The McDowell Valley is located at the southeastern end of Mendocino County on a sloping plateau east of Hopland. Most of the soil is unsuitable for viticulture, with the most favorable areas confined to croppings of gravelly-loam soils at elevations of around 1,000 feet (300 meters) that are surrounded by the nearby Mayacamas Mountains. The McDowell Valley is known for its Rhone-style wines and features 100+ year old vines of Grenache and Syrah. This includes some of the oldest Syrah plantings in California, dating back to 1913, which today makes the McDowell Valley an active center into research into the clonal varieties of Syrah. In addition to producing still red wines, the wineries of the McDowell Valley are also noted for their dry rosés.