Russian River Valley AVA

History

Viticulture in Sonoma County dates back to the establishment of the last of the California missions, Mission San Francisco de Solano, at Sonoma in 1824. The vineyard at the mission was planted in 1825. In the late 1850s Jacob Gundlach and Count Agoston Haraszthy established major plantings of the European vine, vitis vinifera, the first such plantings in the United States.
Russian River Valley viticulture began when immigrants from Mediterranean countries descended upon the region and began planting vines. While most vineyards were "gardens" for personal family consumption, commercial wineries sprung up shortly thereafter in 1876 when wine production in the area was in excess of 500,000 gallons and planted acreage totaled approximately including Korbel Winery in 1882, Santa Rosa Wine Company in 1876, Martini & Prati Winery in 1880, and Foppiano Winery in 1896. In 1887, the editor of the "Sonoma Enterprise" wrote, "the famous Russian River and Dry Creek Valleys, tributary to Healdsburg, which is situated near the confluence of Dry Creek with Russian River comprise the cream of good soils that characterize 'Old Sonoma'. It is here that the largest and finest flavored fruits are grown and where the choicest wine and table grapes are produced."
In a "History of Sonama County, California", published in 1880, mention is made of the four "great valleys" comprising the Sonoma, Petaluma, Santa Rosa and the Russian River with "others smaller in size... chief among them are: Alexander Valley, Dry Creek Valley... ". The water courses describe Mark West Creek & Santa Rosa Creek emptying into the Russian River. The watershed some twenty miles south of the Russian River drains northward into that river. By the dawn of the 20th century there were nearly 200 wineries operating.
The enactment of Prohibition dealt a devastating blow to the region with many wineries going out of business. Some winemaking families continued to make wine illegally and others converted to bootlegging a sugar and water base wine known as "Jackass brandy" to survive during this period. One of the most prestigious vineyards in the region is the Jackass Hill Vineyard owned by Martinelli Winery. By the Repeal of Prohibition the few vineyards that were operating would sell their grapes to bulk jug wine producers. It would not be until the 1970s that vineyards in the Russian River region would begin to focus on quality wine production and begin using their grapes for local bottlings. The 1973 vintages of Foppiano Vineyards claims to be the first wines to include the words "Russian River" on their wine labels. The winery giants of E & J Gallo and Kendall Jackson invested significantly in the region in the late 20th century with Gallo purchasing the large Laguna Ranch Vineyard for its flagship "premium" Chardonnay under its Gallo of Sonoma label in 1970 and purchasing the Twin Valley Ranch once owned by actor Fred MacMurray for its MacMurray Ranch label. Gallo's rival Kendall Jackson pumped more than $12 million into updating and establishing its La Crema label in the Russian River region. In 1983, the Russian River Valley appellation was established. Over time the region began to develop a reputation for the quality of its Chardonnay and Pinot Noir for both still and sparkling wine production. In the late 1990s and early 21st century, as the popularity for Pinot Noir grew, the region saw an explosion of investment with Pinot plantings jumping from to over by 2003. The Freeman Vineyard & Winery was founded in 2001.
The use of the name "Russian River Valley" on wine labels began with Foppiano Winery in 1970, followed by Mark West Vineyards in 1977, Davis Bynum in 1978 and DeLoach Vineyards in 1979. The most recent "Connoisseur's Guide" states that "as an of origin... the name Russian River Valley has commonly been used to describe the flat plain that extends south and west of Healdsburg and follows the river as it turns toward the Pacific Ocean. At Guerneville the coastal hills close off the area and mark its western boundary. Plantings are oriented to early ripening varieties...".

Boundary disputes

The Russian River AVA has had a number of disputes regarding the expansion and revision of the appellation boundaries. The Russian River Valley Winegrowers is a community of winemakers and farmers dedicated to producing exceptional wines that showcase the diversity of the Russian River Valley neighborhoods. In 1997, the RRVW attempted to expand the AVA to include the town of Cotati in the southeast corner of Sonoma County. The ATF rejected the proposal for being too broad in scope. In 1999, RRVW filed a new proposal to revise the boundaries based on the influences of coastal fog. Under this proposal the warmer Chalk Hill sub-appellation, which has little fog influence, would be excluded from the Russian River Valley AVA and more acreage along the southwest corner of the appellation would be added. That proposal was also later rejected. In January 2003, a petition was submitted proposing to add on the southwestern end near the Green Valley region. This expansion was approved in December that year.
In 2008, E & J Gallo petitioned for a further expansion of Russian River Valley in the southwestern corner of that would include the winery's Two Rock Vineyard located along the Highway 101 corridor near Cotati. If approved, the petition would expand the total acreage to. When initially proposed, the Russian River Valley Winegrowers voted unanimously to oppose the expansion on the grounds that the expansion is climatically different from the rest of the Russian River Valley area. Gallo contested that opinion and after changes in leadership the RRVW officially took a neutral stance on the proposal though some vocal opposition still existed. At a meeting of the members on December 9, 2008, the RRVW opposed the proposed expansion.

