ANDERSON VALLEY; Logging Gewurztraminer

Islands in the Clouds, Mendocino County

In the waning bright of summer you can leave the spine of Hwy.101 and meander the edge of the coastal range above Cloverdale to reach the Yorkville Highlands AVA on Hwy.128.  Isolated and bucolic farms dot the rolling emerald hills as you continue north-westbound, and then from the crown of a hill's rise it appears like a misty land that time forgot. It is the Anderson Valley AVA of Mendocino County that grows shades of green across these fog-veiled, open spaces.  Surrounded by the heights of the Coastal Range, it is for many a wine route that is so off the radar, where a few of the 'pioneers' are still with us, and of late a region fertile to more than a few wine dreams.  It is also the epicenter of California Gewurztraminer, a noble variety too often forgotten.

New vineyard investment in Philo, Anderson Valley AVA

Late 19th century logging entrepreneurs with names like Gschwend, and Sterns, and Hiatt harvested the once abundant California coastal redwood above the valley farms. Timber men were typically hard, independent sorts, living in isolated camps, coming to town occasionally to raise a little hell. There were choppers and peelers, swampers and teamsters somewhere in those forested hills.  With the rebirth of San Francisco in the early century years there was an industrial logging boom, growing into the 1940's, when more than 50 area mills were operating; today there is just one that remains outside of lazy Philo. Unfortunately, the once abundant old growth redwood too has been lost, with today only about 5% of its native acreage remaining as protected or privately owned lands.

Early 20th century ag development along the 20-mile Anderson Valley saw new Swiss and Italian immigrant plantings of familiar grapes varieties, as well as apples and hops across the isolated valley. Here, the early wine pioneers had branded names like Edmeades, Husch or Navarro; even by the late 70's there were still just a handful of area wineries. Still, cool tolerant Alsatian varietals had established a diverse vineyard foothold. In the early 1980's, sparkling wine producers saw the valley's unique qualities, bringing the prestigious French Champagne-house Roederer and John Scharffenberger investing chardonnay and pinot noir into this forgotten landscape.  Today, valley plantings of pinot noir in clay loam soils now blanket across her rolling hills, joining adapted varietals with a generally cool growing season, and abundant dormant seasonal rainfall.  And, just about everyone bottles a fragrant Gewurztraminer.

Pretty, blushing Gewurztraminer/wine.com

Early ripening Gewurztraminer adapted well, importantly retaining really good acid in the fruit from this cooler environment; where the generous humidity can even invite a late harvest specialty across the more than 100 acres now planted. Typical notes in the glass of rose hips, exotic fruits and lychee are present in these wines, where the abundant aromatics invite the taste.  Its mouth filling body too can be a pleasure in the mouth, offering a luscious and cooling foil to spicy Asian fare. Vine tourists exploring the former hills of the Central Pomo's can find fine examples of delicious at benchmark Navarro, or Husch, or Lazy Creek Vineyards to name just a few of many.

Recently featured at our informal tasting, Gewurztraminer from the Anderson Valley showed promise and consistency in all the dry selections tasted from the 2014 and 2015 harvests.  In another league was the star of the evening, a Late Harvest Gewurztraminer from the Navarro Vineyards 2006 harvest.  Golden in the glass, it shared aromas of dried stone fruits, honey, lychee and dried flowers by way of introduction.  Its viscous nectar filling the mouth round with so many pleasurable notes it was difficult to linger on just one for very long. Moments later, perhaps minutes, it was still casting a delicious shadow across the palate as it lingered to luscious memory.

"We manage to sell it, but it certainly is not a widely popular wine. I don't think demand has grown", offers Navarro winemaker Ted Bennett. There remains a bittersweet parallel. Both Anderson Valley logging and gewurztraminer perhaps may share a historical fate.  Unless it finds a consumer marketplace and continues to be managed sustain-ably it may one day be threatened with severe scarcity or worse yet, loss.  That would be indeed logging tragedy, if only because this under appreciated, good value ambrosia varietal always loves my kung pao takeout.

Salute! And, Happy Harvest!

Wine Links:
Coastal Redwood logging:  https://youtu.be/3MDgxNLDR64
 https://avwines.com/