View source for Mendocino County wine

{{Distinguish|Mendocino AVA|Mendocino Ridge AVA}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2017}}
{{Infobox wine region
| name = Mendocino County
| image =Vineyard in Anderson Valley.jpg
| caption = A Mendocino County vineyard in the Anderson Valley
| official name = 
| other name = 
| type = [[County (United States)|U.S. County]]
| year = 1850
| wine years = 
| country = United States
| part of = [[California wine|California]], [[North Coast AVA]]
| similar = 
| sub regions =  [[Anderson Valley AVA]], [[Cole Ranch AVA]], [[Covelo AVA]], [[Dos Rios AVA]], [[Eagle Peak Mendocino County AVA]], [[McDowell Valley AVA]], [[Mendocino AVA]], [[Mendocino Ridge AVA]], [[Potter Valley AVA]], [[Redwood Valley AVA]], [[Yorkville Highlands AVA]]
| season = 
| climate region = 
| heat units = 
| precipitation = 
| soil = 
| total size = {{convert|3878|sqmi|km2|0}}
| planted = {{convert|15000|acre|km2|0}}<ref name="appellation_america">{{cite web|website=Appellation America|date=2007| url=http://wine.appellationamerica.com/wine-region/Mendocino.html|title=Mendocino County: Appellation Description |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080607042229/http://wine.appellationamerica.com/wine-region/Mendocino.html|archivedate=2008-06-07 |accessdate=January 21, 2008|df=mdy-all}}</ref>
| vineyards = 
| grapes = [[Barbera]], [[Cabernet Franc]], [[Cabernet Sauvignon]], [[Carignane]], [[Douce noir|Charbono]], [[Chardonnay]], [[Chenin blanc]], [[Gewürztraminer]], [[Grenache]], [[Malbec]], [[Merlot]], [[Muscat Canelli]], [[Petit Verdot]], [[Petite Sirah]], [[Pinot blanc]], [[Pinot noir]], [[Riesling]], [[Roussanne]], [[Sangiovese]], [[Sauvignon blanc]], [[Semillon]], [[Syrah]], [[Tocai Friulano]], [[Viognier]], [[Zinfandel]]<ref name="appellation_america"/>
| varietals = 
| wineries = 
| wine produced =
| designation =
| comments = 
}}

The '''Mendocino County wine''' is an [[appellation]] that designates [[wine]] made from [[grape]]s grown mostly in [[Mendocino County, California|Mendocino County]], [[California]]. The region is part of the larger [[North Coast AVA]] and one of California's largest and most climatically diverse wine growing regions.<ref name="Oxford pg 436">{{cite book|editor1=Robinson, Jancis |editor2=Harding, Julia|title=[[The Oxford Companion to Wine]]|edition=Third |pages=436|publisher=Oxford University Press|year=2006|isbn=0-19-860990-6}}</ref> Mendocino County is one of the northernmost commercial wine grape regions in the state with two distinct climate zones separated by the [[Mendocino Range]]. Ten [[American Viticultural Area]]s have been designated within Mendocino County.<ref name="Johnson atlas pg 272">H. Johnson & J. Robinson ''The World Atlas of Wine'' pg 272 Mitchell Beazley Publishing 2005 {{ISBN|1-84000-332-4}}</ref>  Mendocino is one of the leading wine growing regions for [[organic farming|organically]] produced wine grapes. Nearly 25% of the acreage in Mendocino County is grown organically.<ref name="appellation_america"/><ref name="Geniella">{{cite web |author1=Geniella, Mike|url=http://www.freywine.com/press/press-dem-organic.html|title= Mendocino County: Home of Organic Wines|website=Frey Vineyards |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090903100322/http://www.freywine.com/press/press-dem-organic.html |archivedate=September 3, 2009 |format=The Press Democrat |date=November 2006}}</ref> In 2004, the residents of the county voted to become the first [[GMO]]-free county in the United States in an initiative that was supported by many of the county's largest wineries.<ref name="GMO">{{cite web |author1=Kufper, David|url=http://www.alternet.org/story/18027/gmo_%3D_get_monsanto_out?page=entire |title=GMO = Get Monsanto Out|website=Alternet News|date=March 3, 2004 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110604020157/http://www.alternet.org/story/18027/gmo_%3D_get_monsanto_out?page=entire  |archivedate=2011-06-04 |df=mdy-all}}</ref> The county's widespread focus on organic viticulture has inspired journalists to describe it as "California's organic wine [[Mecca]]".<ref name="Knox">{{cite news |author1=Killen, Roger |url=http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2008/feb/24/organic-wine-category-grows-naturally/ |title=Organic wine category grows naturally |work=Knox News |date=February 24, 2008|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080704195529/http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2008/feb/24/organic-wine-category-grows-naturally/  |archivedate=2008-07-04}}</ref>

