Cool in every way: Green Valley

Our fifth stop in the Hidden Gems series is Green Valley, the coolest region of Sonoma County’s Russian River Valley, where food is as bountiful as wine.

Green Valley is a 19,000-acre pocket at the southwestern end of Russian River Valley. Known for its distinctive Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, it’s the first spot in the valley to be cooled by the fog that comes up from the Petaluma Wind Gap and the last place for it to burn off. Its predominant soil is Goldridge, which is a very fine, sandy loam (it almost feels like powder) that retains moisture well and has excellent drainage—perfect for Burgundian varieties. Sebastopol series soil makes up the remainder. This combination of cooler temperatures and only two soil types makes the area unique within Russian River Valley as a whole.

But it wasn’t always grapes that adorned so much of the land. There were some planted in the 1840s, but those were later lost to phylloxera. Predominantly, it was peaches, followed by apples—namely Gravensteins. The area is also a well-known producer of organic vegetables, olive oil, nuts, dairy products (Redwood Hill Farm, which also produces honey, is located there), flower nurseries and Luther Burbank’s Gold Ridge Farm. The food that comes from Green Valley is just as well regarded as the wine, and the residents make the most of that. They’re friendly, down-to-earth and have an overall feeling of happiness about them. It gives the area a fun and relaxed vibe, which shows up in all sorts of ways.

Green Valley is bordered by Sebastopol, Forestville and Occidental; the town of Graton is at its heart. First settled by Pomo and Miwok Indians, it later became part of the Rancho El Molino land grant. But it really began to grow when pioneers came to the area after not having luck during the gold rush. Instead, they found their luck in agriculture (the name Goldridge soil comes from that experience—they found their “gold” in the land). Another wave of people came in the 1930s, and Graton thrived and grew to include apple processing plants and many businesses and homes. But when the apple business began to wane in the 1970s, the town saw a significant decline until the mid-1990s, when its revitalization began. Today, the thriving businesses are back, including popular restaurants, art galleries, retail stores and more.

 

Iron Horse Vineyards

“This is a cool spot in every respect,” says Barry Sterling of Iron Horse Vineyards. Sterling purchased his property with his wife, Audrey, soon after their first visit in 1976. It was pouring rain and they thought they were lost, but when they finally crested the hill and the vista opened up to the surrounding 300 acres, they knew they’d found home. Within two weeks, it was theirs and they began to create a European-style estate winery and home where they could live with their children, Joy and Laurence (now CEO and operations manager, respectively).

The property had 110 acres of vineyards planted (by Forrest Tancer, who was working for Rodney Strong Vineyards), and Tancer partnered with the Sterlings to upgrade them, create a frost protection system and build the winery. The first vintage of estate Chardonnay was 1978, then Pinot Noir in 1979. They didn’t originally plan to make sparkling wine, but some European visitors made the suggestion; the first vintage was in 1980. “It was a great thrill that the terroir was perfect for sparkling,” says Audrey. The popular Wedding Cuvée was the first they produced; today, their production averages 30,000 cases and they make 10 different sparklings (including a new one in partnership with National Geographic, called Ocean Reserve, which launched September 20), five Chardonnays, three Pinot Noirs and a rosé of Pinot Noir. The wines are estate-bottled and exude a sense of place with a bright, stylish, silky and balanced feel that’s unique to Iron Horse and to Green Valley.

Barry and Audrey are also responsible for the Green Valley AVA designation. In 1983, the couple filed with the federal government to establish the AVA; Barry served as the attorney for the process, which took a year. “We wanted to designate Green Valley because Russian River Valley has some warm areas. I had to site something on the geographical maps of the government to designate the boundaries,” says Barry. “So I chose Highway 116 as its eastern edge, although I think it could go a mile or so east of that.”

