West Sonoma Coast and top Pinots and Chardonnays to try

Every country has bureaucratic impediments, and America’s wine producers are saddled with their AVAs: American Viticultural Areas. It’s simple enough: a geographical entity with defined borders. One of the problems is that, like a Russian doll, one large AVA can shelter lesser ones.

The Sonoma Coast AVA is the perfect example of this, stretching from Marin County up to Mendocino. Within it nestle other AVAs such as Green Valley and Chalk Hill.

Scroll down to see Stephen Brook’s tasting notes and scores for 14 top West Sonoma Coast wines

Not surprisingly, the growers of the very distinctive coastal ranges flanking the Pacific shoreline argue that their region has nothing in common with hotter Sonoma sub-regions such as Alexander Valley. So in 2015 they petitioned the government to create a West Sonoma Coast AVA, which should be approved imminently.

These coastal ranges are complex. When, many years ago, I mentioned to the late Jess Jackson (of Kendall-Jackson) that I would be visiting the area, he replied: ‘The only way to see it is from the air.’ A few weeks later I was purring over the mountains in Jackson’s helicopter as the pilot explained the topography below.

History

Growers planted the first vineyards on the West Sonoma Coast in the 1970s. Today there are 29 wineries and growers petitioning for the new AVA. They include powerful figures such as the Jackson family, Steve Kistler, Helen Turley, Chuck Wagner of Caymus, and Phelps, as well as adventurous grape-growers such as David Hirsch and brothers Andy and Nick Peay, who subsequently established their own labels.

Key factors

So what is special about these sites? Maritime influence, rather than the varied soils, is the key. Proximity to the Pacific is crucial, as well as elevation. The heat spikes that can drive temperatures in Napa up to 38°C are rare here, and summer temperatures at Flowers’ vineyards range from 22°C to 29°C.

However, many vineyards are above the fog line and receive constant sunshine. I’ve stood in Hirsch Vineyards at 460m, with sweat pouring down my back. But it’s fair to say the West Sonoma Coast enjoys a cool climate, even though in some locations – around Freestone and Occidental – the grapes can struggle to ripen, especially if yields are high.

Cool-climate Chardonnay and Pinot Noir

Cool conditions make this ideal territory for Burgundian varieties. Indeed, growers in Burgundy, now struggling with unprecedented ripeness levels, might look with envy at many Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs from here, with alcohol levels below 12.5%.

Stylistically, this is a welcome development after the 1990s, when producers such as Kosta-Browne released wines at over 15%. They were acclaimed by some American critics, but clearly lacked varietal typicity.

However, modest sugars and alcohols can be too much of a good thing, and there are wines which may be delicate and fragrant but are also decidedly skinny. Moreover, not every producer follows this template. DuMol and Freeman, for example, release wines with around 14%. They are richer and weightier than many others, yet they work well in their own stylistic frame.

Ted Lemon of Littorai, once the winemaker at Domaine Roulot in Meursault, has described West Sonoma Coast wines as having ‘more backbone and angularity, and they’re less voluptuous and fruit-driven than those from Russian River Valley’.

Although the West Sonoma Coast AVA will, at 575km2, be smaller than the existing Sonoma Coast AVA at 2,000km2, it’s still pretty large. Embedded within it will be the Fort Ross-Seaview AVA (established 2012), and two other sub-zones to the south. These lower, cooler areas – Annapolis and Freestone/Occidental – also have their own identity, although they are not AVAs, so more confusion is guaranteed.

But at least the West Sonoma Coast producers themselves have gained recognition for the quality and typicity of their wines.

West Sonoma Coast: 14 top wines to try

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