Ancien Wines

Ancien makes small lots of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from an unusually wide spread of sites, and the point of the range is comparison. The lineup covers Carneros, Sonoma Mountain, Napa Valley, Russian River Valley, Sta Rita Hills and the Willamette Valley in Oregon.

What makes that interesting is how openly the winery talks about soil. Each appellation is published with its geology: Carneros clay over marine sedimentary sandstone, Russian River sandy loam, Napa Coombsville cobbly loam over volcanic ash, Sonoma Mountain ancient marine sediments over Franciscan complex, Sta Rita Hills clay loam with chert and Monterey shale, Willamette sedimentary soils over fractured sandstone. Taste across those and the differences are the lesson. Michael scores the staff an 8. Visits are by appointment; The Quest is their allocation programme. Fits a Pinot-focused Carneros and southern Napa route.