Historical Alexander Valley

Alexander Valley Circa 1905

If you ever get the chance to head up north come by and get to know the area we all have grown to love and enjoy. The Alexander Valley has some great history behind how it has been cultivated and nurtured over the past 100+ years to grow some of the world’s best wines.  Alexander Valley is located in Northern California just north of Healdsburg in Sonoma County. The Valley was named after Cyrus Alexander, who was part owner of the Rancho Sotoyome Mexican land grant from 1847. Though grape growing in the region stems back over a hundred years the Valley did not join the rest of wine country as an official AVA(American Viticulture Area) until 1984.

Cyrus Alexander 1877

Alexander Valley is the largest and most bountiful planted wine region in Sonoma County. The boundaries stretch from the banks of the Russian River in the east all the way to the foothills of the Mayacamas Mountains. The area is nicely sheltered from the, sometimes, harsh winds and temperatures of the Pacific Ocean by the nearby western hills. With that protection Alexander Valley has been known to reach some of the highest temperatures in Northern California but bring significant cooling at night to the vines. This offers an ideal growing platform for the rich, meaty wines that the Alexander Valley produces.
The warm climate and variety of cooling techniques allows the valley to produce their world-renowned wines. As made obvious by Stryker Sonoma, the land offers the ability to grow a plethora of varietals from Chardonnay to Sangiovese. The soil and temperature give winemakers the ability to experiment and dabble in grapes they may not have otherwise had the chance to work with and push themselves to new limits. Tim and Jenn, Stryker’s A+ winemaking team, enjoy the freedom  in being progressive and mixing  traditional techniques with the modern.

Historical Map of Alexander Valley 1877

We encourage one and all to visit the beautiful land of Alexander Valley to witness first-hand the intoxicating beauty of its landscape and the delicious wines. ~ AnneMarie