THE WINES OF CALIFORNIA
No winegrowing area in the world has come so far so quickly as California. It seems ironic, because Americans historically have not been very interested in wine. But from the moment Americans first became “wine conscious,” winemakers in California rose to the challenge. Thirty years ago we were asking if California wines were entitled to be compared to European wines. Now California wines are available worldwide— exports have increased dramatically in recent years to countries such as Japan, Germany, and England. California produces more than 90 percent of U.S. wine.2.1 If the state were a nation, it would be the third leading wine producer in the world!2.2, 2.3, 2.11
AN INTRODUCTION TO
CALIFORNIA WINES
What are the main viticultural areas of California?
The map below should help familiarize you with the wine-making regions. It’s easier to remember them if you divide them into four groups:
North Coast: Napa County, Sonoma County, Mendocino County, Lake County (Best wines: Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel, Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Merlot)
North Central Coast: Monterey County, Santa Clara County, Livermore County (Best wines: Chardonnay, Syrah, Grenache, Viognier, Marsanne, Roussane)
South Central Coast: San Luis Obispo County, Santa Barbara County (Best wines: Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Syrah)
San Joaquin Valley: Known for jug wines
A2.2
Although you may be most familiar with the names Napa2.4, 2.5, 2.6, 2.6A, A2.4 and Sonoma,2.7, 2.8, 2.9, A2.5 less than 10 percent of all California wine comes from these two regions combined. Even so, Napa alone accounts for over 30 percent of dollar sales of California wines. In fact, the bulk of California wine is from the San Joaquin Valley, where mostly jug wines are producedSB2.1. This region accounts for 58 percent of the wine grapes planted. Maybe that doesn’t seem too exciting—that the production of jug wine dominates California winemaking history—but Americans are not atypical in their preferences for this type of wine.2.14 In France, for example, AOC wines account for only 35 percent of all French wines, while the rest are everyday table wines.
When did California begin to make better-quality wines?
As early as the 1940s, Frank Schoonmaker, an importer and writer and one of the first American wine experts, convinced some California winery owners to market their best wines using varietal labels.
Robert Mondavi may be one of the best examples of a winemaker who concentrated solely on varietal wine production. In 1966, Mondavi left his family’s Charles Krug Winery and started the Robert Mondavi Winery. His role was important to the evolution of varietal labeling of California wines. He was among the first major winemakers to make the total switch that led to higher-quality winemaking.
A NOTE ON JUG WINES
The phrase jug wine refers to simple, uncomplicated, everyday drinking wine. You’re probably familiar with these types of wine: They’re sometimes labeled with a generic name, such as Chablis or Burgundy. Inexpensive and well made, these wines were originally bottled in jugs, rather than in conventional wine bottles, hence the name “jug wine.” They are very popular and account for the largest volume of California wine sold in the United States.
Ernest and Julio Gallo, who began their winery in 1933, are the major producers of jug wines in California. In fact, many people credit the Gallo brothers with converting American drinking habits from spirits to wine. Several other wineries also produce jug wines, among them Almaden, Paul Masson, and Taylor California Cellars.
In my opinion, the best-made jug wines in the world are from California. They maintain both consistency and quality from year to year.
How did California become a world-class producer in just forty years?
There are many reasons for California’s winemaking success, including:
Location:2.21, 2.19, 2.20 Napa and Sonoma counties, two of the major quality-wine regions, are both less than a two-hour drive from San Francisco. The proximity of these regions to the city encourages both residents and tourists to visit the wineries in the two counties, most of which offer wine tastings and sell their wines in their own shops.
Weather: Abundant sunshine, warm daytime temperatures, cool evenings, and a long growing season all add up to good conditions for growing many grape varieties. California is certainly subject to sudden changes in weather, but a fickle climate is not a major worry.
