Navarro Vineyards has been growing grapes and bottling wine in California's Anderson Valley since 1974. A second generation of our family has joined the Navarro team, reinforcing our commitment to sustainable farming and winemaking. A good bottle of wine tells a story; we like each bottle of Navarro wine to reflect a unique growing season, a particular vineyard site and the hardworking folks who produced the wine.
Sustainable farming starts in the vineyard. The vineyard rows are banded with flowering cover crops, abuzz with beneficial insects that keep pests in check as well as minimizing erosion and supplying nutrients to the gravelly loam. A flock of Babydoll sheep, with the help from some chickens and geese, help keep the cover crop mowed, help fertilize the vines and even sucker the vines' trunks. Navarro Vineyards was one of the first ranches in the US to be certified as a Fish Friendly Farm. 90 acres of the 910 acre ranch are planted in grapes: Gewürztraminer, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Riesling, Pinot Gris and Muscat. Small vineyard sites are planted with selected clones and rootstocks that thrive in the cool, rugged weather of Philo where early morning fog and coastal ocean breezes are the norm.
To provide a wider selection of varieties, Navarro has long term contacts with several heritage family-owned vineyards in Mendocino's warmer Russian River Valley. These heritage vineyards are the source of our Zinfandel, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Grenache, Carignan and Chenin Blanc.
Navarro's winemaking practices are a mixture of traditional and modern techniques, employing French oak barrels and ovals as well as temperature controlled stainless steel. Techniques, such as punching down fermenting red wines by hand, are not particularly cost effective but assure that the bright flavors of the grapes are not obscured by heavy-handed winemaking.
Navarro provides permanent, full-time jobs with benefits to its employees rather than relying on migrant labor. We can afford this commitment to our employees and community because over eighty percent of our wine is sold directly to consumers either in our tasting room, on our mailing list or visitors to our website.
Aaron and Sarah Cahn-Bennett