LONDER

2007 Londer Corby Vineyard

An outstanding emerging wine region is the Anderson Valley in northern California. It's a stunningly beautiful area located more or less north of the Sonoma Valley. I've visited several times and been more impressed each time. Lovely mountains and valleys, beautiful redwoods...leading to a glorious coastline...fabulous food...and some really interesting wine. For those who enjoy visiting wine regions, if you haven't been to the Anderson Valley and Mendocino--put it high on your list. There are a variety of wines produced--a few from wineries that are part of larger organizations (such as Goldeneye, which is part of the Duckhorn family, and Roederer Estate, which is the US outpost of the famous French sparkling wine producer) but most are small, family-owned wineries. The cool climate produces a range of whites and some excellent pinot noir. One of the highly regarded small wineries in the Anderson Valley is Londer Vineyards. I had heard good things about Londer and called to schedule a visit. Shirlee Londer wasn't encouraging. She explained that they didn't have a tasting room (at the time) or any employees to host visitors. I didn't give up easily. After several calls, Shirlee finally told me to call when we got to the area and she'd see what she could do. We did...and we ended up sipping wine with Shirlee and her husband Larry in their kitchen. I really liked them...and really liked their pinot noirs and chardonnays. This week I drank the 2007 Londer Corby Vineyard with a simple chicken dish. It was a nice match. The Corby has lovely muted apple and orange flavors with a little spice and mineral flavor. It's fresh, with solid acidity, good purity and nicely integrated, restrained oak. It all leads to an elegant, medium-plus finish. I still have about six bottles of the Corby left. I'm glad.