The Sierra Foothills was one of the first sites for the newly imported Zinfandal vines from the East Coast. The cuttings arrived at the same time as many new settlers eager to strike it rich in gold country. The name quickly changed to Zinfandel. This same soil has preserved some of the oldest Zinfandel vineyards in California. Many of the small towns also preserve gold rush history in their weather-beaten buildings and sagging fences.

My first venture into the Sierra Foothills was not on a quest for wine, but a good camping site. Three other couples, seeking a refuge from Silicon Valley’s relentless grip upon our free time, joined us. We set up camp near Stanislaus River at the edge of the Stanislaus National Forest. Here we were in Gold Country and the gold for us was a blessed time to commune with nature, build a fire, bathe at the river’s edge – boy was that water cold – and cook over our campfire.

It was several years later before I actually explored this region as a wine destination. We received an invite from our good friends the Telfers to join them at their Rancho Murrieta home and tour the Shenandoah Valley of Amador County with them. By then the wines of this region were beginning to attract a lot of attention and we were treated to many wonderful experiences at the local wineries.

Sierra Foothills Counties

The wineries in the Sierra Foothills are fairly spread apart. There are clusters of wineries around three towns; Plymouth, Murphy and Placerville.

• The biggest concentration is in Amador County with 43 listed under Amador Vintner’s Association (AVA). The town of Plymouth is the focal point.
• Calaveras County lists 17 in the town of Murphy and another 10 in the surrounding area.
• Placer County lists 20 wineries in their Placer wine trail map, which suggests one will need to drive hither and yon to discover all the treasures that are not gold.

Sierra Foothills History

The Sierra Foothills were the epicenter of the California Gold Rush. “They took the gold and left their vines in the soil.”

• In 1848 wine grapes were first introduced in Placer County, the same year James Marshall discovered gold.
• Claude Chana, who discovered gold in Auburn Ravine, planted the first grape vines.
• The Gold Rush of 1848 also brought European winemakers who established larger vineyards and started producing increasing quantities and varieties of wine.
• In the 1860s winemaking became a thriving industry and many miners became winemakers.
• Back then the Sierra Foothills had more vineyards and wineries than Sonoma and Napa combined.
• Then, in 1920 Prohibition as in so many other areas caused most wineries to shut down.
• The vineyards were converted to pear, plum and citrus orchards – with the railroads running right up the middle of the county, the area became known as “the Nation’s Fruit-basket” and fruit production remained the main economy of the region until the 1960s.

Amador County

If there is one wine region in the foothills that most wine lovers would recognize it would be Amador County; known for their robust Zinfandel wines. Within the county are some of the oldest Zinfandel vineyards of California. As a Zinfandel lover my eyes would light up when I read Amador County on a Zinfandel wine label. That was before I’d ever explored the area and found a captivating wine region to explore and lasting memories of fun and fellowship with their winemakers.

Most of the Sierra Foothills wineries are family-owned and operated with small vineyards and a unique personal style of winemaking that has disappeared from many other regions like Napa and Sonoma. In fact the closest similarity I’ve found is to our own New Mexico wineries that are also family-owned with small vineyards and unique wines one will find nowhere else.

Amador County is located just west of the Lodi wine region, which is south of Sacramento. It has a Mediterranean climate, in part from the Delta, a series of rivers that feed San Francisco Bay. The land is bathed in light with warm days that rarely exceed 100 degrees and cool nights where the Sierra winds drop temperatures 30 to 35 degrees allowing the grapes to retain the acidity essential for well-balanced wines.

Amador County Vines

The majority of Amador’s vines are head-trained, spur-pruned and either own-rooted or on low vigor rootstocks like St. George, which provide a natural check on yields. Grapes from lower-yield vines are more concentrated and complex. In France maximum yields are regulated by AOC rules. In Amador County a passion for great wines has the same affect.

• Severe pruning, grape cluster thinning, and dropping of crop when necessary keep yields small, generally four tons per acre or less.
• Amador has the highest percentages of organically farmed vineyards in California
• Dry-farming, also inhibits phylloxera infestation.
• 600 acres are 65 years or older, some dating to the 19th century.
• These deeply rooted, head-trained vines in vineyards such as Deaver, Esola, Fox, Ferrero, Grandpere and Lubenko, yield tiny crops of small-berried grapes, producing premium Zinfandel

Peter Telfer works at Vino Noceto, which I soon learned had some of Amador’s best Sangiovese and Zinfandel wines. Their OGP Zinfandel (Old Grandpere) was the best I ever tasted. It is the oldest Zinfandel vineyard known, dating from 1860s. It was awarded State Fair vineyard of the year in 2016

Other grapes of Amador

• Barbera, the famous red grape of Piedmonte, Italy thrives in Amador and rivals the best of Italy
• Sangiovese is as good in Amador County as anywhere else it is planted, better than most locales
• Syrah and Viognier, two Rhone Valley grapes also do very well here.

What we are tasting: Sobon Estate 2016 Zinfandel – Fiddletown 15.5% ABV $22.00

Their website provides good background of the Sobon family. Shenandoah Vineyards in Plymouth, CA, was founded in 1977 by Shirley and Leon Sobon. They moved from Los Altos, California, where Leon was a Senior Scientist with the Lockheed Research Lab. Leon’s gift for home winemaking led him to leave Lockheed and begin a new career as a winemaker. His son Paul took over winemaking duties after a stint at UC Davis and travels abroad studying with winemakers in Burgundy, Bordeaux and Australia. What a dream job that is!

The two locations are Shenandoah Vineyards and Sobon Estate, both in Plymouth.

Winemaker comments:

From our Lubenko Vineyard, planted on native root stock very early in the 20th century comes this rich, multi-faceted wine. Dark cherry red and full bodied, it shows a purity of fruit and hints of minerality. It is well textured, with a signature brambly component exemplifying its mountain character. The aromas are reminiscent of spring lilacs and fruit compote with hints of sandalwood and subtle vanilla notes. With a warm, lingering, luxuriant finish this offering is best paired with roasted rack of lamb, smoked meats, ripe soft cheeses and Szechuan style beef.

Paul Sobon also makes a wide range of wines, some from Rhone varietals, Barbera and a Zingiovese blend of Sangiovese and Zinfandel. He also has a series of ReZerve wines, using a Z rather than an S in the spelling which he trademarked. They do over 30 different wines, many very innovative. I definitely plan to visit them on my next California trip. Meanwhile, they are well represented at Total Wines if you can’t make it to Gold Country.