Interesting facts about California winemaking. California wine regions The most important white grape varieties

The USA is one of the largest wine producers in the world. Today, almost all 50 states produce them. The key role in American winemaking is undoubtedly played by California, where 90% of all wines in the country are produced. The states of Oregon and Washington have also gained worldwide fame, while wines from New York are now popular in the United States.

History of US winemaking

It all started in California. In 1779, Franciscan missionary Father Junipero Serra planted the first vineyard near San Diego. Then he moved to Sonoma, where by 1805 vineyards also appeared with his participation. My father founded 21 Catholic missions, each of which produced wine for the religious and everyday needs of the settlers.

In 1830, the first commercial vineyard appeared in California. It was landed by the Frenchman Jean-Louis Vigne in the place where one of the business centers of Los Angeles is now located. After 1848, the name "Golden State" was assigned to California because of the found gold deposit, which led to active land development. In the middle of the 19th century, about 100,000 grape seedlings from Europe were brought to the state. From 1860 to 1880, 140 wineries appeared in Napa Valley alone.

By 1890, California was producing about 100 million liters of wine a year, which was sold to the US and exported to Europe. However, at the very end of the 19th century, hard times came for Californian winemaking. Huge areas of vineyards were destroyed by phylloxera - a bug that devours the roots of vines. For example, in Napa, out of 6,700 hectares, only 1,200 hectares of vineyards have survived.

The first half of the 20th century was also an unfavorable period for American winemaking. From 1919 to 1933, Prohibition was in effect in the United States, prohibiting the manufacture and sale of alcohol in the country. The situation was exacerbated by the subsequent years of the Great Depression and World War II.

Changes in the industry took place in the 1950s, when wine production reached 500 million liters per year. In the next decade, winemaking in California and the United States began to experience a real boom. In many ways, this was the merit of the Russian immigrant Andrei Chelishchev, who taught wine science to Californian winemakers. In 1976, at a wine tasting in Paris, American Cabernet and Chardonnay outperformed the Bordeaux Premier Crus. It was a success, after which a new era in the development of winemaking began in California and the USA.

US wine law

On January 1, 1983, the United States adopted the American Viticultural Areas (AVA) system. There are now over 135 AVAs in America, 80 of which are in California. Control over the wine industry in the country is carried out by the US Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Weapons.

By law, wine from the United States must contain at least 75% of the variety listed on the label. In addition, the winery and region of origin are marked on the bottle. American wine labels may contain the name of a state (100% grapes from this state), county (75% grapes from this county), AVA (85% grapes from this AVA).

It is noteworthy that "US wine" is equated to the category of table wines, so it is forbidden to indicate a millesime for it.

California

This region is often referred to as "the wine world in miniature". Almost all popular world varieties are grown here and all possible styles are used in the manufacture of wines. Vineyards occupy about 192,000 hectares in California. There are about a hundred wine-growing areas in the state, the most famous and prestigious of which are: Napa Valley, Sonoma Valley, Santa Cruz, Paso Robles, Mendocino and others.

Napa is the proud title of the US winemaking Mecca. The valley is surrounded by mountains on both sides and stretches for 45 kilometers to the north. The territory has more than 30 types of soils of different origin. Napa's climate is temperate, with hot days and cold nights. Main grade Napa's grapes are Cabernet Sauvignon, which occupies about 45% of the vineyards here.

Also grown in the valley are red merlot, sangiovese, pinot noir, zinfandel, white chardonnay, sauvignon blanc. Some of the main AVAs are Oakville, Stag`s Leap, Howell Mountain. The valley is known for its iconic high-priced cabernets, including those from Diamond Creek, Opus One, Schrader, Eisele Vineyard Estate (Araujo).

Sonoma is often compared to French Burgundy. There are more than 23,000 hectares of vineyards, 25% of which are Chardonnay. The soils of the valley are diverse, among them there are, among other things, soils of volcanic origin. The climate is temperate, the cooling influence of the Pacific Ocean is felt.

In addition to Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Pinot Noir, Zinfandel are cultivated in Sonoma. The most significant zones of the valley are: Russian River Valley, Dry Creek Valley, Sonoma Valley, Sonoma Coast, Sonoma Mountain. Wines in Sonoma are produced by brands such as Schrader and Kosta Browne Winery.

Some of the well-known farms that produce specimens in other California wine regions are Ridge Vineyards, Fetzer, Bonny Doon Vineyards.

Oregon

Oregon has been called "the new home of Pinot Noir". This is one of the most common grape varieties here. 90% of Pinot Noir is grown in the Willamette Valley. Most of the vineyards are located in the north of the wine-growing area. Willamette has a cool climate and varied soils. Volcanic rocks hold moisture well, sedimentary rocks provide more floral aromas, soils with marine sediments provide wines with rich berry aromas, and basalt rocks are responsible for earthy and truffle notes.

In addition to Pinot Noir, red merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel, white Pinot Gris, Chardonnay and Napa Valley are grown in Oregon. One of the well-known producers of the state is Domaine Serene.

Washington

The region has a contrasting climate, with huge differences between summer and winter temperatures. One of the best areas of Washington is the Yakimskaya Valley.

All Washington wines are characterized by natural, clean, easy-opening aromas and flavors. In the 1960s, Washington vintners favored the cold hardy Napau Valley. It continues to be grown here and now, however, it is rarely included in new vineyards, as the state today relies on the production of elite wines.

In Washington, white varieties of Semillon, Sauvignon Blanc, Viognier, Pinot Gris are also common. Among the high-quality white specimens, Chardonnay occupies the main place. Of the red varieties, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah, and Grenache are popular here.

Washington makes wines from producers such as Pacific Rim Winemakers.

Major U.S. Grape Varieties

In the USA, all European grape varieties are grown - Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Pinot Noir, white varieties - Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and Chenin Blanc. The multi-faceted zinfandel has become a symbol of US winemaking.

Zinfandel is a variety common in California, it has aromas of raspberries, blackberries, cherries. Some of the best examples of zinfandel are made in the Napa and Sonoma Valleys, as well as in the Paso Robles area. In California, rosé wine from this variety is especially popular.

Cabernet Sauvignon is an international variety with about 30,000 hectares planted in California. The variety is characterized by notes of pepper, spices, truffles in the bouquet. The best Cabernets come from the Napa and Sonoma Valleys.

Pinot noir is a red variety with raspberry and cherry aromas, as well as tones of violets and roses. The highest quality California Pinot Noir specimens are made in Sonoma. It is also widely distributed in Oregon.

Chardonnay is one of the most famous white varieties. Its bouquet is characterized by nuances of white flowers, apples, vanilla, spices. Chardonnay is grown in both California and Oregon. In Washington, it is one of the iconic varieties that is used to produce premium wines.

Merlot is a red variety that produces dark wines with cherry, plum, and chocolate aromas. Popular in California, Oregon, Washington.

Syrah has tones of blackberry, currant, black pepper, licorice. Distributed in California and Washington. The best areas for the production of wines from this variety are in California: Napa, Santa Cruz, Paso Robles.

Sonoma / Napa / Karneros

Landmark Winery

After leaving the Central Coast and spending two days in San Francisco, we finally arrived at the "Promised Land". We stopped at the Landmark Winery in the Sonoma Valley. This winery is located about 6 miles north of Sonoma City, on Highway 12. The location is very good - a cozy suite that sleeps two and a cottage that sleeps four. If you stay at Landmark Winery, they give you a free bottle of their own Chardonnay, they give you a free tour of the wine caves, plus free tastings. Room rates are quite high (although quite common for Napa/Sonoma), but if you are a member of their wine club, you can rent a suite + cottage for a reasonable price (something like 320 bucks per night plus tax). Definitely a good place for a big group to relax.

Landmark Winery (pictured) specializes in Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. This winery is also known for supplying its wines to the White House. The price of wines on the spot ranges from $20 to $60 per bottle. To keep things simple, there are no bad or even unremarkable wines here, it's just a matter of how much you're willing to pay. Last fall, as a result of our scheduled semi-annual club shipment, we received 6 bottles of their reserve Pinot Noir ( "Kanzler" Pinot Noir and "Solomon Hills" Pinot Noir). With the club discount they were $48 a bottle, but that wine was absolutely the best Pinot Noir I've tasted so far, better than the $90 Pinot Noir I'll mention below. I'm salivating just thinking about "Chancellor" Pinot Noir. Some of my friends probably also remember it - we drank this wine in a restaurant on Valentine's Day in 2014.

The most "common" or common white wine from the Landmark is Chardonnay "Overlook" ("Overlook" Chardonnay), the price for it is only $22.50 bucks (and this is the club price, the regular price is 27 bucks). "Overlook" is an excellent wine, the complete absence of the smell of alcohol (despite the fact that the wine is in the range of 14% alcohol content) and, moreover, a well-balanced bouquet: not too much "oak", a slight hint of "oily" the taste and very pleasant aftertaste of "white" fruits - that is, peaches, melons, pears, and the like. When you drink this wine, you get the impression that you are looking at a crystal glass, which delicately balances on the very edge of the table - a small push and there will be no glass. So it is with this wine - it is worth adding or removing a little (for example, acid, smell, alcohol content, or overcooling / undercooling before drinking), and the impression of this wonderful wine in all respects will be destroyed. "Overlook" should not be supercooled - this will destroy its aroma, but 10 - 12 ° C is ideal. Along the way, we will try other high quality Chardonnays.

Next level in quality: Chardonnay "Damaris" (Damaris Chardonnay). It is even better and, of course, more expensive than the Overlook. But when you are finally offered a Chardonnay made from grapes harvested from "exclusive" vineyards ( Charles Heinz Chardonnay, Rodgers Creek Chardonnay), then you will find that its quality and, accordingly, the price reach space heights (45 bucks for Chardonnay is a lot).

The Landmark's base Pinot Noir is a Pinot Noir by the same name "Overlook", which is priced at 25 bucks, but the club price is only 20. This price reflects its basic status (remember, we are in the Sonoma Valley, respectively, quality is basic for wines from Sonoma/Napa), but you can hardly find it in stores. For an entry-level, this is just a great Pinot Noir, the only drawback (I'm just picking on this now): barely noticeable, as if excessive acidity. If you have never drunk a good Pinot Noir, then you most likely will not even feel it.

We took a bottle for home Pinot Grigio by Landmark. I am generally not a fan of Pinot Gris type wines (for my taste - they are too bland and watery), but this was a very unusual wine - unlike the typical flat Pinot Grigio, it has a very good structure: strong fruitiness and higher than usual, the percentage of alcohol.

Landmark also makes some Syrah ("Steel Plow", Steel Plow Syrah). It's not a bad wine, but nowhere near as great as Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.

Deerfield Ranch

From the Landmark Winery, we headed south along Highway 12. After driving 2 miles, on the right along the way we saw the winery Ranch Deerfield (Deerfield Ranch) - it is located directly across the street from the winery called Kunde, which will be written below. What drew me to Deerfield was the big "95 Point Zinfandel" sign. Of course, I would never turn down the opportunity to try such a super zine. Their tasting room is deep in a cave that is carved into the mountain. Before you reach it, you pass by long rows of barrels, enjoying the smell of the wine aged in these barrels, mixed with the smell of oak from the barrels themselves. The winery is quite small (they produce about 30,000 cases or 360,000 bottles a year if I remember correctly). Luckily, you can find their wines in very large New York liquor stores.

Our tasting started with wine 2009 Napa Valley Chardonnay. It was one of those "crystal" Chardonnays I wrote about above. Just a very balanced and elegant wine. At the winery the price was 24 bucks a bottle, and compared to comparable wines, I think this price is lower than its real value.

The next thing I liked was "Merlot 2009 from Morrison Vineyard" (2009 Morrison Vineyard Merlot)- very good, rich in taste and balanced in tannins wine. If I had tasted it without looking at the label, I would have thought it was Cabernet - it had a "velvety" texture, not the "silky" texture of most Merlots. This merlot had a flavor characteristic of wines from Sonoma (with their noticeable "fruitiness", this fruitiness is slightly sour and sticks briefly in the mouth / on the tongue when you drink this wine). This is a taste I can't describe in more detail - if you've had experience tasting red wines from the Kunde winery, you'll know what I'm talking about. You can feel this taste in every wine produced in Cande, be it Cabernet, Zinfandel or Syrah. I liked Deerfield Merlot so much that I bought one bottle for home. The price for it at the winery is $38.

2009 wine was next - "Estate" Syrah (2009 Estate Syrah). It was also very good, though not very memorable for Sir of Sonoma. I think that 32 bucks for this wine is too much, but for the right price (20 - 22 bucks) it is definitely worth a try.

Taste Zinfandel dated 2009 from Sonoma County was very restrained: not as intense as, for example, Zinfandele from Dry Creek Valley or even at the base Zinfandel by Rombauer, although the flavor typical of Zinfandel was very pronounced. A characteristic feature of this wine is a very strong tannin - you can feel that your mouth is "shrink wrapped" more than after any other Zin. We can say that in this respect this wine is not balanced. Again, the price - it is $38 per bottle - is too high, if only because of the lack of balance. When I mentioned the "95 Zinfandel" sign at the entrance to the winery, the guy overseeing the pouring wine immediately opened a bottle for us and gave it a try. It was theirs Zinfandel from the old vine ("Old Vine" Zinfandel). I didn't really understand how this Zine was rated 95 points - it was definitely more balanced than their base Zine, but for my taste, Age Vine "Century Vines Zinfandel" door Kunde or "Proprietor's Selection Zinfandel" by Rombauer(see description of these wines below) is much better. It's worth noting, though, that here we're comparing with two of the absolute best Zinfandels I've tried so far. I didn't even ask about the price of Old Vine Zinfandel from Deerfield Ranch.

Finally we tried Cabernet Sauvignon 2006. It was an exemplary high quality Sonoma Cabernet with a very elegant taste. Note that this wine also had the original fruity flavor that distinguishes wines made in Sonoma. In short, in all respects - an excellent wine. Aged it for 8 years, of course, it helped a lot. I thought the $65 price tag was too high for an upscale but still Cabernet from Sonoma, not Napa. For that kind of money you can buy a wonderful Cabernet called "Cinq Cepages" from the Sonoma company Chateau St. Jean So far, the only wine from Sonoma ever named Wine of the Year (in 1999) by Wine Spectator magazine. For less money, you can buy a super-class BV Napa Cabernet, harvested from exclusive vineyards (BV Cabernet Sauvignon Ranch No. 1 and Ranch No. 2), Cabernet from the Mayacamas Mountains (Mt. Veeder) and Franciscan wineries (Franciscan). My resume is this - I would probably buy this wine for 45 dollars, no more.

Vineyards Gloria Ferrer (Gloria Ferrer Caves and Vineyards)

From Deerfield Ranch we headed further south towards the Carneros region: our goal for the day was to try as many sparkling wines as possible, and the Carneros region is famous for being the best source of these wines in California. About 2 miles south of Deerfield Ranch we turned onto a side road and after five miles we reached the Gloria Ferrer vineyards. Gloria Ferrer was the first winery in Sonoma to make sparkling wines using traditional champagne methods. Currently, the vineyards are owned by a Spanish wine company. Their main product is sparkling wine. "Sonoma Brut" (Sonoma Brut)- widely available in stores and very decent in quality; a bottle of their regular bubbly is under $20. In restaurants (at least in California) this sparkling can be bought for a very reasonable price - $35 per bottle. Last year I bought a bottle of their regular (i.e. base) Chardonnay for under $20. The wine turned out to be quite good, especially considering the price, although nothing special compared to those Chardonnays that can be found in California.

Companies that make classic sparkling (champagne) wines make them from Chardonnay and Pinot Noir grapes, so you can also buy just Chardonnay or just Pinot from Gloria Ferrer. For my taste, the usual Pinot Noir from Gloria Ferrer is so-so: when I opened the bottle (it was sent to me from California home last year), the wine did not seem like Pinot to me - the taste was too sour and even "earthy", there was no even a hint of the classic Pinot flavor. However, the flavor of the Pinot I've tasted may reflect the preferred style of winemaking practiced by Ferrer - their reserve (i.e. higher class) Pinot is made in the same style (see below). The reserve sparkling wines we tried at this winery didn't impress me too much. I do have to say that I understand very little about sparkling wines, but on the other hand my wife's sister (a big fan of champagnes) was not impressed either. Oddly, the Wine Bible, which I often use as a source of information, recommends Gloria Ferrer sparkling wines.

I tried a glass of their reserve wine Rust Rock Pinot Noir($44 a bottle) that was harvested from an exclusive vineyard in the hope that this Pinot would taste better than their regular Pinot Noir. The reserve Pinot was also "earthy" (although some consider this a positive quality), while it was completely far from "fruity", plus the concentration of tannins in this wine was too strong for Pinot. In short, the impression from both the reserve and the ordinary Pinot from Ferrer is the same - the wine (to put it mildly here) seemed very average and the classic Pinot flavor was barely noticeable in it. I found this wine too boring and, moreover, too tart for Pinot Noir. I can only assume that such a mediocre quality of Pinot from Ferrer was determined by a rainy 2011. In short, in this price range (~40 bucks) you will always find much better Pinot Noir, unless you are a rare fan of "earthy" wines.

