story by Ruth Tobias photos by Steph Meyers
Even by California’s high standards, the Scharffenberger Cellars estate in the Anderson Valley town of Philo is bucolic. Gently rolling hills surround the vineyards, walnut and pear trees grace the lawn in front of the winery, an English-style garden flourishes at the entrance to the tasting room, and blackberry bushes line the path to a redwood grove in the middle of it all. No wonder 63 of the property’s roughly 200 acres have been granted to the Anderson Valley Land Trust for conservation purposes, while another 120 are dedicated to the Pinot Noir and Chardonnay (along with about 1% Pinot Meunier) that, in the form of traditional-method sparkling wine, capture all that natural Mendocino County beauty in a bottle.
In November, Scharffenberger launched new packaging that’s “more in line with what we’re doing as a brand,” in winemaker Jeffrey Jindra’s words. The label is now simply adorned with a California poppy, “which in the springtime is littered throughout the vineyard here,” he explains. As the official state flower, “it’s iconic, it’s beautiful, and it has an elegance that speaks to our area and the quality of the wine.” It’s an emblem, in short, of what has been the producer’s mission since its founding 40-plus years ago: to establish “the paradigm of what sparkling [wine is] in California not to be Champagne but to be Mendocino” as it conveys everyday luxury to the trade and consumers alike.
“The Beginning of Luxury”
Jeffrey
This Article was originally published on The SOMM Journal
