4 delicious wines with Marin ties
Marin County might be best known for its pinot noir. The late Sean Thackrey’s big, bold Andromeda, sourced from West Marin’s Devil’s Gulch, is a perfect example of why this might be. Brooks Note’s strongly structured Azaya Ranch — any vintage, just pick one — hammers home the point. But Marin County has other varietals, and other wines.
Marin’s Quail Ridge and Pacheco Ranch — both right off Highway 101 — both grow cabernet sauvignon just a hop, skip and a jump from Napa and Sonoma. Pey-Marin’s iconic West Marin Shell Mound Riesling was always an eclectically delicious oddball. But more recently, West Marin (especially in the confusingly named Petaluma Gap) winemakers have begun to develop other varietals and even different versions of those varietals. Just remember that the Petaluma Gap runs from Bodega Bay all the way to where Highway 37 and Highway 116 intersect, just south of the Sonoma Raceway. County lines and appellation lines don’t necessarily match up.
Another example is that there are nearly half a dozen different versions of Marin County sparkling wines out there. Everyone from Schramsberg, whose 2012 Redding Ranch elicited an audible gasp from a competitor at a recent tasting, to the tiny Carboniste in Sonoma have all weighed in. And it is all for the better. Too many cooks might spoil a broth, but nobody has ever complained about having too many winemakers around.
I’ve taken the liberty of assembling four takes from this new vanguard of unusual varietals. And I’ve made sure to include only wines available to the general public: no wine club memberships, special trips or media-only invites. Because another big complaint in the wine industry, especially in the wine media industry, is to read about a wine, become intrigued and only then find out it is completely unobtainable.
You can thank me later.
Kendric Vineyards, 2022 Marin Viognier, Petaluma Gap, 13%, $28Skip Ad
It’s all in there: citrus, apple, peach, pineapple and honeysuckle; it’s everything one expects in viognier. However, this expression is light, chalky and aromatic. Not really too much of anything, its balance is its reward. Some viogniers lean way too much on the tropical fruit and flower blossoms, and this wine is not that. Crisp, lean and muscular, this viognier exudes the lush tropicality present in the grape, but presents enough acidity to balance out any inherent (or implied) cloyingness. At $28, this steely viognier is a real steal.
More information at kendricvineyards.com.
Skywalker Vineyards, 2021 Sommità Chardonnay, Marin County, 13.2%, $40
Sourced from the top of the hill at the “Ranch” — sommità is Italian for summit — this unoaked chardonnay is sure to please the Chablis drinkers out there — and I mean the French Chablis, not the Carlo Rossi kind. Green apples and Meyer lemon blend perfectly with wet slate. This sommità is to Marin chardonnay what Sancerre is to sauvignon blanc. It’s yummy and light on the palate at 13.2% ABV — and, as Yoda would say, “Good drinking this wine is.”
More information at skywalkervineyards.com.
Kendric Vineyards, 2020 Syrah, Petaluma Gap, 13.5%, $28
Kendric gets the double nod for doing things differently. West Marin syrah? Who ever heard of such a thing? Many California syrahs can be a fruit and alcohol bludgeon to the head, but not this one. In its cold West Marin environs, the syrah grape struggles to ripen, and as such, yields a leathery austerity to this expression. It still has the black fruit — blackberry and black cherry — one would expect, but with a loamy chipotle underside that practically screams brambly. And did I mention tannins? Tart-expressive tannins, especially on the finish, make this syrah finally a California wine that actually is great for the long haul.
More information at kendricvineyards.com.
McEvoy Ranch, Angelica, cabernet sauvignon, Pacheco Ranch, non-vintage, 19%, $40 (375 milliliters)
Not only is this wine Marin County cabernet sauvignon, but it is also a dessert wine to boot. Angelicas are often made from muscat and/or mission grapes (and Novato’s Pacheco Ranch does have one mission grape vine) but this wine is unusually 100% cabernet. Surprisingly orangey pink, the vanillin fresh grape flavor leans towards ratafia, and away from other late-harvest styles. Eighteen months in the barrel, and fortification with grape brandy, makes this Angelica the most unique wine of the bunch, both in flavor and in style. It’s truly a statement wine.
More information at mcevoyranch.com.