About Pinot Noir, Part 2 (California)

  The previous post, About Pinot Noir, Part 1, is concerning the origins and characteristics of Pinot. This one relates to Pinot Noir in California and Sonoma County.

Twenty years ago, the Miles character (left) in the movie Sideways
sure gave Pinot Noir a bump in popularity

Early Years in California

  Pinot Noir came to the American West Coast in the 1850s. In the 1880s there were records of it growing at the Fountaingrove Winery in Santa Rosa in Sonoma County, the Stanly Ranch in the Carneros region of Napa County, and it was grown by Gustav Neibaum, the founder of Inglenook Winery, in Napa Valley. By contrast, the first Pinot Noir came to Oregon in 1965.

  In 1940 most Pinot vineyards were in Napa, but as people learned more about the requirements for quality Pinot Noir the vineyards migrated to cooler, coastal areas. The oldest currently producing Pinot vineyards date to post-WWII.

Current Status in California

  California has about 47,000 acres (73 sq miles) of Pinot Noir, or 285,000 tons of grapes crushed at harvest time. Sonoma County has over 13,000 acres, the most of any county in the state. This appears to be the most of any county in the country. While the Willamette Valley is the largest concentration of Pinot Noir, this appellation is spread over several counties in Oregon.

  Pinot is 7.5% of California's total grape crush, about the same as French Colombard, a white blending grape that you've likely never heard of. Three-fourths of California wine grapes, including French Colombard, come from the Central Valley, not the premium coastal wine regions.

Key places in California where it's grown

  Anywhere quality Pinot is grown in California, there will be a cooling influence, usually from the Pacific Ocean. The largest plantings of Pinot Noir are Sonoma, Monterey, and Santa Barbara Counties.

  The following list of major growing areas for Pinot are listed north to south with their geographic area (as North Coast) and key appellations (as Anderson Valley).

• Mendocino County, North Coast, Anderson Valley
  
  
• Sonoma County, North Coast, Russian River Valley & Sonoma Coast
  
  
• Sonoma & Napa Counties, San Pablo Bay, Carneros
  
  
• Santa Cruz County, Central Coast, Santa Cruz Mountains
  
  
• Monterey County, Central Coast, Santa Lucia Highlands
  
  
• San Luis Obispo County, Central Coast, Arroyo Grande & Edna Valleys
  
  
• Santa Barbara County, South Coast, Sta. Rita Hills & Santa Maria Valley

Note that areas known for quality Pinot also do well with Chardonnay and usually Syrah.

  California's hot Central Valley grows some Pinot Noir in a few places that get what's called Delta breezes, late afternoon relatively cool winds, coming inland from the San Francisco Bay Area. This is primarily Sacramento, San Joaquin, and Yolo Counties.

   Outside of California, Oregon's Willamette Valley is the country's best-known location for Pinot Noir with 21,000 acres of Pinot out of 31,000 total acres of vines in the state.

Current Status in Sonoma County

  Per the Sonoma County Agriculture Report from 1970 there were 265 acres of vines producing Pinot. By 2000 there were almost 5,000 acres. Today there are over 13,000 acres. The most planted grape is Chardonnay at 15,500 acres. 

   Per the 2023 county ag report, Pinot is one of the most expensive grapes to buy based on the average cost per ton of grapes. Pinot is also the most valuable wine grape by far, with a total value exceeding $200m from the 2023 harvest.

Pinot Noir, fresh off the vine
from the Sebastopol Hills region of the Russian River Valley