Cyrus Alexander was the man who turned grapes into gold. Literally. But little is known about this historical man after whom one of the best wine-growing regions in California is named. A few paragraphs in Wikipedia and the same simple facts are repeated in articles about Alexander Valley. So it’s a new year, and I have time. Let’s learn more about the man who created the home to 42 top wineries, including Jordon, Stonestreet, Silver Oak, Rodney Strong, and, of course, Alexander Valley Vineyards.

Cyrus Alexander was born second to the youngest of eight in Pennsylvania in 1805. His family moved to what was then the wild frontier of Illinois in 1810. He was a sickly child, but those illnesses saved him from much of the hard farm work. That allowed him to read, and he favored tales about the lives of adventurers. He later learned from his older brother the trade of leather tanning and shoe making. Later, another brother taught him about the management and machinery of a flour mill. Cyrus started his life of adventure at 22 when he set off to make his fortune at the lead mines, which didn’t work out. Later, he read about the lucrative fur trade in the Rocky Mountains and Oregon, so in the spring of 1831, he became an independent agent, trapping for the Sublette Fur Co. He partnered with “Black” Harris and “White” Cotton, who nicknamed him “Aleck.”

After their first trapping season, valuable otter and beaver pelts were piled high in the camp. The Blackfeet Indians, viewing the trappers as invaders in their territory, took the precious furs but spared them their lives, their traps, and guns. After a brutal winter, the trio started their second trapping season, only to be revisited again by the Blackfeet, who took their pelts and, this time, shot “White” Cotton dead. They took on a new partner, Thomas Long Smith, and set out to redeem the rest of the hunting season. Through months of hardship and starvation, they eventually ended their second season with another impressive cache of pelts. The Blackfeet promptly repossessed them again, leaving them their lives and guns. Not to be deterred from their fortune, the company decided to try one more season before giving up trapping altogether. In the spring, the hunters began a third season, this time in the Black Hills of northeastern Wyoming. They trapped enough animals to produce $1,000 worth of pelts by season’s end (equal to $36,000 in today’s dollars.) This time, to avoid the Blackfeet and to catch up to the main party, the hunters followed the Green River to the Colorado, then came down the Colorado to a point near the Gulf of California where Sublette had a fort. When they arrived, they found the company had already moved on to Santa Fe. To catch up to them, Aleck and his partners decided to attempt a dangerous crossing of the upper part of the Gulf of California. The Indians at the fort warned him of the danger but loaned them a canoe anyway in exchange for some pelts. Three of the Indians even came along to help paddle.

Once out on the water, a heavy snowstorm began to blow, and they discovered that the canoe was too heavily loaded. As they tried to turn the canoe around to head back to shore, it capsized, plunging all into icy water. The good swimmers in the group (two Indians and one white man) set out for the shore, never to be seen again. Alexander and the rest clung to the overturned canoe, and after an agonizing day of drifting in the Gulf amidst chunks of floating snow, they finally came to shore that evening near where they had started. Amazingly, the nearly frozen party recovered. Their guns and traps, however, had sunk to the bottom, and the treasured pelts had floated out to sea.

At 28 years old, Cyrus arrived in the Mexican port of San Diego, broke with nothing but the clothes on his back. For seven years, Cyrus had a number of occupations, including hunting for wealthy landowner Captain Fitch. While hunting near the Fitch estate, Cyrus heard the screams from one of Fitch’s daughters, who fell into a nearby creek. He rescued her from the cold waters and brought her back to the estate. Captain Fitch, in gratitude, gave him the position of Manager of his new venture, a land grant in the northern frontier of Mexican California, 48,800-acre Rancho Sotoyome. Captain Fitch would supply the capital, sheep and cattle, tools, and other necessary materials, and Alexander would receive one-half of the increase of the livestock herds and half of the crops grown. After four years, he would also receive a two-league portion (8,800 acres) of the rancho as payment for his services. This place would eventually become Alexander Valley.

Part of the Land Grant from Mexico that qualified Captain Fitch for the 48,800 acres of land had certain legal obligations to fulfill. Cyrus saw to most of these, including the construction of a dwelling and the planting of orchards, including grapevines. Cyrus would soon exceed any governmental requirement by establishing a grist mill (said by one to be the first in northern California), a tannery at the base of Fitch Mountain (another first in California), and a profitable cigarette-rolling industry, with the tobacco supplied by Captain Fitch.

Alexander left Fitch’s employ in October 1845. He and his bride, now with a new baby, loaded his ox cart with their possessions and moved to the lovely valley that, to him, was the “brightest and best.” He received official title to his Alexander Valley ranch in September 1847, when he was 42. Cyrus eventually built a small fortune and a small community, erecting houses, a school, a church, and more than one barn, becoming known as a California agricultural pioneer. He planted orchards and vineyards and started businesses around milling, tobacco, and tanning.

Most men in the area made at least one trip to the gold mines between 1848 and 1852. Cyrus Alexander was no exception. He held out against gold fever for the first two years, but in 1850, the tales of instant fortune overcame him. Cyrus set off for the mines, leaving his wife and small children to supervise the ranch. Alexander worked hard at the mines, but for all his labor, he had no luck and finally sold his tools and set out for home. Although he failed as a miner, Alexander made his first ready cash during the Gold Rush by selling food to the hungry miners. Suddenly, there was a huge market for his produce and livestock, often paid for with gold dust. In 1850, he cleared $1,200 profit on one crop of onions freighted to the gold camps by oxcart. The same year, a passing driver en route to the mines paid him $1,000 for twenty hogs. He got $16 a head for his sheep. Cyrus was to be the first to grow vines here and sold many barrels of Mission grape wine to the thirsty gold miners, all paid for in gold dust.

