The Wonders of the Alexander Valley

Right after I moved to San Francisco, I remember taking a drive to the Alexander Valley for a meeting. I got lost in the hilly landscape and took a big inhale of the fresh moist ground. For Cabernet Sauvignon country is it cool up here and has fresh, wet winters with 30 to 50 inches of precipitation helping the grapes to prep for showtime spring.

The nearby Pacific ocean dominates the climate and summers are warm to hot and very arid; the Alexander Valley is cooled from south to north by marine air moving in from the Pacific Ocean via the Petaluma Wind Gap and the Russian River. The combination offers enough heat to ripen the grapes and cool them down to preserve their freshness and acidity. Both are key to the region’s wine quality. The region is home to 32 wineries and 77 vineyards.

Vineyard lands up here also range from 400 to up to 2,500 feet of elevation, which allows them a big gush of cool air when compared to vines planted on the valley floor.

When you get up early you can drive up a fog-bound mountain and get greeted by cows—which we did—and wrap yourself in layers and wait for warmth to emerge. The flowers will slowly pop out followed by the mist clearing to show the valley below. As the morning drags on, the cows start to hide from the sun under the trees, but we had wines to keep us cool.

What’s Unique about the Area

The unique cool-climate terroir here makes for red wines that tend to be more elegant with less-pronounced alcohol. Yes, they will go head-to-head just fine with any grilled meat of your choice, but there tend to be more herbs on the palate and less weight on the tongue. This same cooler DNA often leads to better aging, we had a handful of wines from the 2000s and many were showing well and had also evolved elegantly with few rough tannins around their edges.

The fact that Stonestreet can make an almost 10-year-old Blanc de Blancs sparkler that could hold its own with great Crémant from France (and maybe even some Champagnes) is testament to how balanced this terroir is.

Some of my favorite wines from the trip included the Stonestreet 2015 Mountain blend, which is mostly Cabernet with some Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Malbec and Petit Verdot in the mix. It well-balanced and loaded with dark fruit.

Last, but not least, I had not had Rodney Strong’s wines in a while and they did not disappoint. The 2015 Alexander’s Crown is herbal with berry hints. It is super soft and should continue to evolve beautifully for a few years.

Another Perspective

This trip was fun as there were a few sommeliers along for the ride. It is always good to see their perceptive on these wines as they are often looking for wines that are an easy sell and pair beautifully with their restaurants’ food offerings. I spoke to David Van Meerbeke, the director of food and beverage at TPC Potomac, a golf course in Potomac, Maryland.

He notes that growing temperatures play a big role in crafting the wines of the Alexander Valley. “The change in climate, as well as soil, are major factors affecting the style of Cabernets but to me the change in elevation is what sets apart the region as well. You can have big, ripe juicy Cabernets from the valley floor and more delicate intricate Cabernet from the mountains. There is just such an extreme diversity in the style of Cabernets across the region that suit different preferences in our guests.”

He did not entirely agree with me in finding these Cabernets more balanced than those from other regions. “It is hard to generalize that they are more balanced and lower alcohol, but certainly I think you can find more intricacies and a wide range of flavors that you might not find in other regions. As the world gets warmer, there is certainly a benefit to the microclimates and topography of the region.”

Food friendly is definitely a descriptor he uses for these wines. “There is power and ripeness in the Cabernets, but the secondary notes of mints, florals and red berries allow for their Cabernets to pair really well with different types of meats and with the growing trends of plant based, these wines pair terrifically with grilled or braised vegetables as well.”

Some of his suggested pairings include, “Steak is king for Cabernet, always has been, but lately guests have been trying to eat leaner proteins so a roasted pork, lamb, grilled summer squash and salad.”