“People come here and say it’s like Tuscany or Provence—but it’s not. What they’re really saying is, it’s beautiful,” says Joy, who started the Green Valley Growers (GVG) association in 2005. The first thing GVG did was change the AVA name from Sonoma County Green Valley to Green Valley of Russian River Valley, so it would be more geographically specific. “Green Valley is smaller, more focused and has unique characteristics. There’s no way to grow Cabernet Sauvignon—or even bougainvillea. The cool, foggy climate and the predominance of Goldridge soil make it stand out. Also, there’s a great sense of community. There aren’t many wineries, but more than 100 growers. Even if you don’t put Green Valley on the label, if you’re using fruit from Green Valley, that counts.

“I was thrilled that Hess Collection put Green Valley on its Pinot Noir,” says Joy. “And DeLoach has Green Valley on my favorite of its Pinot Noirs.”

The winery’s outdoor tasting area is on a vista overlooking the vineyards to the east, with a commanding view of Green Valley. The property also has organic fruit trees and vegetables, as well as 150 olive trees and gorgeous flower gardens. At lunchtime on the day I visited, we ate behind Barry and Audrey’s home at a long table made from a single tree that had died on the property. There was a gathering of local restaurateurs (Scopa of Healdsburg and Peter Michael of Sebastopol) and friends, with much laughter and camaraderie. It was a great glimpse into the feeling of Green Valley—a big part of it is about family and friends, and the focus is on locally produced organic food as much as it is on wine. After all, the area’s bounty offers so much that’s meant to be enjoyed.

 

Dutton Estate

Joe and Tracy Dutton purchased their property, now Dutton Estate winery, in 1995. It sits just across Highway 116 from Green Valley’s border. Both of them have long-time family ties in Sonoma County, and specifically in Green Valley. In 1964, Joe’s father, Warren, moved to Graton with his wife, Gail. They bought a ranch, where Steve (of Dutton-Goldfield winery) and Joe were born. The ranch had apples and some old French Colombard. In 1967, he planted Chardonnay—the old timers thought he was crazy, but when the apple business declined in the 1970s and 1980s, it became clear he wasn’t.

Today, Dutton Ranch (a separate entity from Dutton Estate) farms 850 acres of grapes and 250 acres of apples. Most of the vineyards are in or near Green Valley, and almost all the wines produced at Dutton Estate are made with Green Valley grapes.

Tracy is descended from the Kozlowski family, which has famously farmed apples and berries as Kozlowski Farms since the 1940s. She grew up on the farm, picking apples and berries. “I was paid $0.10 per bucket,” she laughs. She worked in the retail store all through school, every summer, then delivered jam and did store demos, selling to food buyers. After she graduated college, she returned to the family business.

Says Al Steele, who works with Dutton Ranch to sell grapes, works with winemakers and does cost projections (they sell to approximately 60 wineries), “I think Green Valley is one of the top appellations in California for producing Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, and I think the next generation will recognize Green Valley as one of the premier Burgundian regions of the United States.”

Dutton Estate uses about 2 to 3 percent of Dutton Ranch’s grapes, producing 4,000 cases annually. It offers several distinctive (some single-vineyard) Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs, as well as Sauvignon Blanc, Syrah and Zinfandel. And though the wine industry evolves slowly, Tracy says she’s seen some changes in recent years. “More people are living out here. And visitors are coming specifically for Green Valley wines.

“The Chardonnays are food-friendly, crisp but with balance of fruit. They’re good sipping wines, too, and have consistency from year to year.”

What does the future hold? “We’re continuing to do what we set out to do, which is grow agricultural products for wine and food. This is God’s country, and everyone wants to experience it in some way,” she says.

Small Vines Wines

Paul and Kathryn Sloan are purveyors of Small Vines Wines and Small Vines Viticulture. They’ve lived in Green Valley since 2000 and chose their current property (12.5 acres, with 8 currently planted to vineyard) because it’s on a plateau with exposure to the Petaluma Wind Gap. It has “fingers,” or little valleys, heading northeast that let the wind and fog through. “You can see and feel it instantly,” says Paul. “It’s a cool site without being cold.”