==History==
[[File:Panning on the Mokelumne.jpg|left|thumb|The first vineyards in Mendocino County were planted by prospectors from the California Gold Rush who failed to find their fortune and returned to the area as farmers.]]
The name "Mendocino" comes from the family name of Mendoza in honor of the 16th century [[Spanish (people)|Spanish]] explorer [[Lorenzo Suárez de Mendoza, 4th conde de la Coruña]] who explored the Mendocino coast line and his cousin, [[Antonio de Mendoza]] the first viceroy of [[New Spain]]. The first vineyards in Mendocino were established in the 1850s in the [[Redwood Valley]] by returning farmers who failed to find their wealth and prosperity during the [[California Gold Rush]]. Most of these winery operations stayed small and were completely eradicated by the enactment of [[Prohibition in the United States]] in the early 20th century. With the commercial production of wine banned, vineyards were ripped out and replaced with [[tree nut]] and [[fruit orchard]]s.<ref name="MacNeil pg 682-685">K. MacNeil ''The Wine Bible'' pg 682-685 Workman Publishing 2001 {{ISBN|1-56305-434-5}}</ref>

The oldest continually operating commercial winery in Mendocino County is [[Parducci Wines]] founded in 1931 while Prohibition was still in place. Parducci remained the only commercial winery in Mendocino until the late 1960s.<ref name="MacNeil pg 682-685"/> Part of this was due to the relative isolation of the region from the major wine market and business center of [[San Francisco]] (more than a 100 miles/160&nbsp;km to the south), which was so pivotal to the development of the wine industries in nearby [[Napa county wine|Napa]] and [[Sonoma County (wine)|Sonoma County]].<ref name="Oxford pg 436"/> In 1968, [[Fetzer Vineyards]] was founded and would eventually grow to be the largest wine producers in the county.<ref name="Wine pg 815">A. Domine (ed) ''Wine'' pg 815 Ullmann Publishing 2008 {{ISBN|978-3-8331-4611-4}}</ref> Fetzer would also become a leader in steering the [[viticultural]] practices of the county towards more [[sustainable agriculture]] and [[organic wine]] production.<ref name="Johnson atlas pg 272"/> Today nearly 25% of all the vineyards in the Mendocino County are certified organic by the [[California Certified Organic Farmers]]-the largest percentage of any county in the state of California.<ref name="MacNeil pg 682-685"/><ref>{{cite news |author1=Klkjer, Thom|url=https://www.sfgate.com/wine/article/Interlocking-ambitions-Mendocino-County-s-2575490.php |title=Interlocking ambitions / Mendocino County's Eaglepoint Ranch is run by agrarian idealists|work=San Francisco Chronicle |date=October 27, 2005|page=2}}</ref>

In 1971 wine production started in the Anderson Valley region. Approximately half of the wine brands produced in Mendocino County are now based in this Western AVA within Mendocino County.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=http://mendowine.com|title=Mendocino Wine Country |website=Mendocino Winegrowers, Inc.|accessdate=January 24, 2017}}</ref>

