If you happen to be a first time visitor to Mendocino County's bucolic Anderson Valley, unfamiliar with the region's microclimates, history, and wine making methods, a visit to Domaine Anderson can be a real learning experience.
Although the tasting room is a fairly new addition to the area, the wine making heritage dates back to eighteenth century France, when the family who own Domaine Anderson first started their rise into the ranks of the world's top producers of sparkling wine. Their nearby Roederer Estate continues this tradition in Anderson Valley using estate grown Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.
The Domaine, founded in 2012, was created to craft Burgundian style still wines selected from Demeter certified biodynamic vineyard sites situated throughout Anderson Valley. Some are closer to the ocean and receive more fog influence while others are located above the valley floor at warmer locations with ideal sun exposure. While working exclusively with estate grown Anderson Valley grapes, they craft a wide range of dramatically different wine styles. In part, this is due to an impressive selection of multiple Chardonnay and Pinot clones, including French and new world variants (Rochioli, Calera, Mount Eden, etc.), and in part because they have exclusive control over their meticulously maintained vineyards and wine making facilities.
The results are balanced, enjoyable, and complex wines, especially the Vineyard Designate ones that are priced higher than the more widely distributed Anderson Valley estate Chardonnay and Pinot, which are blended each year from the estate's various vineyard parcels.
The current winemaker at the Domaine, Darrin L., previously worked in Napa, Sonoma, and Oregon's Willamette Valley, in addition to an apprenticeship in France, and the newer vintages (2016 - ) bear his signature style that honors both French and Californian wine making traditions.
The tasting room is arguably the most elegant in the entire Anderson Valley, having originally been designed by an award winning Napa architect (Howard B.) and then retrofitted with valley specific touches, including photos from the vineyards and natural landscaping and design elements inspired by the region's rural roots. The idyllic, unpretentious aspects of life in the valley are on full display in the complimentary use picnic tables for guests beneath stately oak trees and the fragrant flower filled landscaping, from which an estate honey is also produced (and can be sampled as well in the tasting room).
A $10 tasting fee is waived with a one bottle purchase, which ranges from $30 for the estate wines to $40-55 for the vineyard designates. The 2015 Walraven Vineyard Chardonnay was a favorite among the whites for its layered, nuanced flavors and expressive aromatics, while among the Pinots I found the 2014 Pinoli Vineyard to be the best for its pure cherry richness and sensuously soft mouthfeel. The estate rosé, made each year in small amounts, is not to be missed. The superb 2017 release is a very refined wine capable of being cellared for several years rather than drunk immediately - if you can afford to wait.
Otherwise, order a chilled bottle to savor while in Anderson Valley, perhaps underneath the shade of an ancient oak tree, as you gaze up at the golden hills and undulating rows of vines at the estate Dach Vineyard that surrounds the tasting room. Pair it with local cheese from Pennyroyal Farm and a rustic sourdough or slice of rye bread (we had both from a weekend stop along the way at Wild Flour Bakery in Freestone), and you have all the makings of a perfect afternoon picnic. Skip Goldeneye and Long Meadow Ranch next time and stop in here instead. A highly recommended stop on your next visit, along with boutique winery standouts like Drew, Balo, Baxter, Toulouse, and Phillips Hill, or with a flight of sparkling wines at Scharffenberger.
Note: Domaine Anderson has a second label, Carpe Diem, of more affordably priced wines, and there are plans to offer tastings of these wines as well inside the existing Scharffenberger tasting room, which is a short distance away in the town of Philo on CA-128. read more