"Domain Carneros"

The Domaine Carneros winery is another distillery that makes sparkling wines and Pinot Noir. The winery itself belongs to the French company "Domaine Taittinger", which produces champagne. Domaine Carneros is located to the right of Route 12 (flying south) where the road crosses the junction of the southern portions of the Sonoma and Napa Valleys. You will not be able to miss Domaine Carneros if you drive along this road: on the right you will see a beautiful castle (see photo). This castle has a large terrace with great views of the vineyards. There, on the terrace, you can relax and taste good wine, having a bite of it with excellent cheeses, chocolate or nuts.

Again, given that I am by no means an expert on champagnes or sparkling wines, I would still say here that Domaine Carneros sparkling wines are good - by the way, my wife's sister agreed with this. Her favorite "pop" was "Domaine Carneros Rose", which we, of course, bought, and she took it home to Moscow. The basic (and most inexpensive) Domaine Carneros Brut sparkling wine can always be found in liquor stores for $20 - $22, I recommend trying it - we buy it all the time. Incidentally, in my handbook, The Wine Bible, Domaine Carneros' La Reve sparkling wine, worth $120 a bottle, is listed as one of the top five California champagnes. Surely it's worth it.

My main destination for visiting Domaine Carneros was Pinot Noir. Last year I tried their base Pinot Noir under the Avant Garde brand. It turned out to be surprisingly good, especially at a very low (for a good Pinot Noir) price of $25. True, it was the wine of a "lucky" year (2010). This year we tried Avant Gard from 2011 and it was somewhat watery and rather "boring" in taste compared to the 2010 vintage.

The next level - "Estate" Pinot Noir (price, respectively, higher - $ 35). This wine turned out to be an exemplary Pinot Noir from Carneros - very rich on the palate, very well structured, with soft "tannins". The price you will pay for this wine is the usual or even slightly lower than usual for a high quality Californian Pinot Noir. At the same time, this price is much less than the one you pay in the store for a good French Burgundy. I have not seen comparable quality wines of the same variety (i.e. Pinot Noir) for less than $35 (Belle Glos Pinot Noir from exclusive vineyards comes to mind: $40 - $45). About the same price (maybe plus a couple of dollars) are other Pinots whose quality ranges from average to above-average, for example, such as the reserve BV Carneros Pinot Noir.

And finally, we got to the "champion" (it turned out that only for the price): Pinot Noir "Famous Gate". Honestly, I did not feel that this wine was better than "Estate", but the price was "laughing" - 90 bucks.

Wines Franciscan Estate winery, Mount Veeder winery

Our next stop proved to be the culmination of our trip. I've been wanting to put my paw (or rather mouth) on wines from the Mount Veeder winery for quite some time now: last year I bought a bottle of Mount Veeder Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon in the store and was very impressed. I strongly recommend finding and buying a bottle of this wine in a store or ordering it in a restaurant (like any good wine, you can only take a bottle in a restaurant - it is not sold by the glass). Mount Veeder itself is located in the Mayacamas mountain range that separates the Napa and Sonoma valleys, west of the city of Napa and north of the Carneros region. Experts even single out Mount Veeder as a separate sub-district (subappelation) of the Napa Valley because of its uniqueness - there is the longest growing season, and the vineyards there are characterized by low yields compared to vineyards from neighboring areas of Napa. The soil on Mount Wieder is rocky and almost does not retain water, so the berries grow tiny and, accordingly, all the substances that are useful to us are highly concentrated in them. Almost all work in these vineyards is done by hand (due to which the quality of the harvested crop will always be higher than during machine harvesting): the terrain is quite rugged, with many steep slopes and cliffs, in general, little accessible to cars.

Note that the vineyards planted on the slopes of Mount Wieder are above the line of fog that creeps in the summer mornings from the Pacific Ocean and covers the Napa and Sonoma valleys - so the sun shines on the grapes longer than on their relatives planted at the bottom of the valley. At the same time, the grapes do not overheat and do not "roast" as in too hot areas (for example, in the Central Valley, Central Valley, California) due to the fact that to the south, quite close to the vineyards, there is a cold San Pablo Bay, source of local fogs. Are being created ideal conditions: grapes ripen slowly, accumulating for a long time all those substances that make the wine unique, but due to the long growing season, they always reach full maturity, so the wine is not watery or sour, but very rich. So, after learning that Mount Wieder wines are served at the famous tasting room at the Franciscan Estate Winery (which is known in its own right for producing great wines from vineyards located in the heart of Napa Valley), visit the Franciscan Estate Tasting Room on this trip became a must.

Franciscan Estate is about 1 mile north of BV and Grgich Hills wineries, half a mile from Provenance and Alpha Omega. The Franciscans offer several types of tasting "packages": the basic "Napa Valley" package for 15 bucks. I recommend skipping it in favor of a much better choice. If you want to try these "basic" wines right now - then go to the store and buy "ordinary" wines from Franciscan Estate, they are available for $20 - $25 a bottle, they are in bulk at any store: Franciscan Estate "Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon", "Napa Valley Merlot", "Napa Valley Chardonnay", "Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc". Further, at the Franciscan Estate you can buy a tasting package exclusively from the Mount Veeder winery for 20 bucks and, finally, for 25 you can buy a tasting of reserve Cabernets from the Franciscan Estate.

We took the Mount Veeder package and started with a 2010 Cabernet Franc ( Mount Veeder Cabernet Franc). It was the first pleasant surprise. This Cabernet Franc tasted like a Cabernet Sauvignon rather than a typical Cabernet Franc from any other producer - the wine is well structured; very full-bodied taste, felt through the entire inner surface of the mouth, less fruity than Sonoma wines (see below). More moderate fruitiness is a common feature of "top tier" Napa wines. I think this quality makes them more elegant, but doesn't necessarily make them better (different people may have different tastes) - just a different style. In short, the taste of this Cabernet Franc is much richer and more complex than the taste of any other Francs. The structure (read tannins) of this wine is very pronounced, but at the same time the wine seems surprisingly "smooth" (it can even be called "silky"), it does not bite and is not as sharp on the palate as, for example, many inexpensive Cabernet Sauvignons. If I remember correctly, the price was about 40 dollars a bottle, although it is simply not available in ordinary stores at any price: the volume of production of this wine is very small, you have to order directly from the winery.

The next wine was 2010 Mount Veeder Cabernet Sauvignon. It's the same wine that initially caught my attention. It did not disappoint this time either: I just made sure that the first impression was correct. Absolutely flawless Cabernet Sauvignon. Everything you would expect from a high quality wine from Napa: when you put the glass to your mouth/nose - a strong smell of classic Cabernet mixed with the aroma of the oak barrel in which the wine was aged, well-aged tannins, giving the wine a very strong structure, quite low acidity and very rich taste. The winery has already sold out this wine completely, but it is available in many wine shops. A store in our area, for example, sells it for $35 a bottle. All in all, a very fair price for a wine of this quality. In addition, by buying a whole case of this wine from our store (and sharing it among several people), you can reduce the price to $26 per bottle, which is absolutely ridiculous for wines of this level.

The next wine we tasted was Cabernet Sauvigon "Height 1550" ( Mount Veeder "Elevation 1550" Cabernet Sauvignon). The grapes for this wine are harvested exclusively from one of the highest vineyards on Mount Veeder (that is, "exclusive" harvest), it is even richer and more concentrated than the "regular" Mount Veeder Cabernet Sauvigon described above. "Height 1550" is very elegant, but very rich, without excessive "fruitiness". This wine is not available in stores: it can only be purchased directly from the winery or through the wine club. It costs a lot - $60 a bottle ($48 for club members), and again, it's worth every penny.

Finally, we moved on to the 2010 Mountain Wieder Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon ( 2010 Mount Veeder "Reserve" Cabernet Sauvignon). Compared to the previous three wines, it has slightly less acidity (I note that other wines were not acidic) and even richer, if that's possible. Less "fruity" than Cabernet from Stags "Leap" or Beaulieu Vineyards "Georges de Latour, its aroma is reminiscent of a very good Bordeaux, but it is much richer than any Bordeaux I've tasted so far. I'm willing to bet anything that you won't find comparable quality Bordeaux in this price range (generally a safe bet as I can always claim that I like Mount Veeder better - that sort of thing). Naturally, such wine involves a very limited production, it is not even included in the club's supply. However, you can always buy it directly from the winery - it costs $90 ($72 if you're a club member). These two Mount Veeder Cabernets ("Elevation 1550" and "Reserve") I would classify (again based on my personal taste) as "high-end" Cabernets. They belong to the same group as Estate Cabernet from BV (Beaulieu Vineyards), Stags" Leap Wine Cellars and Cabernet from some other producers of high-class and expensive wines (and therefore often known only in narrow circles of real oenophiles). Until now, I I haven't tried the best wines - only comparable ones. At the moment, these wines seem to be at the limit of my taste - then I just don't feel the difference in quality anymore. The difference in tastes and styles is quite, the difference in quality is nothing. I have tried wines and much more more expensive than these, but I can’t say that they seemed better to me. No worse? Definitely. Better? I can’t say.

But back to the Franciscans. At that point, I was already seriously considering joining the Franciscan Estate Wine Club, as it was the best way to have permanent access to these wines (there is only one of them in stores). The Franciscan Estate club told me that the April shipment would consist entirely of the first three Mount Veeder wines we tasted that day (Cabernet Franc, Mount Veeder Cabernet Sauvignon, "Elevation 1550"). This is where my thoughts ended. After I had already decided to become a member of the club, they told me about the additional benefits - free tastings at seven wineries in Sonoma and Napa (including well-known ones such as Robert Mondavi, Mount Veeder and Franciscan Estate, as well as Clos du Bois , Chalone Vineyards (3rd place in the famous 1976 "Judgment of Paris" tasting), Simi Vineyards, "Napa Valley Wine Shop", 20% discount on any wine from these seven wineries, including their reserve guilt. Next, 30% off our first order with the Franciscans after joining the club. Special 50% discount twice a year. The ability to ship all of our wines for a single annual fee of $99 to any US address (sending one case of wine typically costs $40). Our commitment is a quarterly delivery of 3 bottles of Mount Veeder and Franciscan Estate wines totaling $120 - $150 each. You can always cancel your club membership after buying the first two batches, although I don't see why you should do that - it's just torture, drinking great wines that you can't buy anywhere else, and even bought at a discount.

Since we joined the club, we decided to continue our tasting and try the reserve Cabernets made at the Franciscan Estate winery itself. This also turned out to be a brilliant idea! The wines made at the Franciscan Estate that you usually see in stores are very good, but they are still entry-level (i.e. base) by Napa standards: they are widely available for $20-$25 or less. In terms of quality, they are on par with BV "Napa Valley" Cabernet or Sterling Vineyards "Napa Valley" Cabernet.

On this day, we were quite insolent and asked the Franciscan Estate to give us a taste of wines available exclusively directly from the company. The first two - "Clos Reserve" and "Oakville" Cabernet Sauvignons are in the $55 price range and have a taste and character almost identical to Cabernet, which is made from grapes harvested on Wieder Mountain: no flaws, very rich wine, with a smooth taste, plus a balanced tannin content. Again, buying this wine at club prices ($44) is very profitable: the wine is of rare quality, and for $44 you can hardly find it anywhere else. Even $ 55, I think, is a very fair price for such a wine: a comparable wine in stores can easily cost 100 bucks or more, you will pay that much, for example, for BV Georges de Latour Private Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon or for Estate Cabernets from Stag's Leap Wine cellars.

The next wine was " 2009 Winemaker's Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon(Cabernet Sauvignon "Vinemaker's Reserve" 2009). Compared to the six wines from Mount Vider and Franciscan Estate wineries that I described above, this wine is more complex on the palate, it is less like Bordeaux, and more like a typical Californian wine from Napa. It's just a little fruitier than the previous six, and the tannins are softer in it, which makes the wine more familiar, or something. Again, this wine is exceptionally rich on the palate, with a smooth structure. Its style seems to me very similar to style BV Georges de Latour Private Reserve Cabernet (I tasted it the next day. At the winery the price per bottle is $65 (club price, respectively, 52). I repeat, this wine is worth a lot: to pay that kind of money for this wine is absolutely not a pity (I was so insolent that after returning from Napa I ordered four more bottles for myself.) Finally, we poured into glasses a wine called "Stylus" Cabernet Sauvignon. And another perfection! This wine is very similar to "Winemaker's Reserve", but with even more complexity and a more pronounced California character that distinguishes it from the other six wines. The price at the winery (if I remember correctly) is somewhere around $ 90 or $ 120, in Depending on the year, "Winemaker's Reserve" and "Stylus" are two more elite Cabernets in my classification. Considering our 30% discount on our first purchase from Franciscan, we couldn't resist buying "Mount Veeder Cabernet Franc", "Winemaker's Reserve" and "Stylus" from Franciscan Estate. The Cabernet Franc filled our stomachs in less than 24 hours, but the other two survived and are now kept in our home.The stop at the Franciscan Estate was the only time in our six trips to California that we found 8(!) excellent wines in one place.We sampled many more great wines over the next two days , and many of them were just as good, but nowhere else did we find so many great wines at once.

Winery Robert Mondavi (Robert Mondavi winery)

Another place that I wanted to definitely visit on this trip was the winery "Robert Mondavi". My wife and I visited it during our very first trip to Napa. Then we tried the simplest ("basic") wines - in 2011 we knew little about wines from Napa, in addition, the price of 20 bucks for a tasting then seemed outrageous. In addition, under the brand name "Robert Mondavi" a lot of cheap dry wines are sold, so to speak, for everyday use - consumer goods ("Woodbridge" by Robert Mondavi), so we did not hold wines from Mondavi for decent ones. Two years have passed since then, and we learned more about both the founding father and his winery.

Robert Mondavi was one of the pioneers of winemaking in the Napa Valley. In the early 1940s, the Mondavi family: Robert, his father and brother Peter bought the oldest (founded in 1861) winery in Napa (now called Charles Krug Winery, and it is still owned by the Peter Mondavi family). Then the brothers, as is often the case, quarreled, and in 1966 Robert founded his own winery "Robert Mondavi". It was Robert who erected the two characteristic signs at both ends of the Napa Valley (you can see the sign in the picture) long before Napa wines became known to the whole world. It was Robert Mondavi who, in the 1940s, invited to California a well-known specialist in the technology of Bordeaux wines, a winemaker with a classic French surname (no, not Bardo) - Andre Tschelischeff (who is now called Maestro in Napa). Robert Mondavi was convinced that it was possible to produce wine in the Napa Valley that would not yield to the best French Bordeaux, and he constantly worked on this project of his. Finally, as they say, after many years ... it happened - Robert Mondavi convinced not only himself, but the rest of the world of this. So, I think it is Robert that we can "thank" for the high prices of wines from the Napa Valley. Robert Mondavi rose high "on a global scale" - he was the first Californian winemaker to earn respect from French winemakers. For the first time in the history of French winemaking, the company with the ambiguous name Château-Mouton-Rothschild, which produces Bordeaux of the highest category (Grand Cru), decided to cooperate with a winery from Napa (of course, "Robert Mondavi"). Together they began to produce a cult blend in the style of "Bordeaux" - Opus One wine, they say, is unique in its taste. Opus One, unfortunately, is out of our price range due to the price of $110 for a 375 ml bottle, so I can't say anything about this wine yet.

Our membership in the "Franciscan Club" gave us access to free tastings in the reserve wine room of the winery Robert Mondavi. That's where we went. We started with Sauvignon Blanc from Stags Leap (" 2011 Stag's Leap Sauvignon Blanc"). This Sauvignon Blanc turned out to be a very good wine: well structured, with a fruity taste, while without the excessive acidity that is sometimes felt in cheap Sauvignon Blanc. The price tag at the winery showed $ 25. True, this price did not matter - the entire vintage of 2011 has already been sold out.The next wine was "2011 Unoaked Chardonnay" ( 2011 Unoaked Chardonnay). An excellent wine, not sour like many other Unoaked Chardonnays from dubious producers, more "structured" and more refreshing compared to typical Californian Chardonnays, which are usually aged in oak barrels for some time. Perfectly balanced wine, but not what I call "crystal". At the winery, its price is $24. For the club price (that is, minus 20%), I would buy this wine without hesitation if I were looking for a wine of this particular style. My wife's sister stopped my financial suffering - she really liked this wine, so we ended up buying a bottle and bringing it home.

"2011 Pinot Noir PNX" (2011 Pinot Noir PNX)- to be honest, I don't remember this wine being very good: I got distracted during the tasting, but I don't remember it being bad either. Most likely, it was very decent, but, so to speak, "within the expected." A Pinot Noir from a reputable producer like Robert Mondavi is bound to be elegant and rich, the disappointment of a wine of lesser merit would no doubt be etched in the memory. At the winery, its price is $50, which is quite reasonable for a top quality Pinot Noir. A week ago I managed to buy it on sale for thirty.

