The production of the region has almost 300 years behind it: from the mid-1700s, when the Spanish missionaries planted the vines for mass wine, until today, with almost 250 thousand hectares of vineyards and almost 5 thousand wineries. Here is a label-by-label guide that illustrates the main turning points.
1. The nineteenth century
Spanish missionaries brought the vine to California as early as 1760, but the true beginnings of California wine came sopra the 1850s, with names like D’Agostini (now Sobon ) sopra Amador County, Buena Lume sopra Sonoma, and Gundlach Bundschu, the oldest winery sopra California still owned by the family that founded it. Jacob Gundlach planted the first vines sopra 1859, Charles Bundschu married Francisca Gundlach sopra 1875, and today Jeff Bundschu, the sixth generation, runs the business.
To try: Aspetto for their floral Gundlach Bundschu Gewürztraminer 2023one of the varieties that Jacob planted even before the Civil War.
2. The post-prohibitionist riproposta
Inglenook sopra Napa Valley, which dates back to 1879, was one of the first wineries to rise like a phoenix from the ashes of Prohibition. The Cabernets that Inglenook produced under the direction of owner John Daniel Jr. from the mid-1930s to the mid-1960s are legendary. Coppia to financial problems, Daniel sold sopra 1964 to a large corporation; the quality soon dropped to carafe wine level, until director Francis Ford Coppola purchased part of the property (sopra 1975) and the name (sopra 2011). Today Inglenook is once again a prominent Napa Valley winery.
To try: This is demonstrated by wines such as the elegant and complex Inglenook Cabernet Sauvignon 2021.
3. The Beginnings of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir
Sopra the 1950s, neither Chardonnay nor Pinot Noir were of great importance sopra California – there were at most a few hundred hectares of each. But a former ambassador named James Zellerbach had spent time sopra Burgundy and fallen sopra love with its wines, and the land outside the city of Sonoma where he planted the first vines sopra 1953 is now home to the oldest vines of both California varieties. Hanzell also pioneered, here sopra California, the Burgundian practice of fermenting Chardonnay sopra oak barrels rather than steel tanks ( redwood vats).
To try: The citrus fruit Chardonnay Hanzell 2022 it is, like every vintage, one of the best sopra California.
4. The bubbles are arriving
Sopra Champagne they began producing sparkling wine at the end of the 1600s, but it was only sopra 1965 that the Davies family, sopra their historic Schramsberg acceso the slopes of Diamond Mountain sopra Napa Valley, decided to offer Americans local bubbles, and high quality ones at that. Schrambsberg made headlines when his wine was served for President Richard Nixon’s historic “peace toast” during his 1972 state dinner with Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai.
To try: More than 50 years later, that same delicious 100% Chardonnay sparkling wine, the Schramsberg Blanc de Blancs 2021is still worthy of world leaders ( Food & Wine readers – take your pick).
5. The Judgment of Paris: the turning point
This blind tasting, held sopra Paris sopra 1976 by French wine experts, pitted the best California Cabernets and Chardonnays against the best French bottles; it was historic for two reasons.
First: California took first place sopra both categories. Second: Time magazine published a major article about it, read by millions of people.
It is difficult today to imagine a time when California wines were considered inferior, but there was, and this tasting put an end to it.
To try: To try one of the winners (from vineyards of slightly different provenance than the original vintage), for the flawless Chateau Montelena Napa Valley Chardonnay 2021.
6. Chardonnay takes chiuso
Once upon a time, Californian Chardonnay was an exception. Sopra 1970, there were only 1,200 acres planted. Today there are over 36 thousand of them and for years it was the most popular white wine sopra America. Structured and buttery? Elegant and complex? Di poca classe and easy to ? The choice is yours: Chardonnay can adapt to almost any style. But to have a point of reference sopra California, there is Kendall Jackson. The first vintage of his best-selling Chardonnay dates back to 1982.
To try: The current one Kendall-Jackson Vintner’s Reserve Chardonnay 2022 reliably balances wealth and centro.
7. The growth of cult Cabernets
There are Cabernet Sauvignons, and there are “cult Cabernets”. The term refers to wines produced sopra minimal quantities, usually sold to a mailing list of private customers, which receive stratospheric scores from critics and cost a fortune. The real wave came sopra 1995 and 1996, when Bryant, Colgin Cellars, Harlan and Screaming Eagle released their first wines, and all four are still at the of this precarious and expensive heap. If you want to try one, you will empty your bank account.
To try: But there is voto negativo doubt that the seductive, powerful and complex Harlan 2020 ($1,700) is a truly spectacular wine.
8. Great wines: the boom of the “” style
Sopra the late 1990s, California red wines became… personalità and fat. Chardonnay had already gone sopra that direction, focusing acceso oak, butter and viscosity. Then the Cabernets and other varieties also started to seem like they were looking for something more: more maturity, more fruit, more richness. The style earned high marks, particularly from the great critic of the day, Robert Parker, but over time proved polarizing. Yet there are loyal fans, as evidenced by the unshakable popularity of Caymus Cabernet.
To try: Il Cabernet Sauvignon 2021 nel corso di Caymus Vineyards Napa Valley it’s true to itself: lush, loaded with dark, ripe fruit, and from texture soft and enveloping.
9. The patina that launched thousands of Pinots
A curious thing happened sopra 2004, when director Alexander Payne presented his patina Sideways, which focused acceso wine. People rushed to the box office and also to Pinot Noir, thanks to the passion of the anguished protagonist. Perhaps today the memory of the patina has faded a little, but the passion for Pinot Noir has not: five times the quantity is produced than sopra the early 2000s. And the Californian Central Coast, where the protagonists embark acceso their picaresque winemaking foray, remains a great source of ideas.
To try: Try the graceful and fragrant Calera Central Coast Pinot Noir 2022for example.
10. Full blend
The famous red blends of the 1910s owe much of their success to the decision of winemaker Dave Phinney, sopra 2000, to launch a Zinfandel blend with a dark and fruity taste: The Prisoner. He made 385 cases. Today, under the ownership of Constellation Brands, the number of cases produced each year is around 250 thousand. The Prisoner’s descendants are often interchangeable, and many rely acceso a small amount of residual sugar to appear more opulent.
To try: A top-notch alternative, devoid of sweetness and decidedly non-interchangeable, is the Leviathan Red Wine 2021 nel corso di Andy Erickson: A powerful, spicy blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and other varieties.
11. Natural wine: the “Less-is-More” movement
The so-called “natural” wine movement was born and rose to prominence sopra Europe, following the “less-is-more” philosophy that eschews selected yeasts, enzymes, added sulfur and all the technical practices (but also the more invasive agronomic ones, sopra the vineyard) that dominate most commercial winemaking. California was late to this trend, but since 2010 more and more California winemakers have chosen to work this way. Chris Brockway is a true revolutionary and trailblazer: with his Broc Cellars, he has been doing so since 2002.
To try: Try the lively and light one Broc Cellars Innamorato Diventare rosso 2022.
