Alexander Valley
Encyclopedia
The Alexander Valley is a Californian American Viticultural Area
(AVA) just north of Healdsburg
in Sonoma County. It is home to many wineries
and vineyard
s, as well as the city of Cloverdale
. It is the largest and most fully planted wine region in Sonoma. Highway 101
runs through the valley
, and the Russian River
flows down the valley, surrounded by vineyards on both sides. From the higher elevation
s of the valley rim, there is view as far south as Taylor Mountain and Sonoma Mountain
. The region was named for Cyrus Alexander
, owner of a part of the Rancho Sotoyome
Mexican land grant, in 1847. Granted AVA status in 1984, the boundaries of the appellation are defined in the Code of Federal Regulations, Title 27, Section 9.53.
on the Pacific coast, to establish vineyards in the area. For most of its history the region was predominately associated with mass produced bulk & jug wine
s made from indiscriminately planted field blends of red grape varieties. A modern era of quality wine production began in the late 1960s when a new owner of Simi Winery
sought to revive the area's long winemaking history. In the 1970s, a new wave of producers, such as Chateau Souverain and Jordan Vineyard & Winery
, descended upon the area and started making wines that received critical and consumer acclaim. In 1988, E & J Gallo Winery
purchased substantial tracks of land in the Alexander Valley to establish the fine wine brand of the company.
In 1963, one of Alexander Valley's most prestigious vineyards, the Robert Young Vineyard, was planted. There were few wineries in the area at the time so the vineyard sourced most of it fruit to wineries outside the valley. One of these wineries, Chateau St. Jean, was so impressed with the quality of fruit that with the 1975 vintage
of their Chardonnay
they put the name of the vineyard on the wine label
. This "vineyard designated wine
" would be one of the first premium wines in California wine history to have the name of the vineyard appear on the label.
, the original boundaries of the AVA extend from the banks of the Russian River eastward to the foothills of the Mayacamas Mountains. In 1986 these boundaries were expanded to include overlapping regions of the Russian River AVA. A second expansion occurred in 1990 to cover vineyards owned by Sir Peter Michael
and Ellis Alden in the foothills east of Geyserville. In 2001, the area consisting of the Gill Creek watershed
was changed from being part of the Dry Creek AVA to a reclassification as part of the Alexander Valley AVA.
. The area is sheltered from the influence of the nearby Pacific Oceans by the low lying hills northeast of Healdsburg. The dominant vineyard soil of the region is alluvial. During the day, the Alexander Valley is one of the warmest areas in Northern California but a night experiences a wide diurnal temperature variation
that off cool climate conditions. The region's close proximately to the Russian River serves a source for early morning fog
conditions that covers the lower vineyards areas until it burned off by the morning sun.
and Merlot
. The alluvial soils of the region tend to impart a rich, chocolate note to the Cabernet. Other Alexander Valley varietal
s that have been gaining recognition include Chardonnay
, Nebbiolo and Sangiovese
. The Chardonnay from this region is characterized by its rich, tropical fruits. Some experts, such as Jancis Robinson
, have speculated that Zinfandel
and Sauvignon blanc
may eventually prove themselves to be best suited to the climate and soils of the Alexander Valley
.
to be built on land owned by the Pomo people
. In 1998, the association had been able to block a large winery expansion proposed by Kendall-Jackson
, but in the dispute with the Pomo casino, federal and state laws granted the tribe the right to develop the land in any way they wished. Resulting traffic problems along Highway 128
following River Rock Casino's 2002 opening have led to public safety concerns during harvest season when the narrow rural roadways must accommodate tractor trailers and grape gondolas. These concerns intensified after River Rock received their liquor license
in 2008.
American Viticultural Area
An American Viticultural Area is a designated wine grape-growing region in the United States distinguishable by geographic features, with boundaries defined by the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau , United States Department of the Treasury....
(AVA) just north of Healdsburg
Healdsburg, California
Healdsburg is a city located in Sonoma County, California, in the United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city had a population of 11,254...
in Sonoma County. It is home to many wineries
Winery
A winery is a building or property that produces wine, or a business involved in the production of wine, such as a wine company. Some wine companies own many wineries. Besides wine making equipment, larger wineries may also feature warehouses, bottling lines, laboratories, and large expanses of...
and vineyard
Vineyard
A vineyard is a plantation of grape-bearing vines, grown mainly for winemaking, but also raisins, table grapes and non-alcoholic grape juice...
s, as well as the city of Cloverdale
Cloverdale, California
Cloverdale is a city in Sonoma County, California, United States. The San Francisco and North Pacific Railroad reached Cloverdale in 1872. The Cloverdale Rancheria of Pomo Indians of California is headquartered here...
