To say that this estate-grown wine is easy to drink is both true and an oversimplification. It’s easy to drink because it’s unencumbered by the harsh qualities that too much reliance on oak — especially new American oak — can bring. Unrestrained use of wood has been the appeal, or the curse, of so many California Chardonnays, depending on your preference. (By now I’m sure you can tell where I stand.)
Biodynamic wine practices are used globally, from Barbaresco, Italy to Sonoma, California. What are these practices exactly? Biodynamic wineries use eco-friendly fertilizer, employ environmentally conscious farming techniques and follow a different calendar, to name a few of their methods.
Domaine Anderson 2017 Dach Vineyard Pinot Noir; 93 points.
At Domaine Anderson, there are no chemical fertilizers, herbicides, insecticides, or fungicides. Vineyard preps are made from nearby plants and compost. “Microbial life in the soil is promoted and nurtured,” adds Low. “The resulting product of this enhanced soil-plant relationship expresses itself in the grapes.”
The barrel visit and gazing at the biodynamic, organic vineyards nestled to the hills on the side of the winery with Low describing his growing techniques was easily a trip highlight…and made us feel like we had just taken a few classes at UC Davis’ winemaking school.
Where Domaine Anderson differs from other wineries is that it implements organic and biodynamic practices for a harmonious ecosystem in its vineyards, namely the Dach Vineyard. Groundwater is captured via a drainage system and repurposed for irrigation in a reservoir; all-natural compost improves fruit quality; and certain plants flourish to welcome creatures like hummingbirds, bees and ladybugs to help control vineyard pests and promote pollination. That’s just one small part of Domaine Anderson’s 50 acres of family-owned vineyards, responsible for producing some of the region’s most gorgeous wines.
We rounded up 25 essential Chardonnays from around the world, representing the best of what this ultra-versatile grape has to offer.
An advocate for organic farming and biodynamic philosophies, winemaker Darrin Low aims to create balanced, honest expressions that crackle with authenticity, purity, and sense of place.
This week, Shaughn and Ellen welcome Darrin Low, the winemaker behind Domaine Anderson to learn his situation with wine and taste his wines!
Domaine Anderson is the youngest Anderson Valley outpost from French Champagne company Louis Roederer, which farms about half of all this valley’s vineyard acreage for its sparkling wine houses, Roederer Estate and Scharffenberger Cellars. What sets apart Domaine Anderson, founded in 2010, is that it produces still wines, not sparkling.
Next, stop at Domaine Anderson, the still-wine project from Louis Roederer, which owns the valley’s two famous sparkling wine houses, Roederer Estate and Scharffenberger Cellars. Domaine Anderson is Anderson Valley’s most polished-looking tasting room — you might wonder if you accidentally ended up in Restoration Hardware — but the wines strike a beautiful balance between richness and restraint.
Founded by the House of Champagne Louis Roederer in California’s Anderson Valley in 2011, this estate adheres to strict biodynamic principles, like its parent winery, and was certified in 2016. The vineyard integrates crops and livestock into its farming lifestyle, using recycled nutrients and an adherence to lunar phases and the zodiac calendar. It produces some of the finest Burgundy-inspired Pinot Noir and Chardonnay in the country.
The wine was an instant hit – full of dark and red cherries with earthy herb and integrated spice complexity. This is a superb pinot noir that balances generous, complex flavors with bright acidity.
Anderson Valley may be home to one of the last remaining American dialects, known as Boontling, but the land echoes with a bit of a French accent, as it hosts three wineries belonging to the venerable eight-generation Roederer family from Champagne.
The market for pinot noir has seemed insatiable ever since the 2004 movie “Sideways,” in which the protagonist waxed poetic about the finicky varietal while denigrating merlot. It launched a pinot bull market now officially called the “Sideways effect” and proven by data in a Sonoma State University research paper.
With a nod to the spirit of the ongoing Rio Olympics, here are Gold Medal worthy California Pinot Noir wines featured in this issue along with many other medal contenders. As you can see, almost every wine is from the 2014 vintage… Download article
One of the newer additions to the superb array of Anderson Valley estates, Domaine Anderson farms 50 acres of vineyards planted to Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. The estate is the most recent addition of the Louis Roederer family. Vineyards are farmed organically and the Dach Vineyard is certified organic and biodynamic…Donwload article
Patience seems to be second nature for winemakers and a necessary exercise for vintners. In the case of the winemaking team at Roederer, led by Vice President of Operations Arnaud Weyrich, patience and a watchful eye resulted in Domaine Anderson, a new home for still wine production that’s just a stone’s throw from the eminent sparkling wine house Roederer Estate.
The Rouzaud family has owned Champagne Louis Roederer since the 18th century, but in the 1970s they began to seek further opportunities. In California, Bordeaux, the Rhône Valley, Provence and Portugal, Roederer Group has made strategic acquisitions to strengthen its business through diversification. We profile the 11 wine estates that populate what the Rouzauds call their “federation of artisans,” and feature some recent releases.
This is a relatively new winery in the Anderson Valley region of Northern California that is and not just for the pot farms in the area. One of the newer and more ambitious wineries there is Domaine Anderson, financially backed by the Roederer Group and open for business.
Domaine Anderson is the realization of a vision. The Rouzaud family of Louis Roederer had their eyes on a special parcel of land in Anderson Valley for a number of years. In 2009, the stars aligned for the purchase to be made and vines to be planted. The first vintages of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir came in 2012, and the wines – two each, Chardonnay and Pinot – were released last year…