Tucked away in the most northern part of the Mendocino County grape growing region lies a unique appellation, distinguished from other appellations by its geographical elements, weather patterns, but most importantly by the people who farm grapes in this micro-region. Italian and Greek immigrants were the first grape growers to establish vineyards in the late 1880s. They sought out the benchlands above the headwaters of the Russian River where the soils were well-drained, the climate permitted the grapes to mature, but was still cool enough to allow the grapes to ripen slowly to enhance the deep, rich flavors of the grapes.

Their descendants are hands-on farmers with many years of experience in the art of growing fine wine grapes. From the beginning, these growers practiced low input sustainable agriculture which has now become known as organic farming. Redwood Valley has the highest percent of organically-grown acreage in California. In fact, Mendocino County boasts 32% of the state’s organic wine grape acreage. (Statistics say that organic products are growing at about 20% per annum; Mendocino growers and wineries are looking to the future and plan to be a part of this growing trend.)

Not until 1950 did growers and wineries realize that the valley had the unique natural resources that could produce wines with special taste and character. During the 1950s, 50% of all the vineyards in Mendocino County were growing in Redwood Valley. Large acreages of new vines were planted in the 1970s when Fetzer Vineyards and Weibel Winery established wineries in Redwood Valley. These family-owned wineries increased their production, relying heavily on the quality grapes that were grown in the Redwood Valley Appellation as their supply of raw fruit. Over the years, growers in the Redwood Valley Appellation have replanted their vineyards with varieties which are well-suited to the microclimate of the valley and which produce better wines that have a strong consumer demand.

The red varieties of Merlot, Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon, Sangiovese, Zinfandel and Petite Sirah grown in Redwood Valley are regarded by critics and consumers as being especially superior in flavor and quality. It is the “red vine soils” and the very cool nights that dominate this appellation that contribute the unique flavors to the wines. The white varietals grown in the Redwood Valley Appellation are Chardonnay, Pinot Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Grigio, Muscat Canelli and a very small amount of Chenin Blanc. The wines made from these grapes have a near-perfect acid to pH balance, and have wonderful intense fruit flavors of apple, pear, citrus, with crisp, clean, long finishes.