SONOMA

Pioneering at a leisurely pace Sonoma may seem the country cousin next to glitzy Napa, but over the past few decades it has been quietly experimenting, developing and growing. Elin McCoy meets the pioneers of this county’s wine industry and considers the varieties shaping its future

EVERY TIME I drive west over the Mayacamas Three times bigger than Napa, Sonoma is also mountains from Napa into Sonoma, I feel I’m more heterogeneous and sprawling, a leaving behind glitz, glamour and grand estates and 400,000-hectare patchwork of hillsides, ridges, entering – with relief – into a slower, more rural meandering rivers and pastoral valleys with wildly wine world. Populated by farmers in jeans, the varied microclimates and soils. Cool nights and descendants of Italian grape-growers, and vintners daily fogs moderate the summer heat. Sonoma’s obsessed with Pinot Noir, the byways of laid-back layered past, complex topography and proximity to Sonoma remind me of Napa before the mega-rich the Pacific Ocean define its wine styles, just as arrived in their Lamborghinis. dozens of colourful pioneers shaped its wines. This is where the northern Californian wine rush began 200 years ago, when Russian fur traders In the beginning planted vines near coastal Fort Ross in 1812. Its Take the mysterious Hungarian wheeler-dealer and wine history lives on at still-thriving, century-old self-proclaimed count, Agoston Haraszthy, who stone wineries and in veteran gnarled vines that established California’s oldest commercial winery new pioneers strive to preserve. Sonoma’s Buena Vista in Sonoma Valley in 1857. A keen winemakers make more great Pinot Noir than any promoter of the county as a viticultural paradise, other region in California, as well as exciting he kickstarted the industry by bringing back Chardonnays and Zinfandel – field blends that 100,000 vines of some 400 grape varieties from a ‘The story of capture Sonoma’s history in a glass. European trip. Before he went bankrupt and So why has its reputation lagged behind Napa? disappeared in Nicaragua (eaten, legend has it, by a Sonoma’s last Both regions stalled during Prohibition, but crocodile), Haraszthy introduced gravity-flow Sonoma’s wine industry didn’t recover as quickly winemaking and the ageing of wine in redwood 35 years is after Repeal, and went into a long, bucolic sleep. barrels, and created Sonoma’s first sparkling wines. The county exploded into a serious wine region in As with so many of Sonoma’s early wineries, fractionalisation; the 1970s, when dozens of ambitious winemakers Buena Vista’s fortunes rose and fell. It flowered burst on the scene. But it lacked a signature grape again briefly in the 1980s and is in the throes of a focus on like Napa’s glossy Cabernet, a perpetual booster another revival since its purchase in 2011 by like Robert Mondavi – once Napa’s one-man public Burgundy négociant Jean-Charles Boisset. ‘I’m sub-regions and relations machine – and a cohesive, alluring image. taking it back to its beginnings,’ he says. ‘With ‘The story of Sonoma’s last 35 years,’ says historic labels and a wide range of wines.’ which vineyards winemaker Joel Peterson, who founded Ravenswood The vineyards planted by the wave of late-19th Winery in 1976, ‘is fractionalisation; a focus on which and early-20th century Italian immigrant farmers, are right for sub-regions and vineyards are right for which grapes.’ who turned their Zinfandel, Petite Sirah and other Some 350 wineries make wines from 50 grape varieties into rustic jug wines, inspired some of the which grapes’ varieties in 15 confusing, overlapping sub-regions. pioneering winemakers of the 1970s. The quality of Joel Peterson, Ravenswood

4 8 | M a y 2 0 1 4 • DECANTER their grapes convinced ‘Godfather of Zin’ Peterson state – and made cuvées from each, which he Above: the Simi vineyards that Zinfandel had serious fine wine potential. labelled with the vineyard name. (Peterson sold his in Sonoma’s Alexander ‘Sonoma is relatively cool, so its Zins are dark-fruit winery to Constellation Brands in 2001 but remains Valley. One of Sonoma’s driven, brighter in acidity with moderate structure the winemaker.) pioneers, it was founded and a baking spice character,’ Peterson says. He ‘I was on the cusp of change,’ he says. ‘Sonoma here in 1876 sought out century-old vineyards – Sonoma has had a long history of bulk wines. Putting a vineyard more than 100, the largest concentration in the name on the label was a way to signal that each ➢

Sonoma: a timeline

1812 1850 Russian fur California becomes traders plant vine the 31st state; cuttings from Peru Sonoma’s at Fort Ross population is 560

1823-1824 1857 Mission San Francisco Solano de Agoston Haszrathy Sonoma, established by Father founds Buena Vista Junipero Serra, plants vines winery ➢