The University of California at Davis and Fresno State University:2.18, 2.17 Both schools have been the training grounds for many young California winemakers, and their curricula concentrate on the scientific study of wine, viticulture, and, most important, technology.2.15, 2.16 Their research, focused on soil, different strains of yeast, hybridization, temperature-controlled fermentation, and other viticultural techniques, has revolutionized the wine industry worldwide.
Money and Marketing Strategy: This cannot be overemphasized. Marketing may not make the wine, but it certainly helps sell it. As more and more winemakers concentrated on making the best wine they could, American consumers responded with appreciation. They were willing to buy—and pay— more as quality improved. In order to keep up with consumer expectations, winemakers realized that they needed more research, development, and— most important—working capital. The wine industry turned to investors, both corporate and individual.
Since 1967, when the now defunct National Distillers bought Almaden, multinational corporations have recognized the profit potential of large-scale winemaking and have aggressively entered the wine business. They’ve brought huge financial resources and expertise in advertising and promotion that have helped promote American wines domestically and internationally. Other early corporate participants included Pillsbury and Coca-Cola.
On the other side of the investor scale are the individual investor/growers drawn to the business by their love of wine and their desire to live the winemaking “lifestyle.” These individuals are more focused on producing quality wines.
Both corporate and individual investors had, by the 1990s, helped California fine-tune its wine industry, which today produces not only delicious and reliable wines in great quantity but also truly outstanding wines, many with investment potential.
What’s meant by style? How are different styles of California wine actually created?
Style refers to the characteristics of the grapes and wine. It is the trademark of the individual winemaker—an “artist” who tries different techniques to explore the fullest potential of the grapes.2.3
Most winemakers will tell you that 95 percent of winemaking is in the quality of the grapes they begin with. The other 5 percent can be traced to the “personal touch” of the winemaker. Here are just a few of the hundreds of decisions a winemaker must make when developing his or her style of wine:
• When should the grapes be harvested?
• Should the juice be fermented in stainless-steel tanks or oak barrels?
How long should it be fermented? At what temperature?
• Should the wine be aged at all? How long? If so, should it be aged in oak? What kind of oak—American, French?
• What varieties of grape should be blended, and in what proportion?
• How long should the wine be aged in the bottle before it is sold?
The list goes on. Because there are so many variables in winemaking, producers can create many styles of wine from the same grape variety—so you can choose the style that suits your taste. With the relative freedom of wine-making in the United States, the “style” of California wines continues to be “diversity.”
Why is California wine so confusing?
The renaissance of the California wine industry began only about forty years ago. Within that short period of time, some 1,700 new wineries have been established in California. Today, there are more than 2,200 wineries in California,2.27 most of them making more than one wine, and the price differences are reflected in the styles (you can get a Cabernet Sauvignon wine in any price range from Two Buck Chuck at $1.99 to Harlan Estate at more than $500 a bottle—so how do you choose?). The constant changes in the wine industry through experimentation keep California winemaking in a state of flux.
What about the prices of California varietal wines?
You can’t necessarily equate quality with price. Some excellent varietal wines that are produced in California are well within the budget of the average consumer. On the other hand, some varietals (primarily Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon) may be quite expensive.
As in any market, it is mainly supply and demand that determines price.2.28 However, new wineries are affected by start-up costs, which sometimes are reflected in the price of the wine. Older, established wineries, which long ago amortized their investments, are able to keep their prices low when the supply/demand ratio calls for it. Remember, when you’re buying California wine, price doesn’t always reflect quality.
How do I choose a good California wine?
One of the reasons California produces such a wide variety of wine is that it has so many different climates. Some are as cool as Burgundy, Champagne, and the Rhein, while others are as warm as the Rhône Valley, Portugal, and the southern regions of Italy and Spain. If that’s not diverse enough, these wine-growing areas have inner districts with “microclimates,” or climates within climates. One of the microclimates (which are among the designated AVAs2.29, 2.30A) in Sonoma County, for example, is the Russian River Valley.
To better understand this concept, let’s take a close look at the Rudd label.
