Sonoma is cool. Sure, its wines are fashionable these days. But more importantly, Sonoma has some cool climate regions that are ideal for Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.
- Sonoma is huge, so the fact that a wine is from Sonoma by itself really doesn't tell you much. It covers about 1600 square miles, with varied soils and weather.
- Sonoma has 18 sub-appellations, shown on the map above. Often, these will give you more insight into what's in the bottle.
Two of Sonoma’s coolest appellations are the Sonoma Coast and the Russian River Valley.
- The Sonoma Coast appellation itself is quite large (about 800 square miles), and has considerable variation in soils, weather and therefore wine styles. The western areas near the ocean are typically cool and foggy, and during the summer can have high temperatures around 75° at the same time that it’s sunny and hovering around 100° further inland. The area near the ocean is considered to be the “true” Sonoma coast, and typically produces higher quality Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.
- Russian River Valley is further inland, but is cooled by its proximity to the Russian River as well as ocean breezes blowing through the Petaluma Gap. Russian River Valley has been called the “mother ship for Burgundian varieties" because of its high quality Chardonnay and Pinot Noir grapes. Some of the best California Pinot Noirs come from this region. Russian River Chardonnays tend to be sleeker, refined and powerful.
- A historical note - the Russian River is named for the Russians who came to the area in 1812 to trap seals. They built Fort Ross and planted grape vines a decade before the first Spanish missionaries arrived.
- There are two sub-appellations: the Green Valley of Russian River Valley, which is the coolest part of the Russian River Valley, and Chalk Hill, where the focus is on Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon.
Our wine of the week is the Merry Edwards 2014 Russian River Valley Klopp Ranch (about $70 retail). I've wanted to try this highly regarded, single vineyard wine for quite a while, and it did not disappoint.
- Merry Edwards is a Sonoma pioneer, and one of the first woman winemakers in California. You can find her very interesting story, including her struggle with the barriers to women winemakers that she faced over forty years ago, here.
- Klopp Ranch is an excellent wine, and worth the money if you're looking for something to pair with a special dinner. (It's often found on wine lists at restaurants with sophisticated wine programs.) The grapes are Burgundy clones. On the nose you'll find rich dark cherry, raspberry, and perhaps a touch of spice. On the palate, there was a rich, deep berry taste with earthy notes, velvety tannins and a long, interesting finish. This is a complex, full-bodied wine. Interestingly, the alcohol level is higher than I would have expected, at 14.4 percent.
- This wine pairs well with pork, spare ribs, and I'd even try it with a lighter cut of beef.
- This year Merry Edwards was acquired by Louis Roederer, the French Champagne house. All indications are that the new owner intends to preserve the same quality for which this winery is known.
Some other good producers to look for. There are a number of great producers in the Russian River Valley, including Alysian Wines, Dutton-Goldfield, J. Rochioli, Paul Hobbs, Kistler Vineyards, Kosta Browne and Williams Selyem. For every day drinking, some good quality, lower-priced producers include Rodney Strong, DuMol, Gary Farrell Wines and J. Vineyards.