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one would taste different. And of course you could get a higher price.’ His wines helped solidify old-vine Zinfandel as one of Sonoma’s specialties. Single-vineyard wines have played a key role in Sonoma’s rise since the 1970s, encouraging an early focus on terroir by shifting attention from winery to vineyard. And since growers far outnumber wineries in Sonoma, it’s been easy for young experimental winemakers who can’t afford to buy land to get into the wine game by buying grapes. A surprising number of the wineries established more than a century ago – including Martinelli, Pedroncelli, Foppiano, Gundlach-Bundschu, Korbel, Simi and Seghesio – still flourish, some in family hands, others in corporate portfolios. Simi, founded in Alexander Valley in 1876, has been producing wine in the same stone cellar since 1890. Its 1935 Zinfandel and 1941 Cabernet were the first great old Sonoma wines I tasted, and on a recent visit the Above: Jean Arnold Sessions (right) president of Hanzell ‘Sonoma’s 1974 Alexander Valley Cabernet impressed me, too. Vineyards with the estate’s wine educator Gary Saperstein Most of them were grape-growing farmers until wine industry the 1970s when the fourth and fifth generations embraced ‘the kiss of French oak’, and changed the saw a future in creating their own wines. They make style of American wine. is all about good mid-range, value wines, but rarely rise to the It took a couple of decades to find Sonoma’s top heights of Sonoma’s boutique labels. Martinelli and Pinot Noir spots. Pioneers Joe Rochioli and Joseph renegades’ Seghesio are exceptions. After putting the family Swan found one further north in the late 1960s. Jean Arnold Sessions, name on the label in 1983, the latter made great ‘When God invented Pinot, he put his thumb down Hanzell Vineyards Zinfandel and Dry Creek Valley synonymous. firmly here in the Russian River Valley,’ insists Bob Cabral, winemaker at Williams Selyem winery. Burt Focus on Pinot Williams and Ed Selyem, the original owners, If Zinfandel is Sonoma’s link to its past, Pinot Noir produced their first wines in a garage in 1979 with and Chardonnay are the varieties the county is purchased grapes. When they released their first most known for today. The obsession with both Rochioli cuvée, it catapulted them to fame, put goes back to 1957, when paper magnate and Russian River on the map, and popularised their Burgundy lover James Zellerbach established garagiste model. Williams Selyem became the first Hanzell Vineyards on slopes overlooking the town cult-status Pinot producer. of Sonoma, when the grapes were barely known. Swan, too, created a stir with his intense and ‘People thought Pinot was too finicky to be compelling Russian River Zinfandels and Pinot commercial,’ explains Hanzell’s president Jean Noirs made by old-fashioned Burgundian methods Arnold Sessions. ‘But Zellerbach was a Burgundy that included whole-cluster fermentation and lover. What made the wines even more unique was manual punch downs. His clone of Pinot, known as that they were aged in French oak barrels imported the Swan clone, remains in high demand. from Burgundy instead of the white American oak In 1980, David Hirsch ignited interest in a new others used.’ The subtle flavours they imparted location: the rugged high ridges of the remote and impressed winemakers like Robert Mondavi, who challenging Sonoma coast. His domain on the ➢

Sonoma: a timeline (continued)

1872 1933 The Korbel brothers move At Repeal, fewer than 50 to Russian River, build wine 1920 Sonoma wineries remain ➢ cellars in the 1880s, and There are make sparkling wine by the 256 wineries Champagne method in Sonoma

1920-1933 Prohibition. 1873 Gargling with hot ‘claret’ Phylloxera outbreak becomes the popular begins destroying cure for sore throats vineyards

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A taste of Sonoma: McCoy’s best buys

Hanzell, Chardonnay, Littorai, Hirsch it aims to represent the Russian balanced, food friendly and Sonoma Valley Vineyards Pinot River terroir as a whole, and has supple than most from 2009 18/20 (93/100) Noir, Sonoma Coast an lovely hint of earth and dried California. Whatever the vintage, £42 Goedhuis 2009 18 (93) cherry. Drink 2014-2020 Alc 14.5% Jordan’s Cabernet is amazingly Creamy and intense, £64.99 (2010) Halifax, consistent. The 1976 is still this round, rich wine Hedonism Ravenswood, drinking beautifully. is wonderfully fresh Ted Lemon’s vibrant, Teldeschi Zinfandel, Drink 2014-2025 Alc 13.5% with a polished dazzling, biodynamic Dry Creek Valley minerality and a long cuvée is one of the 2009 17 (90) Seghesio Family finish. All Hanzell’s most powerful, £25 The Wine Palate, Vineyards, Zinfandel, wines age brilliantly. intense, masculine We Are the Wines Sonoma County 2010 Drink 2014-2023 Alcohol 14.5% wines in his line-up. The 2009, A field blend of 16.5 (88) from one of the best recent Zinfandel, Petite Sirah £22.99 (2011) widely Kistler, Les Noisetiers vintages, mixes aromas of herbs, and Carignan. The available via UK agent Chardonnay, Sonoma Coast generous fruit and fine tannins. grapes come from a Liberty Wines 2011 17.5 (91) Drink 2014-2021 Alc 13.5% family-owned This peppery, heady £68-£73 Fine & Rare, Hedonism, vineyard where the oldest vines blend shows the lush R&B Wines, Swig Joseph Swan Vineyards, Cuvée date from 1913. Concentrated. fruit of Alexander Kistler’s largest-production wine de Trois Pinot Noir, Russian Drink 2014-2022 Alc 14.8% Valley and the briary, has a roasted hazelnut character River Valley 2009 17 (90) raspberry character of Zinfandel that’s reflected in its name. £20-£28 Cambridge Wine, The Jordan, Cabernet Sauvignon, from Dry Creek Valley. A prime Though this is a blend of several Wine Society, Woodwinters Alexander Valley 2009 16.5 (88) example of a lusty Sonoma Zin at vineyards, it has the winery’s Tangy and silky, Swan’s entry- £45-£53 Coe Vintners, Sipp, a very reasonable price. trademark purity of fruit and level Pinot encapsulates the Roberson Drink 2014-2016 Alc 15% lush, creamy texture. winery’s Burgundian style. A A graceful, medium-weight Drink 2014-2017 Alc 14.1% delicious blend of four vineyards, Cabernet blend, this is more For UK stockist details, see p102