“Green Valley, as a whole, tends to cool off quite a bit at night, and it can be warm in the day. Our property is in the southern edge of the Green Valley, which has greater exposure to the cooling effects of the Estero de Americano (the Petaluma Wind Gap). We found it has a diurnal temperature swing that’s smaller than other vineyards we farm—more like the Sonoma Coast,” he continues. “This piece of land can be cooler than other ranches within just a mile of here that may be more protected from the breezes.”

The Sloans currently make wines with grapes from the Russian River Valley, Green Valley and Sonoma Coast appellations; their focus is Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Paul visited France a few times to study viticulture and look for equipment, and his wine growing philosophy is clearly inspired from Europe (see “Small Vines Wines,” Vineyard Vignettes, April 2009). All the vineyards they farm for Small Vines Wines, as well as many of their clients’ vineyards, are maintained organically and/or biodynamically. The couple started their viticulture business in 1998 and began making their own wine in 2005, with their first release in 2007. It’s offered through the winery’s website (see “Green Valley Wines,” pg. 42), but you can also schedule a tasting in the vineyards. Their Pinot Noirs are bright and fruitful with excellent acidity and a long finish, which lends aging ability and balance.

The vines on their property won’t start producing fruit until 2011, but they’re off to a great start. “Usually baby vineyards require a lot of water, but we didn’t need to irrigate ours—and that looks promising to our future as far as the potential for dry farming goes,” says Kathryn.

The Sloans live with their two children in a small house behind a historic home they’re restoring. It’s the former home of Laura E. Barlow, who, in the early 1900s, farmed and sold blackberries—with the help her six children and wards of the Juvenile Court of San Francisco (in an agreement with the Boys and Girls Aid Society of San Francisco). At the time, it was the largest berry ranch in California, according to a 1906 San Francisco Chronicle article titled “Reforming Bad Boys with Blackberries.” Today, some of the berries remain along with some fruit trees she planted.

When I asked Kathryn and Paul what else they liked about Green Valley, their list of things to do was long and varied. It became clear that this isn’t just a valley for growing grapes and organic food, but is also a place for enjoying all of life’s gifts.

Marimar Torres

Marimar Torres came to live in California in 1975, and a new world opened up to her. She’s part of the fourth generation of the Torres family, the largest family-owned wine producer in Spain (her family has been growing grapes and producing wine since the 17th century in the area around Barcelona). In her role directing export sales, she wasn’t allowed to be involved in the wine’s production or even to go into the vineyards—that was for the men in the family. But in California, she says, “I’m more Marimar than Torres.” Here, she took it upon herself to make something of her own.

She searched for her property for two years beginning in 1981, and when she found it, “it was love at first sight,” she says. “Russian River Valley was established as an AVA in 1983, the same year I bought the property. I had no idea. I just knew I liked Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, and that’s what would do best on the property.” Her brother Miguel, a world-renowned winegrower, advised her to use European-style, high-density planting for Chardonnay in 1986, and she continued the method when she added Pinot Noir in 1988. At about 2,000 vines per acre, it’s more expensive, “but the wines have better balance, more concentration and more refined aromas,” she says.

She attended UC Davis to study California-style viticulture and enology, custom crushed her first barrel-fermented Chardonnay in 1989 and released it in 1991. “I took [the Chardonnay] to my dad [Don Miguel, for whom her Green Valley vineyard is named] in Spain just before he died, and he said it was the best white wine he’d ever had,” she smiles. “Then my mom [Doña Margarita, for whom her Sonoma Coast vineyard is named] was my number one supporter when it was time to build the winery in 1992,” she says.

The winery, modeled after a Catalan farmhouse, is the westernmost one in Russian River Valley. You can drop by for wine tasting, or make an appointment for a tour or delicious tapas and wine pairings (with recipes from Marimar’s two books: The Spanish Table and The Catalan Country Kitchen).

