california

Grapes have been planted here for over 200 years but the region has been rocked by the boom and bust of the gold rush, prohibition and wartime involvement. Finally, it really came to prominence in 1976 and the Judgement of Paris when the great Chardonnays and Bordeaux blends of France and California were compared in a blind tasting. Much to everyone’s surprise, California reigned victorious in both categories and the state’s course on the world stage of wine was changed forever.

We predominantly represent estates in the North Coast AVA  of California which is home to the famed Napa Valley and Sonoma Coast.

Within Sonoma County lies the Dry Creek Valley AVA which covers a small strip of land - 16 miles long and 2 miles wide - that stretches along the edges of Dry Creek. Whilst the Pacific Ocean (to the west) and San Francisco Bay (to the south) are both big climatic influences here.

Dry Creek Valley's climate is influenced by the Pacific Ocean to the west and San Francisco Bay to the south, although this is limited somewhat by the surrounding mountains. Warm days, protected from cool coastal breezes by the mountains, are tempered by afternoon southerlies that bring Sonoma's famous fog into the valley.

Like the climate, Dry Creek's soils are diverse and complex, with considerable differences between the terroir on the hillsides and on the valley floor. Rocky, gravelly soils that are rich in iron stretch up into the hills, providing a free-draining base for the vines.

These dry soils, known as Dry Creek conglomerate, are perfect for the rot-prone Zinfandel, as it can dig its roots deep into the subsoil in search of hydration without threat of disease. On the valley floor, the alluvial soils also drain freely, but are more fertile than those on the hills.