Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/426275
{ SOMMjournal.com } 97 riving into Amador County wine country in California is like driving back in time. A man wearing jean overalls slowly saunters across the main street in Plymouth, not bothering to look for cars as there is no traffic. It's hard not to grasp the monumen- tal difference between this region and the Sacramento metro region just 40+ miles away or even the greater Bay Area a mere 100 miles westward. Amador is as it has been—rural. Sheep farms, cattle ranches and vineyards dot the landscape. To the naked eye not much has changed since the miners turned into farm- ers, realizing that there was more money to be made in these golden hills from grapes than from gold. True to their rustic heritage, wineries here are not the grand edifices of Napa and Sonoma. This is a working man's wine region—with grape growers and vintners who live and die by their vintages. But to the trained eye, there is a lot going on here: new grape varieties, new fer- mentation techniques, state-of-the-art and even experimental equipment and the like. A transformation has taken place in both the vineyards and the cellars but it's a quiet one, not loudly touted, rather proven in the bottle. Best known for Zinfandel, many Amador vintners are questioning whether Zin is really the varietal that should get the region's top billing. But like Paso Robles mar- keting Cabernet Sauvignon in a region previously known for Rhône-style wines, it takes patience and proof. Jeff Runquist of Jeff Runquist Wines has been making wine in this area for quite a while and believes that Barbera is really the best grape to grow in the Sierra Foothills, and that Amador Barbera is easily the best in the state. And having seen his cellar, which is a Disneyland for somms because of the 20+ differ- ent varietals being produced—all red and most of which are not from Bordeaux grapes—it's clear that one or two more Amador wines might also deserve a "best in state" designation. from gold. True to their rustic heritage, wineries here are not the grand edifices of Napa and Sonoma. This is a working man's wine region—with grape growers and vintners who live and die by their vintages. But to the trained eye, there is a lot going on here: new grape varieties, new fer mentation techniques, state-of-the-art and even experimental equipment and the like. A transformation has taken place in both the vineyards and the cellars but it's a quiet one, not loudly touted, rather proven in the bottle. Best known for Zinfandel, many Amador vintners are questioning whether Zin is really the varietal that should get the region's top billing. But like Paso Robles mar keting Cabernet Sauvignon in a region previously known for Rhône-style wines, it takes patience and proof. Jeff Runquist of Jeff Runquist Wines has been making wine in this area for quite a while and believes that Barbera is really the best grape to grow in the Sierra Foothills, and that Amador Barbera is easily the best in the state. And having seen his cellar, which is a Disneyland for somms because of the 20+ differ ent varietals being produced—all red and most of which are grapes—it's clear that one or two more Amador wines might also deserve a "best in state" designation. PHOTO: RAY ANDERSON, COURTESY OF AMADOR VINTNERS' ASSOCIATION PHOTO COURTESY OF ANDIS WINES The bucolic landscape of Amador County belies the progressive winemaking taking place there. IMAGE COURTESY OF AMADOR CELLARS Tempranillo is of the many non-Zinfandel varietals made at Amador Cellars. by Roxanne Langer