Sonoma Success Story : Inventiveness and Excellence Result in International Sales for Adler Fels

WHAT STARTED out as a “little weekend winery business” has become a full-time operation nine years later.

In the process, Adler Fels, a remote mountain-high winery in Sonoma County, has won numerous medals for its wines, among them its noteworthy Melange a Deux, which has had considerable success overseas.

David Coleman and his wife, Ayn Ryan, met at Sonoma County’s Chateau St. Jean winery, founded by the family of Ayn Ryan’s mother, and decided that wine making was for them, too.

In search of top quality, the Colemans have been especially concerned with the natural flavors of the grapes. All of their harvests, from selected vineyards, are hand-picked and placed in small boxes in an attempt to eliminate skin-breakage and oxidation and to ensure flavor and freshness.

But the winery also pursues quality in a slightly non-conformist way. While other wine makers add nitrogen or carbon dioxide to wine in stainless-steel tanks to maintain an oxygen-free atmosphere (they claim that the gases do not adversely affect the wine), Coleman prefers a more natural method. He has invented what he calls a variable-capacity fermentation storage tank that has a free-floating top. The lid adjusts to the level of the wine in the tank, preventing the wine from becoming exposed to air.

And never having been much of a fan of biting French Champagnes made from what he calls “unripe grapes,” Coleman has created his own sparkling wine, with fully ripe and flowery-fragrant Riesling and opulent Gewurztraminer, exotic in perfume. Because it is a 50-50 blend of two grapes, the wine is called Melange a Deux (mixture of two). It is wonderful. About half of the Melange a Deux production is shipped to Paris, where Coleman has been able to distribute his wine with much success.

During my first visit to Adler Fels (German for Eagle Rock, the name given to the craggy eminence of the Mayacamas Mountain by author Jack London), I sampled the current releases, in which the Melange a Deux stood out.

* ADLER FELS 1987 SONOMA COUNTY MELANGE A DEUX ($16). Methode Champenoise, fermented in the bottle. Bone dry, but with an extraordinary bouquet, making it an instant favorite. Don’t miss it.

* ADLER FELS 1988 SONOMA COUNTY FUME BLANC ($9.75). Every vintage has been a medal-winner, and this wine has been served at the White House. True varietal, but not grassy; silky character. Crisp, clean and dry; almost a melon scent.

* ADLER FELS 1987 SONOMA COUNTY CHARDONNAY ($13). Excellent fruit; delicate oak influence from Allier, Troncais and Nevers barrels.

* ADLER FELS 1988 SONOMA COUNTY GEWURZTRAMINER ($8.50). A marvelous taste reminiscent of grapefruit; thirst-quenching delight.

* ADLER FELS 1984 SONOMA COUNTY PINOT NOIR ($13). From 50-year-old vines, this gorgeous ruby wine has a dry, plummy taste.

* ADLER FELS 1988 SONOMA COUNTY RIESLING ($8). This gentle wine has a slight edge of residual sweetness, citrus tastes and true Riesling character.