Laguna Ridge rises between Green Valley and the Santa Rosa Plains
Laguna Ridge is the smallest of the six neighborhoods of the Russian River Valley (RRV). Lying at the geographic heart of the region,
this well-defined and expressive terroir is located between
the Laguna de Santa Rosa wetland complex of the Santa Rosa
Plains to the east and Highway 116 on the border of Green
Valley to the west; it’s bordered to the north and south by
River Road and Highway 12, respectively.
The landscape marks a clear transition from the plains as it
unfolds in a series of gently rolling hills that reach 400 feet in
altitude. The eastern and western exposures of the hills benefit
from a marked downslope of air that flows out toward the
east and west. Elevation is key here, as it helps drive the wideranging
diurnal shift that can swing by as much as 40 degrees
during the growing season and results in warmer winters than
Sebastopol Hills experiences to the south. Spring temperatures
are also higher, which means that Laguna Ridge tends
to experience earlier budbreak, while summer temperatures
are cooler than they are in neighboring Santa Rosa Plains and
Middle Reach to the north.
Despite the presence of the outer Northern Coast Ranges that define the Sonoma coastline to the west, a marked coastal influence is felt here. During the mornings, the hills are shrouded in fog,
a curious ribbon of which clings to the ridge line until it’s burned off by the afternoon sun.
The soils that comprise these hills originate from the parent materials of the Wilson Grove Formation and the underlying,
deeply eroded Franciscan Complex: The Gold Ridge–Sebastopol series is a deep sandy loam soil from weathered sandstone, while Altamont is reddish soil weathered from fine-grained sandstone
and shale. Octagon soils that contain layers of clay can be found on the hilltops.
It’s common to find layers of volcanic ash and pumice interspersed with these sandstone-based soils. They were deposited when volcanic vents spewed ash over the seabed at a time when the ridge from which the neighborhood takes its name, running from Forestville to Sebastopol (and further south to Cotati), was a shallow ocean floor.
All of these soils, in combination with highly adapted clones,
are credited with contributing to the tannin structure that has earned Laguna Ridge Pinot Noir its reputation for longevity. Described
as having bright yet deep red fruit; lively acidity; earthy spice; and fine, resolved tannins, it exhibits the lush mouthfeel that is characteristically associated with the RRV.
“Laguna Ridge Pinots are rounder and fuller in the midpalate,” says Rod Berglund of Joseph Swan Vineyards. “They’re markedly different from the ‘laserbeam’ character of Green Valley.” Pioneering winemaker Joseph Swan was the first to grow Pinot Noir in the neighborhood, specifically in the Trenton Estate Vineyard, located in the northeast corner.
The site was originally home to cherry and apple orchards, followed by Zinfandel and Colombard vines; it was replanted by Swan to Pinot Noir and Chardonnay in 1969 and replanted again to Dijon and Swan clones in 1996.
The Nurmi Vineyard atAncient Oak Cellars sits at the northern end of the neighborhood, and it too was once an apple orchard. Winemaker Greg La Follette says that the patience required to
establish a more robust microbiome by addressing deficiencies in the alluvial soils of this low-yielding site—which is planted to Pinot Noir on the east and south slopes and Chardonnay on the north slopes—has been rewarded.
Winemaker Adrian Jewell Manspeaker sources the fruit for his Jewell 2019 Martini Clone Old Girls Pinot Noir from the Starscape Vineyard. Located on Laguna Ridge’s northern border with Middle Reach, the site is home to some of the oldest Pinot Noir vines in all of Sonoma County; planted in 1971, they yield just 1 ton of fruit per acre.
Lying just east of Forestville, Vine Hill Vineyard spans 400 acres that reach 400 feet in altitude. It belongs toSonoma-Cutrer, which was founded in 1973 and is owned by Brown-Forman. The producer’s
Pinot Noir winemaker, Zidanelia Arcidiacono, describes the site as “a powerful, robust terroir” that has historically been planted to Chardonnay. The Dijon clone Pinot Noir she works with was planted
in 2015 and is gaining finesse with each passing vintage.
Laguna Ridge Tasting Notes
Ancient Oak Cellars 2018 Alcman Pinot Noir, Russian River Valley ($58) From the alluvial soils of a steep northeast-facing slope in Nurmi Vineyard that doesn’t see much direct sun, this wine
offers bright red-cherry and dusty cinnamon aromas that radiate from the glass. Flavors deepen to ripe cranberry and darker berries while silky, resolved tannins frame notes of cedar and nutmeg.
Joseph Swan 2018 Pinot Noir, Russian River Valley ($72) Planted in 1969, the dry-farmed Trenton Estate Vineyard is home to a combination of Dijon and Swan clones grown in shallow soils across
several aspects. It yields a dark-fruited, savory, umami-driven wine with cola, dried leaves, and a distinctly saline mineral finish.
Intended for release in 2024.
Jewell 2019 Martini Clone Old Girls Pinot Noir, Russian River Valley ($75) This single-vineyard, single-clone wine leads with intense aromas of strawberry, cherry, pomegranate, and thyme laced
with hints of sassafras and leather. Wild berries reappear on the spice-tinged palate, meshing with mouthwatering acidity before a finish of citrus zest.
Sonoma-Cutrer 2019 Pinot Noir, Russian River Valley ($50) The deep
soils of the sunny Vine Hill Vineyard were planted to Dijon clones in 2015. The vines are maturing, and a complex picking regimen results in waves of black cherry, cocoa nibs, and savory leather.