A2.12
State:
California
County:
Sonoma
Viticultural Area (AVA):
Russian River Valley
Vineyard:2.30
Bacigalupi
Winery:
Rudd
California labels tell you everything you need to know about the wine— and more. Here are some quick tips you can use when you scan the shelves at your favorite retailer. The label shown above will serve as an example.
The most important piece of information on the label is the producer’s name. In this case, the producer is Rudd.
If the grape variety is on the label, a minimum of 75 percent of the wine must be derived from that grape variety. This label shows that the wine is made from the Chardonnay grape.
If the wine bears a vintage date, 95 percent of the grapes must have been harvested that year.
If the wine is designated “California,” then 100 percent of the grapes must have been grown in California.
If the label designates a certain federally recognized viticultural area (AVA), such as Russian River Valley (as on our sample label above), then at least 85 percent of the grapes used to make that wine must have been grown in that location.
The alcohol content is given in percentages. Usually, the higher the percentage of alcohol, the “fuller” the wine will be.2.31
“Produced and bottled by” means that at least 75 percent of the wine was fermented by the winery named on the label.
Some wineries tell you the exact varietal content of the wine, and/or the sugar content of the grapes when they were picked, and/or the amount of residual sugar (to let you know how sweet or dry the wine is).
How is California winemaking different from the European technique?
Many students ask me this, and I can only tell them I’m glad I learned all about the wines of France, Italy, Germany, Spain, and the rest of Europe before I tackled California. European winemaking has established traditions that have remained essentially unchanged for hundreds of years. These practices involve the ways grapes are grown and harvested, and in some cases include winemaking and aging procedures.
In California, there are few traditions, and winemakers are able to take full advantage of modern technology. Furthermore, there is freedom to experiment and create new products. Some of the experimenting the California winemakers do, such as combining different grape varieties to make new styles of wine, is prohibited by some European wine-control laws. Californians thus have greater opportunity to try many new ideas.
Another way in which California winemaking is different from European is that many California wineries carry an entire line of wine. Many of the larger ones produce more than twenty different labels. In Bordeaux, most châteaux produce only one or two wines.
In addition to modern technology and experimentation, you can’t ignore the fundamentals of winegrowing: California’s rainfall, weather patterns, and soils are very different from those of Europe. The greater abundance of sunshine in California can result in wines with greater alcohol content, ranging on average from 13.5 percent to 14.5 percent, compared to 12 percent to 13 percent in Europe. This higher alcohol content changes the balance and taste of the wines.
EUROWINEMAKING IN CALIFORNIA
Many well-known and highly respected European winemakers have invested in California vineyards to make their own wine. There are more than forty-five California wineries owned by European, Canadian, or Japanese companies. For example:
• One of the most influential joint ventures matched Baron Philippe de Rothschild, then the owner of Château Mouton-Rothschild in Bordeaux, and Robert Mondavi, of the Napa Valley, to produce a wine called Opus One.
• The owners of Château Pétrus in Bordeaux, the Moueix family, have vineyards in California. Their wine is a Bordeaux-style blend called Dominus.
• Moët & Chandon, which is part of Moët-Hennessy, owns Domaine Chandon in the Napa Valley.
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Other European wineries with operations in California:
• Roederer has grapes planted in Mendocino County and produces Roederer Estate.
• Mumm produces a sparkling wine, called Mumm Cuvée Napa.
• Taittinger has its own sparkling wine called Domaine Carneros.
• The Spanish sparkling-wine house Codorniu owns a winery called Artesa; and Freixenet owns land in Sonoma County and produces a wine called Gloria Ferrer.
• The Torres family of Spain owns a winery called Marimar Torres Estate in Sonoma County.
• Frenchman Robert Skalli (Fortant de France) owns more than six thousand acres in the Napa Valley and the winery St. Supery.
• Tuscan wine producer Piero Antinori owns Atlas Peak winery in Napa.
What happened when phylloxera returned to the vineyards of California in the 1980s?