The next program number was "2010 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon" ( 2010 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon). To be honest, I'm tired of describing excellent Cabernets from Napa, and this is one of them (there are only two types of Cabernet Sauvignon in Napa - a good one and a very good one). In my classification, this wine belongs to the elite Cabernet class, and that says it all. Its style is very close to the last two Franciscan Cabernets that I have described above, namely, closer to the Californian than to the Bordeaux style. At the winery, its price is $135 (which is obviously too much). You can buy it much cheaper - through the club or on the Internet. I think that this wine may be available in stores, again, at a lower price (though still, hardly less than $100). We were lucky that day. We went to the Mondavi winery just before the tasting room closed and they pulled out a bottle of wine from somewhere (or poured us what was left in the bottle - about half a glass).
"Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon" vintage 1992, so we were able to compare the wines of 1992 and 2010, so to speak, glass by glass (side by side). I have never tasted a 20 year old Cabernet so this was an interesting experiment. Again, I may not know something about expensive wines, but all I could smell in the 1992 wine was the taste of a wooden barrel - the classic Cabernet flavors were completely gone, there was absolutely nothing in this wine except the taste of wood.

At the end of my description of the Robert Mondavi winery, I should mention that their flagship and apparently their best wine is Cabernet Sauvignon from the "To Kalon" vineyard ( Cabernet Sauvignon "To Calon Vineyard"). We just didn’t try it: the price just burns it, it is about $ 250 per bottle. Buying this Cabernet is possible only by a direct call to the winery, not even via the Internet, not to mention stores. I will talk a little more about the To Kalon vineyard below when discussing the Provenance winery.

By the time we finished our 20 year old Cabernet, it was already 5pm, most of the tasting rooms had closed, and some of the people in our group felt a little hungry. We headed to the Oxbow Market in downtown Napa (although we couldn't resist on the way and went into an unremarkable tasting room, but didn't find anything new or interesting there).

Oxbow Market, among other things, is the home of an enoteca and a pizzeria Ca "Momi. Ca "Momi is a relatively new winery in Napa, wines have been produced there since 2007. Ca" Momi wines are inexpensive - they are quite simple, but very pleasant and accessible to novice lovers. Their Chardonnay is not bad, but nothing super outstanding: just a decent wine for every day. But Cabernet Sauvignon and Zinfandel stand out noticeably from the rest of the series - they are very fruity and rich in taste, somewhat "smoky", with light, barely noticeable tannins. To be honest, I had a hard time finding the flavor difference between their Cabernet and Zinfandel (maybe Zinfandel seems to be somewhere more "fruity" and Cabernet is a bit drier). The distillery prices for these wines were $25 and $20, respectively, but I've seen these wines in stores in Massachusetts and Houston for $18 and $12. Last week I bought 2007 Zinfandel ($9 a bottle!) from a store in New Jersey - the wine turned out to be worse than the wines of later vintages, so buy wines from 2008 and later. Unfortunately, I have not seen these wines in New York stores. My recommendations: Ca "Momi wines are good for picnics, large gatherings, fishing / hiking (for $ 10 - $ 12 you buy real wine, not an Australian-Chile surrogate) and for those people who have just begun to be interested in wines from the Napa Valley .

Estate Beringer (Beringer Estate)

Our next day started at the Beringer Estate. This is another "wine venture" that we have avoided on our previous trips. First of all, because this is the same company that invented the swill called "White Zinfandel", that is, we thought that nothing good could be expected from them. And once again we were wrong, just like with BV (see below). Behringer is one of the oldest wineries in Napa and was founded by two brothers from Germany at the turn of the 20th century. The picture shows that the mansion, where the tasting room of "reserve" wines is located, was built in a purely German architectural style. By the way, here I can’t help but note how many different nations have contributed to the successful development of winemaking in the Napa Valley: the Finn - sea captain Gustav Niebaum, the Germans - the Beringer brothers and the Rombauer family, the Italians - the Mondavi family, director Francis Ford Coppola and others, Russian - Andrey Chelishchev (Andre Tschelischeff), Croatian - Milenko Grgich, French - Boylu family, Irishman - Jim Barrett, Tony Pejou - originally from Azerbaijan (!), And, of course, the Americans made their modest contribution.

But I digress, back to the wines. There are two tasting rooms at the Beringer winery: one for exclusive (reserve) Cabernet Sauvignons, the other for everything else. It is the reserve Cabernet tasting room located in the main mansion. Another hall is located on the hill behind the tourist center, to the right of the mansion, if you stand facing it. Naturally, we went to taste real wines (that is, it is clear which ones). For $25 we were only served three wines. I think part of the problem was that these wines started at $100. The wines we sampled were 2006 Steinhauer Ranch Cabernet Sauvignon ( 2006 Steinhauer Ranch Cabernet Sauvignon), 2006 Mount Howell Beringer Cabernet Sauvignon ( 2006 "Howel Mountain" Cabernet Sauvignon), and 2006 Beringer "Private Reserve" Cabernet Sauvignon. Once again, I'm not going to waste time describing each one - they're in my elite Napa Cabernet club. In terms of style, it's not overly fruity, more like a classic Bordeaux, but again much richer than any Bordeaux I've ever tasted. We were lucky: the tasting room was having an "end of vintage" sale (they were selling the last bottles of Howell Mountain Cabernet 2006 they had left) and we brought home a bottle for only half the price - 50 bucks. The wine club "Beringer" gives many more opportunities for tastings and orders than the Franciscans - it includes 25 wineries. Among them are such reputable enterprises as Stag's Leap Winery (not to be confused with the famous Stags' Leap Wine Cellars, which will be discussed below), which makes the iconic Petit Syrah (Petite Syrah "Ne Cede Malis") along with excellent Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay, the Etude Winery in the Carneros area, which makes wonderful Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, the big Chateau St Jean from Sonoma, whose wines are all very good (if you buy wines labeled "Sonoma" or with exclusive vineyards, not labeled "California"). I had a desire to sign up there too, but I was afraid that my wife would kick me out of the house if I joined this club as well, so I did not ask further what they still offer good there.

Another note about Beringer is one of their inexpensive Cabernet Sauvignons that can often be found on our store shelves is called "Knights Valley" Cabernet Sauvignon. Knights Valley is north of Napa Valley. This is a relatively new wine region in California and has just begun to develop. Beringer "Knights Valley" Cabernet Sauvignon usually costs $25 or less at the store and is a very good quality wine. I often buy it when I want to fill my stomach with real Cabernet, but do not want to spend too much money.

Provenance Winery/Hewitt Vineyards (Provenance and Hewitt Vineyards)

From Beringer we drove a couple of kilometers south to get to the Provenance vineyards. There we had a tasting, which we had arranged in advance through our "wine concierge" from the BV wine club. The tasting was deceptively called "Premier Tasting". This choice turned out to be very wrong, although, apparently, this is their most popular type of tasting. The same place also offers a more expensive "reserve" tasting, where wines made from grapes grown in elite vineyards are poured. We've already been to this firm twice on our previous trips and I couldn't remember anything special about Provenance's wines. Perhaps it was because by the time I crawled to Provenance, I was already well under the shofet after many previous tastings. Well, maybe the wines themselves, which we then tried, were not outstanding.

This run we started with a pair of Sauvignon Blanc (Wildwood Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc seemed to be the better of the two). What can I say? Sauvignon Blanc from Provenance is a wine of undoubtedly good quality: a pronounced, balanced structure, a strong fruity aroma and moderate acidity. However, after tasting at the Franciscans the day before, I just didn't think any of the whites could come close to the gamut of sensations that we experienced when tasting quality reds, so I stopped paying attention to whites, with the exception of reserve Chardonnays. The red wines from Provenance were not impressive. Perhaps because we still had the taste of elite Cabernets tasted at Beringer half an hour before in our mouths.

In general, compared to high-end Cabernets from Beringer, Franciscan Estate, Mt. Veeder, BV or Stags" Leap Wine Cellars, red wines from Provenance were disappointing - they clearly lacked structure. The quality of their simplest Cabernet ( "Estate Cabernet Sauvignon") - average, and maybe below average (naturally, by Napa Valley standards). "Barrel Select" Cabernet- more or less ... but that's only if you buy it for the right price, and not for 60 bucks; this too high price is a clear mistake of the institution. I don't know, I'd pay no more than 35 bucks for that wine. We also tried Malbec (it's rare to see Malbec in Napa) - one of their cheap wines ($39), but I didn't find anything special about this Malbec either.

It should be noted the relative cheapness of their Cabernet Sauvignon from the vineyard "To Kalon" ( Cabernet Sauvigon "To Kalon" Vineyard) - it costs "only" $90. Earlier I mentioned Robert Mondavi's "To Kalon" Cabernet - it is this Cabernet that is the most expensive wine from the Mondavi winery. Then I learned that the owner of Provenance rents only 15% of the area in the vineyard "To Kalon". The owner of the vineyard has decided not to renew the contract with the owner of Provenance after 2014, as he can get much more income from other producers. Probably the owner of Provenance did not want or could not afford to pay the market price, so the 2014 Cabernet "To Kalon" from Provenance will be the last. I don't know if I would even call this $90 Cabernet of theirs elite - I lost interest in Provenance after the first pair of unremarkable (albeit reserve) Cabernets. I will probably still try their reserve wines again on my next trip. I just can't believe the quality of Napa's reserve red wines are not up to par at this establishment. Something must have gone wrong during our tasting.

Vineyards Beaulieu Vineyards ("BV - BV Vineyards")

If you ever need a cure for a disappointment like the one we experienced at Provenance Winery, or for other similar feelings that have accumulated in your soul after years of tasting mediocre (and cheap) wines, buy a ticket to California and come to the BV Vineyards winery. BV operates as a sanatorium for lost (or slightly lost) souls, and will surely ease your suffering.

On our first trip to Napa, we ignored this firm for the same reason that Beringer did: and the reason is simple - BV makes a lot of cheap and lousy wines that are usually sold in supermarkets and gas stations. These (so-called) wines have the keywords "BV Coastal Estates" on their labels and usually cost 8-10 bucks a bottle. "BV Coastal Estates" is only good for three uses: for cooking, if you're trying to get drunk on a very tight budget, or if there's absolutely no other drink available (even then I'd rather not drink anything at all). In fact, they should have been sold under some other label, so as not to confuse lovers of good wine - as, for example, Robert Mondavi does with its cheap wines: it releases them under the Woodbridge brand. After talking with many people, I realized that I am not the only one who has fallen into the trap of the name "BV Coastal Estates". Due to this confusion, many so-called "connoisseurs" of dry wine assume that BV is a manufacturer of, to put it mildly, inexpensive drinks.

The first hint that we were wrong about the real BV products is the very location of the company: the winery is located in the heart of the Napa Valley. There is no way cheap dry wine producers can use grapes grown in Napa for one simple reason: then their wines could not be cheap. The next hint is the sign at the entrance to the winery: "90+ Cabernets", which is why we stopped by there on our second trip to Napa. However, we were wrong again: we went to their main tasting room (where the tasting of their base wines takes place), and we were offered generally acceptable in quality (but, for the most part, not outstanding) wines, united by the label " Maestro Collection". Most of the wines we sampled at that time were "entry" level (by Napa standards): some a little better, some worse. For example, " BV Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon" or " BV Napa Valley Petite Syrah" quite good and quite affordable. Another Cabernet - " Rutherford Cabernet Sauvignon"- even better and has a very characteristic aroma for wine from Rutherford vineyards - the so-called "Rutherford dust" ("Rutherford dust"). BV Zinfandel and Sauvignon Blanc, on the other hand, leave a lot to be desired - rather primitive in taste. In addition to the endless sea of ​​medium or slightly above average wines in the main tasting room, you can try two more Cabernets, which, oddly enough, they are also sold under the label "Maestro Collection", but which stand out strongly from everything else - Cabernet Sauvignon Ranch No.1 and Cabernet Sauvignon Ranch No.2.

Cabernet Sauvignon Ranch No.1 and Ranch No.2- wines of excellent quality, with a thick aroma in the glass and very rich taste, very strong, but not at all harsh tannins, very close to my personal elite classification, head and shoulders above everything else that is poured in the main tasting room. Their production volume is small, they are not available in stores - on BV the price for them is 65 - 75 dollars. It's very rare to find them at half price on the firm's website, and they sell out almost instantly (check the BV website before the big holidays - Christmas, Thanksgiving, Independence Day). I browse the website constantly and have subscribed to all their email alert programs just to be able to get my hands on these reasonably priced wines. Not surprisingly, these two Cabernets are not poured in the main tasting room just like that - you need to ask about them.

On our third trip to Napa in 2012, I was determined to finally get to the real BV wines, and we found the right place, the Georges de Latour Tasting Room. This hall is smaller in size, there are usually 2-3 people there (and often no one at all), but there you will find only reserve wines - swill is not allowed there. If you ever visit BV, the "Georges de Latour Tasting Room" will be on the left side of the parking lot if you stand with your back to the road and the main tasting room will be on the right. The wines served there are "Reserve Carneros Chardonnay", "Reserve Carneros Pino Noir", "Tapestry Reserve", "Georges de Latour Private Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon" and two very rare exclusive Cabernets "Clone No. 4" and "Clone No. 6". ". Tasting of four of these six wines (Clones, as a rule, is not included) costs $30, and is free for club members and three guests and is not limited to four wines. When BV advertises "90+ Cabernets" they mean "Ranch No. 1", "Ranch No. 2", "Tapestry", "Georges de Latour" and both Clones - some vintages of these wines are valued at 95 or higher. , and none of them score less than 91.

We started our trip with a tasting of reserve wines. The first wine I tried was " Reserve Carneros Pinot Noir". This is, of course, a very good wine, but it seemed a bit heavy to my taste. Most elite Pinots are very elegant and fairly light wines, but BV Reserve Pinot Noir is quite thick and heavy, apparently due to the high alcohol content. However, it has a pronounced Pinot Noir characteristic aroma and a strong fruity taste. I would call this wine "Pino for Cabernet lovers". On the other (positive) side, I note that this wine does not have excessive acidity, such as, for example , for many "thin" Pinots, I would advise you to keep this wine open for several hours or pour it into a decanter to get rid of the excess smell of alcohol - then you will have a very pleasant impression of it. Price "Reserve Carneros Pinot Noir" - 45 $36 at the winery ($36 club price) and I haven't seen it in stores. Personally, I really like this wine and I buy it quite often (especially at half price during promotions).

Next, my wife's sister tasted Reserve Carneros Chardonnay and immediately fell in love with it, so we had to buy a bottle on the spot. For her, the taste of this Chardonnay seemed very similar to Plombir ice cream. I've tasted this wine before and my impression was that it was a classic Californian Chardonnay, albeit a bit heavy. This is not the "crystal" Chardonnay that I wrote about earlier - the taste is very rich and the alcohol content (for my taste) is high for a really outstanding Chardonnay. However, this is a very good white wine. Give it a try if you find it reasonably priced. You can order it through the club for $30, but if you can get it cheaper, you're in luck (again, keep an eye out for promotions).

Our next wine was 2010 Reserve Tapestry- reserve blend in Bordeaux style from BV. The winery does not want to pay a tax on the use of the names "Bordeaux" or "Meritage", so they are not allowed to call this wine either "Meritage" or "Bordeaux". But it doesn't matter. Tapestry is better than any Bordeaux or Meritage I have ever tried. Reserve Tapestry is a blend of five classic Bordeaux varieties: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Malbec, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. The exact ratio between the ingredients varies, depending on the quality of the vintage, but the "King of the Grapes" (Cabernet Sauvignon) always dominates (~ 70 - 75%). It's a wonderful wine - it's not overly fruity, although there's definitely some fruitiness, it doesn't feel heavy, but the tannins and alcohol are there. The wine is very complex - when I taste it, it seems that different parts of my mouth taste different tastes (maybe this is called a bouquet?), But I can never catch and identify at least one of these tastes (like, such an interesting cognitive dissonance - I'm not even trying to describe this bouquet, but I prefer to just have fun). As I write these lines, I start thinking about whether I should go up to the second floor of the house, to our refrigerator with elite wines and open a bottle of Tapestry from the collection. Once my work colleague shared with me her impressions of this wine - I will say right away that she was overjoyed that she tried a bottle of Tapestry for the first time in her life. She formulated this impression of this wine: dark berries (cherries, currants, etc.) burst in the mouth, producing a fountain of different flavors. Personally, I have never felt the explosion of these dark berries, but the sensations of different people can be very different. At the winery, Tapestry is priced at $60 a bottle, $48 a club price, though that price is too high. You can easily find Tapestry in many stores for 40-45 bucks. The lowest limit - $ 37 per bottle - I discovered by chance, visiting a store in New Jersey (Bottle King). Tapestry is another wine that I always try to get half price on sale, especially the one the winery offers to club members on their birthdays.

After the Tapestry, we finally arrived at the tasting of BV's flagship wine: "Georges de La Tour Private Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon" (" Georges de Latour Private Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon"). This is one of the elite Cabernets that I constantly mention in this opus. The style of this wine was developed back in the 1940s by a man named Andre Chelishchev. Andre Chelishchev is a very important figure in the history of winemaking in Napa, but I have there is simply no time to describe every single one of the people who have left a mark on the history of Napa - you can look at them all on Wikipedia. "Georges de Latour Private Reserve" has become the benchmark for all Napa Valley Cabernets, forever defining this well-known style of high-quality Californian Cabernet Sauvignon, and is one of the most collectible American wines, although I would rather drink it than keep it in my collection.

