Wine on the Radio - April 28, 2004

Anderson Valley                          Recommendations

Most of us probably don't associate the word quirky with wine but once you pay a visit to Mendocino County you just might!

Up there is the Anderson Valley . Situated on the coast and running inland along the Navarro River this is quirky wine country.

Lots of folks don't even think of it as wine country - it doesn't have the fame and upscale restaurants and shopping you may be used to.

The vines compete with apple orchards and mushroom hunters and they're proving to be up to it!

It's got a particularly long growing season that's tempered by summer fogs in the valley. So the cooler weather grapes like Pinot Noir and Riesling run along the river. Hilltops are home to cabernet and zin as well as chardonnay.

Sparkling wines have found a home here too.

What makes it quirky?

Well there're towns that end in 'ville' and untrafficked side roads, people who aren't in it for the corporate dollar, organic methods and wines that don't pretend.

That's Mendocino's Anderson Valley.

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Anderson Valley Wines - Our Picks and Recommendations . . .

All Prices Approximate

2000 Jepson Chardonnay Mendocino $12
Creamy and buttery, with crisp apple complemented by toasty oak, and a touch of lemon cream and hints of vanilla

2001 Fife Zinfandel "Uplands" Mendocino $15
Cranberry-cassis, black raspberry jam . . . classic spicy Zin-berry fruit.

2000 Husch Cabernet Sauvignon "La Ribera Vineyards" Mendocino $16
An intense fragrant aspect with floral, blackberry jam, dark cherry and purple plum aromas

Pacific Echo NV Brut $17
North Coast , California
wine.com NOTES
This Anderson Valley sparkling wine has been receiving excellent notices. It shows austere bread dough and straw-like scents with crisp lemony flavors and hints of lime in the aftertaste

Roederer Estate NV Brut $20
North Coast , California
wine.com Notes
One of the best Bruts made in America . Combines the opulence of new world fruit with the finesses of French winemaking.

Roederer Estate Brut is made from 100% estate grapes grown in Northern California 's cool Anderson Valley . In true Roederer style, this blend of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir is selected from their reserve wines and is oak aged

Edmeades 1999 Mendocino Ridge Zinfandel $23
North Coast , California
Winemaker's Notes
Mendocino Ridge is a new appellation for the county. It is one of the few places in the world that can boast both mountain and coastal conditions at the same time. This makes for big, ripe Zinfandels with incredible structure

Roederer Estate NV Rose $25
North Coast , California
Winemaker's Notes
Like the Roederer Estate Anderson Valley Brut, the Roederer Estate Rosé is untraditional. While most rosés are made with more Pinot Noir than Chardonnay, the Roederer Estate Rosé is closer to a 50/50 blend (60PN/40CH) of these two grapes