In the 1980s the plant louse phylloxera destroyed a good part of the vineyards of California, costing more than a billion dollars in new plantings. Now this may sound strange, but it proved that good can come from bad. So what’s the good news?
This time, vineyard owners didn’t have to wait to discover a solution; they already knew what they would have to do to replace the dead vines—by replanting with a different rootstock that they knew was resistant to phylloxera. So while the short-term effects were terribly expensive, the long-term effect should be better-quality wine. Why is this?
In the early days of California grape growing, little thought was given to where a specific grape would grow best. Many Chardonnays were planted in climates that were much too warm, and Cabernet Sauvignons were planted in climates that were much too cold.
With the onset of phylloxera, winery owners had a chance to rectify their errors; when replanting, they matched the climate and soil with the best grape variety. Grape growers also had the opportunity to plant different grape clones. But the biggest change was in the planting density of the vines themselves. Traditional spacing used by most wineries was somewhere between four hundred and five hundred vines per acre. Today with the new replanting, it is not uncommon to have more than a thousand vines per acre. Many vineyards have planted more than two thousand per acre.
The bottom line is that if you like California wines now, you’ll love them more with time. The quality is already better and the costs are lower—making it a win-win situation for everyone.
THE WHITE WINES OF CALIFORNIA
What is the major white-grape variety grown in California?
The most important white-wine grape grown in California is Chardonnay.2.35, 2.36, 2.37 This green-skinned (Vitis vinifera) grape is considered by many the finest white-grape variety in the world. It is responsible for all the great French white Burgundies, such as Meursault, Chablis, and Puligny-Montrachet. In California, it has been the most successful white grape, yielding a wine of tremendous character and magnificent flavor. The wines are often aged in small oak barrels, increasing their complexity. In the vineyard,2.39 yields are fairly low and the grapes command high prices. Chardonnay is always dry, and benefits from aging more than any other American white wine. Superior examples can keep and develop well in the bottle for five years or longer.
Why do some Chardonnays cost more than other varietals?
In addition to everything we’ve mentioned before, the best wineries age these wines in wood—sometimes for more than a year. French oak barrels have doubled in price over the last five years, averaging eight hundred dollars per barrel. Add to this the cost of the grapes and the length of time before the wine is actually sold, and you can see why the best of the California Chardonnays cost more than twenty-five dollars.
What makes one Chardonnay different from another?
Put it this way: There are many brands of ice cream on the market. They use similar ingredients, but there is only one Ben & Jerry’s. The same is true for wine. Among the many things to consider: Is a wine aged in wood or stainless steel? If wood, what type of oak? Was it barrel fermentation? Does the wine undergo a malolactic fermentation?2.50 How long does it remain in the barrel (part of the style of the winemaker)? Where do the grapes come from?
The major regions for California Chardonnay are Carneros, Napa, Santa Barbara, and Sonoma.2.40
Kevin Zraly’s Favorite Chardonnays
ACACIA
ARROWOODA2.16
AU BON CLIMAT
BERINGER
CAKEBREAD
CHALK HILLA2.15
CHATEAU MONTELENA
CHATEAU ST. JEAN
DUTTON GOLDFIELD
FERRARI-CARANO
GRGICH HILLSA2.14
KISTLER
KONGSGAARD
LANDMARK
MARCASSIN
MARTINELLI
PAUL HOBBS
PETER MICHAEL
PHELPS
RAMEY
ROBERT MONDAVI
RUDD ESTATE
SBRAGIA FAMILY
SAINTSBURY
SILVERADO
TALBOTT
BEST BETS FOR CALIFORNIA CHARDONNAY
Carneros
2002*
2003
2004*
2006
2007*
2008
Napa
2002*
2004
2005
2006
2007*
2008
Sonoma
2002**
2003
2004**
2005**
2006
2007*
2008
Santa Barbara
2002*
2004
2005
2007*
2008
Note: * signifies exceptional vintage
**signifies extraordinary vintage
What are the other major California white-wine grapes?
