New World Red
February 2025

I have a real affinity for the wines and people of Mendocino County. This unsung wine region is located north of Sonoma County on the Pacific Coast of California. The reason for my interest is the first winery I ever visited in 1992 was Jepson Vineyards, located just north of the county seat of Ukiah. During that visit my wife wondered Jepson’s vineyards, which look down on the Russian River, and sampled their wines along with efforts to make brandy using two alambic pot stills. Later that day we visited McDowell Vineyards, eventually joining the owner Billy Crawford at Mendocino Brewing Company and meeting many of the locals. I remember thinking how congenial everyone was, particularly when Billy pulled out a bottle of Viognier, rare at the time, and passed it around to the other patrons to sample. Sadly neither Jepson nor MacDowell exist today but they were part of the genesis of what is today one of the most independent wine regions in California.

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