CHARDONNAY'S Fresh Start

CALIFORNIA VINTNERS FOCUS ON LIVELIER VERSIONS FROM COOLER CLIMATES

- MARYANN WOROBIEC

After the hours-long drive through the redwood forests and winding back roads of Sonoma County, where there’s typically no cell service or signs of civilization, it’s a great relief to see Wayfarer Vineyard. The sight of those vine-covered slopes and ridges means you’re not lost.

Wayfarer is located in the recently established West Sonoma Coast AVA, the county’s newest appellation and its 19th overall. This is at the edge of where grapes can grow in Sonoma, where steep, mountainous terrain rises to elevations of 400 to 1,800 feet. The bitter wind from the Pacific Ocean easily finds its way to the area’s vineyards.

“This region is so cool,” says Wayfarer proprietor Cleo Pahlmeyer. “It’s the combination of the elevation and the proximity to the coast. You can really taste it in the wines. You have the structure and the texture from having the breezes and the strong sun. You know the feeling of just standing in the sun, and then moving into the shade? I always think of that as being the ideal environment for Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.”