As our quest for the rare and untouched gems of California continues, we’ve been graced with a new producer from the mountains of Mendocino Ridge and the coveted Anderson Valley; Wentworth Vineyards. Our American Ambassador, Rachel Dixon, had the pleasure of touring their vineyards this past summer and was stunned by the breathtaking vineyard sites and gorgeous wines from this passionate up-and-comer to the region. With their recent 94+ scores from Decanter just hitting the press, we’re thrilled to have stumbled upon such an extraordinary find. We only wish they made more wine.
Inspired by his French Grandmother, whose family farmed grapes in the Languedoc, Mark Wentworth and his wife Katie realised a longtime dream and purchased raw land near the California coast in 2014, which is now the Wentworth Vineyard, their flagship site. This vineyard is a mere 3.5 miles from the Pacific, atop Greenwood Ridge, at elevations ranging from 1200-1260 feet in the Western-reaches of the Mendocino Ridge AVA. This cool, late-ripening 9.5-acre site is surrounded by a forest of redwood, douglas fir, madrone and oak trees – it is simply stunning. The meagre amount of Pinot Noir produced from this ridgetop site has a highly alluring aromatic profile, an uncommon depth of flavour and lingering finish.
As Mark’s passion for the region flourished, he was captivated by another site in the Western edge of the Anderson Valley, referred by the local Vintners as the ‘Deep End’ of the Valley, and purchased the Nash Mill Vineyard in 2017. Nash Mill lies just 12 miles from the Ocean and benefits from being sandwiched between two creeks in a unique cold air drainage or combe. Planted in 2003, the Wentworth’s have farmed the site organically since its acquisition in 2017 and it is home to three acres of mature Pinot Noir vines and one acre of Chardonnay.
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