Sauvignon Blanc: Sometimes labeled Fumé Blanc.2.43 This is one of the grapes used in making the dry white wines of the Graves region of Bordeaux, and the white wines of Sancerre and Pouilly-Fumé in the Loire Valley of France, as well as New Zealand. California Sauvignon Blanc makes one of the best dry white wines in the world. It is sometimes aged in small oak barrels and occasionally blended with the Sémillon grape.
Chenin Blanc: This is one of the most widely planted grapes in the Loire Valley. In California, the grape yields a very attractive, soft, light-bodied wine. It is usually made very dry or semisweet; it is a perfect apéritif wine, simple and fruity.
Viognier: One of the major white grapes from the Rhône Valley in France, Viognier thrives in warmer and sunny climates, so it’s a perfect grape for the weather conditions in certain areas of California. It has a distinct fragrant bouquet. Not as full-bodied as most Chardonnays, nor as light as most Sauvignon Blancs, it’s an excellent food wine.
Kevin Zraly’s Favorite Sauvignon Blancs
MANTANZAS CREEK
ROBERT MONDAVIA2.17
SIMI
SILVERADO
FERRARI-CARANO
DRY CREEK
MERRY EDWARDS
BRANDER
CAYMUS
MASON
PHELPS
CHALK HILL
CHATEAU ST. JEAN
KENWOOD
GREY STACK
What have been the trends in wines of California over the last twenty-five years?2.45
To best answer that question, we should go back even further to see where the trends have been going for the last forty years or so. The 1960s were a decade of expansion and development. The 1970s were a decade of growth, especially in terms of the number of wineries that were established in California and the corporations and individuals that became involved. The 1980s and 1990s were the decades of experimentation, in grape growing as well as in wine-making and marketing techniques.
Over the past ten years,2.44 I have seen the winemakers finally get a chance to step back and fine-tune their wine. Today, they are producing wines that have tremendous structure, finesse, and elegance that many lacked in the early years of the California winemaking renaissance. They are also making wines that can give pleasure when young, and also great wines that I hope I will be around to share with my grandchildren. The benchmark for quality has increased to such a level that the best wineries have gotten better, but more important to the consumer is that even the wines under twenty dollars are better than ever before.
There has been a trend toward wineries specializing in particular grape varieties. Twenty-five years ago, I would have talked about which wineries in California were the best. Today, I’m more likely to talk about which winery or AVA makes the best Chardonnay; which winery makes the best Sauvignon Blanc.
Chardonnay remains the major white-grape variety by far in California. Sauvignon Blancs/Fumé Blancs have greatly improved, and they’re easier to consume young. Although they still don’t have the cachet of a Chardonnay, I find them better matched with most foods. However, other white-grape varieties, such as Riesling and Chenin Blanc, aren’t meeting with the same success, and they’re harder to sell. Still, just to keep it interesting, some winemakers are planting more European varietals, including Viognier and Pinot Gris.
A WINERY BY ANY OTHER NAME
Here, listed by the parent company, is a selection of some well-known wineries and brands.
FOSTER’S GROUP (FOSTER’S WINE ESTATES)
• Beringer VineyardsA2.22
• Campanile
• Cellar No. 8
• Château St. Jean
• Etude
• Meridian
• Souverain
• St. Clement
• Stags’ Leap
• Talomas
• Taz Vineyard
WJ DEUTSCH & SONS, LTD.
• Atlas PeakA2.20
• Buena VistaA2.19
• Esser Vineyards
• Gary Farrell
• Geyser Peak Winery
• Kunde
E&J GALLO
• Andre
• Ballatore
• Barefoot Cellars
• Carlo Rossi
• Dancing Bull
• Gallo Family Vineyards Twin Valley
• Indigo Hills
• Liberty Creek
• Livingston Cellars
• Peter Vella
• Red Rock Winery
• Redwood Creek
• Tisdale Vineyards
• Turning Leaf
• Wild Vines
• Wycliff Sparkling
DIAGEO
• Beaulieu Vineyard
• Blossom Hill
• Sterling Vineyards
BROWN-FORMAN
• Bel Arbor Wines
• Bonterra Vineyards
• Fetzer Wines
• Five Rivers Wines
• Jekel Vineyards
• Sonoma-Cutrer Wines
CONSTELLATION WINES, U.S.
