Food, Wine & Restaurants
A Taste of Point Reyes ©
WEST MARIN is famous for its idyllic beauty. rolling hills, panoramic landscapes and dairy ranches. Its pastures are considered among the most productive in the United States.
Many ranches new specialize in naturally and organically grown and produced foods such as milk, artisan cheese, yoghurt, grass fed beef, lamb, chicken, oysters, eggs, fruit, vegetables, flowers, jams, olive oil, medicinal herbs. The bovine Bakery and Brickmaiden Breads make wonderful baked goods on the premises. Succulent oysters are grown by Hog Island and Tomales Bay Oyster Companies in the pristine waters of Tomales Bay and Drakes Bay Oysters are grown in Drakes Bay.
Our member winery and inn, The Point Reyes Vineyard Inn is a small family owned venture with a production of under 1000 cases of wine a year. They harvest grapes from six acres at the 800 acre Point Reyes Ranch for their Sparkling Wine and weather permitting, Pinot Noir. Viognier and Sparkling Cuvee has won silver medals at the California State Fair, the San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition and Best of the Region at the California State Fair this year.
The tasting room on Highway One, north of Point reyes Station, is open Saturday & Sunday 11-5 all year and has expanded days during the summer. Call 415-663-1011 for more information or if you are interested in the Point Reyes Vineyard Wine Club where members enjoy special releases, events, and discounts.
The Point Reyes Lodging Bed & Breakfast Inns & cottages, shops, restaurants, showcase the agricultural and culinary bounty of West Marin by offering the local, fresh, foods and wine.
Where is Marin County?
Marin County is located in northern California, bordered to the north by the famous Napa & Sonoma wine districts and by the majestic Golden Gate Bridge to the south.
Why is much of the Marin County climate uniquely suited to premium wine growing?
The climate is influenced by the frigid Pacific Ocean along Marin's rocky western coast and the foggy San Pablo Bay to the east. These powerful bodies of water frame local weather patterns and proximity to (or distance from) them contributes to very diverse viticultural environments.
Marin's winters are warmer than neighboring Napa and Sonoma because of extremely high winter precipitation. Subsequently, bud break is accelerated, but Marin's persistently cool weather spring and summer weather and complete lack of heat waves (especially on the coast), push flowering, "set" and harvest many weeks beyond the so-called "cool-climate" district of Cameros and contribute to one of the longest natural "hang times" in the state.
Degree day summation data illustrates that west Marin vineyards are cooler than those in Santa Maria or Santa Ynez. This is likely a major contributing factor to the high quality grapes grown in Marin County. Because of this long growing season, Marin wines tend to have superb natural acidity and many have lower alcohol levels than other wines produced nearby. Eastern Marin County can be mach warmer and better suited to Bordeaux varietals.
Marin has the potential be one of the finest and most diverse small wine regions on the west coast - especially for "cool-climate" varieties such as Pinot Noir, Riesling and elegant-styled Merlot along the coast - and Bordeaux varieties inland.
How do Marin County's soils contribute to Marin wines style and quality?
The edge of the American continent north of San Francisco presents an extraordinary viticultural landscape. Marin County straddles the renowned San Andreas earthquake fault, which is relentlessly tearing the Tomales peninsula away from the California mainland.
Over millions of years, this explosive geologic force, along with erosion, has twisted and turned the land into a collage of soil types - many of which are suited for premium vineyards. Soils of maritime and alluvial origin are plentiful, each borne by significant geological influences of earthquakes, erosion and even glaciers.
The topography of Marin County is largely rolling pastureland, with its largest mountain, Mount Tamalpais, overlooking the majestic San Francisco Bay. Some soils have been identified as well-drained gravelly loams and moisture-retaining silty clays, but most are decomposed sandstone - providing superb drainage and high mineral content. This unique combination of an extremely cold climate and epic geologic history yields a superb environment for terroir-based winemaking.
What grape varieties are commercially grown in Marin County?
Most vineyards are located in the central or northwestern part of the county. The isolation of Marin's vineyards protected the county from phylloxera in the 1980's which ravaged the rest of California, so original plantings still in production include Pinot Noir (1980), Chardonnay (1990), Gewurztraminer (1992), Merlot(1990), Cabernet Franc (1990) and Riesling (1st harvest in 2005). Cabernet Sauvignon (1970's) is also planted further inland.
Does Marin County have a winegrowing history?
It is widely accepted that the San Rafael Mission brought vilis vinifera grapes to Marin County upon its establishment in 1817, therefore predating viticulture in Napa Valley by almost twenty years. While Marin County vineyards spanned hundreds of acres in the 19th and 20th century, it currently has less than 150 acres under vine. After the great quake of 1906 (which devastated parts of Marin), Prohibition, WWII and phylloxera, vineyards in Marin were ripped out in favor of more lucrative urban development. Slowly, the wine industry moved just a few miles north -to Napa & Sonoma.
The Marin County Tocsin (a precursor to the Marin "LJ." newspaper) reported in 1886 that immigrant Hermann Zopf purchased 10 acres in San Rafael for $300, planted vines and developed a winery, saloon and restaurant called "Zopfs Gardens". It quickly became a famous resort frequented by San Francisco elite who enjoyed his "excellent claret wine".
Another early Marin winemaker Frenchman Jean Escalle, whose red brick winery site is still visible along Magnolia Avenue in Larkspur. In the 1890's Escalle planted his entire 23-acre hillside to' grapes and put on a raucous "Vintage Festival" frequented by locals and San Franciscans alike. Escalles' Marin County wine production exceeded 9,000 cases per year and was delivered "just like a milk route" by a horse named "Pedro"! Long-time Marin resident Helen Wilson recalled, "Escalles' was a wonderful place. The French & Italians came here in droves on weekends to enjoy themselves. They brought their children and ate lunch. You could hear them singing all over town!" Another Frenchman, Camille Grosjean, was also noted for his 50-acre vineyard off Bolinas Road in Fairfax.
Finally, a Marin County souvenir booklet of 1893 describes viticulture (grape growing) in Marin county, "there is a vineyard connected with almost every estate in the county...all over San Rafael...and in the outskirts are vineyards of the choicest varieties of grapes... every dweller from Fairfax to Sausalito has his little vineyard."
So in a way, Marin's newest breed of pioneering winegrowers are creating their own "back to the future" story - an exciting one whose final chapters are yet to be written.
Who are the producers who currently craft wines from Marin County grapes?
Corda Winery, Dutton-Goldfield, Mount Tamalpais Vineyards, Niebaum-Coppola, Pacheco Ranch Winery, Pey-Marin Vineyards, Point Reyes Vineyards, Sean Thackrey, Stubbs Vineyards and Vision Cellars.
For more information, samples or photos give Susan Pey a call at 415.455.9463 or email her at info@marinwines.com.
Photo by: © Daphne Hougard Photography
