Published on Saturday, May 22, 1999
© 1999 The Press Democrat

By Tim Tesconi
Staff Writer

A Mendocino County-based corporation is proposing to develop up to 10,000 acres of vineyards -- the largest grape planting project ever undertaken in Northern California -- on forest land stretching along ridges in remote regions of Sonoma and Mendocino counties.

The project has been in the planning stages for the past several years by Coastal Forestlands of Willits. The company has made no public announcement of the vineyard project as it studies grape-growing conditions and the environmental impact of converting forests to vineyards in the rugged, sparsely populated hills.

``We are studying the possibility but it's all very premature at this time,'' said Bob Whitney, a Willits planning consultant who is coordinator of the project. He said Friday an announcement about the project could come in a month.

Whitney said the impetus for the project is the world-class wines that can be made from grapes grown in Sonoma-Mendocino mountain soils and the moderate weather conditions created by the Pacific Ocean.

``The best grapes in the world can be produced in this area,'' said Whitney.

If the project moves forward the corporation will submit an application for a timber harvest plan to the California Department of Forestry, initiating pubic debate on the conversion of forest to vineyards. The timber harvest application could be submitted in two to three months.

The proposed vineyards would stretch north from the tiny community of Annapolis in northwest Sonoma County along ridges into Mendocino County. The 10,000 acres of vineyards would be selected from prime sites among 60,000 acres between Skaggs Springs Road in Sonoma County and Mountain View Road in Mendocino County. Most of the land -40,000 acres -- is in Mendocino County.

Some vineyard sites have already been designated and staked in the 25-mile-long area.

The 60,000 acres, formerly owned by the Coastal Forestlands timber company, are now owned by Pioneer Resources of Portland, Ore. Coastal Forestlands, however, retained an option to buy back up to 10,000 acres of the land and is in the process of exercising that option for the huge vineyard development, called Coastal Ridges.

``This will probably remain the largest vineyard planting project in Northern California for years to come if they are successful,'' said former county supervisor Ernie Carpenter, who has been hired as a consultant to the project.

The proposed 10,000 acres of vineyards would dwarf most grape planting projects on the North Coast where 500-acre plantings are considered big. If approved and planted, it would add considerably to the vineyard acreage in both counties. Sonoma County already has 45,000 acres of vineyards and Mendocino County has 15,000 acres. Kendall-Jackson has the most vineyard land in Sonoma County with about 4,000 acres.

Carpenter, of Sebastopol, is overseeing environmental issues and conservation easements for the vineyard project. He said he is impressed with the corporation's commitment to preserving oak trees and wildlife habitat when vineyards are established.

Mark Green, executive director of Sonoma County Conservation Action, said a vineyard project of that scale in such a pristine area of the North Coast should be subject to environmental review and long public discussion.

``We will be watching this very closely,'' Green said Friday.

Whitney said despite the record prices for grapes, the corporation is not rushing the project to cash in on the lucrative market. He said the goal is to develop a model project that has community support because it is well-planned and environmentally sensitive.

``We feel it is wise to go at a slow and steady pace and consider the ramifications of this big project. We're moving with caution and are not in a race to meet a deadline,'' said Whitney. He said the vineyards would likely be planted over 10 or 20 years.

Whitney said the corporation he represents supports the vineyard planting ordinance recently approved by Sonoma County supervisors as a way to control grape planting on erosion-prone hillsides.

Carpenter said he is working with a national conservation group interested in holding a conservation easement on the 10,000 acres of vineyard property.

``I am personally very supportive because of the environmental sensitivity of Coastal Forestlands in developing the vineyards. They will set environmental standards in these vineyards and protect them forever with a conservation easement,'' said Carpenter.

Whitney said as it now stands, Coastal Forestlands plans to own and operate the vineyards. The goal is to one day build a winery, probably along the Highway 101 corridor near Cloverdale, to make what Whitney expects will be world-class wine.

Kendall-Jackson Winery of Santa Rosa is among the wineries and growers already planting vineyards in the Annapolis area, once a region of sheep and cattle ranches and timber operations. Wineries and grape growers are moving into remote areas as land becomes scarce while the demand soars for premium quality wines from the North Coast.

Jim Caudill, a spokesman for Kendall-Jackson, said most of the 300 acres of plantable land that Kendall-Jackson owns in Annapolis will be planted to pinot noir. He said although none of the vineyards has produced a crop, winery proprietor Jess Jackson expects to one day harvest grapes of high quality for the company's finest wines.

``This is a coastal area that has the kind of soils and the coastal influence of warm days and cool nights that can produce premium quality grapes,'' said Caudill.