Behind the Vines

Yorkville Cellars

by Farley on March 17th, 2008

Finally around to talking about some of the visits to Anderson Valley wineries…

The first stop was Yorkville Cellars, driving along Highway 128.  A walk up the driveway brought us to the front porch, where I spotted this sleeping kitty, vineyards in the background.  When we walked in, the very small tasting bar was full, so we wandered around the room for about 10 minutes, looking at the merchandise and picking up Mendocino publications instead of asking someone to make space for us. I’m glad we waited for the others to leave because we got to have a nice, leisurely chat with the easygoing gentleman behind the bar.

I had not tried any Yorkville Cellars wines before, making the stop only on a couple of friends’ recommendations.  Turned out to be a good idea. I really enjoyed quite a few of the pours. We tasted three whites, all 2006: a Sauvignon Blanc, a Semillon, and a blend of the two called Eleanor of Aquitaine.  Those estate vines are about 25 years old,  while the reds are around 18 years old.  The first up– a 2004 Cabernet Franc–showed leather, tar, red currants, and tea.  The 2005 Merlot had tart cherries and a bit of spice.  The initial 2005 Malbec was corked, which BK and I noticed right away, and the pourer quickly opened another  so we could explore the cocoa, nutmeg, red licorice, and black raspberry.  The first Petit Verdot we sampled was fairly dull—in taste and in color—which the pourer noticed and asked if we liked it.  When we said it was a little weak in flavor, he opened another.  This one was a much more vibrant version of violets, spice, and black fruit.  Finishing with a sweet Malbec was quite interesting, as neither of us had ever come across one before. With around 10% alcohol and 6% residual sugar, this was a lightly sweet way to finish the tasting.

The winery is fairly small: making anywhere from 5,000-10,000 cases annually. Each year they usually produce 500-1,000 cases of each Bordeaux varietal. All estate-grown and organic grapes means that these wines are treated with a great deal of attention and TLC, and that comes through in the finished product.

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