Palate
This limited bottling of cool-climate, semi-dry Anderson Valley Riesling has jasmine and pear flavors, grapefruit and green apple characteristics and crisp natural acidity. The bright acid from the cool growing region nicely frames the citrus flavors and produces a distinctive and flavorful, well-balanced wine.
Growing Conditions
The grapes for this wine are grown in Anderson Valley, which is only about 16 miles long and up to 1½ miles wide, surrounded on three sides by rolling hills and low mountains and open to the west through majestic old- and second-growth redwoods to the Pacific Ocean along the Navarro River. It is separated from city life by the longest 30-mile road in California. The nearly one-hour winding drive between Cloverdale, at Hwy. 101, and Boonville, the largest town in Anderson Valley (pop. 700), is the main reason Anderson Valley is as beautiful today as it was in 1851 when the Walter Anderson family from Kentucky became the first white settlers.
In this bucolic valley, vineyards are interspersed with old farmsteads, apple and pear orchards, fruit stands and sheep ranches. Some locals may argue, but compared to other more traveled wine regions like our Napa Valley, Anderson Valley is reminiscent of what California looked like 100 years ago. It was the natural and untouched beauty of this valley, along with the prospect of high-quality vineyards that propelled us to buy the land. During the last decade, Anderson Valley, with its cool climate, has become one of the premier growing regions in California for Pinot Noir and Alsatian whites, such as Riesling and Gewurztraminer.
Winemaking
Produced in a semi-dry style, with about 11 grams of sugar (about 1% residual), the wine is characterized by fresh flower impressions of jasmine and spiced pear.
