Sonoma Coast or Mendocino -- THE Hot New PN Areas?

[Randy Caparoso]

Folks, now's the time to tackle this issue. Some extremely interesting wines are being made from these regions, and maybe we have experiences to share.

The Sonoma Coast AVA, to begin with, hovers over the towns of Occidental and Fort Ross. Evidently, lots of money being put in by people like Bill & Joan Smith (La Jota), Helen Turley (Marcassin), Steve Kistler and Martinelli (Charles Vineyard) to develop these steep, cold climate plantings. Optimal Pinot Noir is what they're mainly looking for.

Just today, I did a lonesome-dove tasting with five different '97 cuvees by Siduri. Owners Adam and Dianna Lee are as freaky as they come when it comes to this grape -- never harvesting more than 2 tons (close spacing or not), strictly indigenous yeasts, and even sleeping in the cellar during 3-4 day pre-fermentation macerations to mix the must every two hours. So what you get is what the grapes give.

Anyway, out of two cuvees coming from Oregon (one from Archery Summit), one from Sonoma Mountain (Van der Kamp), the Santa Lucia Highlights, and the Sonoma Coast (Hirsch Vineyard), the latter seemed to stand out almost head over shoulders. Powerfully perfumed cranberry spice perfumes backed by smoky toast, and long, sweet, lingering dried fruit flavors enlivened by scintillating acidity.

These delcate yet lively, sexily textured, almost electrical qualities have also been confirmed by the first two vintages ('95 and '96) of the Smiths' W.H. Smith "Hellenthal" Sonoma Coast PN; which a M.S. friend of mine characterizes as "mesmerizing" in perfume, with wild, enticingly exotic aromas of sandalwood, wild sour cherry, violets, lavender and even soy and ginger.

Promising PN Area #2: While Dan Duckhorn was just beginning dig is spades into a rather large parcel of hillside dirt just west of Boonville (and he does NOT intend to make sparkling wine), last winter I tasted some black-ruby, powerfully peppery-spiced '97 cuvees at Edmeades, along with some broodingingly thick, zesty -- but alas, slightly tough and hard edged -- PN bottlings with winemaker Van Williamson.

But the real shocker came just last week when I visited renown PN master Jim Clendenen at Au Bon Climat. There I was shown a slumbering '98 from Mendocino with the most enormous presence and perfume -- as rich as any of his wonderful Central Coast cuvees, but even more exotic and black fruit infused. Clendenen also showed a '97 "Detente" Pinot Noir destined for his Ici Las Bas label -- 60% Mendocino (the balance from his Montinore hillside planting in Oregon), with sweet, luscious, wildly perfumed qualities... his most complex Ici La Bas ever!

These, of course, are just isolated, almost incidental tastings. But so powerful and unique, that I have to ask: Are these cuvees and bottlings harbingers of things to come? Which will ultimately prove to produce America's finest PN? The Sonoma Coast, Mendocino, both, or neither one? Hmmm...

[Bucko]

I have long thought that Mendocino has the potential to produce great Pinot. I will be watching the area closely.

Bucko

[Randy Caparoso]

Almost coincidentally, today a rep friend of mine told me that Dan Duckhorn will be unveiling a "Golden Eye" Pinot Noir from Mendocino in July. So I asked for a pre-release tasting. Fingers crossed!