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| Drinking Windows and Values |
| Drinking window: Drink between 2016 and 2019 (based on 30 user opinions) |
| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 88.5 pts. and median of 88 pts. in 4 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by Doblk on 5/20/2018 & rated 90 points: Too late for careful notes, but excellent with grilled salmon dinner. Popular with the table. (626 views) | | | Tasted by David_T on 2/12/2017 & rated 88 points: Fairly straightforward chard, primarily apple & pear notes with just a hint of lemon. Malolactic texture, light oak. Drinking well now but no rush. (832 views) |
| Fort Ross Producer website
Fort Ross wines are produced by Linda and Lester Schwartz. From their South African backgrounds in geology and farming (Lester), music and teaching (Linda) the two came to the US around 1976. In 1988, they purchased the land on which Fort Ross Vineyards are located, high above the Pacific on the ridges of the Sonoma Coast. Meticulous laying-out of the vineyards according to the prevailing winds and terrain produced a crazy-quilt of vineyards on the steep hills. One of the grapes that the the Schwartz's planted was pinotage, a rare visitor to Calfornia but an important grape in their native South Africa. Today they are producing some of the finest pinot noirs and chardonnays available, and both grape varieties are well-suited to the Sonoma Coast soil and climate. Chardonnay The Chardonnay GrapeFort Ross VineyardFort Ross Vineyard is located on a very cool, coastal ridge ~1200-1700 feet above sea level within the Fort Ross-Seaview AVA, 80 miles northwest of San Francisco. The vineyard sits less than a mile inland from the Pacific Ocean and is recognized as one of the closest vineyards to the California coastline. The ocean fog at this elevation is less intrusive than in lower lying coastal vineyards, rolling in to cover the vines at night but then receding with the morning sunrise. The coastal tempering effect prevents extreme temperature swings; in fact, the lows rarely dip below fog temperature of ~55°F and rarely get above 85°F on hot, sunny days. With its rugged coastal terrain, marine sedimentary soils, long sunny days and gentle sea breezes, these coastal ridges have become one of the most highly regarded growing regions in all of California.USAAmerican wine has been produced since the 1500s, with the first widespread production beginning in New Mexico in 1628. Today, wine production is undertaken in all fifty states, with California producing 84% of all U.S. wine. The continent of North America is home to several native species of grape, including Vitis labrusca, Vitis riparia, Vitis rotundifolia, and Vitis vulpina, but the wine-making industry is based almost entirely on the cultivation of the European Vitis vinifera, which was introduced by European settlers. With more than 1,100,000 acres (4,500 km2) under vine, the United States is the fourth-largest wine producing country in the world, after Italy, Spain, and France.California2021 vintage: "Unlike almost all other areas of the state, the Russian River Valley had higher than normal crops in 2021, which has made for a wine of greater generosity and fruit forwardness than some of its stablemates." - Morgan Twain-Peterson Sonoma CountyMendocino CountyFort Ross - SeaviewThe 27,500-acre Fort Ross-Seaview American viticultural area is located in the western part of Sonoma County, California contains 18 commercial vineyards on 506 acres, lies close to the Pacific Ocean and is about 65 miles north-northwest of San Francisco. It lies entirely within the Sonoma Coast viticultural area and does not overlap, or otherwise affect, any other viticultural areas.
Vineyards within this area are generally located on rounded ridges with summits extending above 1,200 feet consisting of steep, mountainous terrain made up of canyons, narrow valleys, ridges, and 800- to 1,800-foot peaks. Areas above 900 feet in elevation, the climate is influenced by longer periods of sunlight and is warmer than that in the surrounding land below.
The soils consist of Goldridge, Yorkville, Boomer, Sobrante, Laughlin, and many other soils within the Fort Ross-Seaview viticultural area. Hugo soils are common and are well drained, very gravelly loams derived from sandstone and shale
The most common varietals in the Fort Ross-Seaview AVA are Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Other varietal are Pinotage, Zinfandel and Petite Sirah, Syrah, and small acreage of Viognier, Marsanne and Roussanne. |
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