A horse drawn carriage ride through the vineyards at McDowell

I just started an online wine course through San Francisco Wine School. The nine-week course is a program for the California Wine Appellation Specialist. It covers eight California regions, the appellations in those areas and of course wines from those areas. Our first class focused on Mendocino. As I read the course content, I recalled our trip to Mendocino County wineries. During our one-week stay, we visited many of the different AVAs and a number of diverse wineries/vineyards. There are several memories.

Charlie Barra with his vines. This year marks his 69 harvest.

Kathy and I visited Mendocino in May of 2010. We remember fondly many of our visits to wineries and the amount of information we learned. The first thought is the history of the winegrowers in Mendocino. Some of the vineyards were a hundred years old. Many of the present-day owners, growers or winemakers are related. We were at McDowell running late for our next stop at Barra. We were informed that the Barra’s were family and they would call and tell them we were running late. We also enjoyed the tours of the vineyards. At McDowell we saw the vineyard in a horse-drawn carriage while Charlie Barra took us through his vineyards in a Mercedes-Benz. Talking to Charlie about vineyards was like talking to a friendly human encyclopedia. This year marks his 69th harvest. Charlie also has a twinkle in his eye. He waited patiently as a waitress at a local Ukiah restaurant explained the wine he selected for dinner. When she was done, he said, “I know. I made that wine.” Our waitress just said, “Oh!”

Another memory was the afternoon lecture we had with Paul Dolan on Biodynamics. Paul was not pushy with his ideas; he just laid out the facts and we saw and tasted the results. While there, we saw perhaps one of the most beautiful vineyards in the world. Another beautiful site was at Husch Vineyards where visitors will discover the tasting room in a small, cozy rustic building with prolific rose blossoms making a welcoming and romantic entrance. The entrance is a popular spot for couples to have their photo taken.

Diversity is key in a biodynamic vineyards. The different plants attract a diverse population of insects, making it difficult for any bad insects to get a foothold.

A misconception about California is that the weather is perfect for grape growing. We spent one evening at Handley Estate Vineyard located on Highway 128 in Anderson Valley. I was awakened early in the morning by the sprinkler system watering the vineyards to save them from freezing temperatures. Winegrowers in parts of the country will appreciate this. A unique winery/vineyard visit was Mariah Vineyards located in the only noncontiguous AVA in the country, Mendocino Ridge. Staring off in the distance we saw the Pacific Ocean. Not everything is perfect in California. While at Frey Vineyards in the Redwood Valley we sampled a smoke tainted 2008 Charbono, a result of the fires that plagued the Mendocino wineries in 2008.

Medocino’s weather is not always perfect for vineyards. An early morning water spray wards off freezing temperatures.

While at Parducci Wine Cellars, Golden Vineyards and McDowell we were introduced to Coro Mendocino a proprietary blend of Mendocino grapes controlled by an organization. Only the wineries that follow the rules of the blend and have their wine passed by blind tasters may call it Coro Mendocino. We were familiar with the concept since a similar idea is used by several wineries along Lake Erie in Pennsylvania and Ohio to produce a wine called Reflections of Lake Erie.

Another memorable winery visit was at Navarro Vineyards. We spent the afternoon with Sarah Cahn Bennett. We discovered her love for the organic vineyards and the baby doll sheep that follow her and take care of weed control.

Baby doll sheep mow the grass at Navarro Vineyards.

From a wine tourist point of view, Mendocino offers a unique educational experience. The county has a laid-back attitude and rich farming tradition. The tasting rooms we visited were friendly and varied as were the wines.

Cheers,
Terry