Terroir

Geography

Despite its name, the Russian River Valley AVA does not cover the entire Russian River Valley—which extends north into Mendocino County, California and southwest all the way to the Pacific Ocean. Originally the river continued south and emptied into San Francisco Bay but during its history, for reasons not yet understood by geologists, the river changed course. The small segment of the river valley that makes up the AVA begins near Healdsburg once the river leaves the Alexander Valley region through a narrow gorge in the foothills of the Mayacamas Mountains. From there it extends south to the Santa Rosa Plains and Sebastopol and west to the towns of Monte Rio, Guerneville and Occidental. Within the boundaries of the Russian River AVA are the sub-appellations Chalk Hill and Sonoma Green Valley. In 2003 the AVA was expanded to include south of Fulton. Elevations in the expansion area range from, with a gentle rise from southwest to northeast, according to the two USGS topographic maps covering the expansion area. These elevations are similar to those found in the portion of the established Russian River Valley viticultural area immediately adjacent to the expansion area.

Soils

The geography of the Russian River Valley was shaped millions of years ago by collisions between the North American and Pacific tectonic plates and eruptions by volcanic vents that deposited volcanic ash over layers of eroded bedrock. This created sandstone of loam known as "Goldridge soil". Some of the area's most respected and Chardonnay vineyards are planted along deposits of Goldridge soil. Near the town of Sebastopol, a different soil that is more clay based, known as "Sebastopol soil" has also shown itself to work well with Pinot noir due to its ability to retain less water than Goldridge soil. This soil was created by water flowing off the Sonoma Mountains that carried with it clay deposits. A third soil type, found close to the river, is predominantly alluvial and makes up the benchland regions of the river. The predominant soils of the Russian River Valley viticultural area are Huichica Loam, Yolo Clay Loam, and Yolo Silt Loam, as depicted on the Sonoma County Soil Survey map, in the petition. These soils are also found in vineyards to the north of the expansion area.

Climate

With parts of the AVA less than from the Pacific, the climate of the Russian River viticultural area is characterized by cool morning fog that flows in from the ocean through the Petaluma Gap and burns off during the day. The cooling influence of the fog is responsible for the large diurnal temperature variation with nighttime temperatures dropping as much as from daytime highs. The Russian River is a rain-fed waterway that swells in the wintertime and provides vital irrigation to the region's vineyards during the dry season in late spring. During the summer, the season heat is tempered by the maritime influence of fog that facilitates a long, slow ripening period and limits the risk of over ripeness or "baked" flavors in the grapes. Harvest in the Russian River region often occurs at later dates than in its neighboring regions. The central and western reaches of the AVA have the coolest climate and tend to be concentrated with Pinot Noir and Chardonnay plantings. The eastern region, located near Highway 101 and includes the Chalk Hill sub-appellation, are the warmest area of Russian River AVA since its the furthest from the ocean.

Grape varieties

Pinot noir

As of 2008, the Russian River Valley accounted for nearly 19% of all the Pinot noir plantings in California and 10% of all grape varieties planted in Sonoma County. Older clones planted in the mid to late 20th century, including the Martini, Swan, Pommard, and 115 clones, produced a "classic" style of Russian River Pinots that were characterized by vibrant color, lively acidity, cherry and berry fruit flavors and delicate aroma that would often include earthy mushroom notes. While that style had it share of fans, the lack of coloring would be a factor in poor score wine ratings from wine critics. In response to these poor scores, some Russian River winemakers altered their techniques in order to enhance the color. These techniques ranged from blending in the darker color Alicante Bouschet and Syrah or the red wine concentrate known as "Mega Purple", to extended maceration and oak extraction that added more weight and extraction of phenolic compounds that add color to the wine. Other winemakers altered some of their viticultural practices in the vineyards, including adopting new trellising systems that allowed for more leaf removal which exposed the grapes to more sunlight. In addition to enhancing some of the color producing phenols, the new trellising also served to increase sugar content and decrease the amount of the green tasting pyrazine compounds found in the grapes. The style of Pinot noir produced from these techniques tend to be heavier, more full bodied and almost "Syrah-like".