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“A great wine education class. I was amazed by the instructor's wealth of knowledge, the great wines to taste and talk about, and the small, intimate class size. A fun way to learn a lot about wine.”

—Will, Ritchie Creek Vineyards

Sierra Foothills Tour ∼ 2-5 days

The absolute highest point in the contiguous US is not in the Rocky Mountains. It is Mt. Whitney in the Sierra Nevadas at 14,494 feet. The lowest point in North America (Death Valley, 200 feet below sea level) is also part of the Sierra Nevadas at their southern edge.

The Sierras form a north-south running wall along the eastern edge of California. They can be physically depicted as a trap door hinged on the west. That is to say they rise gradually from the west and fall off precipitously on the east. The reason is that rain clouds come from the western side. So east of the Sierras, in their rain shadow, is a desert. Erosion is minimal on that side. The western side gets the precipitation, and the eroded material forms piedmonts, or alluvial fans, as the water runs out on the western side. These are wine growing districts officially recognized by US label authorities as Sierra Foothills AVA (American Viticultural Area).

Seventy-five percent of the precipitation that arrives in California comes in January and February. Much of it is cached in the Sierras as snow. (Sierra is Spanish for mountain, Nevada for snow.) 1849 was the Gold Rush in California. The diggin's were in the Sierra Foothills. Today the region retains much of that era's flavor. Little towns dot a 200-mile-long strip of west-facing slope from about 800 feet of elevation up to about 4,000 feet of elevation. Many have evocative names such as Ophir, Mormon Bar, Dogtown, Copperopolis, and Angels Camp. All have Victorian store fronts along a single main street, usually with raised wooden sidewalks. Antique stores seem to be a mainstay of the modern economy. Bars like to call themselves saloons, and interior design tends heavily toward the Bordello school. The primary traffic artery north-south is appropriately named Hwy 49. Well, the '49' part is appropriate; 'highway' is a bit of a stretch for a single lane in each direction which must descend and climb in and out of the multitude of canyons carrying water east to west out of the Sierras.

Wine styles are very much elevation dependent. At high elevations, say over 2,000 feet, the weather is cool, the season is shorter, there is more rain, and there is definitely less topsoil. Some snow will fall in the vineyards each winter. Wines from those districts have more acid, less alcohol, less body, and more delicate aromatics in the nose. Those districts are also relative newcomers to the California viticultural scene. In many ways they are the frontier because winemakers there are still learning to master these unique conditions. Below 800 feet is technically the Central Valley; not the Sierra Foothills. Lots of heat and deep fertile soils produce large crops of intensely aromatic, softly structured, modestly priced, simply pleasurable wines. When made from old, dry farmed vines, which naturally limit crop loads, and produced in craftsman-size quantities by artistically minded winemakers, these sites are capable of producing extremely impressive, albeit very Californiate, wines.

Between 800 feet and 2,000 feet is the historic band of Sierra Foothills wine growing. There, pockets of large particled, infertile, 10-20 foot deep but well-drained topsoils can be found. The weather is on the warm side of the spectrum, but nights are still cool. The wines are more dense, extractive, and given to riper aromas than their uphill neighbors, but they have better complexity and backbone than their friends producing large crops closer to the floor of the Central Valley or in the Delta. Because of the Sierra Foothills' history, several 75 to 120-year-old, dry-farmed vineyards exist in this zone. Wineries who seek out grapes from those sites, and who cultivate long-term personal relationships with the often eccentric crones who own them, make wines which are among the best in North America today.

Touring the Sierra Foothills is more than a single day trip. There are really five individual districts, and each is worthy of a separate day's attention. Tremendous recreational opportunities attract millions of visitors to either end of the 200-mile-long Foothills region: Yosemite National Park in the south, with its world renown alpine climbing and spectacular hikes; and Lake Tahoe in the north, with its skiing (there is a 3,000 ft vertical drop at Heavenly Valley), gambling and summer boating. Nevertheless Foothills wine districts themselves are uncrowded, unpretentious, and charming in a leisurely kind of way. Many businesses, including wineries, close on Mondays and Tuesdays. So weekends are the best time to visit.

Calaveras

Calaveras County is best accessed by Hwy 4 out of Stockton (which in turn is reached by Hwy 580 from the San Francisco Bay Area). The centerpiece of Calaveras from a wine perspective is the tiny hamlet called Murphys, which has a few small hotels. It is about an hour north of Yosemite's northern entrance. Three wineries recommend themselves to anyone staying in or around Murphys. Black Sheep is the smallest. It is in the town itself, and they do make the best Zinfandels. Stevenot is the oldest and is located in the most beautiful setting, a lovely valley fifteen minutes north of town. Kautz-Ironstone is by far the largest winery in all of the Foothills, and they are the very definition of a 'destination winery.' The mind boggles. They have a kitchen capable of feeding 1,500 people at once. They have a 70 ft waterfall inside the winery, and a fireplace that must be nearly as big. The largest crystaline gold nugget ever found (it's about two feet high) is on display in their souvenir shop. They own a huge production facility in Lodi and thousands of acres of grapes there, so the distinction between the Foothills and the Central Valley is somewhat vague in their wines, but overall the wines are well made and represent excellent bargains.

If you're looking for a good meal in this district seek out the Lickskillet Cafe in historic Columbia. Peg O'Hayer cooked for the US Olympic team in Nagano, Japan. Her eclectic ten table establishment is decorated with many examples of a fascinating, if slightly macabre, Native American technology: stone and metal axe heads turned into tools and weapons by allowing Madrone branches to grow securely into them for use as handles.