This time we tried the 2010 de Latour. Of course, it was a fine Cabernet, no doubt about it. The style is somewhat different than that of the Wieder Cabernet or the Franciscans, which I wrote about above. Georges de Latour is slightly different from the first six elite Cabernets I described, which we tried at the Franciscan: its taste is just a little bit more fruity, with softer tannins. It feels like a very balanced wine. Like Tapestry, it elicits a complex spectrum of organoleptic sensations, as if different areas of your mouth taste different things, but this time the picture is even more complex. The higher tannin content (than Tapestry) gives the wine more structure, but the tannins don't overwhelm all other flavors (as in some inexpensive Cabernets or Australian/Chilean consumer goods), they are very elegant - this flavor effect is known as "Rutherford dust" mentioned above (if you can imagine, it's like chewing on something dusty). "Rutherford Dust" is a characteristic feature of all Cabernet Sauvignon grapes for which the grapes were grown in the vineyards of this area of ​​Napa. Get ready to pay a hefty price for this kind of "dust": Georges de Latour's BV is $135 a bottle. I often see it in respectable stores - it is locked in a glass case with other high quality wines, where it usually costs $ 99. So, $99 is a very fair price for a wine like this (what an incredible abyss in quality compared to Coastal Estates!). The cost of an equivalent Bordeaux wine (Premier Cru) can easily be over a thousand dollars (the usual price of elite Premier Crus is somewhere between $1,500 and $5,000). One day I saw Georges de Latour for 75 bucks in the store - I had a hunch that the guys just had no idea what they were selling, or they just wanted to get rid of it, because no one wanted to pay as much as the wine is really worth it. Again, I usually buy a couple of bottles at half price once a year on sale, and that 67 bucks is the absolute minimum price you can find Georges de Latour anywhere.

The last wine we tasted in the Reserve Hall was "Clone 4" Cabernet Sauvignon (" Clone 4" Cabernet Sauvignon). Back in the 1980s, BV vintners tested 14 different genetic clones of Cabernet Sauvignon in an attempt to get the most typical Napa Valley taste. They chose two clones - No. 4 and No. 6, which now grow in all BV vineyards, and from which "Georges de Latour" is made. In addition, BV makes a very limited amount of wine from each of these two clones individually. These two wines are not available anywhere except at the winery or if ordered through the club. They are also very interesting: clone #4 seems drier and a little more earthy to me, while clone #6 is a little more fruity. The price is $140 per bottle ($112 club price) for any of the clones, and there's nothing to be done - there's nowhere else to buy them. The only relief is when they can be bought at half price on the sales that pop up from time to time during campaigns labeled "end of vintage" or your birthday if you're a club member.

After the tasting at the "Georges de Latour Tasting Room" we headed to the main hall: I wanted to compare Cabernet Sauvignon Ranch #1 and Cabernet Sauvignon Ranch #2 side by side with "Georges de Latour". Both "Ranchos", of course, were less complex, but they did not disappoint. Ranch #1 is actually a blend of 75-78% Cabernet Sauvignon plus Merlot and Petit Verdot, and Ranch #2 is 100% Cabernet. When I tried them for the first time last year, I liked Ranch No. 1 better: it seemed softer to me, and Ranch No. 2 gave off a very strong smell of alcohol immediately after we opened the bottle and poured into glasses. This time, Ranch #2 seemed more complex to me, and I didn't smell any alcohol at all (I guess professionals who work in tasting rooms know that good quality wines need aeration). I would probably still prefer No. 1, but I wouldn’t refuse No. 2 either, unless of course I could find it at the right price (we still have a bottle of No. 2 in our collection, but No. 1 has long ended).

At the end of the tasting we tasted a very interesting wine called " beauzeaux" which I have never tasted before. This inexpensive ($22) wine is a blend of Zinfandel, Petit Syrah and several smaller exotic grapes. It has a very pronounced Zinfandel bouquet, but is much softer than typical Zinfandel, reminds me of good quality Italian wines with minimal acidity "Beauzeaux" tastes rich in fruit, in addition there is a subtle touch of tannins. I can say that my wife's sister (and she is not a fan of red wine) really liked this wine. We bought a bottle, but she stood in the cupboard less weeks after we got back from California.

Stag's Leap Wine Cellars (Deer Jump Wine Cellars).

After lunch at the American Culinary Institute (another author would have been in place here for a colorful description of all the achievements of not only winemakers, but also local culinary chefs), we headed further towards an institution that has become our obligatory stop in Napa on every trip - Wine cellars Stag's Leap Wine Cellars, i.e. "Leap of the Deer". This place should not be confused with another establishment that has a similar name - "Stags" Leap Winery" ("Deer Leap Winery") - again, for more information, read about these generally very different establishments on Google or on Wikipedia. "Stag" s Leap Wine Cellars "is exactly the company whose red wine for the first time in history bypassed the elite French Bordeaux (the inscription "Premier Cru" on the bottle of Bordeaux means that you have an elite Bordeaux in front of you) in a blind wine tasting called" The Judgment of Paris" (a pun - in English "The Judgment of Paris" and "Paris Assessment" sound the same: "Judgement of Paris"). The event itself took place in 1976 in France and was relatively recently filmed in the light entertainment film "Bottle Shock" (again, a play on words - could mean a temporary negative effect that transportation or over-agitation has on a good wine, or could mean a direct translation - what the French experienced when the results of that blind tasting were made public - "Bottle shock"). The plot of the film, however, directly developed around a bottle of Chardonnay from Chateau Montelein (see below about this wine).

"Stag's Leap Wine Cellars" are located in the wine region of the same name "Deer Leap" (Stag's Leap) in eastern Napa right at the foot of the eastern range of hills that separates the Napa Valley from the Central Valley. This is one of the most prestigious wine-growing regions in the world. Like Mt. Veeder, due to the unique microclimate and soil composition of Stag's Leap, it stands out in Napa's special wine-growing region ("sub-appelation"). Each of the 18 firms in Stag's Leap produces exceptional Cabernet Sauvignon - you may have seen on the top store shelves labels like "Caymus", "Chimney Rock", "Clos du Val", "Stag" s Leap Wine Cellars, "Stags" Leap Winery", "Silverado Vineyards". You can never go wrong if you buy wine made by one of these companies. Any wines made by one of the producers located in Stag's Leap will be very good, even if these wines are made from grapes that are harvested "just" in the Napa Valley, and not specifically in the Stag's Leap area. My current dream is to purchase Stag's Leap District Ultimate Cabernet Collection. This set includes a bottle of Cabernet from each of the 18 producers in Stag's Leap District. The price of the set, of course, is currently a sensitive issue, but I hope that the issue will be resolved someday. Companies located in other areas of Napa sometimes also buy grapes from the Stag's Leap area. Rombauer and Robert Mondavi, for example, make Stag's Leap Cabernet Sauvignons, and these wines cost about $ 90.

Stag "s Leap Wine Cellars makes wines in two different categories. Their main or base wines are very good and generally affordable. For example, Cabernet Sauvignon " Artemis"(Artemis). I once saw it on the shelf in the store for $ 37, but usually it costs more, somewhere in the $ 45 range. Merlot goes for $ 30 or so, and Chardonnay "Kariya" (" Kariya") costs $22 - $25 (underpriced in my opinion, but so much the better for us). These wines are head and shoulders above most other maker's base wines, say $18 - $20, that can be found regularly in stores (Sterling , BV, Franciscan "Napa valley" selections - note that we are not talking about the reserve wines of these producers here), but even these base wines from "Stag's Leap Wine Cellars" are just beach pebbles compared to real pearls - Estate Cabernet Sauvignons.

Stag's Leap Wine Cellars makes three excellent Estate Cabernets - they are all elite in my classification, all are very good, each in its own way, and I'm not sure that it would be fair to classify any of these wines as "better" or "worse" in relation to the other two.

Stag's Leap Wine Cellars owns two vineyards directly adjacent to the winery: the vineyard "S.L.V." ). This second vineyard was acquired in 1985 by Stag's Leap Wine Cellars founder Warren Winiarski from the original owner, Nathan Fay. make Cabernet Sauvignon from grapes harvested in the Stag's Leap area. Vineyard S.L.V. primarily differs in that the soil there is of volcanic origin, very rocky, therefore "S.L.V." Cabernet Sauvignon somewhat drier and earthier than typical Napa Cabernets - S.L.V is a bit closer to classic Bordeaux. It was this Cabernet that participated in that famous Paris tasting in 1976, where it won first place. Price "S.L.V." at the company is $125, but I've seen it in many stores for $90-100 - again, the bottles are usually locked in glass cabinets and stand next to "Georges de Latour Private Reserve", by the way, $90 is usually less than in the Internet.

Faye Vineyard, unlike S.L.V., is located on alluvial soils. Cabernet Sauvignon "Faye" ( "Fay" Cabernet Sauvignon) is slightly more fruity and slightly cheaper than S.L.V. In the first tasting of "Faye" I liked it more - probably due to my then preference for more "fruity" wines (here, please do not confuse my "fruity" Cabernet Sauvignon with rupee-seventeen fruit and berry wines, from which we all grew up a long time ago) , but now, after five visits to Stag's Leap Wine Cellars, I just can't decide which of these two Cabernets I like more. The current price of "Fay" in the company, if I'm not mistaken, is $ 115. widely available in stores as "S.L.V.", but can sometimes be found for $90 or so.I once bought it for $75 on sale at "Total Wine and More" in New Jersey, I saw it online at price of $65.

The coolest Cabernet from Stag's Leap Wine Cellars is Cabernet Sauvignon Cask23. For this wine, the best grapes from both vineyards are hand-selected - "S.L.V." and Faye. In bad years for grape ripening (although there are few of them in Napa), this wine is not produced at all, so that the company does not lose face. On our first visit (in the spring of 2012), Cask23 cost $200, and two years later, on this trip, it was already $225 (price at the company). It can be found on the Internet and on the shelves of respectable liquor stores for about $160. We once saw the $110 Cask23 at the Harrison Wine Vault north of New York and I couldn't believe my eyes. When we bought this last bottle, I asked the guy behind the counter if he knew what kind of wine he had just given us at half price. But he had no idea!

A small lyrical digression would be appropriate here. If you lack happiness in your life and you, say, suddenly want to share my enthusiasm for the best Cabernet in the world, but at the same time you cannot drop everything and go to Napa for Stag's Leap Wine Cellars, where the tasting costs $ 30 for three Estate Cabernet plus the Arcadia limited-edition reserve Chardonnay (which I usually ask to be replaced with the base Artemis Cabernet - for comparison), bite the bullet and buy a bottle of one of these wines. Do this experiment once in your life. Risk a hundred dollar bill, but Be wary that you may pick up a dangerous (for the family budget) habit of drinking only high-class wines.. Whatever the "experts" may tell you - never drink such wines with food: the taste of something else in the mouth mercilessly steals the full taste of the wine, ( in extreme cases, eat a piece of good French blue cheese or foie gras). for such a wine, and again you lose a lot, compared to good crystal glasses made specifically for this style of wine (Bordeaux glasses). Glasses with a volume of 0.4 - 0.5 liters are optimally suited, which are wide at the bottom, but begin to narrow about 1/4 of the distance upwards. Do not pour wine into them more than where these glasses begin to taper: the tapering of the top of the glass concentrates the aromas that rise in bulk from the widest part, and allows you to really experience the smell of the wine, not just the taste. . After pouring wine into a glass, shake it slightly so that the wine spreads along the walls, and enjoy small sips, remembering to inhale the aroma each time. During the tasting, try not to be distracted by anything - extraneous noises, smells, too bright visual sensations can ruin the impression. Just sit and relax, maybe even with your eyes closed. Out of curiosity, do a similar experiment with $10 Australian or Chilean wine and compare the sensations.

I cannot judge whether Stag's Leap wines are better or worse than other elite Cabernets from Beringer, BV or Mt. Veeder. I think that, in any case, it would simply be disrespectful to say that some of these wines are better or worse, "Stag's Leap Wine Cellars" have a special meaning to me personally.

The first time we went to Stag's LeapWine Cellars was in the spring of 2012. At first, we mistakenly went to a place with a similar name - "Stags" Leap Winery, whose wines also turned out to be very good, but I felt cheated because we were looking for the winner of that famous 1976 tasting in Paris. There is a long history of a 10-year naming battle between the two firms (Wine Cellars vs Winery) followed by a reconciliation, a truly Solomonic judge's decision, and a unique 1985 Cabernet Sauvignon called Accord, produced only once. , but there is no place for the whole story here, so I will tell you about it some other time.

When we first began to take a serious interest in "upscale" wines, I read everywhere that good wine has a "long aftertaste", which, in general, is to be expected - otherwise, what are we paying for? So, "Stag" s Leap Wine Cellars "is exactly the place where in 2012 I first experienced what it is.

After we finished the tasting, we walked around the winery, looking around, then when I got out into the parking lot, I realized that I could still taste the wine in my mouth - it lasted a good 10 minutes after the last sip, and it was very pleasant taste. And then it hit me - I finally understood what real wine is - everything is as it should be in it: aroma, taste, structure, long aftertaste, etc., etc. Probably, this was a cumulative result - experience affected accumulated from dealing with many good, very good and not so good wines throughout my life and especially during the last two trips to Napa, but the tipping point happened there - at "Stag's Leap Wine Cellars". I stood there in the parking lot , thought about the crappy wines I'd drunk before and, to my own surprise, came to the realization that a return to wines that crowd the lower shelves of liquor stores at $8 to $10 a bottle (i.e. discounted from the initial price of 9 - 11 dollars) is no longer possible. I do not know if I was happier after such an existential transformation or more concerned about how much this transformation would cost. I decided that I must consider whether it is worth it or not t try this or that elite wine, based on my knowledge, experience, or preference - while not paying attention to its price, because you can forever miss a unique (and very pleasant) moment. It's just that this wine can be put on some speculative shelf and returned to it when the opportunity presents itself. That's why I never skip any liquor store hoping to find $110 Cask23 or $37 Tapestry.

I can't help remembering our visit to the Deer Cellar in the fall of 2012. Wineries give visitors time to sober up after the previous day, and when Stag's Leap Wine Cellars just opened at 10 am, we were their only visitors. The guy who poured the wine recognized us (we were there six months before this visit) so he poured some wine for us and left us alone.We sat outside in the cool morning mist, enjoying the peace and quiet, slowly sipping the wine.I closed my eyes and that's when I experienced a state of complete bliss from drinking wine: it was a really interesting experience as if the wine was talking to me. Now I understand why this happened - nothing distracted us: there were no drunken dressed up girls from expensive private colleges falling on the pavement in front of the tasting room from numerous limousines, there were no wild crowds of tourists arriving on buses, no one yelled at the whole hall as if stabbed to death, no one took selfies of their idiotic faces along with a two hundred dollar bottle of wine only in order to later boast "look, freaks, like what we are drinking here", no one ran like a rhinoceros from the entrance through the entire hall in order to be the first to get to the table with a good view of nature. There were no guide boys mindlessly babbling about wines they know very little about while trying to quickly kick customers out of the room and move on to the next group of customers. So if you ever get to Napa Valley, come to the "Deer" at 10 o'clock in the morning, right at the opening, and then the rest of the world will cease to exist for you for half an hour.

Clos du Val winery

From the Deer we headed south and after half a mile we reached the Clos du Val winery (on the left side of the road if going south on the Silverado Trail). We have been there before, but could not remember anything specific, so we decided to make another call - for the sake of clarity. In addition, in the time since that visit, we have tried several bottles of their Cabernet ( "Napa Valley" (Cabernet Sauvignon) and Pinot Noir "Carneros" Pinot Noir) bought in liquor stores, and these wines turned out to be very good (despite the relatively low 20 - 25 dollar price category). By the way, Clos du Val also participated in the same Paris tasting in 1976, but their Cabernet took 8th place out of 10. However, if their wine was even selected among the top 5 American red wines to participate in such a famous competition, then this probably says something.

As always, we asked for backup wines. We started with Cabernet Sauvignon from "Stag's Leap" ( Clos du Val "Stag's Leap" Cabernet Sauvignon). This is, of course, a very high quality Cabernet from Napa, but I would not classify it as elite. To be honest, I can't say more because the next two wines completely overshadowed this Cabernet. By the way, Clos du Val "Stag" s Leap "Cabernet Sauvignon is available in many stores for $ 50 - 60 per bottle. This price is not much higher than their Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, and this is the most inexpensive Cabernet from the Stag" s Leap area "that I know. My wife tasted their Reserve Pinot Noir ( Reserve Pinot Noir), and she really liked this Pinot ("only" $55 a bottle, and I think this wine is worth it). I myself have chosen not to pay much attention to light Pinot Noir type wines in the Cabernet realm, so I can't tell you anything about their back-up Pinot. But the next two Cabernets turned out to be masterpieces.

