Why Winemakers Love the Ferrington Vineyard
#IYKYK
If this blog title caught your eye, you’re already a member of the “Crazy About Ferrington” club. You know this stellar, delicious, and exceptional fruit supplies wineries far more famous than mine. Maybe you’re an Anderson Valley aficionado, or perhaps you’re among the lucky few to secure a Williams Selyem allocation. If these words speak to the heart of the soul of your cellar, then you know: Ferrington fruit is truly extraordinary.
YOU CAN STILL JOIN THE “NOW YOU KNOW” CLUB
Ferrington Vineyard is the apotheosis of Anderson Valley fruit, the purest expression of this stunning AVA, a cellar worthy splurge that is makes any occasion extra special. You’ll find Ferrington Vineyard pinot noir on the wine lists of Michelin restaurants around the globe, hoarded in verticals in the deepest cellars, and lauded by collectors worldwide. However, this complex and serious pinot noir is equally at home on your dinner table, alongside grilled skirt steak and charred veg. Only a very special wine satisfies all these categories simultaneously. Somms, chefs, collectors, winemakers, and wine lovers all adore Ferrington Vineyard. Here’s why:
LOCATION! LOCATION! LOCATION!
The Anderson Valley is a small, narrow-throated AVA in Mendocino County (just north of Sonoma). This 16 mile sliver is coveted for her ideal wine growing terroir. Coastal, foggy, and cool, Anderson Valley is classified as a “maritime inland desert climate, measured at Region II on the Winkler heat summation scale.” Huh? OK, let’s dissect. Annual rainfall is lower than Sonoma County, but the valley’s omnipresent, atmospheric fog feeds the towering redwoods. Ocean air buffers summer’s heat while allowing enough sunshine to ripen pinot to luscious perfection. Most impressive, however, is the daily diurnal variation, which can exceed 50 degrees. In other words, the difference between overnight lows and daily highs is > 50 degrees. Yeah, that’s crazy, right?
BRING THE DRAMA
Even crazier, Ferrington Vineyard lives at the southern end of the valley, which is 5-10 degrees warmer than the “Deep End,” rendering daily temperature swings ever more dramatic. Ferrington gets warmer, and that sunshine delivers the rich, deep berry and blue fruit flavors that make Ferrington pinot sing. At the same time, Ferrington enjoys the same overnight cooling as the “Deep End,” driving retention of her zingy acidity. Warm afternoons push that plush perfection while overnight lows bring the gravitas and keep her cellar-worthy.
A IS FOR AWESOME
My Ferrington pinot noir hails from the A block. Naturally. Since I’m an A+ kind of girl. Furthermore, “A” stands for “awesome,” “amazing,” “awe inspiring,” and “eight two eight.” Yup, Ferrington Vineyard is the only site where I’m lucky enough to score pinot clone 828. And for me, it shows in the color, in every pour, in every glass (well, except in a solo cup, which is OK in a pinch but not ideal for pinot). My Ferrington showcases a density of hue that vibrates with intensity. She’s beautiful.
NEAT TO KNOW
“A” is the original Ferrington vineyard block. In 1969, Balverne Cellars planted a small block of Sauvignon Blanc on a sub-division of a former sheep ranch. This would become the “A” block. Later, in the 70’s, Dr. Richard Ferrington purchased the land (and the SB vines) from the Balverne family, lending his name to the vineyard footprint. Indeed, that original block of old-vine SB remains at the head of the A block. In the ensuing years, the Ferrington family, and now the Schoenman family, expanded the vineyard to over 75 planted acres across seven blocks, four varietals, and 11 pinot clones.
CHARDONN-YEA
Ferringon Vineyard yields stunning cool-climate chardonnay. Only a few wineries are granted access. Alexis Iaconis, proprietor and founder of Brick & Mortar wines shares:
Alexis Iaconis, Founder & COO Brick & Mortar Wines, photo courtesy of Brick & Mortar Winery, trade/brand deck
“Ferrington Vineyard in Boonville is the crown jewel of Anderson Valley vineyards. We’ve worked with this vineyard since 2020 as a core site for Brick & Mortar Chardonnay. The farming is exceptional, and we are fortunate to purchase a majority of the Old Wente clone of Chardonnay which produces an incredibly textured and age worthy wine. The dynamic climate and high quality of the vineyard provide the perfect combination for exceptional Chardonnay grapes. We produce two chardonnays as well as a Blanc de Blancs from this vineyard. The warm days during the season combined with the dramatic cooling each night allow us to produce an aromatic and vibrant style of Chardonnay. Ferrington vineyard Chardonnay is our best wine!”
I intended to provide a link to her 96 point 2022 Ferrington Vineyard chardonnay…but it’s sold out. Hurry while you can still find her 2024 Chablis-style, unoaked version here.
