Wine & Spirits
Marvelous
Wines from
Marin County
By Ed Schwartz
T
he next time some wine
hipster goes off glowing
about a racy white wine,
Hársleveu, that he discovered
on his last trip to Hungary, top
him by asking if he (or she) has
ever had a rare, excellent wine
you discovered on your last trip
to Marin County. Wines from
Marin? You betcher! And their
excellence is worth discovering.
The history of wines in Marin is
not something new. Grapes were
very likely planted around the
San Rafael mission around 1817.
In the late 1880s, German born
Hermann Zopf planted vineyards
and built a winery, saloon
and restaurant in San Rafael.
Frenchman Jean Escalle had a
vineyard and winery in Larkspur.
All was lost when Prohibition
(1920) crushed the fledgling
Marin wine industry.
Marin County was slow to get
off the blocks after Prohibition
ended. Quail Hill Vineyard
was developed in 1969 in Terra
Linda. Pacheco Ranch in Novato
was planted the following year.
Mark Pasternak planted his
very important vineyard, Devil’s
Gulch, in Nicasio, in 1980. The
marvelously idiosyncratic Sean
Thackrey started his bonded
winery in Bolinas in 1980. He
is as much a wine scholar
and philosopher as a great
winemaker and some of his
wine making techniques go
24
Marin Arts & Culture
back to ancient times. His wine,
Andromeda, is a distinctive Pinot
Noir made from Devil’s Gulch.
An important development was
initiated by Steve and Sharon
Doughty right outside of Pt.
Reyes Station where they planted
vineyards in 1990, built a tasting
room and developed an excellent
sparkling wine program from
estate planted chardonnay and
pinot noir. It’s a lovely place to
visit on your way out to Tomales
and beyond—charming and low
key.
In 1996 another notable vineyard
was planted by Tom and Mary
Stubbs seven miles west of
Petaluma in a remote and
beautiful setting. Their pinot
noir and chardonnay are unique
and superb.
Susan and Jonathan Pey began
their winery, Pey-Marin in 1999.
The winery is noted for an
outstanding riesling.
West Marin Vineyards has an
unusual climate profile, a long,
cool growing season often
followed by warm autumns. This
long “hang time” is especially
good for chardonnay grapes and
pinot noir.
If there were a defining moment
for Marin County wines it was
in 1997. Dan Goldfield, the very
talented winemaker for Dutton-
Goldfield, crafted a pinot noir
from Devil’s Gulch. It was an
enormous hit and still is one of
the rare and iconic pinots from
California. Of the 2014 vintage,
noted wine writer Jim Gordon
wrote, “Dense and concentrated,
this wine is ultra-smooth in
texture, offering an abundance
of red and black cherry,
dark plum and baking spice
aromas. One of the few Pinots
grown in Marin County, it has
great depth and a memorable
flavor profile that lingers long
into the finish,” and gave the
wine a 94 point score.
And, as mentioned in the last
issue, no visit to Marin wineries
would be complete without a
stop at Heidrun Meadery. Here
you can taste and buy a very
interesting array of sparkling
wines made from honey in the
traditional French style. The
wines are dry, delicate and
deliciously unique.
Ready for some tasting?
• 2015 Dutton-Goldfield
Riesling, Chileno Valley,
Marin—bright, lovely, with
complex fruit flavors of peach
and grapefruit, bone dry.
• 2014 Dutton-Goldfield Azaya
Ranch Pinot Noir, Marin—
lovey, generous sweetness of
cherries and cranberries and a
fine structure would indicate
great aging potential.