聪明的消费者应该像纳帕谷的同行一样欣赏门多西诺县和莱克县的赤霞珠。来自加利福尼亚北部这两个县的高地山谷和山坡的葡萄酒与纳帕种植的葡萄酒具有相同的结构和浓度，通常成本只是其中的一小部分。可靠的生产商，如门多西诺县的Barra和Paul Dolan，以及莱克县的大型企业Shannon Ridge和Steele，几乎每年都会生产出90分或更高等级优质赤霞珠，它们价格远低于平均纳帕出租车。
塑造了门多西诺、莱克以及中央山谷三大产区的地理环境是火山作用。这两座风土与中央山谷相比显得更加独特，其生长条件更加严酷，而品质则不逊色。在标签上看到“门多西诺 AVA”、“Mendocino County AVA”或者“Lake County AVA”，通常是对品种更丰富、更经典表达方式的一个保证。
在红山AVAvicinity of Clear Lake, California's second-largest natural freshwater body and Mount Konocti, a dormant volcano with an elevation exceeding 4,300 feet. The Red Hills appellation is known for producing high-quality Cabernet Sauvignon. The region boasts many expensive but highly rated bottles such as Howell Mountain, Solare Ranch, Spottswoode and Duckhorn.
The grapevines are grown at elevations ranging from 1,350 to 2,600 feet in the hills above Red Hills. They thrive in poor volcanic soils that are low in nutrients and filled with black obsidian and quartz fragments. Difficult soil conditions translate into lower yields and smaller grapes which provide a higher proportion of skin-to-juice during fermentation. This results in wines with intense fruit flavors and rich tannins that help them age well.
Behind the price
In 2018, the average price per ton of Mendocino County Cabernet Sauvignon was $2,205 while Lake County was slightly lower at $2,061. Both were much higher than the state average of $1,019 per ton. Napa Valley growers' average selling price was a whopping $7,925 per ton.
The relationship between grape prices and wine prices reflects Andy Beckstoffer's original model promoting independent growers like himself who own land in all three counties - Mendocino County where he started his company Beckett Vineyards.
He said that one dollar fair market value for a pound of grapes would be equivalent to about 100 times what it cost to retail a bottle made from those grapes - so $2,500 per ton would correspond to an eight-dollar bottle; while an eight-thousand-dollar-per-ton crop could fetch eighty dollars on shelves.
It proved out as accurate pricing guide for California wines year after year; key factor behind their impressive carrying capacity as well as demand among consumers seeking better quality at affordable rates than ever before found anywhere else around world today!