The first to be tasted was the so-called "Blend 70/30" 2010 ( 2010 "70/30 Blend" ), obtained by mixing two grape varieties: Cabernet Sauvignon (70%) and Cabernet Franc (30%). Both varieties were harvested at the exclusive States Lane Vineyard. On the palate, Cabernet Sauvignon/Cabernet Franc is a very "soft" wine, perhaps even somewhat "silky", with barely noticeable acidity, very rich in aromas, well structured, with all the "dark" fruity undertones (although again I don't I can identify these shades). Its taste is sustained in the style of a classic Napa Cabernet: it is not overly fruity. I definitely place this wine in my elite group. Its price, "only" $60, is quite fair for a wine of this quality ($51 for club members, although I'm not one of them). The second wine of 2010 was called "Three Graces Blend" ("Three Graces Blend"). I'm always wary when I see the word blend on a label because it could mean that no single grape variety was good enough on its own to produce quality wine, especially in Napa, or winemakers were just getting rid of remnants of grapes, the bulk of which was used for good wines. It turned out that in this case I was absolutely wrong. Wine "Three Graces" is a blend in the style of Bordeaux - a mixture of three "Bordeaux" grape varieties: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc. For my taste this wine is simply outstanding. The first thing that immediately feels on the tongue is a fairly pronounced sensation of tannins (for this reason, my wife liked the Three Graces wine much less than the Sauvignon / Franc described above - she felt that the tannins were too harsh). Again, the "Three Graces" is a wine from Napa, you can feel its classic bouquet from afar, without even bringing the glass to your nose. The wine has a rich and deep aroma, and the acidity that made its way into the Sauvignon/Franc blend is completely absent. "Three Graces" were not as "soft" as Sauvignon/Frank, but these are the wines I like more - in "Graces" there was something to "catch on to". When I taste wine, I don't like it slipping "down the barrel" without leaving a trace (like many lower tier Merlots or some Italian wines). By the way, "Three Graces" (like "70/30") is produced in very limited quantities - only 400 cases (4800 bottles), and its price ($65) is very reasonable for a wine of this level. We ended up buying a bottle of both. A bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon/Cabernet Franc was consumed in the same place in California, but the "Three Graces" survived and is now stored in our house in the refrigerator for elite wines.

Peju Winery

Our last stop that day was the Pejou winery. If your goal is to visit a sufficiently large (but reasonable) number of tasting rooms in one day (our personal best is 9 wineries in a day), then Peju is best left for last, as it is open until 6pm, while everyone else similar establishments in Napa close at 4:30 - 5:00. On the other hand, if you've had a hard "tasting" that day, you're unlikely to be able to fully appreciate their wines (again, I remind you - no more than one tasting for two at each winery!). I suspect that's exactly what happened to us on this trip. Last time we went there with a friend in May 2013 and we really liked their wines. This time, none of their wines impressed us much, so I would rate our visit as "good".

Perhaps it was difficult for Pejou wines to compete with the elite Cabernets that we tasted that day: we were still very impressed with the wines from Stag's Leap Wine Cellars and Clos du Val (and indeed it's just a shameless luxury - for one a day to visit Beringer, BV, Stag's Leap and Clos du Val). In Pejo we tried some red and some white wines. We liked their Cabernet Franc and Zinfandel the most. The first time we went to the Pejo in 2012, we also really liked their Cabernet Franc and even bought a 2005 bottle. In 2013, we decided that Cabernet Sauvignon was the best wine we tried - we again spent money on a bottle ($50) and some time later drank it with great pleasure with the same friend in Houston. This time, the main reason we could not resist buying two bottles at once (Cabernet Franc and Zinfandel) was that Pejou always offers a deal: when buying wine for $35 and above, they do not charge $20 for tasting, so for $70 we get both wine and two tastings. Nevertheless, the price of wines in Pejo seems to me very overpriced. Whether they are good or not, I would not buy them for the price they charge for their products at the winery itself ($55 on average) - for that price you can find much better wines (again judging by to your taste). However, if you see wines from Pejou at a good sale - buy it, you will not regret it.

Winery "Chateau Montelena"

Our third day began with a visit to the historic site - Chateau Montelena. The Chateau Montelena tasting room is one of the few that opens at 9:30am (most of the others in Napa/Sonoma open at 10am), so if you're trying to get as many good wines as possible in one day, then I would recommend starting with Chateau Montelena and then move south, visiting wineries in the Stag's Leap or Rutherford / Oakville / Yountville areas.

Chateau Montelena is exactly the company whose white wine won first place in the already mentioned wine competition called "The Judgment of Paris" (the same time in 1976, when the "Deers" won the red wine tasting). For the first time in the history of winemaking on planet Earth, white wine from Napa has surpassed the finest white Burgundy wines. It is about the history of Chardonnay from Chateau Montelin that the film called "Bottle shock" is told, by the way, a rather pleasant purely entertaining film. Of course, there are several historical inaccuracies in it, but I don’t want to talk about them so as not to spoil your impression if you haven’t seen this film yet. A bottle of Chateau Montelena Chardonnay from 1973 is kept in the Smithsonian Museum in Washington (see photo). The vintner behind the historic Chardonnay was (and still is) Mike (Milenko) Grgic, the same Yugoslav vintner that Eugene mentioned in his Zinfandel story. Mike Grgich, together with his daughter Violetta, now runs his own winery Grgich Hills Estate (it is located almost opposite BV) and makes great (of course, not cheap) Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet Sauvignon and completely unique Zinfandel.

At Chateau Montelena, our tasting began with a glass of Sauvignon Blanc. This wine didn't strike me as great, so I didn't make any notes about it.

Our next wine was their famous Chardonnay. An interesting feature of this wine is that in style it is somewhere in the middle between European and Californian Chardonnay. Like most European Chardonnays, this wine has not undergone the so-called "malolactic fermentation" (malolactic fermentation: when Apple acid in grape juice it is fermented into lactic acid, greatly reducing acidity and giving the wine an oily aftertaste - an exclusively Californian innovation), but at the same time it is aged for some time in oak barrels (like most Californian Chardonnays). The result is a very structured and very elegant wine. Of course, it is slightly more acidic than traditional Californian Chardonnay, but its acidity is not excessive: it is precisely what gives the wine a pleasant, well-defined "structure". The taste of "oak" is very light, it does not overwhelm other flavors like, for example, lower quality Chardonnay (see notes on Chardonnay from the Monterey region), on the contrary, you should try to "hear" it. It seems to me that it is this light oak flavor that gives a special elegance to the wine. When you taste this wine, pay attention to the transitions of taste: the real taste of this wine is not immediately expressed - it first appears in the aftertaste. So don't rush to take your next sip if you want to really appreciate it. At the winery, the price is $53 per bottle. I saw it in stores, but only in the best of them, for $40. I'm not sure it's worth paying that price for white wine if you drink it "on a regular basis" as they say, but I highly recommend buying it just to try it.

The next wine was their most affordable "Napa Valley" Cabernet Sauvignon($53 at the winery). I don't remember seeing it in stores, though I'm sure you can find it if you look hard enough. This wine is as good as any Cabernet bought from reputable Napa Valley producers, so give it a try if you can find it at the price you're willing to pay.

My main goal in this tasting was Chateau Montelena "Estate" Cabernet Sauvignon. "Estate" Cabernet is the "flagship" wine of Chateau Montelena. "What kind of flagship is this?" - you ask. The answer is - Cabernet Sauvignon was the true passion of Jim Barrett, the owner of the winery from the 60s until the end of his life (March 2013). Back in 1973, when he and Mike Grgich were making the famous Chateau Montelena Chardonnay, both enthusiasts only dabbled in this Chardonnay to make some money to keep the firm going – they had been waiting years for the vine to mature with their now even more famous Cabernet Sauvignon.

Jim Barrett's goal was to reproduce the classic (French) style of Bordeaux - for this, the owners of Chateau Montelena launched an extensive cooperation program with French winemakers, this program continued until the 2008 economic crisis. The French style is definitely evident in the "Estate" Cabernet Sauvignon. The wine is not as heavy and thick as most Napa Cabernets (13.5% - fairly low alcohol content by Napa standards), its texture is very similar to Bordeaux, the wine is very "soft", restrained and elegant. It tastes much richer than any classic Bordeaux. In addition, it does not give away that unpleasant smell of sulfur, which is sometimes felt after opening a bottle of French Bordeaux. While my personal preference is for heavier Cabernets (i.e. Napa-style Cabernets), Château Montélin's Estate Cabernet Sauvignon is an excellent wine in every way. Last year, when we visited Château Montélin with a friend, he liked this wine more than all the others tasted during the whole trip. At the winery, the price for a bottle of "Estate" Cabernet is $150, although you can often find it online for $100 - $115. In addition, you can get it by buying the club's "futures": two years before the company releases the wine of the next vintage on the market (when it is still aged in barrels), they withdraw money from your credit card, and after two years you get "high-end" wine for $77 a bottle. This is the cheapest way to buy "Estate" Cabernet from Chateau Montelena. By becoming a member of the club, while waiting for the delivery of this wine, you can buy and taste their other wines at a significant discount in price.

Speaking of other wines, this time we unfortunately didn't make it to the Chateau Montelena Zinfandel tasting, but last time we went to Chateau Montelena we did. Again, the characteristic feature of this wine is its exceptional "elegance". The wine is very "restrained" and not as heavy as most Zinfandels from Napa or Sonoma. However, all the flavors of quality Napa Zinfandel are there. This is just as surprising: restraint usually indicates a low alcohol content, which means that the grapes were harvested ahead of time before they could accumulate enough sugar, which in turn means that they may not have reached full maturity, which means , and did not have time to accumulate all their "tastes". All this is true, but not in the case of Zinfandel "Chateau Montelena". If you search the stores well, you can find this Zinfandel for $40 a bottle. During this race, we bought a bottle directly at the winery - at our place it survived "only" a month and a half.

Rombauer Winery

After finishing our tasting at Château Montelena, we headed towards the Rombauer winery, about 4 miles to the southwest. I'm sure some of you are already salivating profusely at the mere mention of Rombauer.

Rombauer's Zinfandel was the first Napa wine I ever tasted - a former graduate student at Galveston University once brought a bottle of this wine to our lab. The taste of this wine was amazing: it was not like any other wine that I had tasted before - I had never held a wine so rich and rich in flavors in my mouth. Like most people, at that time I bought various dry wines (mostly inexpensive ones), without knowing much about brands. After that "spontaneous" testing, my eyes were opened, and a visit to the Rombauer winery became the goal of my very first trip to Napa with my wife - it was from this winery that we began our systematic study of wines made in the Napa and Sonoma valleys.

Zinfandel and Chardonnay are perhaps the most famous wines sold under the Rombauer brand. Rombauer also makes excellent Cabernets that are no better or worse than other Napa Cabernets. In Napa, as we know, there are many producers of high-quality Cabernets, so it is really very difficult to stand out in this group (unless you are called "Stag" s Leap Wine Cellars "or" BV "). But Zinfandel and Rombauer Chardonnay are really very characteristic for this company.As members of the "Zinfandel" club, we were not worried about the cost of tastings, so during the described visit, we set out to try all the wines that were offered in the tasting menu.We however decided to skip "Carneros Merlot" - we tried it before, and I found this wine too "spicy", like it had black pepper in it. Perhaps it was due to the high alcohol content, however, this is also a good wine, just not to my taste. By the way, you can try it yourself : "Carneros Merlot" is available in stores for $30 or so.

This time, we started our tasting with Chardonnay. Rombauer produces a fairly large amount of "Carneros" Chardonnay ( Chardonnay "Carneros") - it's available in almost any medium-sized liquor store, again for about $30 a bottle. We sampled Carneros Chardonnay on our very first visit in 2011 and it was our first exposure to California style Chardonnay. California-style Chardonnay differs from European-style Chardonnay in that it is "buttery" and "oaky". This is due to the fact that in California Chardonnay is usually subjected to malolactic fermentation (see above) and aged for 5 - 10 months in oak barrels, which is not typical for European white wines. Looking back after several years of tasting different Chardonnays produced by other firms in the Napa and Sonoma Valleys, it seems to me that Rombauer vintners are a little overdone - their Chardonnay is somewhat heavy compared to other "crystal" Chardonnays you can buy from other winemakers from Napa. However, this is one of my favorite white wines. It pairs well with fatty seafood: its buttery flavor goes well with, for example, fried scallops wrapped in bacon (our favorite appetizer for this wine), or shrimp with garlic sauce. If you've never tasted a typical Californian Chardonnay - Rombauer will give you a pretty accurate idea right off the bat (by the way, the mass Australian producer Yellow Tail seems to be trying to emulate this style, but their Chardonnay is just a pathetic parody of real wine - you don't even immediately realize that they made with wine).

The next Chardonnay was called "Master's Choice", if you can translate it like that. "Proprietor's Selection" Chardonnay. It is not commercially available - it is only available at the winery or through their website. This wine is produced in very limited quantities and it is usually not sold more than two bottles in one hand, even if you are a member of the club. I will say right away, "Proprietor's Selection" Chardonnay is one of the two best Chardonnays that I have ever tried (the other is "Carneros Chardonnay" from the Grgich Hills winery, $ 75 per bottle). When you drink this wine, you get the feeling of perfect " crystal "taste. This Chardonnay has much less "oak" than Carneros, and its aroma is much richer and more pronounced. At the winery, its price is $ 65 ($ 55 - for members of the club). The price is $ 55, I I would say low for a wine of this quality.

We moved from Chardonnay to Cabernet Sauvignon. Basic (widely available) "Napa Valley" 2010 Cabernet ( Rombauer "Napa Valley" Cabernet Sauvignon) turned out to be very good. Compared to classic Napa wines, say the Franciscan Cabernet or the Clos du Val, this wine's characteristics and aroma are somewhat softened, with tannins toned down. Tasting this wine, you will not feel the effect of "packing your mouth in shrink wrap". At the first sip, the wine seems a little sour, but then the acid disappears, and a very pleasant taste of good wine remains in the mouth. It costs $45 at the winery and I've never seen it in stores for less than $40. Rombauer's "Napa Valley" Cabernet is on the top shelf at any decent liquor store and I think $40 is a fair price for similar wine.

Let's go to the next level: Cabernet Sauvignon "Diamond Selection" at a price of 65 dollars. This wine is made "under Bordeaux": it is very soft, with a rich and smooth structure, but again without the excessive tannins that are often found in inexpensive Cabernets. Unlike Bordeaux (as is the case with Chateau Montélin), you will not smell sulfur in this wine. As I already wrote, I prefer thicker and heavier Cabernets, but this in no way detracts from the merits of the "Diamond Selection" Cabernet. I've only seen this wine in one store in New Jersey, where a 2002 vintage sold for $45.

Finally, Rombauer also produces several varieties of Cabernet "elite" level: "Stice Lane", "Atlas Peak"(the grapes for this wine, respectively, are harvested from vineyards growing on the slopes of the local mountain Atlas Peak), "Le Meilleur du Chai" and "Stag's Leap District". The price of these wines lies in the 80 - 90 dollar range. Usually only a few of these items are available in the tasting room or website at one time or another, but I have never seen them all together as they are all very limited production. The winery apparently ages them for a long time, first in barrels and then in bottles: older wines (2006 - 2009) are currently available. Again, all these Cabernets are made in the Bordeaux style. I couldn't single out the best of them - they are all excellent.

Zinfandel is the heaviest wine (in terms of alcohol content and richness of taste) that Rombauer makes. Rombauer winemakers add a little Petit Syrah (5 - 7%) to Zinfandel, which softens Zinfandel (some Zinfandels from other manufacturers sometimes "bite" the tongue due to 15 - 16 percent alcohol content). In addition, Petit Syrah gives the wine more structure and a "plush finish" that you won't find in most other Zinfandels with such a rich structure. So-called "Rombauer Zinfandel" is the main wine produced by the firm, and this wine is widely available in stores. By its quality "Rombauer Zinfandel" several light-years ahead of any other Zinfandels, even those that are on the top shelves of stores (in fairness, it should be noted that the production volumes of high-quality Zinfandels are very small, and, as a rule, you will not find them in stores, therefore "Rombauer" easily surpasses "store" competitors). The grapes for this wine are not actually harvested in Napa, but in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada. Zinfandel "Rombauer"- a very rich wine with a pronounced fruity taste of "black berries" and a long aftertaste. Although the alcohol content in "Rombauere" very high (15.9%), you don't feel like it "bites" like many other Zeenas that are cheaper. I still haven't met a person who didn't like this wine. If you have never tasted Napa Valley wines, I strongly recommend starting with this wine. At the winery, its price is $30 per bottle, the price in the store is usually about the same (a rare case when prices at the winery and in the store are comparable). However, I recently saw it for $24 at Bottle King, a liquor store in northern New Jersey, and bought everything they had (emptyed the entire shelf) for myself and another, no less admirer of good Zin - Eugene . A word of caution: try to find vintages older than 2011. "Rombauer" The zine from 2011 differs from the classic - it seems to me more "diluted" and somewhat sour. The 2012 vintage was due to hit stores in April 2014.

The next wine in line was "Napa Valley Zinfandel". As you can probably guess, the grapes for this Zin were harvested in Napa (the attached photo of the Napa Valley view was taken from the porch of Rombauer's tasting room). This wine is very similar to "Rombauer Zinfandel", but apparently there is some residual sugar in it, so it has a sweet aftertaste: in order to achieve this, winemakers stop fermentation until the yeast has completely converted the sugar into alcohol, lowering the temperature of the must and killing yeast. I tend to prefer Rombauer Zin precisely because it is drier. However, of the 2011 wines, I like Napa Valley Zin more: it is richer than Rombauer. Because the weather has not been as warm, there is less sugar in the grapes and 2011 Napa Valley is not as sweet as usual. "Napa Valley" goes for $34 at the winery. I don't remember if I saw it in stores - maybe I didn't pay attention: the Rombauer and Napa Valley zine bottles look almost the same (see photo).

