Suisun Valley AVA : Just Outside Napa Valley
“There’s a California wine region, about a 45-minute drive from San Francisco, where grape vines run off to golden, oak-covered hills and wild turkeys shuffle across the road. Family vineyards and down-home tasting rooms provide friendly wine sampling, and the bottles are often reasonably priced. But this isn’t Napa or Sonoma, it’s the bucolic Suisun Valley. The 8-mile-by-3-mile swath of vineyards and small farms feels like the Napa Valley of 50 years ago, with similarly top-notch wines. Compared with the state’s bigger wine-growing regions, we provide a more relaxed experience.” -Ron Lanza
In 1858, Austrian native John Votypke started to grow grapes in the adjacent Green Valley. His vineyard was located at the foot of the valley’s peaks, The Twin Sisters. By 1863, he also began to make wine. Meanwhile, The Louis Mangels family’s arrival into New York City in 1866, from Germany, immigrating with his parents. Louis was only 14 years old at the time, and they settled in Suisun (Pronounced Sue-Soon) Valley. This important generational family still lives and works in Suisun Valley today.
Into the 1900s, when Italian immigrants Mario Lanza and Lena Carlevaro Lanza met in Oakland, California in 1934. They married three years later. Mario and his friend Salvador Brea, along with his brother Manuel, founded a small winery in Suisun Valley, at the end of prohibition in 1933 – Wooden Valley Winery. By 1955, Mario became the sole owner. The family history continues. By 1982, Richard “Chick” Lanza realized they needed proper regional recognition for their wines. Chick lobbied the government, thereby establishing Suisun Valley as California’s fourteenth official American Viticultural Area (AVA), right behind Napa Valley.
Since the middle of the last century, wine grapes grown within the boundaries of the Suisun Valley appellation have produced excellent wines. The Suisun Valley appellation was approved by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (now TTB) December 27, 1982. On October 21, 1983 the North Coast AVA was approved and Suisun Valley was, indeed, included in that larger regional appellation group. Today, the Anniversary Celebration week long event each December, across all Suisun valley wineries. honors this benchmark in California terroir.
While Suisun Valley AVA is just 8 miles long north to south and 3 miles wide east to west, Suisun Valley has a full 14 degree daytime temperature differential from lower valley to upper valley. This allows for proper site selection of whites needing to retain acidity and reds needing warm temps to ripen. Definitive climate study was done by Dr. Paul Skinner of Terra Spase, which revealed the direct impacts of marine air flowing from the Pacific over San Pablo Bay into Suisun Valley. It is that significant marine influence that provides premium growing conditions. What has become most interesting is the western hillside planting commencing in 2015. Significant volcanic rock geologically associated with the southern run out of the Mt George Range, diligently prepared and set to test Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel and Petite Sirah.
A large selection of grape varieties are grown in the confines of the Suisun Valley: Albarino, Barbera, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc, Gamay, Grenache, Grenache Blanc, Malbec, Malvasia Bianca, Mencia, Merlot, Mouvedre, Muscat Canelli, Petite Sirah, Petit Verdot, Pinot Gris, Pinot Noir, Primitivo, Rousanne, Sauvignon Blanc, Sangiovese, Syrah, Trousseau Noir, Trousseau Gris, Verdelho, Viognier, White Riesling, and Zinfandel.
In Celebration of the Independence Day Holiday. We have posted about our favorite Non Napa AVA. Its Napa’s Neighbor to the East, Suisun Valley. Suisun Valley offers some amazing Wine Country experiences and beauty at a more affordable rate than Napa. I love Suisun because it feels like a young up and coming area, with tons of local pride. It has the perfect climate and topography for Wine Grapes. I had the pleasure of meeting many of the Suisun winemakers as they are fixtures in their respective tasting rooms and always present at major events, such as April’s Suisun Valley Passport Sunday, where a ticket got you a tasting at all types of wineries in the area. There was even a wine and chocolate pairing at the Jelly Belly Factory!
When in Suisun, You have to stop by Larry’s Produce and get the freshest produce around, then I always find time to stop in at Village 360, Maybe grab a Buzz Coffee or a Village Pizza and just sit with the Puppy and the Mrs, and enjoy the view and the vibes. When I want to drink some Wine,Stop in at Back road Vines before heading off to Sunset Suisun where my club membership not only gets me free tastings and delicious small batch wines, but they also engrave your name on your wine glass and have it ready for you anytime you come in! No matter what Vineyard, Winery or CoOp you visit in Suisun, you will have great wine in a fun, laid back atmosphere.