==Climate and geography==
[[File:Fall Fog in Mendocino county.jpg|right|thumb|The reaches of the cool Pacific fog is one of the dominant influences in Mendocino County viticulture, particularly in the coastal western regions of the county.]]
Mendocino County has a wide range of [[viticultural]] [[mesoclimates]] that are influenced by the county's diversity in climatic and geography. On the eastern borders of the county is the [[Mayacamas Mountains]] separating it from nearby [[Lake County wine|Lake County]] and the influences of the large [[Clear Lake (California)|Clear Lake]].<ref name="MacNeil pg 682-685"/> Within the county, the Mendocino Range segment of the larger [[California Coast Ranges]] essentially divides the region into two climatic spheres. The land to the west of the ranges, closest to the coast tend to have more [[maritime climate (wine)|maritime climate]] that includes more cooling and rain influences from the [[Pacific Ocean]]. Among the wine regions in this cooler area are the [[Mendocino Ridge (AVA)|Mendocino Ridge]], the [[Anderson Valley (AVA)|Anderson Valley]] and the [[Yorkville Highlands AVA]]s. East of the ranges, the climate turns warmer and more [[Mediterranean climate (wine)|Mediterranean]] around [[Ukiah, California|Ukiah]] and along the path of the [[Russian River (California)|Russian River]] as it makes its way southward to [[Sonoma County]]. Among the Mendocino wine regions in this warmer area are the [[Redwood Valley (AVA)|Redwood Valley]], [[Potter Valley (AVA)|Potter Valley]], [[Cole Ranch (AVA)|Cole Ranch]], [[McDowell Valley (AVA)|McDowell Valley]], [[Covelo (AVA)|Covelo]], [[Dos Rios AVA]]s as well as most of the large general area [[Mendocino AVA]]. In this eastern region, the ranges serve as a type of [[rain shadow]] and barrier to the cool Pacific fog which leaves the climate during the [[growing season (vine)|growing season]] much drier and warmer with ratings of Region III and IV on the [[Winkler scale]].<ref name="Johnson atlas pg 272"/>

In the west, the Pacific fog plays a dominant role in the climate of the Anderson Valley. Following the path of the [[Navarro River]] from the Pacific, the fog drifts in and blankets the valley with low hanging cool air. Vineyards in these areas are often planted with cool-climate varieties like [[Pinot noir]], [[Chardonnay]], [[Gewürztraminer]] and [[Riesling]]. At high elevations in Anderson Valley and nearby Mendocino Ridges beyond the fog's reach, these warmer pockets of lands will usually be planted with more warm climate varieties like [[Zinfandel]]. With the nearby Pacific bringing in a steady stream of moisture, rain during the [[harvest months]] can be an issue in this part of the county.<ref name="Johnson atlas pg 272"/>

Around Ukiah, in the center of the large Mendocino AVA to the east of the Mendocino Ranges, the climate can get very warm to hot during the growing season with mean July temperatures during the peak [[ripening month]] often in excess of {{convert|73|°F|°C|abbr=on}}. The average annual rainfall of {{convert|38|in|mm}} is mostly consolidated in the winter months, which means that drought is a common viticultural hazard that often requires supplemental [[irrigation (wine)|irrigation]]. The warm allows this part of the county develop [[body (wine)|full bodied]] and very ripe red wines from [[Cabernet Sauvignon]], [[Merlot]], [[Petite Sirah]] and Zinfandel.<ref name="Johnson atlas pg 272"/>

The [[vineyard soils]] of the region are mostly deep [[alluvial]] soils.<ref name="Johnson atlas pg 272"/> Near the Russian and Navarro Rivers, the soil becomes more [[gravel]]ly-[[loam]] while the vineyards planted on the surrounding slope contain more thin [[scree]]. North of Ukiah and to the west, vines are often planted with an eastward orientation while further south in Mendocino Valley, vineyards are often planted with a westward orientation in order to prevent [[heat stress]]. In general the climate in Mendocino county promotes a shorter growing season of around 268 days compared to the 308 days that is an average growing season in neighboring Sonoma.<ref name="Sotheby pg 479-480">T. Stevenson ''The Sotheby's Wine Encyclopedia'' pg 479–480 Dorling Kindersley 2005 {{ISBN|0-7566-1324-8}}</ref>