G.O.A.T. (AKA MY FAMOUS FRIENDS)
Winemaker Burt Williams first sourced Ferrington fruit in the 90’s, igniting a winemaker/winegrower partnership sustained over 35 years to present day. Ferrington remains a flagship vineyard designate for the brand. Of course, the winery has changed hands since the days of Burt Williams crushing grapes for Williams Selyem. But Burt’s legacy endures, a tribute to the beauty and complexity of pinot noir. In fact, many years ago, indeed so long ago that I thought the blog post was now extinct, I wrote about my encounter with Burt. The missive opens as follows:
“If you live in Los Angeles, you’ll eventually encounter a celebrity. You may find yourself cross legged beside Gisele Bundchen during Mommy & Me class at the kinder gym. Perhaps you’ve indulged in a manicure alongside Jessica Simpson or sidled past Pam Anderson at the plastic surgeon’s office. It’s a law of averages. Here in Sonoma County the currency is less reality TV diva and more celebrity vintner. “
Here’s my denouement: “Like I said, I don’t like to drop names, but Burt Williams borrowed my pen.”
Burt Williams, pinot noir pioneer and legend, 1940-2019 (photo from SF Chronicle via a Facebook page…)
You get the picture. To purchase fruit from Ferrington catapults me into rarefied company.
BUT DON’T TAKE MY WORD FOR IT
Williams Selyem Vice President and Director of Winemaking Jeff Mangahas shares:
This photo of Jeff Mangahas, Vice President & Director of Winemaking is courtesy of Williams Selyem trade-media assets.
“The Ferrington Vineyard is a benchmark for Anderson Valley Pinot Noir. Burt Williams first started working with the grapes in 1991 and it has been a cornerstone of the Williams Selyem portfolio ever since. The ideal microclimate makes wines with brilliant red fruit character with terrific balance and poise. The longstanding partnership with the Schoeneman family and Norman Kobler, the vineyard manager, has allowed us to make world-class wine year after year from this distinctive site.”
WE CHOOSE ANDERSON VALLEY
Anderson Valley - photo from Mendocino County Tourism Commission
In his Introduction to Anderson Valley, Tom Elkjer describes Anderson Valley’s transformation from logging and railroads to orchards and sheep, then onto Alsatian whites like Reisling and Gewürztraminer, and finally to Pinot Noir. Today Anderson Valley is synonymous with “world class pinot noir.” Naturally, the Ferrington Vineyard lies at the heart of this evolution. Elkjer writes:
“One of the most impressive examples was Ferrington Vineyard, whose new owners, Kurt and Heather Shoeneman, quickly made it one of the largest and best-farmed vineyards in the appellation. They added dozens of acres of Pinot Noir and replaced aging plots of white grapes with more Pinot (although still have Sauvignon Blanc from the late 1960s). When they looked to bring all that dark-flavored, fully ripe fruit to market at the century mark, they discovered a group of talented, ambitious, artisanal winemakers from Sonoma County and beyond who were delighted to bottle it and put [Ferrington Vineyard] on the label.”
NOOOOORRRRRMMMMMM! (AKA IT STARTS IN THE VINEYARD)
Not that Norm…
Noah Dorrance of Reeve Wines describes Ferrington in this way:
“We are really happy to work with Ferrington for a few reasons. We really love the history there with Williams Selyem making some benchmark wines going back 40 years. It was probably the first vineyard that I knew of in the Anderson Valley. Secondly, we get to work with vineyard manager Norman Kobler who we work with at his home vineyard Vonarburg. We’ve worked with Norman on a variety of AV vineyards for more than 15 years and we really enjoy that relationship and his deep knowledge of the region.”
In Anderson Valley, we namecheck our vineyard manager. Nobody is more deeply committed to Anderson Valley fruit than the incomparable Norman Kobler. He is incredibly knowledgeable, thoughtful, and a nice guy to boot (or shall I say to Boont?).
Kerith & Norman
TEAM FERRINGTON
The list of Ferrington players includes terroir obsessed luminaries like Dutcher Crossing, Meyer Family, Black Kite, Fulcrum, MacPhail, Davies, and Kelsey Phelps (yeah, it’s that Phelps). Obviously, everyone who is anyone plays in the Anderson Valley. As Dutcher Crossing winemaker Paul Kochevar explains, "After 50+ years you acquire a deep understanding of how to farm a site with deep well-drained soils. The fruit simply delivers concentrated flavors every single year." You can find his Ferrington here.
“FRUIT THAT DELIVERS”
I think that’s the perfect way to end this blog-cast. As always, thank you for supporting Bruliam Wines and family-owned wineries. Your love for wine carries all of us.