Thanks to its cool viticultural climate, the most suitable red wine grape to grow in Anderson Valley is Pinot Noir. Years ago, we decided to diversify Navarro's red wine offerings. In the 1980s, we began purchasing Cabernet Sauvignon and other red grapes from the warmer inland Mendocino area for this purpose. We've produced Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre from various growers for many years. However, it became clear to us that the wines that pleased us the most came from Dark Horse Vineyards. This hillside vineyard has red volcanic soil, perfect for growing red wines, and the grapes were grown biodynamically, in line with our farming principles. For a long time, we made three separate varietal wines from these grapes, but in 2021 we finally produced a Rhône-inspired blend of the three varieties. This new blend has truly excited us and the 2022 vintage is exceptional. Our primary concern now is whether we will be able to produce enough for our mailing list customers. We currently purchase all Dark Horse's Mourvèdre and most of their Grenache, so expanding production isn't an option.

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