Grey area

California's newest AVA is also one of its smallest and, in my view, its prettiest. It's there, in the Bennett Valley, where you'll find Peter Young, a man on two missions. Young is a fierce advocate for this region, where a few years back Jess Jackson bought the only sizable winery, Matanzas Creek and set about, successfully, to have the area designated an AVA. But naturally Young's primary goal is promoting his own winery, Grey Stack Cellars. Truth be told, the wines should promote themselves. Among other bottlings, Grey Stack produces the best sauvignon blanc I've tasted in many a moon, balanced and focused and just plain yummerific; a clean, lovely chardonnay that wine savant Dan Berger told Young should be priced 25 percent higher (both whites retail for $28); and a Marie's Block syrah that is everything a California syrah should be: big and bold but bright, and a steal at $35. Grey Stack's "Fisherman" Connell Vineyard pinot noirs provided a great showcase for taking what a vintage gives you. The 2007 is soft, supple and velvety, with light, lovely fruit; the '08 is a chunky brute, with vivid dark fruit. Both are delicious, but the older one is Burgundian and the younger one pure California, and ne'er the twain shall meet. And that's just fine, especially at $38. There's also a lovely Grenache and a super-hedonistic "The Narcissist" syrah named after then-winemaker Russell Bevan, a former Minnesotan. I love cool-weather syrahs, and this region is splendidly suited for that. The Pacific winds come howling in through the Petaluma Gap, which you can actually see from the Youngs' property. The cooler climes mean later picking times, which allow the tannins and acidity and all that other stuff to get aligned with the ripeness of the fruit. My way better half and I drove through this area nearly a decade ago and loved the "country" feel of it, the narrow roads with overhanging trees, the worn fences, the rolling terrain, the barnyard animals and odors. It's still farm country – "the 4H Club meets across the street every week," Young said – but the crop increasingly will be grapes. Even in an industry as young as West Coast wine, we rarely get to see an emerging region such as the Bennett Valley. If Grey Stack's wines are any indication, this one is going to be a doozy and a delight to follow. And we might get to do so here. Young will be meeting soon with a local distributor; here's hoping something can be arranged to get this fabuloso juice Minnesota-bound.