The next step up is Zinfandel "Fiddletown". It is made from grapes harvested from 100 year old vines, and this definitely reflects in the quality (the older the grapes, the better Zinfandel). This wine, by the way, is an exception for the wines of 2011: it is no worse than the wines of other vintages. The grapes for it are grown without artificial irrigation in the Amador region (Amador county is one of the most famous areas suitable for growing high-quality Zinfandel), the yield (number of brushes per vine) is very small, respectively, the wine is very concentrated and rich in taste. It costs $43 at the winery and is not available in stores because production is too limited.

Finally, Zinfandel "Master's Choice" ( "Proprietor's Selection" Zinfandel). This Zin is one of the two best Zinfandels I've ever tasted (the other being the Reserve "Century Vine" Zinfandel from the Candeese Sonoma winery, except for the 2011 vintage). "Proprietor's Selection" Zinfandel- a luxurious wine with a very rich texture (feeling like you "chew" this wine), a deep characteristic taste of real Zinfandel and a balanced content of tannins. Production is just miserable - 240 cases produced in 2010, about 400 cases in 2011, the 2012 vintage is still not bottled. Its price is $60 per bottle ($51 for club members).

To summarize: if you are at a loss in the store and do not know what to buy, you will never go wrong when buying wine under the brand name "Rombauer". Not a single wine under this brand will disappoint you. If you ever find yourself in the Napa Valley, try to visit the winery itself: the view from the winery to the surrounding hills will impress you. I advise you to visit their garden - you can walk there while sipping wine. The Rombauer winery is located on the Silverado Trail, but the entrances to it can be easily missed: there are very few signs pointing to the winery. When your GPS tells you that you're getting close, look for the American flag on the left side of the road (if you're driving north on the Silverado Trail, or on the right if you're heading south). The turn onto the narrow road towards the winery (and a small sign) will be to the right of the flag. The road winds uphill through the forest and ends at the parking lot. Try to get there early, that is, by the opening - at 10 am. Their tasting room is quite small and the winery is very popular (their Chardonnay has "cult" status) and will be crowded by lunchtime.

Sterling Vineyards

Speaking of picturesque views of Napa, you can see another such view in the photo taken from the terrace of the Sterling winery ( Sterling Vineyards). In order to get there, you need to take the cable car up the 100-meter hill where the winery is located. Sterling offers an unusual tasting option: instead of tasting "base" wines in the hall (backup tasting is described below), you can simply walk through the winery, following the signs, and there will be several "bottling stations" along your route, where you will be offered to sample wines that just called "ripe" and ready for sale. This year, at the first station, we were poured Pinot Grigio ( Sterling Vineyards Pinot Grigio). I had never tasted it before and was pleasantly surprised that this Pinot Grigio was similar to the one we tried two days earlier at the Landmark. It turned out to be quite a rich wine with good structure, in my opinion, much better than most of the watery and tasteless Pinot Grigio usually sold in stores. Pinot Grigio from Sterlings is somewhat reminiscent of Sauvignon Blanc in texture and mouthfeel, but without the typical grassy flavor of Sauvignon Blanc. An excellent "summer" wine to drink on a hot day (buying, of course, at the right price for a Pinot Grigio). Sterling is asking $16 for it. A bit too much for a Pinot Grigio, but with that said, I don't think it's too much.

At the next station, we tried Sterling's "basic" Zinfandel. Again, a pretty decent wine. Not a masterpiece, but, as they say, quite worthy "wine for every day", and its price is below 20 dollars. It has the typical character and flavor of Zinfandel, but nowhere near as rich in flavor as, say, any of Rombauer's Zinfandels. At the end of our tour of the factory, we tasted the white wine "Vionier" ( Viognier). I don't even know how to describe it to you - this is a very original wine, not like other white wines. Perhaps a little citrus taste... I also note its very pleasant structure and original aroma, and to all this - the correct (not excessive) "acid" for white wine. I would also recommend it as an excellent "summer" wine.

After the tour, we went to the reserve tasting room (why, in fact, we went there). We selected three of their "highest" Cabernet Sauvignons plus asked for a sample of the back-up Chardonnay.

The first Cabernet was "Rutherford" ( Cabernet Sauvignon Rutherford). Very good wine, it definitely has the character of Napa Valley wines: typical bouquet, structure, pleasant dryness and aroma, all like other Cabernets produced in the center of the valley (Sterling itself is located in the northeastern part, but the grapes for this wine are harvested in the center of the valley - in Rutherford). True, it should be noted that these characteristics are not as pronounced as, for example, in the classier wines from the Franciscans, BV or Robert Mondavi. The taste of Cabernet Sauvignon "Rutherford" seems to be muffled - it does not "flood" you with your head, you need to "listen" to it. Sterling is offering this wine for $50, but it doesn't make sense to pay that amount for it. Why - I will explain below.

Our next Cabernet was called "Diamond Mountain Ranch" ( Diamond Mountain Ranch Cabernet Sauvignon). The wine is made from grapes harvested from a site located at a fairly high altitude (500 - 600 meters above the valley). A couple of years ago we accidentally ordered "Diamond Mountain Ranch" during the Christmas sale and immediately noted that this wine is of very high quality. Again, it has everything you would expect from a Napa Cabernet. It also seemed to me that this wine is somewhat drier, plus the content of tannins in it is higher than in Rutherford. Maybe this wine is not as "polished" as Cabernet from my "elite" class, but it comes close to them. The list price is $70.

The last wine was "Reserve" Cabernet ( Reserve Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon). An interesting fact - "Reserve" Cabernet, as well as "Reserve" Chardonnay ( Reserve Napa Valley Chardonay) from Sterling - the "official" wines of the Oscar ceremony, they are served at the party after the end. Sterling's reserve wines have black labels, all others have white or gray labels. Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon is a great example of a very good wine at a reasonable price. It presents a rather complex set of sensations - similar to Georges de Latour: when you drink it, you feel a lot of different tastes in your mouth at the same time (so to speak, a whole bouquet). The wine is much softer than the two aforementioned reserve Cabernets from Sterling. The winemakers of Stag's Leap Wine Cellars describe the feeling of such wines as "an iron fist in a velvet glove." Sterling's "Reserve" Cabernet gives a sort of "plush" feel and is very rich in aromas. The list price is $ 75, but again, it doesn't make sense to pay the "factory" price for this wine.

I didn't try the "Reserve" Chardonnay from Sterling, because I knew roughly what to expect from it, I will say one thing - my wife's sister really liked this wine. Finally, I'll add that my Wine Bible lists Sterling as one of the top Chardonnay producers in the Napa Valley.

A few words about buying wines from Sterling. They sell several different "collections" under different brands. Their main brand is called "Winemaker's Collection" ( Vintner's Collection). These wines are found at gas stations, grocery stores and small stalls, on the bottom shelves of liquor stores and at the top of cheap restaurant wine menus (e.g. "Chili"s", "Applebees" etc.) These wines are not from Napa (mostly they from the Central Coast). They are inexpensive (sometimes just "cheap") and simple - for those who choose wine, limiting (from below) their choice of wines of a certain level. Wines from "Vintner" s Collection "are the same consumer goods (if not worse), as are wines sold under the Coastal Estates (BV) or Woodbridge (Robert Mondavi) brand, and have nothing to do with real Napa wines.

The next level is represented by the "Napa Valley" collection - as a rule, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot or Chardonnay go under this brand. These wines can be found on the shelves of medium-sized stores. Compared to Vintner's Collection, the price jump is immediately noticeable, but these wines are also quite inexpensive - they cost about $ 20 per bottle. Wines from the Napa Valley collection are about the same level of quality as wines with the Napa brand Valley" from BV or from the Franciscans are very good entry-level wines. Compared to higher-level wines, the red wines from this collection have rather "hard" tannins that often clog the real aroma. Therefore, the real taste and aroma of these wines can only be recognized by producing prolonged aeration - this process greatly helps to "ennoble" these generally inexpensive wines.By the way, I note that "Napa Valley" Chardonnay from Sterling, in my opinion, is the best choice in terms of price / quality ratio compared to any Chardonnay from the Napa Valley - it costs $ 12 - $ 15 in stores. In stores, I have never seen Sterling wines harvested from elite vineyards (such as Three Palms Vineyard, Diamond Mountain Ranch, etc), not seen l and their reserve wines. Those who wish, however, can always buy directly through the website or by phone. Sterling has a nasty habit of wildly inflating the prices of his reserve wines and then running weekly sales where those wines are offered "50% off". Simply subscribe to their mailing list or go to the "Specials" link on their website and all these wines will be 50% off if not today then tomorrow. So you can pay $25 for Rutherford Cabernet (instead of $50), $35 for Diamond Mountain Ranch, and their Reserve Cabernet often goes for $37.

Other good wines from Sterlings that I would recommend is a very decent and inexpensive "Carneros Pinot Noir" ( Carneros Pinot Noir) and North Coast Red Blend ( North Coast Red Blend). I also want to point out that Sterling often doesn't charge shipping as long as you buy a whole case of wine (12 bottles) and you don't have to buy just one wine - you can buy 12 different ones. At half price, Sterling wines are by far the best value for money of any Napa Valley wine.

Ledson Winery

We still had half a day left when, after finishing the tasting at the Sterlings, we finally decided to “break through” to the Sonoma Valley. To get to Sonoma from the north side of Napa, I recommend driving along the scenic road through the forested range of hills that separates the two valleys. On the way there is a local landmark - Petrified forest: quite an interesting place to stop and walk if you are tired of tasting.

After crossing the hills near the town of Santa Rosa, we turned south and soon arrived at the Ledson winery ( ledson winery). Ledson has a rather interesting history. Its owner originally bought a large plot of land in Sonoma and built a beautiful castle on it as his residence (see photo). A small vineyard with Merlot grapes grew on the plot, so the owner slowly made wine - just for his own pleasure. Many autotourists who were driving along the road past the castle could not, of course, pass by and stopped to take a close look at the castle. The hospitable owner poured his wine to tourists, and many people liked this wine very much, therefore, in the end, the owner of the castle decided to expand the "enterprise". Now Ledson produces about 70 different types of wine from every conceivable grape variety, plus makes blends in the style of Bordeaux and in the style of Rhone wines, but continues to maintain its unique philosophy of winemaking. All 70 varieties are wines of very limited production (usually 400 - 500 cases of each): the owner continues to experiment at his pleasure. These wines can only be purchased directly from the winery. Ledson is the only company that has the right to send wine to customers in all 50 states, including Utah (!). I cannot describe all the wines we have ever tasted there, but I will say one thing - they are all excellent: Zinfandel, Cabernet Sauvignon, Sauvignon Blanc, Bordeaux-style blends, as well as blends unique to Ledson and even Merlot (find 100% High quality California merlot is much more complex than Cabernet Sauvignon or Zinfandel). All these wines have one, but a significant drawback - they are all terribly expensive. The average cost of fresh bottled wine (i.e. the latest vintage) is $40 - $60 per bottle, although less expensive wines are also sold at the winery. There is only one way to buy wines from Ledson and not go broke: through sales on their website - there you can find about a dozen wines that are available at a discount of 50 - 60% from the price at the winery. Also, if you buy a full box, you get an additional 10% discount. I often buy wine at their sales "California Gunsight". This is a blend of red wines of three varieties (if I'm not mistaken), and it is very pleasant and rich in taste. "Gunsight" is distinguished by an incredibly rich fruit component, and the depth of its taste comes not from tannins, but from grape juice - just tannin is almost not felt in this wine. At the winery, the price of "Gunsight" is $30 per bottle, but it can be bought through "futures" for $24: the buyer pays for the wine while it is still in barrels, then, usually after 3-4 months, it is bottled and shipped buyers. This time we bought several different types of Zinfandels from Ledson, a bottle of Petit Syrah, several well-aged Merlots (10 years or more). Last year (and for only 10 bucks) we bought an excellent semi-dry Californian Riesling there ( California Riesling), and we liked it so much that we bought a few more bottles this year.

Sauvignon Blanc from the Russian River Valley ( Russian River Valley Sauvignon Blanc) is another one of our favourites. If you're looking to fill your wine cellar or start your wine collection, I highly recommend finding a good sale and ordering a case of Ledson's selection of wines. I'm sure you won't be disappointed with the quality.

Kund Winery

Cande winery and vineyards ( Kund Winery) are about 2 miles south of Ledson along Highway 12, which crosses the Sonoma Valley from north to south. Kunde Winery is one of the first places we visited during our first trip in 2011, when we were just beginning our acquaintance with wines from Napa and Sonoma. The quality of the wines they offered us then immediately convinced us to join the Napa/Sonoma wine club for the first time (we've now expanded to six: Kunde, Landmark, BV, Rombauer, Franciscan and Taste of Monterrey). Despite a fairly large turnover (Kande products sell well - their inexpensive wines can be found in almost any wine shop or supermarket selling spirits), Cande only uses their own grapes and does not buy grapes from anyone else, that is, all their wines are to the category "Estate". In addition to the usual tastings, for an additional fee, you will be offered to take a walking tour of the vineyards (with a tasting at the end) or an excursion to the caves where barrels of wine are aged. There you can also book a tasting called "Mountaintop Tasting" - you will be taken to the top of the mountain, where reserve wines will be offered, so you can admire the breathtaking views of the valley, while sipping excellent wine from grapes grown directly below you. They also offer hour-long workshops on how to pair wines with certain snacks (some kind of "beginner's introduction to oenology" so to speak), explain where different flavors in wines come from, and what to look for when tasting. I want to say right away: red wines from Kande (again, in my opinion) do not reach the "elite" level (although there is one exception), and in general, we came across much less such "elite" wines in Sonoma than in Napa . However, all the wines from Cande are very good. The main thing is that they can be bought at a reasonable price, that is, the price / quality ratio is very acceptable. Their white wines are all of excellent quality and are generally inexpensive ($12-$28).

Our tasting on this trip started with "CS Ridge" Chardonnay ( C.S. Ridge Chardonnay), whose grapes were harvested from one vineyard, which, of course, is called CS Ridge. The wine is very light, not too acidic and approaches a "crystal-like" style. It's priced at $27 at the winery (about $20 for club members) and I haven't seen it in stores.

But what is sold in stores is their "basic" and quite decent Chardonnay "Kunde Estate Chardonnay". You can find one for $12 or so; the 2012 vintage has already left the stores, so this wine will undoubtedly be a good buy. The best Chardonnay (and the best white wine in general) that they make is the "Reserve Chardonnay" ( "Reserve Chardonnay", some of you, I suspect, will completely agree with this statement) - a very rich Chardonnay, "crystal" type, very soft, rich, but at the same time "unobtrusive". At the winery, its price is $35 ($28 for club members). I think for $35 it's worth it: we usually buy a couple of bottles a year through the club.
Speaking of the club, the unique thing about the Cande Wine Club is that you can choose any wines you want, as long as you buy two cases (24 bottles) a year. Other wineries usually select wines for you in each shipment, the maximum you can choose from is either all reds, all whites, or 50% of both in each shipment. In addition, by becoming a member of the club, you will receive a discount on events such as a trip to the vineyards, celebrations of the beginning of the harvest, festive lunches / dinners at the winery, etc. Basic and reserve tastings at the winery are free for club members and 3 guests .

It is necessary to note here three other white wines from Cande that we did not try on this trip (however, we have known them for a long time) - Kunde Gewurtztraminer and two Sauvignon Blancs - "Block 4SB20" ( Sauvignon Blanc Block 4SB20) and "Magnolia Lane" ( Sauvignon Blanc Magnolia Lane). Gewürztraminer is Kande's biggest secret. This wine is not sold in stores at all, and, as a rule, it sells out very quickly, primarily among club members, although it is available to other connoisseurs of this wine through the website, unless, of course, club members have had time to sell it out. I think this is the best Gewurtztraminer I have ever tried. Its taste is very "bright": fruity, savory and refreshing, without the high acidity or dryness that is sometimes found in Finger Lakes Gewurtztraminers Traminera). Kande's Gewurtztraminer is simply an outstanding wine for a summer picnic in nature, I highly recommend drinking it with fruit. It is priced at just $17 and is 20% off for club members. We usually buy half a case each summer to supplement our club supplies. Going further: both Sauvignon Blanc from Cande are somewhat drier than Traminer. You won't find that sometimes over the top herbaceous flavor that many Sauvignon Blancs, which are primarily known for being very bright and refreshing, are great "summer" wines. I often drink them while gardening in the midday sun, they also make a good picnic on a hot summer day. Wine "Magnolia Lane" can be found in stores, and it is very inexpensive - about 12 dollars. Wine Sauvignon Blanc "4SB20" is slightly more expensive, somewhere under $20 for club members, and is only available directly on the website or at the winery itself.