• Franciscan Oakville Estate
• Mount Veeder
• Robert Mondavi
• SimiA2.21
• Estancia
• Columbia Winery
• Woodbridge by Robert Mondavi
• Clos du Bois
• Black Box
• Robert Mondavi Private Selection
• Ravenswood
• Blackstone
• Toasted Head
• Alice White
• Arbor Mist
• Cook’s
• Talus
• Vendange
• Rex Goliath
• RH Phillips
• Turner Road
THE WINE GROUP
• Franzia
• Concannon
• Corbett Canyon
• Fish Eye
• Foxhorn
• Austin Vale
• Glen Ellen
• Mogen David
• Tribuno
• Almaden
• Inglenook Winery
• Paul Masson Winery
• Pinot Evil
• Herding Cats
• Big House
• Cardinal Zin
• Tempra Tantrum
Three companies—Gallo, Constellation Brands, and the Wine Group—make up 60 percent of California wine sales.
Source: Wines & Vines
FOR FURTHER READING
I recommend The Oxford Companion to the Wines of North America by Bruce Cass and Jancis Robinson; The Wine Atlas of California by James Halliday; Making Sense of California Wine and New California Wine by Matt Kramer; California Wine by James Laube; American Vintage: The Rise of American Wine by Paul Lukacs; and The Wine Atlas of California and the Pacific Northwest by Bob Thompson. Lovers of gossip will have fun reading The Far Side of Eden and Napa: The Story of an American Eden by James Conaway. And, of course, Kevin Zraly’s American Wine Guide.
WINE AND FOOD
MARGRIT BIEVER AND ROBERT MONDAVI:
With Chardonnay: oysters, lobster, a more complex fish with sauce beurre blanc, pheasant salad with truffles. With Sauvignon Blanc: traditional white meat or fish course, sautéed or grilled fish (as long as it isn’t an oily fish).
DAVID STARE (Dry Creek): With Chardonnay: fresh boiled Dungeness crab cooked in Zatarain’s crab boil, a New Orleans–style boil. Serve this with melted butter and a large loaf of sourdough French bread. With Sauvignon Blanc, “I like fresh salmon cooked in almost any manner. Personally, I like to take a whole fresh salmon or salmon steaks and cook them over the barbecue in an aluminum foil pocket. Place the salmon, onion slices, lemon slices, copious quantities of fresh dill, salt, and pepper on aluminum foil and make a pocket. Cook over the barbecue until barely done. Place the salmon in the oven to keep it warm while you take the juices from the aluminum pocket, reduce the juices, strain, and whisk in some plain yogurt. Enjoy!”
WARREN WINIARSKI (Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars): With Chardonnay: seviche, shellfish, salmon with a light hollandaise sauce.
JANET TREFETHEN: With Chardonnay: barbecued whole salmon in a sorrel sauce. With White Riesling: sautéed bay scallops with julienne vegetables.
RICHARD ARROWOOD: With Chardonnay: Sonoma Coast Dungeness crab right from the crab pot, with fennel butter as a dipping sauce.
BO BARRETT (Chateau Montelena Winery): With Chardonnay: salmon, trout, or abalone, barbecued with olive oil and lemon leaf and slices.
JACK CAKEBREAD: “With my Cakebread Cellars Napa Valley Chardonnay: bruschetta with wild mushrooms, leek and mushroom–stuffed chicken breast, and halibut with caramelized endive and chanterelles.”
ED SBRAGIA (Beringer Vineyards): With Chardonnay: lobster or salmon with lots of butter.