Spread the Warmth Gift Idea #7 – Alexander Valley Vineyards Wine

AVV Chardonnay and Gerwurz

Having Fun at AVV!!!

Edible Skinny Loves Alexander Valley Vineyards in so many ways!

Earlier this year we were able to experience their wines at their rustic Sonoma based tasting room, hike their lush grounds, and a spend a night on their estate (in an 18th century schoolhouse no less!!!) as part of our Vine to Vino Tour!  It was an amazing experience where we got to see every bit of their extensive dedication to winemaking!

Alexander Valley Vineyards is also one of the most Do-Gooder wineries we know!  They were super quick to donate to Pin-Ups for Vets “Evening with Bettie Page” event held a few weeks ago at the Creast Theater in Westwood! 

The Schoolhouse!!!

But besides the experiences Edible Skinny has had with Alexander Valley Vineyards the company, we’ve mostly enjoyed our experiences with their wine!  Of all our touring of the Sonoma and Carmel valleys with our Vines to Vino trip, Alexander Valley Vineyards was personally my favorite wines!  

The reasons for this run the gamut from the price point (most wines are under $20, and even their reserve wines are under $100) to their dedication to the environment through green winemaking to the Wetzel family living on the actual property and experiencing the winery day to day to the taste (deliciousness in all forms!). 

So if you’re looking for a great bottle of wine for a holiday party or gift we HEART AVV; Why don’t you?!?

(They are also running a special holiday deal at the moment where shippingis only $1)  Some of our favorites include:

2012 Sin Zin ($20)

2012 marks 35 years of Sin Zin at Alexander Valley Vineyards.  Their first vintage in 1978 was a family wine, which they bottled and shared with family and friends.  It was so popular they decided to make it a tradition!  This wine is 100% Zinfandel with aromas of spice, black pepper, dark fruits, and vanilla.   It’s a versatile wine that works great with anything from the casualness of pizza (pepperoni or Vegan) to the formalness of roasted turkey and grilled filet mignon. 

Miss Jovane Marie w/ some Sin Zin

2012 Temptation Zinfandel ($14)

This wine is my favorite of the Wicked Weekend (which includes the aforementioned Sin Zin, Temptation Zin, and finally Redemption Zin)!  A medium bodied wine that is full of the fruit forward flavors of plum, strawberry, cherries, and black pepper.  Plus with at $14 price tag this wine is an absolute bargain!

2013 Estate Chardonnay ($18)

The Alexander Valley Vineyards estate is bordered by the Russian River Valley and since 1975 they have showcased this location with their Estate Chardonnay.   They harvest 70% of their Chardonnay grapes at night when the grapes are cool to retain their natural acidity.  They then cold ferment those lots in stainless steel without malolactic fermentation or barrel aging to highlight the citrus and green apple flavors. The other 30% is barrel fermented to give a hint of oakness to this rich white wine.

2014 Gewürz ($12)

AVV’s Gewürz wine is harvested exclusively from a single small CCOF (“California Certified Organic Farmers”) vineyard about one hour north of the Alexander Valley Vineyards  estate, located in Mendocino’s cool growing region of Potter Valley.  This rugged location is the key to the great acidity of their Gewurztraminer grapes!   This wine is a refreshing glass of tropicalness with flavors of grapefruit, pear and minerality!  

Cyrus and the Schoolhouse at AVV

So on the first night of our Vines to Vinos Tour Kelly and I were blessed to have the opportunity to stay at the Schoolhouse on the property of Alexander Valley Vineyards.   The Schoolhouse was built by Alexander Valley founder Cyrus Alexander in 1868 (and namesake of AVV’s CYRUS Bordeaux style wine).

In 1840, Pioneer Cyrus Alexander arrived on horseback from San Diego, hired by Captain Fitch to look for unclaimed, frontier land suitable for ranching.  A Pennsylvanian who sought adventure and fortune as a trapper in the Rocky Mountains and later as a gold miner in California, Alexander’s first stop north of the Bay was a large and beautiful valley, later named Napa.  Unfortunately an American named George Yount and an Englishman named Edward Bale had already claimed that valley.

Alexander then struck out for the Russian River by way of Sonoma and the old trail along the foothills north to the Mark West Grant.  Alexander identified 48,000 acres of land, which Fitch then acquired as a grant from the Mexican government. 

Fitch hired Alexander to set up a working ranch and promised to award him with land of his own. The Mexican land grant became Rancho Sotoyome, and when Cyrus Alexander settled there in 1841, the as-yet-unnamed valley was the northern frontier of Mexico.

In the opinion of Cyrus Alexander this land had tremendous potential: good soil, temperate climate, plentiful water and abundant timber.  As custodian of Fitch’s property, Cyrus was responsible for guarding the owner’s 1,000 horses, 14,000 cattle, and 10,000 sheep. Cyrus was well acquainted with this ranch, and when it came time for him to collect on Fitch’s promise of land, he selected the 9,000 acres he described as “the brightest and the best.”

Located on the eastern side of the Russian River, the land had an ideal home site: atop a prominent knoll, near a large spring, alongside a brook.  On this site Cyrus Alexander built his family home (which now belongs to Alexander Valley Vineyards and is the heart of the Wetzel Family Estate).  Alexander also planted the area’s first grape vines in 1846, built a tannery, a mill, and the schoolhouse and still had time to have ten kids (which gave him good reason to invest in a schoolhouse). 

The Schoolhouse was an educational facility from 1868-1950.  Since being in the Wetzel’s care (when they purchased the property in 1962) it has become a loft style guesthouse complete with a claw foot bathtub, a wood burning stove, a thirty-foot tree swing , and a working school bell. 