Amador

Amador County is the next wine district, north about 45 minutes along Hwy 49. It can be reached directly by taking Hwy 88 out of Stockton or Hwy 16 out of Sacramento. Plymouth is the town center of the wine producing area, but there is not much by way of accomodation there other than a standard Best Western motel. Better to stay in nearby Jackson at the National Hotel built during the Gold Rush. Eat family-style in Jackson at Teresa's or Sutter Creek at Zinfandels.

The main AVA for Amador is called Shenandoah Valley. Fiddletown is a contiguous, slightly higher elevation AVA, but most of the grapes and wineries are in Shenandoah Valley. Soils seen in all the road cuts there have the dull orange/red color of rust. Iron oxides begin forming as soon as these soils are exposed to air.

It is hard to dismiss as coincidental the fact that Amador wines have California's most distinctive gout de terroir. Everything from Zinfandel to Sauvignon Blanc finishes with a signature flavor that reminds one of the aftertaste from spinach. It provides a focusing backbone to the richly ebullient fruitiness of Amador Zins.

Barbera does well there. Syrah and Sangiovese are showing excellent promise. But no matter how you slice it, the key to Amador is Zinfandel. Big, gutsy, hairy chested Zinfandel. If ever there were an example of ass-whuppin'-in-a-bottle, this would be it. Amador Zins routinely go to 15% alcohol, but they have the intense fruit to carry it off. Moreover, the fruit is not some candy/berry/mama's boy dollop. It's cassis with brass balls. Amador's gout de terroir confers a complexity which has more to do with blast furnaces and leather harness than it does with any berries you've ever seen covered with cream in a ceramic bowl. Top practitioners include Renwood, Eastin (a specialty label from Dom. de la Terre Rouge winery), Youngs, and Story. Montevina makes a good enough, honestly priced example that is widely available, along with their equally interesting new Italian varietals. Sobon Estate and Shenandoah Vineyards (same owner) are erratic, but brilliant on occasion. All have public tasting rooms. For more information, go to www.amadorwine.com.

El Dorado

Eschewing Hwy 49 for the moment, one can exit Shenandoah Valley to the east on Mt. Akum Road to climb uphill and enter El Dorado County by way of the somewhat remote, but wildly entertaining district called Fairplay. It is 20 minutes from Plymouth, and perhaps a half hour from Placerville, the governmental and accomodations seat of El Dorado County. Fairplay consists of seven wineries strung out along a circular road. Once there it is very convenient and great fun to do on bicycles, although you must bring your own. There are no restaurants, so picnic supplies are in order.

The best place to stay overnight is Fitzpatrick's chalet style B&B which features a laps pool and a ploughman's lunch with bread baked from an outdoor oven. The most engaging social rendezvous would be the Charles Mitchell winery's tasting room. He also has overnight rooms, a bocce ball court, and a lovely pond for al fresco dining. Perry Creek is the largest winery in the district, and it sometimes seems a little too slick for this neighborhood, but they have a wonderful winemaker. Nancy Steele makes idiosyncratic, thoroughly beguiling Zinfandels that defy categorization.

Moving on north and a little bit east one comes to the winegrowing district surrounding Placerville itself. This is the high elevation jewel in California's crown. There are several vineyards at least 3,000 ft of altitude here. This district is also the least well recognized, top quality producing area in California. Placerville is on Hwy 50, midway between Sacramento and the south shore of Lake Tahoe. It has been a small, but stable, city since the 1850's when it was known as Hangtown. Four of the wineries ringing the city are well worth a look. Sierra Vista winery makes Syrah with sublime balance and the most wonderful insinuation of fruit intensity. Next go to Madrona Vineyard to taste their Riesling. It is outstanding, and quite remarkable for its track record as an aging candidate. A further example of high elevation potential, it always has high natural acidity, and actually requires about six years in the bottle to begin demonstrating its most fruitful period. Don't miss Lava Cap with their Granite Hill Petite Sirah, a black colored wine that leaves you feeling like you've just had a really good massage with scented oils. Finish at Boeger, for the history and their Barbera, a reliable crowd pleaser that has pepperoni pizza written all over it. For more information, go to www.eldoradowines.org.

Chichester-McGee House is a charming B&B in Placerville. The best meal will be country french-style at Zachary-Jacques. Local color is reliably found fifteen minutes west at Poor Red's BBQ in the town of Eldorado. Red's serves more Galiano than any other establishment in America.

Nevada City

Highway 49 goes through Placerville. If you get back on Hwy 49 for another hour to the north you will reach Nevada City. First you will go past a good whitewater rafting embarkation point on the American River, then past Coloma where gold was first discovered in California. In Auburn, you will cross highway 80, which is the major east-west thoroughfare from San Francisco to New York. I-80 goes past Squaw Valley and the north shore of Lake Tahoe, then on through Reno. Don't be distracted though. Your goal is the cultural capitol of the Sierra Foothills, the Queen of the Northern Mines. Nevada City is one of those places where everyone is very bright and well educated, but nobody is very intensively employed. In the vineyards most of the picking is done by musicians. Nevada City's theater is the oldest continuously operating establishment of its type west of the Mississippi.

Eleven acting troupes vie with each other for performance times. Buildings along the main street have been restored even down to the original gas lamps. Art and music are the town's lifelines, and two local wineries have tasting rooms in town. Indian Springs and Nevada City Winery both make broad ranges of very good wines, but especially noteworthy are their Cabernet Francs. These wines depart from normal Cab Franc fare by emphasizing the high toned perfume of violets in the middle of the wine. They aren't light bodied, although the scent is certainly lifted and ethereal.

Stay at the U.S. Hotel on Main Street. Eat fondue at Friar Tuck's.