Alexander Valley AVA | Estate Wineries with Organic Vines

Location

• Sources its organically grown estate wine from its eight acres of organic vines; its other wines come from its 220 acres of non-organic vines as well as from local growers (one of whom is organic)

• The winery is located on a historic site in Alexander Valley (north of the town of Healdsburg)

• The tasting room is part of the winery complex, overlooking the vineyards and close to an historic graveyard that's home to one of the earliest settler families in the area

Best known for

• Powerhouse Alexander Valley pioneer producing affordably priced wines on a 660 acre property first settled by Cyrus Alexander, the first white settler in the region, in 1842

• A large operation, the label makes a total of 125,000 cases from 14 different varietals - ranging from everyday wines to top rated Cabernet

• Produces two wines from organic vines ($15-32) and bottle labels them "Made with Organic Grapes"

• The proprietors are the Wetzel family, who settled in the area in 1962; the family was among the first in Alexander Valley to grow varietal wine grapes in 1963 and launched their own winery in 1975

• Increasingly attracted to organic farming, Hank Wentzel III raises chickens and organic vegetables on the family's land and sells his eggs, kumquats, lettuce and tomatoes at the Healdsburg Farmers Market each week

• In 2012, the family began converting an eight acre block of the estate vineyard to organic farming (across the road from their main parcels) and released their first organically grown Cabernet Sauvignon in 2015, in honor of the founder Hank Wetzel, on his birth date, February 19

• The winery is known for the historical 19th century treasures on the property including the Alexander family's old adobe, one of the oldest structures in Sonoma County; a Victorian home (restored after earthquake damage) and the Alexander Valley schoolhouse built in 1868

• Its 2015 Cabernet won high praise from Wine & Spirits which rated it 91 pts. and described as, "clear and generous"

Organic vineyard case production

2,700 (out of 125,000 total)

Certified

Vineyard, organic, 2011, CCOF

Note: the organically grown wines may not be featured in the tastings; call ahead to ask if you will be able to taste them on your visit.

FREE

Tasting in the tasting room (walk in)

Tasting and cave tour (walk in, check the schedule for times)

$15

Seated tasting with cheese bites (by appt.)

$25

Wine and cheese pairing (by appt.)

$50

Vineyard hike, tasting and tour of historic buildings (by appt.)

Alexander Valley Vineyards

8644 Highway 128

Healdsburg, CA 95448

707.433.7209

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Location

• Sources grapes solely from its 100 acres of organic and biodynamic estate vines in Cloverdale on two Alexander Valley sites, a region renowned for Cabernet Sauvignon

• The wines are made in Healdsburg

• Vineyard tours and tastings are available; the winery also plans to open a new tasting room in downtown San Francisco in the winter of 2019-2020

Best known for

• A rising star grower and producer, the label is racking up impressive awards for its Bordeaux blends and Cabs 

• Makes nine wines from certified vines ($22-100, 90-92 pts.)

• Proprietor Mark Lyon, formerly the head winemaker at Sebastiani (where he worked for 36 years), founded the brand in 2012

• Lyon named the winery Eco Terreno, which means "ecology of the land" in Latin

• At Sebastiani, he was best known for raising wine quality as the jug wine operation transformed into high end wines; his old vine Cherryblock Cabernets ($100, 2013-98 pts.) became a cult wine there

• Lyon acquired his own vineyards (as a gift from his father) when he graduated from the winemaking program at U.C. Davis in 1980; he sold the fruit to other wineries for decades

• The winery's now positioning itself as a "wine farm," growing fruits and vegetables, raising chickens and goats and planting 200 olive trees 

• Located on the Russian River, the winery has instituted many eco friendly practices to restore its riparian habitat

• Today the winery retains one third of its grapes for its own growing brand, selling two thirds of its grapes to other wineries (some of which make them into single vineyard designates)

• Eco Terreno's most prized blocks include 14 acres of old vine Sauvignon Blanc and six acres of 40+ year old Cabernet vines, originally planted by Rodney Strong in the early 1970's 

• New wines in the pipeline include an inaugural Rosé, two new Sauvignon Blancs (Lantana and Samsara), a Merlot, a new Cab (Otono) and a Bordeaux blend called Los Cuatro ($100)

• The winery's accumulating accolades in 2019 winning four double golds and two best in class prizes from the San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition plus four 90+ pt. scores from critic Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

Organic and biodynamic vineyard case production

4,000 (out of 4,000 cases)

Certified

Vineyard, organic, 2017, CCOF; biodynamic, 2017, Demeter USA

Eco Terreno

(Address intentionally not listed; no tastings are offered at the winery's offices.)

707.938.3833

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ESTATE WINES

Certified Organic Grapes

• Cabernet Sauvignon-Ranch House

• Cabernet Sauvignon-Six Oaks

• Sauvignon Blanc