The house was decorated with historic academic furniture and class graduation photos from the 1890s (not a single person is smiling in these photos).  Kelly had a fear of being haunted by angry school children, but rest assured it was totally unwarranted.  

I cannot explain the awesomeness of this experience!!!!  It was an amazingly meta experience to walk among the vines at sunset with a glass of RedemptionZin who’s grapes came from the exact vines we were strolling in.  In the morning I went running and I was completely overwhelmed by all of the elements I was surrounded by.  Elements that help create my favorite Sonoma wines: fog that cools the grapes after hot summer nights, rich alluvial soil that give the grapes character, the Russian River that hydrates and renews these the vines year after year, and the growing life force of the grapes themselves. 

This is the art of Sonoma!

Hot Temps, Alluvial Soils, and the Alexander Valley

The Thomas Gals in the AVV Wine Cave

 The next winery we hit on our Vines and Vinos Tour would also be our accommodations for the night (but that’s for another post coming up!) Alexander Valley Vineyards!

Dexter and the Barrels

I first met the peeps of Alexander Valley Vineyards at event in Santa Monica last year for the Sonoma Wine Road.  With a catchphrase of “Heaven Condensed.” the mission of the Wine Road is to increase awareness through education and marketing of three of Sonoma’s most buzzworthy AVAs (American Viticultural Area aka an appellation): Alexander Valley, Dry Creek Valley, and Russian River Valley.  It was at this event held at a coastal sushi restaurant overlooking Pacific Ocean vistas I was introduced to the warm temperatures and alluvial soils of the Alexander Valley, through the gorgeous grapes of Alexander Valley Vineyards.

Located at the northern end of Sonoma County, the Alexander Valley is 22 miles long and varies in width from two to seven miles.  A prominent appellation known worldwide as the source of elegant, age worthy wines, the valley is best known for the world-famous Cabernet Sauvignon grapes that thrive from the valley floor all the way up the rolling hillsides and mountain ridges.   The alluvial soils (which means it is made up of materials that are left by the water of rivers, floods, etc…) of the region tend to impart a rich chocolates note on these rich and voluptuous Cabernets.  The gravelly soil the straddles the Russian River also encourage Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and Merlot to flourish.   Besides these staples the Alexander Valley is also home to Zinfandel and Rhone varieties, including Syrah and Viognier.

Sonoma County’s Alexander Valley was mostly prune orchards and pastures when, in 1962, Maggie and Harry Wetzel purchased a large portion of a homestead built by Cyrus Alexander in the 1840s, the valley’s nineteenth century namesake.  Here, in a rural community of family farms and ranches, the Wetzel family settled.  They raised livestock, cultivated gardens and restored Alexander’s original home making the center of the family life. 

Kelly in the Zen of Wine

With an eye to their neighbors in nearby Napa Valley, the Wetzel’s planted premium grape varieties, among the first in the area.  Then the family built a small winery and Hank Wetzel, oldest son of Maggie and Harry, produced Alexander Valley Vineyard’s first wine in 1975.   His wife Linda set up the books and managed the winery office.

AVV quickly established a reputation for estate grown wines with distinctive varietal character.  Acclaimed for crisp Chardonnay and luscious Cabernet Sauvignon.  Alexander Valley Vineyards brought recognition to the appellation and became a leading winery in Sonoma County.

Located on Highway 128, 6 miles from the sleep town of Healdsburg, the Wetzel Family Estate grows fourteen grapes varieties on diverse sites stretching from the banks of the Russian River up onto the hillsides   Each grape variety is matched to a specific soil type and exposure.  

Vineyard Manager Mark Houser and Winemaker Kevin Hart work as a team to maximize fruit flavor in the vineyard and to create balanced wines that capture the grapes varietal characteristics.  Barrel fermentation and aging take place in their AVV Wine Cave, which reaches deep into a hillside adjacent to the winery for a total of 25,000 square feet, where the cool constant temperature and high humidity are ideal for aging wine.   

Kelly and I toured the Wine Cave all the while AVV winery dog, Dexter the Pug, scampered from our legs to the wine barrels.  As Francis Krugar, Director of Hospitality of Alexander Valley Vineyards explained, “We don’t need air conditioning with the Wine Cave, the temperature is always around 60 degrees usually only shift a degree or two here or there.”

Dexter the Pug

Which is pretty impressive as the winery might have a 40-50 degree variance in temperature in a single day in the summertime.  It’s common in August for the thermometer to be at 60 degrees in the morning and by the afternoon have it hit the 100-110 degree (the Alexander Valley is the hottest appellation in Sonoma)!   

Though parties and lunches are few and far between, every year AVV has an annual 3-course meal in the Wine Cave to celebrate the new release of CYRUS, their flagship Bordeaux style blend named after Alexander Valley founder Cyrus on his birthday (March 15th), and features the cuisine of a favorite Sonoma County chef (this year it Peloton Catering).

Filling the Barrels!

2014 marks the family’s 52^nd year on the historic property and the winery’s 39^th anniversary.  The 3^rd generation of the Wetzel Family (most of whom live on the property) now produces 100,000 cases annually and was voted Sonoma’s Best Winery in 2011 by Bay Area wine lovers. 

Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, and Merlot constitute over one-half of total production.  Other varietals include Zinfandel, Pinot Noir, Sangiovese, Cabernet Franc, and Syrah.  Proprietary wines include CYRUS, their limited production Bordeaux style blend, Gewurz, and their 3 voluptuous Zins: Temptation Zinfandel, Redemption Zinfandel, and Sin Zin.

We’ll go into highlights of these wines in our next post, but we first wanted you to get a taste for the world of Alexander ValleyVineyards!