It began innocently enough. A newly mature vineyard, a little sparkling wine for a family wedding. That's all. Thirteen years later, Steve and Sharon Doughty find themselves overseeing the small but thriving Point Reyes Vineyards, an adjacent inn, and the first commercial tasting room to open in Marin County since the 1930s.

The Doughtys' story goes like this: Sometime in the late 1980s, the National Park Service asked Steve and Sharon if they'd be interested in selling their land, which was, and remains (in part), an active dairy farm. "The price they offered was ridiculously low," Steve Doughty told me during a recent visit to the tasting room. "So we decided that it made sense, given this location's great soil and temperate climate, to plant a pinot noir vineyard here, knowing it would raise the land's value. Plus, we knew we could sell the grapes to a winery." The five-acre pinot noir vineyard was planted in 1990, but for reasons related to price, timing, or both, the Park Service was no longer interested.

Four years later, while helping with the details of Sharon's daughter Karen's wedding, the Doughtys thought it would be nice to make their own sparkling wine for the occasion. "We made it by hand, in the basement," Sharon told me over a glass of their latest Blanc de Noir. "We didn't really know what we were doing, but we read a few books and found out that winemakers are very generous when it comes to sharing information."

By happy coincidence, Jess Jackson, founder of the Kendall-Jackson winery, was among the wedding guests. Impressed by their amateur effort, he praised the Doughtys' wine for its flavor, balance, and abundant bubbles, telling them, "You two are off to a good start." In one of those, "uh-oh, what do we do now" kind of moments, they began producing their first commercial release the very next year.

The Doughtys' hillside vineyard can be seen from the couple's rustic tasting room, which, with its wood paneling, dual American flags, lava lamp, and other bits of kitsch, is a decidedly homey departure from the slick, Disney-esque style found in the Napa Valley. As are the Doughtys themselves. Steve is friendly if slightly gruff. Sharon is soft-spoken and gentle, born and raised on the historic B Ranch, which rests at the opposite side of Tomales Bay at the north end of the Point. You can't get any more local than that.

Though their south-facing vineyard gets plenty of sunshine, it's only a short hop from the Pacific Ocean and also receives plenty of nighttime fog. In order to harvest fully-ripened fruit, they allow the grapes to spend two months longer on the vine than they would in a warmer California climate. "We usually pick in September or October," Sharon says, "and I believe those extra months add complexity to our sparkling wines." Following the practices of Champagne producers, the Doughtys leave their bubbly on the lees for three years, disgorging after three-and-a-half years.

In rare vintages, when the weather is warm enough‹there have been only two out of the past eleven‹the Doughtys set aside a small parcel of vines to produce their Estate Pinot Noir. Barrel-aged for three years in French and American oak, this wine exemplifies the Point Reyes Vineyards style‹elegance, combined with body, complexity, true varietal character, with (for the reds) just enough wood to aid complexity, and moderate levels of alcohol.

Much that happens to the Doughtys seems to be serendipitous. One day in 1995, Steve noticed a vineyard perched on the hills across the highway from the Marin Civic Center. Through a keen bit of sleuthing and natural perseverance, he was able to locate the owner of the seven-acre plot of old-vine cabernet called Terra Linda. When the owner heard that Steve was interested in taking over the abandoned vines, he happily granted him the rights to farm the property. The first non-sparkling Point Reyes Vineyards release was the 1996 Quail Hill Cabernet Sauvignon, and they've made wine from the site ever since.

Today, the Doughtys make an average of eight different wines, mostly from fruit purchased through farmers they've worked with for years. "We start with clean grapes, leave them alone, and know that with minimal treatment they'll be fine," Steve said.

Their production is tiny by any standard‹only a thousand to fifteen hundred total cases per year. And being such a small operation, Point Reyes Vineyards sells most of its wine directly from the tasting room (see details below), and at a few local restaurants, including the Olema Inn, the Station House Café, Rancho Nicasio, San Anselmo's Ava, and the Marin Sun Farms Butcher Shop.

Tasting Notes

Non-Vintage Blanc de Blanc ($24). A Silver Award winner at the 2006 San Francisco Wine Competition, this sparkling wine displays a lovely light brass color; subtle fruit and yeast aromas; bright, nicely balanced flavors; delicate bubbles; and a notably bone-dry finish. (619 cases produced.) Non-Vintage Marin County Blanc de Noir ($24). The Doughtys' Blanc de Noir is made from two-thirds estate-grown pinot noir and one-third chardonnay and has a slight ruby robe; whiffs of fruit, floral, and dried grass; and is nuttier, richer, and more complex than the Blanc de Blanc, while remaining equally dry. (357 cases produced.)

1992 Brut Cuvee, Late Disgorged - 10 years en tirage ($40). In classic Champagne-making methods, en tirage refers to a process in which yeast and sugar are added to the bottled wine for a secondary fermentation, raising the alcohol level and creating carbon dioxide. As is done at many French Champagne houses, the Doughtys left this vintage en tirage for 10 years before disgorging (removing the spent yeast sediment). This subtle sparkler has a pale-salmon color, with a fleeting, slightly yeasty bouquet of floral and cherry, and finishes with a touch of strawberry. Not as bone dry as the two listed above, but a lovely and impressive effort. (260 cases produced.)

2002 Estate Pinot Noir ($40). This rarity offers a medium-deep black cherry color, with earthy aromas of black olive, rosemary, and cherry. It's medium-light bodied, quite flavorful, and shows classic varietal character. (123 cases produced.)

2003 Belotti Vineyard, Alexander Valley Zinfandel ($21). Unlike the big, bold, too sweet, too woody zins often encountered, this one is quite civilized. It's got a bright, light cherry color; flavors and aromas that conjure dried figs and raisins; and a very pleasing finish. (435 cases produced.) 2003 Zinfandel "Claret" ($12.50). From the same Belotti vineyard, this "claret"-style zinfandel is made from second-pick grapes (ones in need of more time to ripen), and is similar to the above but lighter, with a softer fruit finish. (194 cases produced.)

Point Reyes Vineyards wines can be purchased at the tasting room, 12700 Highway 1 (a mile north of Point Reyes Station), via telephone (415-663-1011), or online at ptreyesvineyardinn.com.

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