. It is the largest and most fully planted wine region in Sonoma. Highway 101
U.S. Route 101
U.S. Route 101, or U.S. Highway 101, is an important north–south U.S. highway that runs through the states of California, Oregon, and Washington, on the West Coast of the United States...
runs through the valley
Valley
In geology, a valley or dale is a depression with predominant extent in one direction. A very deep river valley may be called a canyon or gorge.The terms U-shaped and V-shaped are descriptive terms of geography to characterize the form of valleys...
, and the Russian River
Russian River (California)
The Russian River, a southward-flowing river, drains of Sonoma and Mendocino counties in Northern California. With an annual average discharge of approximately , it is the second largest river flowing through the nine county Greater San Francisco Bay Area with a mainstem 110 miles ...
flows down the valley, surrounded by vineyards on both sides. From the higher elevation
Elevation
The elevation of a geographic location is its height above a fixed reference point, most commonly a reference geoid, a mathematical model of the Earth's sea level as an equipotential gravitational surface ....
s of the valley rim, there is view as far south as Taylor Mountain and Sonoma Mountain
Sonoma Mountain
Sonoma Mountain is a prominent landform within the Sonoma Mountains of southern Sonoma County, California. At elevation of , Sonoma Mountain offers expansive views of the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Sonoma Valley to the east...
. The region was named for Cyrus Alexander
Cyrus Alexander
Cyrus Alexander was an early settler of Sonoma County, California.Cyrus Alexander was born in Pennsylvania, and his family soon moved to Illinois. In 1831, Alexander was in the Rocky Mountains trapping for the Sublette fur company. He arrived in San Diego in 1833, where he worked for Captain...
, owner of a part of the Rancho Sotoyome
Rancho Sotoyome
Rancho Sotoyome was a Mexican land grant given to Henry D. Fitch. Sotoyome or "Satiyomes" was the name of a Wappo tribe. The grant, in present day Sonoma County, California, extended along the Russian River encompassing the Alexander Valley and present day Healdsburg.-History:San Diego sea captain...
Mexican land grant, in 1847. Granted AVA status in 1984, the boundaries of the appellation are defined in the Code of Federal Regulations, Title 27, Section 9.53.
History
In its early history, the territory commonly referred to as the "Alexander Valley" denoted the benchlands east of the Russian River leading up to the Mayacamas Mountains. The area west of the Russian River was known as “the plaines” or “the ranchos.” Viticulture in the area dates back to 1843, when Cyrus Alexander used vines cuttings collected from Fort RossFort Ross, California
Fort Ross is a former Russian establishment on the Pacific Coast in what is now Sonoma County, California, in the United States. It was the hub of the southernmost Russian settlements in North America in between 1812 to 1841...
on the Pacific coast, to establish vineyards in the area. For most of its history the region was predominately associated with mass produced bulk & jug wine
Jug wine
Jug wine is a term in the United States for inexpensive table wine typically bottled in a glass jug.Historically, jug wines were labeled semi-generically, often sold to third parties to be relabeled, or sold directly from the winery's tasting room to customers who would often bring their own bottles...
s made from indiscriminately planted field blends of red grape varieties. A modern era of quality wine production began in the late 1960s when a new owner of Simi Winery
Simi Winery
Simi Winery is one of the oldest and largest superpremium-class boutique wineries in California.-History:The winery was founded in San Francisco, California in 1876 by two Italian brothers, Giuseppe and Pietro Simi, who had immigrated to the United States during the California Gold Rush...
sought to revive the area's long winemaking history. In the 1970s, a new wave of producers, such as Chateau Souverain and Jordan Vineyard & Winery
Jordan Vineyard & Winery
Jordan Vineyard & Winery is a family-owned California winery tucked into the hills of the Alexander Valley AVA in Sonoma County. Jordan produces Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon and Russian River Valley Chardonnay, both of which are consistently ranked as some of America's most popular...
, descended upon the area and started making wines that received critical and consumer acclaim. In 1988, E & J Gallo Winery
E & J Gallo Winery
E & J Gallo Winery was founded in 1933 by Ernest Gallo and Julio Gallo in Modesto, California. E & J Gallo Winery is the largest exporter of California wines and is a large promoter of wines from Sonoma County.-History:...
purchased substantial tracks of land in the Alexander Valley to establish the fine wine brand of the company.