But back to our tasting. Our next wine had an untranslatable name: "Red Dirt Red" ( "Red Dirt Red", Red (wine) "Red Earth" - maybe by the color of the soil in Sonoma). This wine is an interesting combination of seemingly completely incompatible varieties - and this is only possible in California. It mixes varieties that are typical of both Bordeaux-type wines and those that are typical of Rhone wines, while the percentage composition varies every year - this is done to achieve specific taste sensations. "Red Dirt Red" - a very full-bodied wine, pleasant to the taste, although a little sour (perhaps due to the fact that the grapes for it was harvested in 2011). This blend, as well as all other red wines from Kande, have one common pronounced character, apparently, this is the hallmark of many wines from Sonoma, so I would call it "Sonoma character". All or almost all (naturally good) wines from Sonoma that we have tasted so far are characterized by significant fruitiness with a slight touch of acidity, with a hint of acidity. This taste is best felt on the back of the tongue. None of the wines produced in Napa have this character, but it is strongly expressed in many of the red wines from Sonoma. "Red Dirt Red" is priced at $35. The wine is interesting enough to try once or twice, but we don't buy it on a regular basis - other Kunde wines are better than this in our opinion. The next wine we tried on this trip was called "Meritage 202". This is my wife's favorite wine produced in Cande. It is a standard blend in the style of "Bordeaux" ("Meritage"), however, unlike Bordeaux, its taste is very fruity, with a typical "Sonoma" character. The tannins are quite substantial, but they are still soft. The price of this wine is the same 35 dollars.

Finally, we moved on to the tasting of the reserve Zinfandel "Century Vine" ("Century Vines Zinfandel", see photo on the left). This is just the exception to the rule that I wrote about above. Many with whom I have discussed this Zin consider it the best wine from Cande, and I tend to agree with them (although my wife does not support me in this). It is well documented that these Zinfandel vines were already growing in 1882, so it is officially believed that they have been growing since 1882, although in fact they were planted earlier. It is possible that these are the oldest Zinfandel vines in Sonoma (at least one of the oldest). I still haven't come across a Zinfandel that was made from a vine older than this one. Old age, however, is no joy, and you can imagine how small the harvest from such ancient vines is. The people who work for Kanda told us that every year they fear that these vines will stop producing fruit and the production of old Zin will be stopped. Fortunately, the vines are still growing and bearing fruit. This Zinfandel was the main reason why I decided to join the wine club in Cande: I wanted to have constant access to this wine. Since then, six of the twelve bottles in every case of our club supplies are Zinfandel "Century Vine". When I try other Zinfandels, I always compare them to Century Vines to gauge their quality. "Master's Choice" from Rombauer (Rombauer "s "Proprietor" s Selection" Zinfandel) is so far the only one who can compete with "Century Vines".

Century Vines Zin - the wine is so "thick" that a little more, and it can be cut with a knife. No other Zinfandel has such a concentration of characteristic fruit flavor and aroma, and the aftertaste lasts an incredibly long time. When the taste finally starts to fade, don't be discouraged - take another sip. This is a wine that needs to be drunk very slowly to get the full impression. The "Century Vine" from the bad 2011 is not up to par (tastes less fruity, not as rich, the wine seems more sour), although this Zin is better than most other 2011 Zinfandels. The best harvest I have tried so far has been the 2008 harvest and I am looking forward to the 2012 and 2013 harvests. At the winery, Age Vine is $45, and as members of the club we buy it for $36, which is incredibly cheap: I've seen a lot of Zinfandels that didn't even come close to this, but cost over $36. The only store I've heard of "Century Vine" is in New York on 6th Avenue.

The base Zinfandel "Kunde Estate" is also very good, although, naturally, after the "Century Vine" it seems a little diluted. I heard a "report" from Houston that "Kunde Estate Zinfandel" available at Spec's liquor store there for just $14. None of the Zinfandels sold in this price range can match the quality of Kunde Estate Zinfandel.

Finally, we got to the Cabernet. The Cabernet Sauvignon we started with this time was Drummond ( "Drummond" Cabernet Sauvignon) - from exclusive vineyards. The grapes from which this wine is made was once ordered by John Drummond for fabulous money at that time from the most famous French producers from Bordeaux "Chateaux Margaux" and "Chateaux Lafite Rotschild" (remember, the conversations among the Decembrists were between Lafite and Clicquot - lip they, the Volkonskys and Pestels, were not stupid). For a long time Drummond was my favorite Cabernet until my tastes shifted towards the drier and smoother Cabernets that are made in Napa. This wine (as you can easily guess) is very different from the Cabernet, made "in the style of Bordeaux". Its palate, very full-bodied and fruity, pairs nicely with fine soft tannins, although it seems to me that this wine is not as well balanced as the best Cabernets from Napa. What I call "Sonomian character" is very pronounced. We sampled the 2011 vintage during our tasting and I can say that the weather managed to spoil this wine as well - it is not as full-bodied as usual and more acidic than most 2011 wines. "Drummond Cabernet" vintage 2010 received a score of 93 points in a wine competition held by the magazine " Alcoholic Drinks"Naturally, the winery immediately raised the price from $45 to $50, however, and this price is acceptable, taking into account the 20% club discount. We usually buy several bottles in each club shipment.

Our last wine during the tasting was supposed to be Port Cande ( Kunde Port), but we asked to be replaced with "Reserve Cabernet" ( "Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon"). The main difference between "Reserve Cabernet" and "Drummond" is less acidity, smoother character and more complex taste. It still has a "Sonoma character" and is of course very different from the Bordeaux style wines - which doesn't make it worse, just a different style. The winery sells it for $60, so the $48 club price is pretty decent for such high quality.

This time we did not try their "basic" Cabernet Sauvignon "Kunde Estate" ( Cabernet Sauvignon "Kunde Estate") as we have tried it many times before. Cabernet "Kunde Estate" vintage 2010 won a gold medal in the San Francisco wine competition in 2013. The winery immediately raised the price on it: in the spring of 2014 they sold it for $25. In the supermarket practically across the street from the winery, you can buy it for $12, which is the lowest price I've seen. I think that a fair price for "Kunde Estate" is somewhere in the region of 16 - 17 dollars. I would call "Kunde Estate" the best entry-level Cabernet (with the exception of the 2011 vintage!) compared to, say, similarly priced Cabernets from BV or Sterlings.

There are two more Cande wines that are worth mentioning here - we have tried them many times on our previous visits. This is "Kunde Estate Sira" ( "Kunde Estate Syrah") and "Kunde Estate Merlot". Syrah is a very rich, heavy and "juicy" wine. It is significantly more expensive than the consumer wine like "Shiraz" from Australia (sold under the brands "Yellow Tail", "Rosemount", "Jacob's Creek", etc.), although the grapes used for it are the same - Syrah /Shiraz The price of "Kunde Estate Syrah" at the winery: $ 22 per bottle (club price - minus 20% of this) The main difference between "Kunde Estate Syrah" and inexpensive Australian Shiraz is quality Due to low-quality grapes and the high cost of good barrels from French/American oak, mass producers often artificially increase the tannin content of the wine by leaving the seeds and stalks in the must during fermentation. wine), and sometimes even bitter. Manufacturers from Napa and Sonoma (including Cande) do not go for such a deception: their tannins come from grape skins and oak in barrels, and seeds and st Fucking is immediately removed before fermentation, so the structure of their wine is softer and smoother. Finally, "Kunde Estate Merlot". It is an "everyday" wine of excellent quality, that is, its quality is much higher than any so-called. everyday wine, and the price can be simply ridiculous (see below), so you can drink it at least every day without fear of going broke. It's not as silky as many other Merlots, it's more "velvety" (which is a plus in my opinion). It also has this special "Sonomian" character. I probably wouldn't buy it often even at the club price ($17). Twice, however, I was able to buy cases of this Merlot during sales (called "End of Vintage"), and it cost only 99 bucks a case (8.25 bucks a bottle). Buying at this price is almost a steal, and stealing an Estate-grade wine from a respected producer of Sonoma Wines. No shop can beat this price. The best way to catch the "end of vintage" is through frequent browsing of their website, you can also subscribe to the newsletter or "like" the Kunde Estate Facebook page.

Wineries "Muscardini" and "Mayo Family" (Muscardini Winery and Mayo Famili Winery)

I combined my impressions of the Muscardini and Mayo family wineries because I can’t really say anything about the first of the two. We stopped at Muscardini only because we saw a poster by the road with their advertising of champagnes. However, their so-called. "champagne" was a complete disappointment. Although I haven't tried it myself, two of my pop drinkers have reported that their wine tastes like carbonated fruit juice and nothing more. I tried Barbera "Barbera") and "Super Tuscan Blend" ( "Super Tuscan" Blend) - they turned out to be unremarkable and against the background of real Californian wines (as well as the vast majority of Italian wines or wines made in the Italian style that I have so far managed to try), so I deliberately erased all impressions of them from my memory. The only wine from Muscardini that caught my attention was the traditional blend Meritage. I found it better than Kunde Meritage due to the significantly lower acidity. The wine also reminded me of good Bordeaux-style blends from Napa, but not quite on that level, of course.

The Mayo Family Winery was recommended by our Landmark hosts. It is located about 3 miles south of Kande, where Arnold Drive leaves the Sonoma Highway (Route 12). The winery is very small: the total production of wine is only 5,500 cases (66,000 bottles) per year. The quality of the wines, however, was surprisingly good. Their Chardonnay Laurel Hill belongs to the category of "crystal", which I appreciate so much. By the way, my wife's sister again noted that Chardonnay Laurel Hill it tasted like ice cream to her. Laurel Hill became one of her favorites on this trip. In my opinion, the price of $ 30 is quite fair for such a cool "plombir" wine. Next we tried two of their Zinfandels. "Basic" Zinfandel "Barnstormer" turned out to be quite a decent wine (it is, of course, better than all the other Zinfandels that are sold in stores), but asking 35 bucks for a bottle is perhaps too much. Such a high price, apparently, is due to the small size of the winery: one way or another, they need to justify their costs. But Zinfandel, which I really liked (I ended up buying one bottle), had a long name: 2009 Russian River Valley Ricci Vineyard Old Vines Zinfandel. It tasted less fruity than, say, Rombauer's reserve Zin or Kunde's "Century Vine", but it was very good nonetheless. I'm not sure if $40 is a fair price (probably a bit high considering there are other high quality Zinfandels in this price range). But I figured it would be nice to have this wonderful Zine, made in a tiny winery, just for comparison, in our modest collection of Zines from 3 areas: Russian River, Sonoma, and Napa.

Addendum 1: Map of the Sonoma Valley showing the location of the wineries described in the guide.

Appendix 2: Map of the Napa Valley (northern part) with the location of the wineries described in the "guide".

Napa - this word alone is enough to evoke the image of a truly world-class cabernet sauvignon or chardonnay. And I do not mean the city of Napa, located in the north of the Napa Valley, just where the Napa Valley is combined with Carneros. And I also don't mean Napa County, although it covers most of the area of ​​interest to us. Here the story will be about the Napa Valley, a short winding strip of land, rightfully considered one of the most valuable in the world for growing grapes. The Napa Valley stretches from the northern part of San Francisco Bay all the way to the foothills of the snow-capped peaks of Mount St. Helena. In some places, the valley is less than a mile wide, but it is the land that brought the California wine industry to the fore, and now, like a magnet, attracts money, ambition and minds from all parts of the world. To this day, Napa Valley sets the standard that not only California, but the world, must reckon with.

Napa's ancient Indian name was "Valley of Plenty". Indeed, it is enough to drive a couple of hours north of San Francisco to get into the valley and see this abundance in all its splendor. At the entrance, the valley is about 5 km wide, and it is all covered with a grape carpet.

The Napa Valley has always been an obvious place to start a career for any newcomer to winemaking, as the valley's climate has long been considered ideal for viticulture - away from the danger of frost, there was a normal amount of rainfall, there was rich soil and a very long, trustworthy ripening period, consisting of warm but not stuffy days. Such conditions are well suited for a good regular harvest, which allows winemakers to hone their skills, creating their own styles of wine.

The wines that brought Napa to the stars began to appear here in the 1970s. They amazed with their amazing bouquet. Both red and white wines had distinct personalities that were stunning, though not always refreshing. It was impossible not to notice them. However, they also brought to mind the well-known European proverb that in order to get the best wine, you need to make the grapes suffer. The grapes must struggle to ripen. The vine must be made to spread its roots deeper and deeper into not very nutritious soil, in order to find out what conditions it can withstand. And at the bottom of the Napa Valley, there is no such struggle at all.

The Napa Valley is a bright flat spot in the midst of mountainous terrain. In the 1960s and 1970s, many vintners began to find their wine a bit thicker and more mature than they needed, and the best vineyards were then planted in the wooded hilly area above the valley floor. On the spurs, the climate is colder and the soil is not so good - so the vines have to fight it. And of course, since we are talking about northern California, it is colder at the southern end of the valley, because there the Pacific mists besiege it day after day, thus lowering the temperature. In the north, where the fog no longer penetrates, the climate is naturally hot. Between these frontier regions, Napa produces an amazing range of wines.

Napa's reputation is based on Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon, but that doesn't mean that nothing else grows in the valley besides them. Pinot noir is also excellent, especially down in the southern part of the valley, where the cool climate gives the red wine a bright fruity flavor and considerable finesse. Sauvignon blanc can be both thick with a hint of oak and (although less often) sharp with gooseberry flavors. It is often referred to as Fume Blanc. Riesling also grows in the Napa Valley, more commonly referred to as Johannisberg Riesling, but is more successful when used to make a sweet wine with a hint of "noble mold". On the other hand, the warm parts of the valley may be too warm for a Riesling, while cool areas are more likely to be allocated to the more prestigious and profitable Chardonnay. Where the air has the highest temperature, good zinfandel and petit syrah grow - they give a wine with a short, chewy fruity taste.

But "cabernet" and "chardonnay" grows everywhere. The character of the resulting wines varies greatly, partly due to the whims of winemakers, partly due to the characteristics of the area. (The soil in Napa varies greatly from place to place, but even here the climate is a decisive factor in the style of the wine.) Many wines should be drunk young and have a rich fruity taste; others may be heavy and tannin-heavy at first, but after four or five years they soften to a pleasant cedar aroma. This style of wine is best produced in Rutherford, Oakville and hilly AVAs like Mount Veeder.

Chardonnay is now less thick and oily than it was a couple of years ago, and while many of the grapes still have a salad of flavors that include figs, melon, peach and lychee, each vying for dominance, and which come together with a buttery oaky tone, but the best Napa Chardonnays are drier, tougher, with a slight smoky, toasted bread flavor from the partially charred casks in which they age and ferment.

So, let's go through the main AVA areas. Napa Valley is also an AVA, but if you move north of the valley, then we will meet two important AVAs - Rutherford and Oakville. You must have heard of Rutherford Bench? This is actually where she comes from. It is inconspicuous - you can drive along the main road through the whole valley and nothing will seem to have changed - but Rutherford Bench is slightly elevated relative to the valley on the eastern edge of which it is located. Cabernet Sauvignon has been growing on this land for over 100 years and, as you might expect, the exact limitation of this primary area to Cabernet is constantly a matter of debate. It certainly continues in Oakville, spun off by AVA. Here was a plan that would define the boundaries of all the main cities of Napa, as is done with the communes in the Medoc. New AVA St. Helena doesn't claim to be Bench, but it certainly makes a nicely strong Cabernet. Rutherford, Oakville and St. Helena are the first in this line of new AVAs. They may be followed by Calistoga, Napa and Yountville.

On the hills along the eastern edge of the valley are the AVA Atlas Peak, Howell Mountain, Chiles Valley, and Pope Valley. They all produce a well aged cabernet that is elegant yet strong. Merlot and Cabernet Franc are also grown there, as the classic Bordeaux-style blends of these varieties are gaining popularity in California, as more winemakers see the advantage of filling skinny varieties of Cabernet with richer Merlot.

Along the hills to the east, the Stags Leap District descends into the valley. Rich, perfectly balanced cabernets and merlots grow there. The Mayacamas Mountains, which form the valley's western boundary, are home to AVA Spring Mountain, Mount Veeder, and Diamond Mountain. Vineyards in these places are planted at an altitude of more than 600 meters. The wines from these low-yielding vineyards (usually Cabernet Sauvignon grown there) are concentrated and aged for a long time. These are some of the best wines in California.

The further you climb the mountains, that is, the higher the grapes grow, the more likely you are to avoid cold fogs at such an altitude. If you're growing Pinot Noir, the mists are just right for you, so you won't be aiming for the sky. But if your goal is to make rich, mature dark cabernet and zinfandel, then the sun is your friend. And while Napa's incredible luxury has resulted in almost every variety of grape being planted there, the return of phylloxera (affected vines with phylloxera die only after a few years, but already 80 to 90 percent of all vines in the valley are infected with it) means that a global epidemic is brewing. transfer. And so winemakers do not just repeat from year to year what they did before, they are constantly trying to plant the best grapes and constantly monitor which variety will do better in a given place. Napa wine has a good chance of getting better and better.

Best winemakers: Beringer, Burgess, Cain, Cakebread, Caymus, Chateau Montelena, Clos Pegase, Clos du Val, Cuvaison, Dalla Valla, Diamond Creek, Domaine Chandon, Dunn, Flora Springs, Girard, Grace Family, Groth, Heitz Cellars, Hess Collection, Robert Keenan, Charles Kjug, La Jota, Mayacamas, Mondavi, Monticello, Mumm Napa, Newton, Niebaum-Coppola, Phelps, Raymond, St Clement, St Supery, Staler, Silver Oak, Silverado, Spotts-woede, Stag's Leap Wine Cellars, Stonegate, Stony Hill, ZD.

CLASSIFICATION

In general, the producer's name and label comments relating to grape variety, vineyard, and brewing style will tell you more than any AVA name.

