Wines shaped by the sea
And it is the ocean ― a little more than 5 miles away ― that accounts for both the cool weather, perfect for the Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs that the valley is known for, and the minerality that comes through in the wines' flavors. "This is an old estuary," says Edna Valley Vineyard's winemaker, Harry Hansen, as he walks the rolling hills planted in Chardonnay grapes, some on vines dating to 1973. "When they built the winery, they unearthed fossil shells."
While cool weather–loving Chardonnays with lots of pear, lemon, and mineral flavors are what originally brought fame and accolades to the Edna Valley, it's Pinot Noir and Rhône varietals ― Viognier, Roussanne, Grenache, and Syrah ― that are getting the most attention these days.
Winemakers will tell you there is no more difficult or fickle wine to produce than Pinot Noir. Says Hansen, "Pinot Noir is the Holy Grail to winemakers. She's a woman ― the woman you fell in love with but who got away."
Stephen Ross Dooley, a former Edna Valley Vineyard winemaker who now runs Stephen Ross Wine Cellars, recalls tasting one of Domaine Alfred's first Pinot Noir vintages and saying, "My god, you did it." Now the valley has several wineries ― Edna Valley, Baileyana, Stephen Ross, and Tolosa, among others ― that are doing Pinot and doing it well.
