderson Valley Pinot such as Handley Cellars, Husch and Navarro. It also includes some relative newcomers that have more than confirmed the region’s greatness.
Interestingly, Anderson Valley appears to be making a stab at developing a reputation at least as great for its Alsace varietals such as Gewurztraminer, Riesling and Pinot Gris. It most certainly will succeed at that. Which leads me to this piece of advice:
If you live in California and frequent the various wine valleys or if you are planning a trip out to this neck of the woods, perhaps its time to drive a little further, pass up Napa and Sonoma, and take highway 128 out to Anderson Valley. It’s about two and a half hours from San Francisco. Once there, indulge in a a peaceful environment and soak up the remarkable Pinots and Gewurztraminers that you’ll encounter. It’s off the beaten path, yes. But the reward is worth the trip
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