ORGANIZATION

Napa is ruled by small and medium sized vintners and growers, although some wineries are owned by large multinational corporations. Most wineries have their own vineyards, but there is also a large group of farmers who are solely focused on growing quality grapes rather than making wine from them.

READING THE LABEL

In addition to the AVA system discussed above, the label (and not only from Napa) may contain the name "Meritage". This fairly common term means that the wine refers to a Bordeaux-style blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot, in whatever proportions the winemaker wants. Such wines may bear names referring to the vineyards where the grapes were grown and where the wine was made. Other wines are usually identified by the name of the respective grape variety.

ABOUT TASTE

The taste of these wines is definitely full. If it were possible to generalize these wines, then the resulting generalization should be characterized as a massive, ultra-ripe bouquet of swollen, sugar-filled grapes. For a while, it seemed that the winemakers were trying to extract the maximum bouquet from the grapes to guarantee the maximum amount of alcohol, and then they locked the wine in fresh, strong-smelling oak barrels for further aging. So in the end it turned out to be a wine that could only be tasted with a fork and knife in hand. Later, the wines became leaner and paler—sometimes too lean to be any pleasure.

The wines of Napa have been like a pendulum of fashion in the past few decades, but now they seem to have found their niche and stabilized in the middle ground. Yes, they are big, but they can be a little thin, and they have a balance.

GOOD YEARS

Areas with a marginal climate contain the largest number of crop varieties. This applies to the south of the county, as well as to those vineyards that nest on the hills.

2000 Good quantity and quality. Cabernet should be aged for several years, while Chardonnay is best drunk young.

1999 Moderate in size and unstable in quality vintage. There are several successful red wines.

1998 Patient winemakers were able to achieve optimal ripeness of the grapes.

1997 A gigantic crop with variable quality.

1996 Good year for chardonnay.

1995 Another small harvest.

1994 This year's best red wines.

1993 Nice vintage.

1992 The quality is different, the wines of the highest standard are successful.

1991 From good to very good.

1990 Lots of rich concentrated wine.

HOW TO DRINK THEM?

White wines are excellent with fresh-roasted fish and poultry, but they also pair well with the spicy and creamy flavors of more exotic dishes. Many red wines from Napa will overwhelm haute cuisine. Therefore, for a good combination, I would choose "red" meat - fried, grilled or stewed - you can add a little not too hard cheeses. The best sparkling wines would be good as an aperitif - this refers to those made by Champagne houses that have vineyards in California and make wine sometimes better than in their homeland. Such wines often also have sufficient body to be drunk throughout the entire meal period.

BUYER INFORMATION

WHAT AM I PAYING FOR?

Wines from Napa are quite expensive. But there are also cheaper examples: Napa winemakers have such a great sense of the market like no other in the world. If you buy, for example, wine from Mondavi, be prepared to give at least an arm or a leg for Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve. However, for a simpler Fume Blanc, you will be asked for much less. Remember also that in this atmosphere of high price and high quality, winemakers are constantly competing for the best compromise between the two.

AVAILABILITY

Good. The wines of Napa are so well known that most merchants will sell some wine from there, although the best examples are of course less available.

USEFUL INFO

Barrel-Fermented Chardonnay 1998 (Flora Springs) quality 9*, price 9*, value 8*
Merlot, 1995 (Shafer) quality 9*, price 7*, value 10*

Good Years: 1998, 1996, 1995, 1994, 1993, 1992, 1991, 1990

Taste note: Balance is key to Napa wines these days, whether it's a blackcurrant cedar Cabernet Sauvignon or a buttery Chardonnay. But also be prepared to find plenty of fruity flavors in the wines, as well as a rich aroma of fresh oak.

The climate of sunny California is the best suited for winemaking. The ripening of the grapes is facilitated by a long growing season, constant clear weather and the almost complete absence of precipitation. Thanks to all this, the state gives the world wines that are bright and rich in taste, which are in perfect harmony with the diverse local cuisine. The most prestigious wine "Zinfandel California" gives lovers and connoisseurs of good alcohol a huge range of taste emotions, but other varieties also have worthy parameters of aroma, main taste and aftertaste.

In the article:

Winemaking in California

If the northern United States is famous for its own and its corn version - then California is the abode of winemaking. The current California wine industry has existed for only 50 years, although the first vineyards appeared here in the 18th century. Not all parts of the state are able to produce wine of equal quality, which is almost entirely due to the different terrain and some differences in climate. For example, the extreme nighttime and daytime temperatures in coastal California give the grapes the opportunity to maintain their natural acidity levels and reach the desired sugar content.

Speaking of the hotter inland areas, they specialize in producing soft and open wines for daily consumption. Given the fact that California is a large piece of America, there are a myriad of wine varieties here. It is difficult to understand their quality, but there is one important indicator. If the bottle says “California” in huge letters, then you have a mass consumer product released in a low-prestigious part of the state. More expensive varieties of drinks have a specific place of production in their name, for example, Santa Cruz Mountains or Paso Robles.

Grape varieties grown in California

California wines are made from a large number of grapes of different varieties, Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay remain the leaders among them. In third and fourth place are Merlot and Zinfandel, respectively. Vineyards give a good harvest:

• Pinot Gris;
• Pinot Noir;
• Viognier;
• Syrah;
• Sauvignon Blanc, etc.

New vines have been actively planted since the beginning of 1999. Since that moment, the proportions of cultivated red and white varieties of grapes have changed greatly. As statistics show, red varieties began to occupy more than 60% of the area of ​​all vineyards, although earlier this figure was 56%.

Most Common California Wines

California wine is successfully sold all over the world, supplying the market with the following types of drinks:

Woodhaven California Cabernet Sauvignon

Cabernet Sauvignon. This is the most popular variety of red wine, which "made" fame for Californian producers. It differs from existing analogues by a full-bodied and powerful aroma, in which stable notes of blackberry and ripe cherries are mixed. Cult varieties of red Cabernet show a dense structure and excellent acidity, the ability to endure long exposure and gain flavor over 10-15 years.



California Merlot Wine

Merlot is a rapidly developing variety that pleases with an open fruity amber and multifaceted taste. In the latter, currant and cherry notes can be traced, a hint of meadow grasses and flowers slips through.



Salmon Creek Pinot Noir 2012

Pinot Noir is a wine made from grapes known to winegrowers for more than two thousand years. Not all manufacturers have learned to handle capricious berries. But those who mastered the intricacies of processing the variety began to produce rich and sophisticated drinks with a many-sided and persistent smell.



Don Sebastiani & Sons Aquinas

Syrah is a variety that allows you to make complex wine drinks, in the aroma of which you can feel notes of pepper, fruit, smoke and forest herbs.



Estrella Chardonnay 2011

Chardonnay is a grape that thrives in literally all coastal parts of California. Vinified in oak barrels, it turns into a rich drink, the aroma of which is replete with oaky and buttery hints, notes of melon and ripe fruit.

Zinfandel is a hallmark of California winegrowers

This wine has not only amazing taste, but also a rather interesting history of creation. The fact is that initially the variety was used to produce cheap drinks, which everyone could buy. As winegrowers learned to recognize the quality characteristics of Zinfandel grown in different parts of California, more expensive varieties of wines began to appear. The popularity of Zinfandel was facilitated by its following indicators:

• dense clusters with numerous small berries;
• beautiful dark purple color;
• pronounced taste qualities;
• the presence of fruity notes in the taste;
• good compatibility with other varieties (concerns blends);
• fast maturation.

Wine Grape Zinfandel

The organoleptic range of Zinfandel demonstrates the advantage of fruity notes, among which ripe cherries “sound” the loudest. In gastronomic terms, the product is ideal for eating with traditional American food, it is easy to drink and pampers with a pleasant amber.

Wine is actively used to create gravies or sauces, it is served with tacos and hamburgers, used for daily consumption and for the formation of a festive feast. The latter circumstance is facilitated by a wide variation in the strength of the drink. Among the existing range of wines from the Zinfandel variety, you can find specimens with a strength of 13.5 ° up to 20 °.

Eco-Vineing California

In 2003, California winemakers decided to bring their production under new environmental laws. According to the newly prescribed rules, wine must be made from grapes grown with minimal use of pesticides.

During production, a meager amount of electricity and water is spent, waste is processed into fertilizers, and vineyards are maintained not to the detriment of the habitat of insects, birds and animals of the environment.

There are five major wine regions in California: the North Coast, Central Coast, South Coast, Central Valley, and Sierra Foothills. They, in turn, are subdivided into districts, in which there are 70 American wine-producing areas (AVA).

The origin of the wine is indicated on the label in accordance with the requirements of the regulation.

North Coast

This region is located north of San Francisco and is subdivided into eight counties: Mendocino, Napa, Sonoma, Lake, Solano, Marin, Humboldt and Trinity. Of course, the most famous of them are Napa, Sonoma and Mendocino.

Mendocino

Some Mendocino vineyards are located in areas with a favorable fresh microclimate, where they make very elegant wines with a beautiful bouquet. As a rule, here, at the crossroads of the influence of the ocean and the winds blowing from the land, the nights are cool, and the afternoons are long and sunny. These conditions allow the grapes to develop slowly and gradually, reaching ideal ripeness.

Mendocino is home to six AVAs that produce all sorts of wines, from powerful reds to sophisticated and elegant whites.

Anderson Valley. Here, wines are made from varieties that are suitable for a cool climate: Pinot Noir, Gewurztraminer, Chardonnay. Note that in Anderson Valley there are excellent sparkling wines made from the same varieties as champagne.

Cole Ranch is known for its white wines and red wines based on Cabernet Sauvignon.

McDowell Valley. Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel varieties are cultivated here.

Mendocino. Chardonnay, Sauvignon, Zinfandel, Chenin Blanc are cultivated in this area.

Potter Valley and Red Wood Valley, located in the south of Mendocino, are distinguished by their red and white (Riesling and Chardonnay) wines.

Napa

Napa is characterized by a great variety of soil and microclimate. In the south, thanks to the temperature-regulating ocean, it is the coolest, in the center the climate is temperate, and in the north it is the hottest.

Napa is probably the most famous wine region in the world. The fresh microclimate of some of its vineyards and suitable soil make it possible to produce exceptional wines based on the Cabernet Sauvignon variety. Numerous wine companies, including some of the most prestigious in the world, have settled on the promising lands of Napa and introduced all the experience they have accumulated here. Napa also has an Italian influence in the cultivation of Sangiovese and Grignolino.

There are ten AVAs in Napa: Napa Valley (a generic name covering all other AVAs), Wild Horse Valley, Atlas Peak, Mount Veeder, Stag's Leap District, Howell Mountain, Spring Mountain Dtstrict, and Oakville and Rutberford. The last two districts are among the most prestigious in Napa. Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay grow here on gravel-bearing lands and in a climate that is considered cool in Oakville and temperate in Rutherford. In addition to these varieties, in Napa you can find almost any vine Gamay, Riesling, Chenin Blanc ...

The Los Carneros region (which Napa shares with Sonoma) combines a fresh and dry climate with poor soils, limiting grape yields. Here, perhaps the best results in California come from Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Sparkling wines are also produced in the area.

Sonoma

Sonoma is the "cradle" of modern Californian winemaking. Eleven AVAs and all European grape varieties are found here, since it was on these lands that they were planted in the first place. The local climate is diverse: from cooler in the south to hot in the north. And grape varieties accompany climate change. So, if Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, Riesling and Gewurztraminer give the best results in the south of the region, then in the north, for example, s Alexander Valley, Zinfandel, Cabernet Sauvignon, Chenin Blanc and almost all other varieties of grapes are represented. Sonoma has many wineries and many sparkling wine producers.

Sonoma AVAs: Alexander Valley, Chalk Hill, Dry Creek Valley, Knights Valley, Los Carneros, Northern Sonoma, Russian River Valley, Sonoma Coast, Sonoma County Green Valley, Sonoma Mountain, Sonoma Valley.

Other North Coast AVAs are: Solano County Valley and Suisun Valley in Solano; Willow Creek in Humboldt and Trinity counties; Benmore Valley, Clear Lake and Geunoc Valley in Lake County.

Central Coast

This region is located south of San Francisco and extends along the Pacific almost to Santa Barbara. It differs from the previous somewhat warmer climate and includes the following nine districts: Alameda (Alameda), Santa Cruz (Santa Cruz), Santa Clara (Santa Clara), San Benito (San Benito), San Luis Obispo (San Luis Obispo, Monterey, Contra Costa, San Mateo, Santa Barbara.

Alameda

There is only one AVA in Alameda County: Livermore Valley. In this area, preference is given to the cultivation of Bordeaux grapes, considering that the local climate and soil are similar to those of Bordeaux. By the way, sweet white wines like Sauternes are found here, as well as dry white, sparkling and thick red wines.

Monterey

The climatic conditions of Monterey are quite diverse. In several vineyards, in particular in the north-west of the district, a cool microclimate dominates, allowing such varieties as Gewurztraminer, Riesling, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir to flourish. Hotter regions favor the cultivation of Cabernet Sauvignon and Zinfandel for red wines, and Chenin Blanc and Sauvignon for whites.

The seven AVAs in this county are: Monterey, Arroyo Seco, Chalone, Carmel Valley, Hames Valley, San Lucas, Santa Lucia Highlands.

San Luis Obispo

San Luis Obispo County's largest AVA is Paso Robles, which produces excellent Zinfandel-based wines in its hot climate. Much cooler climate Edna Valley allows you to concentrate on the production of wines based on Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.

Other county AVAs: Arroyo Grand Valley, Santa Maria Valley, York Mountain.

Santa Barbara

Santa Barbara has two AVAs: Santa Maria Valley (shared with San Luis Obispo) and Santa Ynez Valley.

Due to the prevailing climate in this district, preference is given to the production of white wines, although among reds, due to the lower temperature, wines based on the Pinot Noir variety have the best reputation.

Santa Cruz

Santa Cruz County is home to two AVAs: Ben Lomond Mountain and Santa Cruz Mountains (shared with San Mateo and Santa Clara counties); the latter is the most famous.

Depending on the orientation of the vineyards in relation to the Pacific Ocean and the influence that it can have on them, preference is given to either Pinot Noir or Cabernet Sauvignon.

Other Central Coast AVAs: Cienaga Valley, Chalone, Lime Kiln Valley, Mount Harlan, Paseo Pass, Paisines, and San Benito in San Benito County; Santa Clara Valley and San Ysidro District in Santa Clara County.

South Coast

This region includes Los Angeles, Orange, San Diego, and Riverside counties. The South Coast is characterized by a very warm climate, because it is adjacent to the Mexican border. Ironically, this region is dominated by white wines based on Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Riesling and, of course, others more adapted to the local climate: Chenin Blanc and Muscat (sweet wines), which, of course, give the best results. Several red Italian varieties join here in addition to those we have met before.

The two South Coast AVAs of San Pasqual Valley in San Diego County and Temecula in Riverside are benefiting from a more favorable climate due to the proximity of the ocean.

Central Valley

The Central Valley is located between Sacramento and San Bernardino. It also includes Fresno, Kern, San Joaquin, Stanislaus, Tulare, Yolo, and Madera counties.

In the vast area of ​​this agricultural region, numerous crops grow in the neighborhood of vineyards, some of which are reserved for table varieties.

As far as wine is concerned, first of all, a huge amount of table wine is produced here, which is often used in various blends, as well as numerous wines called Madeira, Sherry and Porto. They are, of course, neither real Madeira, nor real sherry, and still less real porto, and are similar to them only in their color and sometimes in sugar content, despite the fact that sometimes they try to use the same grape varieties as in countries of origin of these wines.

It can be noted that the Central Valley is also the site of all sorts of experiments in crossing grape varieties and creating hybrids that are more adapted to the local climate and soil compared to European varieties. These are, for example, Rubirede, Ruby Cabernet and Carnelian. All of them are hybrids obtained from local varieties crossed with varieties suitable for the conditions of hot European countries. But despite this, the best results in the Central Valley are still produced by European varieties adapted to hot climates, such as Mourvèdre and Carignan for red wines, Colombard and Chenin Blanc for whites.

Note that AVA Lodi takes advantage of its somewhat more forgiving climate, and the quality of the local wines is considered the best in the Central Valley.

The Central Valley covers the following AVAs: Madera in Fresno and Madera Counties, Lodi in Sacramento and San Joaquin Counties, Dunnigan Hills, Meritt Island, and Clarksburg in Yolo County.

Sierra Foothills

This region is located between Sacramento to the west and Lake Tahoe to the east, just west of the Sierra Nevada. In the past, he experienced all the delights of the "gold rush" and then achieved great success in winemaking thanks to Italian immigrants, but suffered greatly from the "prohibition". Today it is known for its wines based on Zinfandel, Sauvignon, Chardonnay and several Italian varieties, notably Barbera, as well as for some Muscat dessert wines.

The local climate, sometimes harsh, with large fluctuations in temperature, makes it possible to produce wines with a powerful bouquet that can reach good quality.

The Sierra Fughills include the following counties: Amador with AVA Fiddletown, Shenandoah Valley; Calaveras (Calaveras); El Dorado, including AVA El Dorado and Shenandoah Valley; Mariposa (Mariposa); Nevada (Nevada); Place (Placer); Tuolumne; Yuba c AVA North Yuba.