In 1962, Harry Wetzel, a self-described accidental vintner, bought the property sight unseen from Cyrus’s son, Tom’s widow Annie. They wanted their four children to discover the outdoors, “to experience swimming in a river,” his wife once said. Not aware of its history, the Wetzel’s fell in love with the property. When told of its historical significance, the family spent the next twenty years not only planting and re-planting the vineyards but also preserving the rich heritage of Alexander Valley. They raised livestock, planted bountiful gardens, and restored Cyrus Alexander’s original home. A house that stood empty for years, overgrown with tall weeds, a boarded-up front porch, and cows poking their heads through the windows. The Wetzel children grew up along with the vines as they developed the estate. Hank Wetzel, Harry’s son, knew early that he wanted to make his life in the valley that his family loved. They raised prunes and pears before settling on grapes, even though “we had no plans to start a winery,” Wetzel told The Times in 1981.

Hank Wetzel began working in the vineyards at a very young age, starting with tying canes and trimming vines nine hours a day, earning $1.40 an hour, much to the amusement of the full-time employees. He stuck with it and graduated from the University of California–Davis in 1974 with a B.S. in Fermentation Science. For his senior project, he developed a plan for a small winery, which became the blueprint for AVV (Alexander Valley Vineyards). Winery construction started in 1975, and being a small family project, his wife Linda set up AVV’s accounting system. They were the only employees then, so Linda also helped with the first harvest later that year. In the early days, Hank not only made the wine but also handled sales. Crisscrossing the state in a blue van, the pair would stop at restaurants and wine shops, offering samples of those early releases and taking orders. The venture was a success, and the wines won accolades from critics and wine drinkers across the country.

This week’s wine offering, Cyrus, is a tribute to the man, Cyrus Alexander, the region, and the very best of the vintage. In 1995, Hank Wetzel produced the first vintage of CYRUS. Today, winemaker Kevin Hall carries on the tradition with the twenty-second release of Cyrus, becoming one of the most sought-after hard to find, Californian red wines.

2017 was a vintage of contrasts, with ample January and February rainfall, followed by a warm spring and rolling heat spikes throughout the summer. The nine lots ultimately selected for the blend were harvested over a period of 33 days. After harvest, each lot was fermented and aged separately for 12 months, blended to showcase the vintage, then aged for an additional 12 months in French oak barrels to meld the flavors. Additional bottle aging resulted in a seamless blend.

The rich dark purple color only hints at the intense, layered aromas in the glass. Scents of cassis, black cherry, boysenberry, cedar, dark chocolate, along with notes of toasty oak and vanilla are indicative of the concentration of this blend. While lush, the 2017 has incredible structure and balance with dark fruit flavors of cassis, black cherry, dark chocolate, barrel spice and cardamom. As this wine sits in the glass, it just keeps building on itself, hinting at the complexity that will occur with additional cellar aging.

Cabernet Sauvignon 58%, Merlot 21%, Cabernet Franc 16%, Malbec 3%, Petit Verdot 2%

Notably well structured, the result is a deep, dark, and sensuous red with dusty plum-skin tannins. Dark chocolate exudes personality plus with cardamom, cedar, violets, and black cherry. Chewy and fleshy; CYRUS is a ballroom dancer on sweet earth, built to show both power and elegance. The Somm Journal 98 pts

5 classic varietals for a Bordeaux blend are selected from 9 of their best estate lots. Each lot was fermented and aged separately for 12 months, then aged an additional 12 months after the blending process in French oak. The result is a beguiling puzzle that pulls you in all the right directions…unctuous, complex, rich, and balanced…all perfectly done and in complete harmony. Flavors of dark chocolate and black fruits compliment the rich oak and vanilla notes. Beverage Dynamics 98 pts

Here is a big, bold wine that’s comfortable in its own skin. It draws from a deep well of dark berries, well-integrated oak spices, and accents of tobacco and singed herbs for great breadth and complexity. While full-bodied and rather tannic, those tannins are silky, and the wine feels relaxed as you sip. Best through 2030. Cellar Selection. Wine Enthusiast 95 pts

Rich cassis, blackberries, sandalwood, and chili chocolate on the nose, followed by a smoothly rendered palate with juicy and supple fruit. Tight and fine-grained, with a lengthy, fruit-expressive finish. 58% cabernet sauvignon, 21% merlot, 16% cabernet franc, 3% petit verdot and 2% malbec. James Suckling 92 pts

Alexander Valley Vineyards Cyrus 2017

The holiday-weary group that I pulled together was all too ready to taste this wine. Here are some adjectives offered for the Cyrus 2017. Black in color, no transparency at all. Aromas were of abundant dark fruit, cocoa, and vanilla. On the palate, we found lush flavors of velvety dark fruit, boysenberry, fresh ripe blackberries, juicy pomegranate, Poppyseed, and vanilla, reminiscent of Hamantash cookies. Tannins were very noticeable but were not in the way. Bright acids kept the fruit alive and bold without interfering with each other. A very long brooding finish. An excellent glass of wine to cuddle up to the fire with. This is one of those wow wines you read about, but because of its scarcity, you can never buy it because most of it goes to restaurants. Get it while you can. Limited amount available.

Regular Price: $74.99

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From our family at Yankee Spirits to your family and friends, we wish you a very Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and an incredible New Year. Thank you for a fabulous 2023, and we look forward to serving you in 2024.

Cheers!

—John Hannum, Fine & Rare Wine Specialist

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