In 1963, one of Alexander Valley's most prestigious vineyards, the Robert Young Vineyard, was planted. There were few wineries in the area at the time so the vineyard sourced most of it fruit to wineries outside the valley. One of these wineries, Chateau St. Jean, was so impressed with the quality of fruit that with the 1975 vintage
Vintage
Vintage, in wine-making, is the process of picking grapes and creating the finished product . A vintage wine is one made from grapes that were all, or primarily, grown and harvested in a single specified year. In certain wines, it can denote quality, as in Port wine, where Port houses make and...
of their Chardonnay
Chardonnay
Chardonnay is a green-skinned grape variety used to make white wine. It is originated from the Burgundy wine region of eastern France but is now grown wherever wine is produced, from England to New Zealand...
they put the name of the vineyard on the wine label
Wine label
Wine labels are important sources of information for consumers since they tell the type and origin of the wine. The label is often the only resource a buyer has for evaluating the wine before purchasing it...
. This "vineyard designated wine
Vineyard designated wine
A vineyard designated wine is a wine produced from the product of a single vineyard with that vineyard's name appearing on the wine label. Throughout the history of winemaking and viticulture, the differences in quality between one plot of land and another have been observed with the boundaries of...
" would be one of the first premium wines in California wine history to have the name of the vineyard appear on the label.
Expansion
Located in the northeastern section of Sonoma CountySonoma County, California
Sonoma County, located on the northern coast of the U.S. state of California, is the largest and northernmost of the nine San Francisco Bay Area counties. Its population at the 2010 census was 483,878. Its largest city and county seat is Santa Rosa....
, the original boundaries of the AVA extend from the banks of the Russian River eastward to the foothills of the Mayacamas Mountains. In 1986 these boundaries were expanded to include overlapping regions of the Russian River AVA. A second expansion occurred in 1990 to cover vineyards owned by Sir Peter Michael
Peter Michael
Peter Michael is an English contemporary figurative painter. Michael's work is firmly set in the British painting tradition of Lucian Freud and Jenny Saville, but references his classical Italian fresco training with hints of artists such as Mantegna.Michael studied at the University of East...
and Ellis Alden in the foothills east of Geyserville. In 2001, the area consisting of the Gill Creek watershed
Drainage basin
A drainage basin is an extent or an area of land where surface water from rain and melting snow or ice converges to a single point, usually the exit of the basin, where the waters join another waterbody, such as a river, lake, reservoir, estuary, wetland, sea, or ocean...
was changed from being part of the Dry Creek AVA to a reclassification as part of the Alexander Valley AVA.
Geography and climate
The Alexander Valley covers a broad expanse of land east of the Russian River consisting of the watershed that runs southeast from the Mendocino County line down to the boundaries of the Chalk Hill AVAChalk Hill AVA
The Chalk Hill AVA is an American Viticultural Area located in Sonoma County, California. The boundaries of the wine appellation cover the northeast corner of the Russian River Valley AVA. The majority of vineyards are located to the east of U.S. Route 101, near the town of Windsor...
. The area is sheltered from the influence of the nearby Pacific Oceans by the low lying hills northeast of Healdsburg. The dominant vineyard soil of the region is alluvial. During the day, the Alexander Valley is one of the warmest areas in Northern California but a night experiences a wide diurnal temperature variation
Diurnal temperature variation
Diurnal temperature variation is a meteorological term that relates to the variation in temperature that occurs from the highs of the day to the cool of nights.-Temperature lag:Temperature lag is an important factor in diurnal temperature variation...
that off cool climate conditions. The region's close proximately to the Russian River serves a source for early morning fog
Fog
Fog is a collection of water droplets or ice crystals suspended in the air at or near the Earth's surface. While fog is a type of stratus cloud, the term "fog" is typically distinguished from the more generic term "cloud" in that fog is low-lying, and the moisture in the fog is often generated...
conditions that covers the lower vineyards areas until it burned off by the morning sun.
