Winemaker Notes
Always Certified Organically Grown – At Paul Dolan vineyards all of our wines are certified organically grown by California Certified Organic Farmers (CCOF), a process that takes a minimum of three years. We believe that soil is a living, life giving system that is sensitive to chemicals and over cultivation. In organic farming, we do not use herbicides such as glyphosate or other synthetic pesticides and chemical fertilizers.
All of our wines are vegan; we do not use any animal based fining, a finishing process many wines go through. Like many of the best wines in the world we do add sulfites, never more than 100ppm, less than 1/3 the limit of conventional non-organically grown wines.
Paul Dolan Vineyards wines are the unique expressions of carefully nurtured vineyards in northern California’s Mendocino County. Our winegrowing practices create small lots of elegant wines, while sustaining our environment, the place where we live, and the people who live here.
A large and diverse appellation within California’s North Coast AVA, Mendocino is home to several smaller sub-regions—most notably the Anderson Valley. This scenic region, with rolling hills covered in redwood forests as well as vineyards, is one of the world’s top producers of certified organically-grown grapes. Due to wide geographical and climatic variation, a vast array of wine styles can be found here.
Capable of a vast array of styles, Sauvignon Blanc is a crisp, refreshing variety that equally reflects both terroir and varietal character. Though it can vary depending on where it is grown, a couple of commonalities always exist—namely, zesty acidity and intense aromatics. This variety is of French provenance. Somm Secret—Along with Cabernet Franc, Sauvignon Blanc is a proud parent of Cabernet Sauvignon. That green bell pepper aroma that all three varieties share is no coincidence—it comes from a high concentration of pyrazines (herbaceous aromatic compounds) inherent to each member of the family.