Loving Russian River to Death
Does this vital Sonoma County wine region risk losing its meaning as it continues to expand?
Posted: Jan 18, 2012 11:00am ET
Is it
possible to love a wine region to death? Sometimes it seems that way with
Sonoma's Russian River Valley. Three times now its American Viticultural Area (AVA) has
been expanded. Everyone wants in.
As the
Russian River AVA becomes larger and more unwieldy, is it losing its meaning as
a wine region? There is a real risk and it's something that every AVA faces.
All AVAs start off as righteous causes dedicated to purity, to distinctive
places to grow wine, but they end up being about money. If Russian River Valley
is on your wine label, let's be honest, you can charge more than a wine labeled
Sonoma County or Sonoma Coast.
Don't mistake
my grumbling about Russian River's expansion for a lack of regard. Caesar is
still worth praising, not burying. At its heart, it's a remarkable place to
grow wine, one of the best and most versatile wine regions in California,
capable of producing excellent Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Zinfandel and even Syrah
and Sauvignon Blanc. I lived inside its boundaries for five years and came to
know its warm days and brisk nights.
Just taste
wines like Carlisle Zinfandel Russian River Valley Carlisle Vineyard 2009 (93
points, $44) and Failla Pinot Noir Russian River Valley Keefer Ranch 2009 (95,
$45) or Rochioli Chardonnay Russian River Valley 2009 (93, $38) and you get the
idea how special the region is at its best.
Located in
the heart of Sonoma County, Russian River Valley has been producing wine for
generations. In 1876 there were already 7,000 acres of vines planted in the
area, but except for a few wineries like Korbel and Foppiano, most failed to
survive Prohibition.
It really
wasn't until the late 1960s that modern Russian River began to take shape with
visionaries like Joe Rochioli and Joe Swan. Wine giant E&J Gallo ruled the
Sonoma market for years and most experts doubted California was suited to Pinot
Noir or Chardonnay, and many of the classic old Zinfandel vineyards form the
region were blended into vats of Hearty Burgundy and later white Zinfandel.
By 1983,
the original Russian River AVA was approved at 96,000 acres. It was defined
largely by the river's fog line but even then it seemed rather unruly in size
as every square mile was negotiated by growers and wineries that wanted to be
included.
The last
expansion was approved late last year by the federal Alcohol and Tobacco Tax
and Trade Bureau (TTB), enlarging the AVA—by about 14,000 acres, to nearly
170,000 total—and shifting the region's border several miles to the south and
east.
The moving
force behind that change was Gallo, which wanted its large Two Rock Vineyard
included in Russian River, not just the vast Sonoma Coast AVA. It's a stretch
by any measure except Gallo's, and few Russian River growers and winemakers
liked the idea but they grinned and beared it because Gallo has deep pockets
and still buys a lot of grapes in Sonoma.
What will
the future bring for Russian River? Does it risk losing its shine as it
expands?
It will be
interesting to see how vineyard-designated wines from Two Rock develop. For
now, it's wait and see.
I go with practically any Zinfandel from the Russian River Valley. Generally, less of a fruit bomb but with an interesting white pepper characteristic. I also love the Pinot Noir wines but unfortunately they are mostly well above my wine budget of less than $20 a bottle.