==Wine regions==
[[File:Castle Rock Mendocino Pinot Noir a little clearer.jpg|left|thumb|A Mendocino County Pinot noir.]]
As of 2017, twelve American Viticultural Areas (AVA) have been designated within Mendocino County: [[Anderson Valley AVA]], [[Cole Ranch AVA]], [[Covelo AVA]], [[Dos Rios AVA]], [[Eagle Peak Mendocino County AVA]], [[McDowell Valley AVA]], [[Mendocino AVA]], [[Mendocino Ridge AVA]], [[Pine Mountain-Cloverdale AVA|Pine Mountain - Cloverdale Peak AVA]], [[Potter Valley AVA]], [[Redwood Valley AVA]] and [[Yorkville Highlands AVA]].<ref name="Johnson atlas pg 272"/><ref name=":0" /> The majority of Mendocino County plantings are in the eastern side of the county, clustered around the cities of Ukiah, [[Hopland, California|Hopland]], and Redwood Valley. While Redwood Valley has its own AVA, most of these other plantings produce wine under the larger blanket of the Mendocino AVA.<ref name="Oxford pg 436"/> The most prominently featured AVAs to appear on [[wine label]]s are the Anderson Valley, Yorkville Highlands, and the broader Mendocino AVA.<ref name="MacNeil pg 682-685"/><ref name=":0" /><ref name="e-CFR">{{cite web |title=§9.93 Mendocino |url=https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/retrieveECFR?gp=1&SID=e261f8c64b87919fb0570fcad5aa7ecc&ty=HTML&h=L&mc=true&r=SECTION&n=se27.1.9_193|website=Code of Federal Regulations |publisher=Office of the Federal Register (OFR) and the Government Publishing Office |format=Title 27: Alcohol, Tobacco Products and Firearms PART 9—AMERICAN VITICULTURAL AREAS Subpart C—Approved American Viticultural Areas |date=April 29, 2020}}</ref>

===Anderson Valley and Mendocino Ridge===
The Anderson Valley is one of California's coolest wine growing regions in the state being deeply influenced by the cool Pacific fog coming in off the coast. Early plantings of Chardonnay, Gewürztraminer, and Pinot Noir in the 1960s and 1970s led to the formation of a handful of wineries by 1980. The potential for [[sparkling wine production]] became apparent in the 1980s when [[Champagne house]] [[Louis Roederer]] selected Anderson Valley for its California operation [[Roederer Estate]]. The [[Champagne (wine)|Champagne]] firm scouted California extensively for years trying to find a region with the most climatic similarities to the [[Champagne region (wine)|Champagne region]] of [[France (wine)|France]]. Pinot Noir - grown for both sparkling and still wine production - is the dominant varietal for the region. A 2015 vineyard census determined that 87 of 91 vineyard properties in the region grow Pinot Noir.<ref name="MacNeil pg 682-685"/><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.avwines.com|title=Wine Road to the North Coast |website=Anderson Valley Winegrowers|language=en|accessdate=January 24, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.avwines.com/data/avwines.com/File/2014%20Anderson%20Valley%20Vineyard%20Census.pdf|title=Anderson Valley Vineyard Census |date=2015 |website=Anderson Valley Winegrowers|publisher= |accessdate=January 24, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161202181806/http://www.avwines.com/data/avwines.com/File/2014%20Anderson%20Valley%20Vineyard%20Census.pdf|archivedate=2016-12-02|url-status=dead}}</ref>

The Anderson Valley extends about {{convert|10|mi|km}} from end to end and contains over 20 different types of alluvial soils.<ref name="Sotheby pg 479-480"/> The area around the cities of [[Philo, California|Philo]] and [[Navarro, California]] in the center and north end of the valley receive considerably more cooling fog influence than the plantings closer to [[Boonville, California|Boonville]] in the south. Despite being called a "valley", very few vineyards are planted on flat land. Much of the Anderson Valley is planted on a series of steep hills that range in elevation from {{convert|800|–|1300|ft|m}}.<ref name="Oxford pg 436"/> On the mountain ridges above the valley, the cooling influence of the fog can not quite reach the vineyards planted at these elevations. The direct exposure to the sun gives these isolated patches of vineyards more warmth which contributes to the spicy, berry notes of the Zinfandels produced in this part of the Anderson Valley. While some of these vineyards are still part of the Anderson Valley, many were siphoned off into the boundaries of the Mendocino Ridge AVA when it was established in 1997. As a series of disparate mountain ridges, the Mendocino Ridge was the first [[Geographic contiguity|non-contiguous]] AVA established in California.<ref name="MacNeil pg 682-685"/>

