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Ahh, California. Pretty much wherever you go in the region, you'll encounter vineyards and winemakers plying their trade. The northern California coast boasts a particularly bountiful wine area - Mendocino. Surrounding this artsy town of James Dean fame, you'll find dozens of boutiques, and hundreds of individual vineyards in the valleys near the shore.
The wineries in Mendocino's nearby valleys - Ukiah Valley, Redwood Valley, McDowell Valley, and Anderson Valley, among others - pride themselves in their strictly organic methods of grape growing. The use of herbicides and pesticides is frowned upon, and everyone agrees these preferences make for better wines.
Northern California Coast's Anderson Valley: Husch Vineyards
One top Mendocino winery is Husch Vineyards, the oldest winery in Anderson Valley. Husch goes back to the early 1970s, and it's since changed ownership and modernized, but it's still family-owned and rustic.
Husch Winery's 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon is a blend of minority barrel-fermented grapes and majority steel tank-fermented. It's thus a crisp wine with a soft mouthfeel; lemongrass and citrus tickle the nose, and citrus and fennel are sensed on the palate.
Or try Husch's 2004 Pinot Noir Knoll, displaying aromas of rum, cherry, cedar, rose, and cloves, and flavors of sweet red fruit and cola. The fruit came from a sandstone and shale outcropping, overlooking the Navarro River.
Northern California Coast's Hopland Wineries: Fetzer and Graziano
Down in Hopland, the best winery around is Fetzer, harvesting from their Valley Oaks vineyard. Now you're getting into Zinfandel country, one known for particularly complex vintages. Fetzer's Zins display aromas of black pepper and spices, with a palate of dark berries. The Chardonnay is sure to satisfy, with its medium body and apple, pear, and tropical fruit flavors.
Fetzer is an old operation: The vineyard was first planted in the late 1950s, and the first vintage was made in the mid-60s. It's been fully organic since the mid-80s, the vintner's conviction being that organic grapes, grown without the help of herbicides or pesticides, make better wines.
Another Hopland great, even older than Fetzer, is the Graziano Family of Wines. This is a third-generation winemaking operation, the winery founded in 1918. Who's in this extended family? Monte Volpe wines are Italian, from Tuscany and Friuli, and include such varietals as Pinot Grigio and Tocai Friulano; Graziano wines come from Mendocino's Redwood Valley and include several Zins, Sauvignon Blanc, and Petite Syrah; Enotria wines stem from those planted in Italy's Piedmont region, and include Moscat, Nebbiolo, and Barbera; while finally Saint Gregory wines are Burgundian varieties - the Pinot varieties, and are from grapes planted in Anderson Valley, Redwood Valley, and Potter Valley.
As you can see, the Graziano Family of Wines offers an extensive selection, and they've been in the business of perfecting wines for almost a century - for these reasons they've become one of Menducino's most venerable stars. Their wine tasting room is also one of the best in the region.
All in all, when it comes to wines, you've got Napa, Sonoma, and a few others. Among the few others, Mendocino is at the top of the list. Great coastal air, rolling vineyards, friendly vintners - there's no better way to enjoy the fruit of the vine.
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