### Sonoma, Anderson Valley and Beyond: New Releases

The buzz in Sonoma, Anderson Valley and the neighboring appellations is palpable. Once again, I came away from my tastings energized by the sheer number of compelling wines coming out of these regions. Best of all, prices remain exceedingly fair within the context of today’s market.

![](https://allgrapes.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads%2F1422659362732-SonomaGriffins+-+vinous.jpg)

_2014 Griffin's Lair Syrah at Arnot-Roberts_

**The 2013 Growing Season**

Two thousand thirteen was the second year of the current drought cycle in California. I remember tasting with Paul Hobbs in early January. Even then, Hobbs was deeply concerned and was contemplating starting irrigation immediately, which is pretty much unheard of. The year got off to a quick start and progressed at an equally rapid pace, leading up to a very early and condensed harvest that started in mid-August. Even though conditions were warm, they were also even throughout the year. Vines, like people, don’t like sudden changes. With the exception of an unexpected rain in June, there were few, if any, real weather shocks throughout the year. Perhaps for that reason, most grape varieties achieved full maturity while retaining considerable acidity, something that is quite unusual for an early year. Overall, yields were high, more or less similar to 2012, but the cluster morphologies were quite different. In 2012, large berries led to high yields, while in 2013 berries were small, but the bunches themselves were bigger and therefore heavier. Small berries in 2013 resulted in high skin-to-juice ratios, which is generally favorable for color, tannin, structure and overall depth. These are of course general observations, but thoughts that were a common refrain during my estate visits.

![](https://allgrapes.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads%2F1422659313515-Littorai.jpg)

_Littorai’s Pivot Vineyard, Sebastopol_

**The 2013 Wines**

**Chardonnay** is one of the clear stars of the vintage. The wines are bright, focused and nuanced, with tons of energy and site-specific character. Quite honestly, that is a bit of a surprise for a warm, early vintage, but the wines speak for themselves. Readers will not want to miss the 2013 Sonoma Chardonnays, as they are simply magnificent.

Similar qualities come through in the red varieties. The 2013 **Cabernet Sauvignon** s are fabulous. Just like their cousins in Napa Valley, the Sonoma Cabernets are dark, inky and powerful, with vibrant, pulsating acidity and tons of structure. **Syrah** is also very strong, with many of the same attributes as the Cabernets. Perhaps more importantly, the 2013 Syrahs are intensely aromatic and varietal, something that was much less the case in 2012. I was quite surprised to hear from a number of growers that Syrah sales have rebounded, which is fabulous news and a significant turnaround from where things stood just a few years back. It’s great to see the best California Syrahs getting the attention they deserve. From a consumer’s standpoint, there is no richer treasure trove of value in California wine than there is in Syrah. **Zinfandel** and Zinfandel-based wines are also defined by bright acidities, but here the strong presence of field blends results in a wide range of styles.

**Pinot Noir** is the enigma, as quality is highly variable across the board. I tasted quite a few 2013 Pinots that lack color and depth. In 2013, the Pinot harvest stretched a full two months, from the middle of August to the middle of October, which is remarkable considering most producers define 2013 as a year with a condensed harvest.

It is also clear the quality of the Pinot Noir was affected by a spell of rain in late June. Most growers reported one or two inches of rain, if any at all, but the little bit of moisture that fell was enough to restart vegetative growth. Ideally by this time of the year the canopy has stopped growing so that all of the energy of the vine can be directed to the fruit. If the plant starts to grow again, that results in competition with the fruit for nutrients. This may be one of the reasons why some of the 2013 Pinots lack color, depth and come across as dilute. Of course, 2013 was also a year with high yields, and that likely played a role as well. That is not to say the 2013 Pinots are weak across the board; far from it. But readers will have to be selective.

![](https://allgrapes.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads%2F1422659178289-WindGap+vinous.jpg)

_Wind Gap, Sebastopol_

**What Am I Looking For In Wine?**

It is a question I get often. When I was a child, my grandfather gave me a classical guitar. He wanted me to be Andrés Segovia. I wanted to be Angus Young. As a teenager I played guitar in all sorts of bands, from my high school’s jazz big band to my own rock band. Later, when I studied music as an undergraduate, I was taught to understand and appreciate all styles of virtuosity. I approach wine in exactly the same way. Stated simply: Quality and style are not the same thing. High quality wines are made in all styles. I began tasting wines for this article late last year. Those tastings were followed up with ten days of winery visits and more tastings in my office. Over that time, I sampled well over 1,000 wines. With that context, the cream rises to the top. Two of the highest rated wines in this report are 2013 Chardonnays from Arnot-Roberts and Mark Aubert. Is one better than the other? Of course not, they are just different in interpretation and style. Just like Coche-Dury and Domaine d’Auvenay’s whites are different. Only you, the reader, can know what you like and don’t like, but personally I think it is a shame to not experience the full breadth of what wine is and what it can offer.

Specifically, when it comes to top-flight Sonoma wines, I am looking for a sense of place in vineyard-designate bottlings. Too often I encounter lineups where all the wines taste pretty much the same. Wineries that don’t own vineyards must purchase fruit. Often, vineyard owners specify that their name must appear on the label of vineyard designates. Herein lies the problem. Not all vineyards are created equal. Or, more specifically, not all vineyards truly deserve to be bottled on their own. California does not have an established ranking of sites, which means that consumers have no way of knowing the quality or reputed quality of a vineyard other than by gathering that information informally over time. Year after year, I find various Sonoma Coast Pinot and Syrah bottlings just as good, or better, than some vineyard designates. There is a reason for this and it is the same reason vineyards are blended in other parts of the world. Very few sites are capable of delivering a singular voice vintage after vintage. Most vineyards have one or two key attributes, that, when combined with the signatures of other sites, can result in a whole that is greater than the sum of its parts. The very best Sonoma wines are highly expressive of variety, vintage and site.

![](https://allgrapes.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads%2F1422659050312-Aubert+-+vinous.jpg)

_Tasting at Aubert, Calistoga_

**A Word on Anderson Valley**

Anderson Valley seems to get a little lost in the shuffle, which is unfortunate. Once again, this year I tasted a wide range of fabulous wines from this stretch of vineyards in Mendocino County. Several major groups have made significant investments here, including Roederer, Jackson Family Estates and Cliff Lede, with his recent purchase of the Savoy Vineyard. Many of the best Anderson Valley offerings are made by wineries in Sonoma, including Littorai and Copain, which is both good and bad. On the positive side, these established wineries bring attention to a region that is still being discovered by the consumer, but at the same time, Anderson Valley needs to have at least a few local producers who can be ambassadors for the region. Still, the future looks very bright for a region that continues to prove it can excel with Chardonnays, Pinots, Syrahs and Cabernets.

**Closing Thoughts**

My tastings of wines from Sonoma County, Anderson Valley and neighboring appellations were the broadest and most extensive I have ever done. Readers should be on the lookout for a small supplement to this article that will be posted in a few weeks. The sheer breadth and diversity in this part of California is truly breathtaking. I hope readers will take some time to discover the wines, producers and vineyards that form the rich oenological landscape of Sonoma County, Anderson Valley and beyond.

-- Antonio Galloni



Sonoma, Anderson Valley and Beyond: New Releases

Sonoma, Anderson Valley and Beyond: New Releases (Jan 2015)

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