===Redwood, Potter and McDowell Valleys===
[[File:Grapes growing the Redwood Valley of Mendocino.jpg|right|thumb|Grapes growing in the Redwood Valley]]
The Redwood and Potter Valleys face each other on the west and east, respectively, just north of [[Lake Mendocino]] in the far eastern reaches of Mendocino County. The areas include heavily wooden terrain with the name Redwood Valley coming from the legends of [[redwood trees]] growing so densely packed that they blotted out the sky. In the southern reaches of Redwood Valley is the [[Ricetti bench]], a [[fluvial terrace]] the features crimson red soil, where Mendocino County's first vineyards were planted in the 1850s. Today the Redwood Valley is known for its peppery, spicy Zinfandels.<ref name="MacNeil pg 682-685"/> The Redwood Valley is slightly cooler than the vineyard plantings to the south towards Ukiah, allowing the area to produce wines with more [[acidity (wine)|acidity]] and deeper [[color (wine)|color]].<ref name="Sotheby pg 479-480"/> Many of the grapes grown in the Potter Valley AVA are blended and sold under the more widely recognizable Mendocino AVA.<ref name="Oxford pg 436"/> In the 21st century, Potter Valley has developed a reputation for white grape varieties such as Chardonnay and [[Sauvignon blanc]] as well as Pinot noir from its pockets of cooler [[microclimates (vine)|microclimates]].<ref name="Wine pg 815"/>  In 2014, the area west of the Redwood and Potter Valley AVAs was designated the [[Eagle Peak Mendocino County AVA]].

The McDowell Valley is located at the southeastern end of Mendocino County on a sloping [[plateau]] east of [[Hopland, California|Hopland]]. Most of the soil is unsuitable for viticulture, with the most favorable areas confined to croppings of gravelly-loam soils at elevations of around {{convert|1,000|ft|m|abbr=off|sp=us}} that are surrounded by the nearby Mayacamas Mountains.<ref name="Sotheby pg 479-480"/> The McDowell Valley is known for its [[Rhone-style wines]] and features 100+ year [[old vine]]s of [[Grenache]] and [[Syrah]]. This includes some of the oldest Syrah plantings in California, dating back to 1913, which today makes the McDowell Valley an active center into research into the [[clonal varieties]] of Syrah.<ref name="Oxford pg 436"/> In addition to producing still red wines, the wineries of the McDowell Valley are also noted for their [[dry (wine)|dry]] [[rosés]].<ref name="MacNeil pg 682-685"/>

==Grape varieties==
[[File:Anderson Valley Chardonnay.jpg|right|thumb|Chardonnay is Mendocino County's leading grape variety.]]
The climatic and geographical diversity of Mendocino county, allows the region to produce a wide range of [[grape varieties]] for wine production. The region harvest, on average, around 62,000 tons of grapes-representing about 2% of California's yearly crush. Chardonnay is the county's leading planting (2015) with about {{convert|4,800|acre|ha|abbr=off}} followed by Cabernet Sauvignon with {{convert|2,860|acre|ha|abbr=off}} and Pinot noir with {{convert|2,695|acre|ha|abbr=off}}. In addition [[Barbera]], [[Cabernet Franc]], [[Carignane]], [[Douce noir|Charbono]], [[Chenin blanc]], [[Gewürztraminer]], [[Grenache]], [[Malbec]], [[Merlot]], [[Muscat Canelli]], [[Petit Verdot]], [[Petite Sirah]], [[Pinot blanc]], [[Riesling]], [[Roussanne]], [[Sangiovese]], [[Sauvignon blanc]], [[Semillon]], [[Syrah]], [[Tocai Friulano]], [[Viognier]] and [[Zinfandel]] are grown in Mendocino County.<ref name="appellation_america"/>

==See also==
*[[Lake County wine]]
*[[Napa County wine]]
*[[Sonoma County wine]]
*[[Wine Country (California)]]

==References==
{{reflist|35em}}

==External links==
* {{Official website|http://www.mendowine.com/}}

[[Category:American Viticultural Areas of Mendocino County, California| ]]
[[Category:California wine]]