Excerpts from San Francisco Chronicle article Published July 20, 2006:
Ask any geologist: Lake County is a playground for anyone who likes seriously unusual dirt. Geologists plan trips to Lake County just to look at the soil. The volcanic cones and diamonds in the landscape are a result of millions of years of environmental history. And now winemakers and viticulturists are beating a path through the rocky soil to plant vineyards and build wineries.
Geologists say that volcanic upheavals dating back several million years (the last was 10,000 years ago) created Clear Lake, the oldest natural lake in North America. The volcanoes and earthquake fault lines also produced the world's largest geothermal mass of hot springs, on the Sonoma-Lake county border. All this natural plumbing juts through a field of lava up to 15 miles deep to the calcium- and potassium-rich red-iron volcanic surface. The result is unusually porous, grape-loving dirt.
North of Napa County and east of Sonoma and Mendocino counties, Lake County's 8,500 acres of vineyard border three of California's most influential viticultural regions. Though still in its infancy, Lake County's modern wine industry now has14 wineries -- 11 with tasting rooms. A mere five years ago, there were only four wineries. Industry giant Kendall-Jackson started its business here in 1982 with the persevering talent of Jed Steele, the winemaker who helped create Kendall-Jackson's successful style of Chardonnay. Steele left Kendall-Jackson to make his own wine in 1991 and opened his Kelseyville winery in 1996.
There are many reasons for the viticultural region's sudden growth, not the least of which is the surprisingly successful adaptation of some varietals to mountain terrain. Cabernet Sauvignon, a tough grape, thrives on the red volcanic slopes, and Petite Sirah, a powerful tannic red wine grape with a growing fan base, also shows promise. Sauvignon Blanc is moving from the fertile alluvial valley on the south side of Clear Lake to less fertile locations upslope to capture minerals and produce lower yields.
Andy Beckstoffer, the largest vineyard landowner in Napa County, bought 2,000 acres near Kelseyville -- in what is now the Red Hills Lake County appellation -- beginning in 1997. Since then, land purchases and vineyard development, both large and small, have continued at breakneck speed. As new vineyards began to produce high-quality grapes, wineries opened. And with bottles often selling for as little as $14, Lake County's wines are bargains compared with similarly rated wines from Napa Valley and Sonoma County.
Clay and Margarita Shannon of Shannon Ridge Vineyards own some of the most mountainous vineyards in High Valley, located on the northeast side of Clear Lake, at altitudes that approach 3,000 feet. They sell Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Petite Sirah, Cabernet Franc, Syrah and Zinfandel grapes to other producers looking to add mountain character to their wines. The Shannons released their first wine under their own label in 2004, after years of managing vineyards in the Napa and Sacramento valleys.
Other major forces in the industry, such as Robert Mondavi Winery, Foster's Wine Estates and Stag's Leap Wine Cellar’s Hawk Crest Wines, also buy Lake County grapes.
The Lake County Board of Supervisors is promoting agritourism with approval for tasting rooms, inns, bed-and-breakfasts, restaurants and spas. The biggest project, already well under way, is from Jim Fetzer, whose family was instrumental in the development of Mendocino County's wine industry. Fetzer's Ceago Vinegarden is on Clear Lake's north shore, near Nice. "As far as I know, this is the only winery in the country where you can boat up and go tasting," says Fetzer, whose vineyards, olive groves, gardens and vegetable plots are farmed biodynamically. (Biodynamic farming is an organic and holistic approach to maintaining plants in tune with cycles of the sun, moon and seasons.) Fetzer's $150 million development will be a shoreline resort centered on food and wine. A tasting room, winery, gardens and boat dock are already open, and a restaurant, spa and cottages are also under construction. A hotel and condominiums are also planned to be amid the vineyards.
As viticultural regions around the world begin to heat up because of climate change, their night temperatures are at risk of becoming too warm for optimum grape-growing, according to studies by the International Panel on Climate Change. As a result, mountain vineyards around the world, like in Lake County, are becoming hot commodities.
