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It’s fashionable to rail against the rampant commercialization of California wine country-especially Napa-but one doesn’t have to stray far from the beaten path to realize that Northern California is still a pretty wild frontier. And while the main streets of Boonville are only a short twisty drive from the tony boutiques and famed restaurants of Yountville, the town is worlds, or, more accurately, decades away from its neighbours when it comes to what we’ll call the slick factor. Luckily the surrounding vineyards are producing wine-most notably pinot noir-that has the whole region scrambling to snap up what may be the last, best place to grow cool-climate grapes in the bear state.
GO Boonville, population 700, is the urban centre of the Anderson Valley, whose northern reaches almost touch the glorious seaside town of Mendocino. It’s about two hours north of San Francisco, half that from Sonoma. But don’t let the proximity fool you-the area is isolated enough that in the 1800s it developed its own largely unintelligible dialect, Boontling, which you can occasionally still hear in snippets from the locals.
SIP One of the problems with touring the Anderson Valley is that for a long time wineries that used Anderson Valley grapes were located elsewhere. This includes Williams Selyem, arguably America’s premier pinot producer, as well as pinot heavyweights Cakebread and La Crema. But in the mid-1990s Duckhorn vineyards, famed for its Napa merlot, set up Goldeneye (9200 Hwy. 128, Philo, 800-208-0438, duckhorn.com) just north of Boonville to attempt to create classic California pinot. The experiment worked spectacularly and the pricey Goldeneye offerings sell out each year. The winery offers the closest thing to a Napa-style experience, with flights of tasting, a beautifully manicured picnic area and a small gift shop. Newcomer Breggo Cellars-Breggo is Boontling for sheep-(11001 Hwy. 128, Boonville, 707-895-9589, breggo.com) is going to be the next winery to make a stir with its finely structured pinots and its Alsatian-style pinot gris ("the finest pinot gris I have ever tasted in the new world," said Robert Parker). Albertan Cliff Lede, of the eponymous Napa winery, seems to agree-he purchased the winery late last year.
STAY The local lodging mirrors the area: small, quaint and unassuming. The Boonville Hotel (14050 Hwy. 128, Boonville, 707-895-2210, boonville.com) is the sort of place you dream of finding in a small town-all charm but with style to spare. Each of its 10 rooms is unique and all look like the perfect weekend getaway of some San Fran swell. If you really crave modernism, base yourself in Healdsburg and drive north for 40 minutes to the Anderson Valley. The Duchamp (421 Foss St., Healdsburg, 800-431-9341, duchamp
hotel.com) is just a block off the bustling main square but its six self-contained bungalows look like they were dropped from some German architect’s mind straight into wine country. wl
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Four AV Winners
[1] Breggo Anderson Valley 2009 Pinot Gris A slice of key-lime pie drizzled with honey and topped with a perfectly ripe nectarine slice. In a glass.
[2] La Crema Anderson Valley 2007 Pinot Noir This Sonoma’s winery run-of-the-mill wine is the standard bearer for affordable pinot but its Anderson Valley appellation is another world altogether-fleshy, but not flabby, with a beautiful garnet colour.
[3] Ferrari-Carano Sky High Ranch Pinot Noir 2007 This classic Sonoma winery is relatively new to pinot, but the ´07 bottling, made in the more restrained Burgundian style, shows great promise.
[4] Roederer Estate Anderson Valley Brut NV Sparkling wine is the other great export of the valley, and few are as consistent or well priced as this entry-level wine from the same company that makes Cristal Champagne.
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