The 81-acre Green Valley estate and a 20-acre vineyard in Sonoma Coast were certified organic in May 2006 and will be 100 percent biodynamic by 2011. “The grapes are improving because of these methods,” she says. Everything is estate grown, farmed and harvested by hand, and there’s a Pinot Noir clone called Cristina 88, named for Marimar’s daughter (who’s interested in eventually running the winery; she just graduated from Princeton), which was planted in 1988, the year she was born.

There are 60 planted acres of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, a couple small blocks of Syrah and Tempranillo (150 cases made for wine club members only) and a 1-acre block of Albariño. You’ll also find owl and bird boxes, cover crops, compost piles, six chickens (you can buy the eggs at the winery) and a biodynamic garden.

Marimar’s goal for each vintage is to express the personality of the land and to leave a legacy for her daughter. “I blend old traditions with modern techniques,” she says, noting there’s no winemaker, but rather it’s “a team effort, because we believe our role is to guide the grapes to express the personality—or terroir—of the vineyard.” Total production is 10,000 to 15,000 cases annually.

The winery produces four Chardonnays and five Pinot Noirs from the Don Miguel Vineyard, and a sixth Pinot Noir from the Doña Margarita Vineyard, as well as two blends. There are three Chardonnay clones and seven Pinot Noir clones planted to provide complexity.

The Pinot Noir fruit from her Don Miguel Vineyard is classic of the area, with opulent, bright, black cherry and wild berry flavors. Her Doña Margarita Vineyard, between Freestone and Occidental, was planted in 2002. The flavor profile there is more earthy, with mushroom and bacon flavors. Twenty acres are planted to Pinot Noir, but the property encompasses 120 acres and includes an equestrian center.

Her Chardonnays, all from the Don Miguel Vineyard, are fragrant, rich, crisp with balanced acidity and a silky mouthfeel and long finish. The small-production Dobles Lias has wonderful richness and complexity.

When she moved to the area, there was only one vineyard she could see from her property. “Now there are a lot more,” she says, “but Green Valley hasn’t changed in its soul.

“I love it here,” she says. “At the end of the day, I find myself smiling after a hard day’s work. Then, when I open the gate, I can see the lights of Santa Rosa and the stars in the background. It’s so beautiful and peaceful.”

 

Too cool

Whether you go to taste wine, enjoy the scenery, have an excellent meal or enjoy the outdoors, Green Valley promises a fun and memorable experience. Just be sure to take your time so you can truly feel its slow and friendly pace. You’ll be glad you did.

 

Green Valley Fun

Green Valley offers all sorts of things to do and see. Ripe with wine, food and a gorgeous landscape filled with redwoods, oaks and other old-growth trees, it’s truly a breathtaking area. If you’re a biking enthusiast, you can take the Joe Rodota Trail through the valley (which actually goes from Santa Rosa to Forestville), past the Sebastopol Berry Farm’s stand, where you can get all sorts of local berries and even berry ice cream. You’ll also see a lot of migratory birds and other wildlife along the trail. Another popular outdoor spot is Ragle Park, which has trails, horseback riding and tennis courts, and is the site for the annual Gravenstein Apple Fair every August.

The town of Graton has wonderful restaurants (check out Underwood Bar and Bistro), art galleries and retail shops as well. Nearby Sebastopol, Forestville and Occidental also offer an eclectic mix of those things. You can see a lot of them during the annual Art Trails and Farm Trails events. Enjoy the area’s organic produce at Andy’s Produce Market. Stay at the Avalon Inn Bed and Breakfast in the heart of the valley or the Farmhouse Inn and Restaurant at its edge in Forestville to really pamper yourself.

Green Valley Wineries

Here’s a list of some of the wineries you’ll find in Green Valley. For a more complete list, including wineries in other areas that produce Green Valley wines, please visit www.northbaybiz.com. If you know of something not included on either list, please contact jfadda@northbaybiz.com so we can add it in.