Driving from our base in Hopland (more about that in our next article) to Greenwood Ridge Vineyards in the Anderson Valley, it became evident that Mendocino County is not your typical wine country. Taking the winding roads to the small town of Philo provided a breathtaking scenic experience of beautifully forested mountain driving.
The Greenwood Ridge property contributes to the beauty. The tasting room was designed by Aaron G. Green, father of the winery’s founder Allan Green, who had been an associate of Frank Lloyd Wright. It was built from a 400-year old redwood tree that fell victim to a storm in 1969. The tasting patio has amazing views of the surrounding Anderson Valley and there is also a pond, bocce ball court and fire pit.
The aforementioned Allan Green established the winery in 1980 and it was acquired in 2016 by Ken and Diane Wilson. It was one of the few Wilson Artisan Wineries that we had not yet visited so this was very exciting for us. Winemaking duties are shared by acclaimed winemakers Diane Wilson and Antoine Favero, who are both winemakers at several of the other Wilson properties.
While Anderson Valley is probably best known for Pinot Noir and Riesling, Greenwood Ridge produces a wide range of other exciting wines as well. Tasting room associate Rainbow did a great job selecting wines for us to taste and keeping us entertained as well.
Tasting notes:
2023 Dragon White – Interesting blend of 79% Chardonnay, 12% Viognier and 9% Sauvignon Blanc from Mendocino Country. Aromatic floral nose with bright lemon notes. Young and dry. A definite “porch pounder” for the summer.
2023 Rosé – Fresh cut nectarine and tropical fruit notes with a nice acidic pop at the finish.
2022 Pinot Noir Fog Dodger – 100% Pinot Noir from the Sonoma County appellation. Ripe cherry on the nose, touch of allspice, cedar and oak on the palate.
2022 Pinot Noir Russian River – 100% Pinot Noir. Dark berry notes with a very slight hint of tobacco. Nice earthiness with a hint of mushrooms.
2022 Pinot Noir Temptation – 100% Pinot Noir, highlighting the best of two AVAs — 50% Anderson Valley and 50% Russian River Valley. Deep, dark purple color and lots of cranberry fruit on the nose and on the finish.
2022 Syrah Mendocino – 100% Syrah. Garnet in color, blackberry and blueberry notes. Long, rich, full mouth finish.
2022 Cabernet Sauvignon – Alexander Valley AVA. Rich dark stone fruit with a kiss of chamomile and sage.
2022 Zinfandel Mendocino – very fruit-forward with plum, caramel and anise notes. Silky, full-bodied and a lingering finish.
We mentioned previously that a major purpose of this trip was to focus on the wines designated Coro Mendocino. Greenwood Ridge is part of this group, but we were sorry to learn that their latest version of Coro was already sold out. Good for them; bad for us. But based on the wines we tasted, we are sure it was awesome and are looking forward to trying the next release.
A comment on the Greenwood Ridge label: Admittedly, labels are not something we pay much attention to; we are much more interested in what is inside the bottle. In this case though, the label is striking and demands further scrutiny. As already mentioned, winery founder Allen Green’s father, Aaron, was a close colleague of Frank Lloyd Wright for many years. Aaron had given a cast-iron dragon to the architect’s foundation as a Christmas gift. Mrs. Wright preferred the dragon to be fire-breathing and had a propane tank installed. So at night and on special occasions, the dragon spits fire. The sculpture resides at Taliesin West, Wright’s winter home in Scottsdale, Arizona. When the elder Mr. Green passed away in 2001, Allen changed the Greenwood Ridge label to the fire-breathing dragon to honor his father.
We are planning to explore more of Mendocino and especially Anderson Valley in the very near future. With the easy-going residents, beautiful scenery and wonderful wines, we can’t wait.
Greenwood Ridge Vineyards – Fine wines from Philo California
5501 Highway 128, Philo CA 95466
Michael and Karen Perlis have been pursuing their passion for wine for more than 30 years. They have had the good fortune of having numerous mentors to show them the way and after a couple of decades of learning about wine, attending events, visiting wineries and vineyards, and tasting as much wine as they possibly could, they had the amazing luck to meet Eve Bushman. Michael and Karen do their best to bring as much information as possible about wine to Eve’s Wine 101 faithful readers.
