The Dempel Hopland Vineyard

Rising steeply from the upper Russian River valley floor, the Dempel vineyard lies on the west side of the Sanel Valley in the Mendocino wine region about four miles north of Hopland (702 Crawford Ranch Road, Ukiah, CA). The soils are well drained, red hill clay. The vine rows are oriented to have maximum sun exposure for their ripening fruits during the growing season, while the eastern slope of all the vineyard blocks allows gradual maturation of the seven wine grape varieties (Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Zinfandel, Petit Sirah, Alacante Bouschet, Mourvedre, and Gewurztraminer).

The Mendocino County Wine Region of California

“Terroir” is a French word conveying the special relationship between a location’s soil and climate and certain agricultural products. Italian immigrants in the 1850's were the first to discover the Mendocino Russian River Valley's potential for growing wine grapes. Mendocino County now has about forty wineries and 16,000 acres of vineyards. Some further information about the vineyards and wineries of Mendocino County can be found at these links: Mendocino Winegrowers and Mendocino County. If you are contemplating a visit to Hopland, you may find this link of interest: Destination Hopland.