Wines
A characteristic associated with Alexander Valley wines is a rich, fleshy mouthfeel and a degree of voluptuousness due to the area's generally warm climate and ability to sufficiently ripen the grapes. While the wine exhibit a degree of drinkability and accessibility in their youth, they may not have the same aging potential as wines from Napa Valley or even other areas of Sonoma County. The Alexander Valley is capable of growing a wide range of grape varieties but in recent years, the area has been noted for the quality of it Cabernet SauvignonCabernet Sauvignon
Cabernet Sauvignon is one of the world's most widely recognized red wine grape varieties. It is grown in nearly every major wine producing country among a diverse spectrum of climates from Canada's Okanagan Valley to Lebanon's Beqaa Valley...
and Merlot
Merlot
Merlot is a darkly blue-coloured wine grape, that is used as both a blending grape and for varietal wines. The name Merlot is thought to derive from the Old French word for young blackbird, merlot, a diminutive of merle, the blackbird , probably from the color of the grape. Merlot-based wines...
. The alluvial soils of the region tend to impart a rich, chocolate note to the Cabernet. Other Alexander Valley varietal
Varietal
"Varietal" describes wines made primarily from a single named grape variety, and which typically displays the name of that variety on the wine label. Examples of grape varieties commonly used in varietal wines are Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay and Merlot...
s that have been gaining recognition include Chardonnay
Chardonnay
Chardonnay is a green-skinned grape variety used to make white wine. It is originated from the Burgundy wine region of eastern France but is now grown wherever wine is produced, from England to New Zealand...
, Nebbiolo and Sangiovese
Sangiovese
Sangiovese is a red Italian wine grape variety whose name derives from the Latin sanguis Jovis, "the blood of Jove"...
. The Chardonnay from this region is characterized by its rich, tropical fruits. Some experts, such as Jancis Robinson
Jancis Robinson
Jancis Mary Robinson OBE, MW is a British wine critic, journalist and editor of wine literature. She currently writes a weekly column for the Financial Times, and writes for her website jancisrobinson.com...
, have speculated that Zinfandel
Zinfandel
Zinfandel is a variety of red grape planted in over 10 percent of California vineyards. DNA fingerprinting revealed that it is genetically equivalent to the Croatian grape Crljenak Kaštelanski, and also the Primitivo variety traditionally grown in Puglia , where it was introduced in the 18th century...
and Sauvignon blanc
Sauvignon blanc
Sauvignon Blanc is a green-skinned grape variety which originates from the Bordeaux region of France. The grape most likely gets its name from the French word sauvage and blanc due to its early origins as an indigenous grape in South West France., a possible descendant of savagnin...
may eventually prove themselves to be best suited to the climate and soils of the Alexander Valley
Alexander Valley
The Alexander Valley is a Californian American Viticultural Area just north of Healdsburg in Sonoma County. It is home to many wineries and vineyards, as well as the city of Cloverdale. It is the largest and most fully planted wine region in Sonoma. Highway 101 runs through the valley, and the...
.
Casino controversy
In the early 21st century, controversy erupted in the Alexander Valley when the Alexander Valley Association of farmers, wineries and property owners objected to a proposed tribal casinoNative American gambling enterprises
Native American gaming enterprises are gaming businesses operated on Indian reservations or tribal land in the United States. Indian tribes have limited sovereignty over these businesses and therefore are granted the ability to establish gambling enterprises outside of direct state...
to be built on land owned by the Pomo people
Pomo people
The Pomo people are an indigenous peoples of California. The historic Pomo territory in northern California was large, bordered by the Pacific Coast to the west, extending inland to Clear Lake, and mainly between Cleone and Duncans Point...
. In 1998, the association had been able to block a large winery expansion proposed by Kendall-Jackson
Kendall-Jackson
Kendall-Jackson Vineyard Estates is a vineyard and winery, under the Kendall-Jackson brand, located in Santa Rosa, California in the Sonoma Valley wine country...
, but in the dispute with the Pomo casino, federal and state laws granted the tribe the right to develop the land in any way they wished. Resulting traffic problems along Highway 128
California State Route 128
State Route 128 is a state highway in the U.S. state of California, connecting the Mendocino coast to the Central Valley through the state's Wine Country.-Route description:...
following River Rock Casino's 2002 opening have led to public safety concerns during harvest season when the narrow rural roadways must accommodate tractor trailers and grape gondolas. These concerns intensified after River Rock received their liquor license
Liquor license
-Alberta:In Alberta, liquor licences are issued by the Alberta Gaming and Liquor Commission.-United Kingdom:Throughout the United Kingdom, the sale of alcohol is restricted—pubs, restaurants, shops and other premises must be licensed by the local authority. The individual responsible for the...
in 2008.