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San Andreas Fault only 5km from the Pacific is now one of California’s grand crus for Pinot Noir. It has supplied grapes to about 30 top Sonoma winemakers – such as Ted Lemon of Littorai – and drawn other producers aiming for more elegant, lower-alcohol Pinots to establish vineyards in this cool, marginal area now referred to as the ‘true’ Sonoma Coast. Pinot Noir gets the buzz, but Chardonnay has long been the most planted variety in Sonoma. Two names stand out for me as quintessential 1970s Chardonnay pioneers: Chateau St Jean and Kistler. Both made their names by focusing on single- vineyard wines. Chateau St Jean’s first winemaker, Richard Arrowood, once joked they had so many Chardonnays that he couldn’t keep track. Steve Kistler’s model was Burgundy’s Coche-Dury, and his concentrated, opulent, oaky Chardonnays from a variety of vineyards set a quality and style standard from the first vintage, 1979. Others soon Above: in Alexander Valley, Jordan’s cool-climate emulated the style, and Kistler became another of Cabernet Sauvignon reflects its European-style leanings Sonoma’s first cult wineries. In the past few years, though, the winery has dialed back on ripeness and The dominant force in shaping the county’s AVA oak, reflecting a shift in Steve Kistler’s own palate boundaries has been its two biggest landowners, as well as the new popularity of leaner Chardonnays. Kendall-Jackson and the Gallo family. But smaller vintners and grape growers set the direction for European sensibility Sonoma’s quality wines. ‘In Napa, you’re forced to And while Napa still hogs the limelight, there is make a certain kind of wine because of land values,’ also Cabernet Sauvignon in Sonoma, first planted says Peterson. ‘As long as young, talented here in 1878. Jordan winery was Sonoma’s first winemakers can afford to experiment here, it will built-from-scratch, Bordeaux-style estate, founded ‘We didn’t go to be a cradle for new winemaking ideas.’ in 1972 at the north end of the county in Alexander His son Morgan Twain-Peterson sees the future Valley by Denver oilman Tom Jordan and his wife Napa because in red and white field blends from old vineyards, Sally. Everything about it, from the grand, ivy- the only California wines, he says, that aren’t ersatz. covered mansion to the vines around it, brought a we wanted Wells Guthrie, a superb Pinot and Syrah maker, new sense of style and a European sensibility to planted the French grape Trousseau (also known as small-town Sonoma. ‘We didn’t go to Napa because a pioneer Bastardo in Portugal) in Russian River. The Sonoma we wanted a pioneer experience,’ recalls Sally Coast may become the best place match for great Jordan. ‘In the ’70s, Sonoma was a land of prunes.’ experience. Syrah. More wineries will embrace organic From the first vintage, 1976, its well-balanced viticulture. ‘Sonoma’s wine industry is all about Cabernet emphasised the Alexander Valley’s cool In the 1970s, renegades,’ says Hanzell’s Jean Arnold Sessions fruit. ‘Jordan’s goal was making wines to go with Sessions. No one wants to predict the future, but food,’ says John Jordan, who now runs the winery. Sonoma was a the county seems certain to keep pioneering. D ‘We believe in restraint.’ At a recent retrospective tasting at the winery, I was surprised at how well land of prunes’ Elin McCoy is an author and wine and spirits columnist these rounder, softer wines had aged. Sally Jordan, Jordan for Bloomberg News and Bloomberg Markets

Sonoma: a timeline (continued)

1957 James Zellerbach 1999 founds Hanzell 1980s Vineyard plantings boom Most of to 20,000 hectares and Sonoma’s AVAs there are 750 growers are established and 180 bonded wineries

Early 1970s A second generation of wineries booms

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