Relative to Europe’s multi-millennia wine history, California is still just a baby. But whether or not France, Italy, and the rest of the Euro cohort care to admit it, the grand Golden State has fashioned an equally commanding seat in the boardroom of storied wine regions. It’s the unquestioned and unrivaled torchbearer for wine on the North American continent.
In 1976, Cali bested the French at their own game, shocking the socks off the appalled French members of the blind tasting panel at the Judgment of Paris. Subsequent re-judgments of the same wines over the years — in which the West Coast entries were even more dominant — have only further cemented the fact that California has undeniably arrived despite the condescending noise from haters.
Times continue to change, and California wine has changed with it. But a few examples, old and new, stand tall above the crowd for their distinction, ties to West Coast wine history, or just plain old “wow, this stuff is uniquely special.”
We queried seven of America’s most informed wine professionals to hear their nominees for the Mount Rushmore of California Wine. And as I ran a retailer specializing in small and iconic producers of California for the better part of a decade, I stuffed the ballot box with my own candidates as well.
What follows is a wall of greatness across the board, but often for very different reasons. With wine being such a dizzyingly complex and diverse landscape — and wine pros, well, predictably being wine pros — the list is peppered with esoteric passion picks that fly well under the radar and rarely, if ever, see wide exposure or recognition.
Also a fun observation: The idiosyncratic perspective from each expert is based on their specific role in the wine industry. Surprisingly, not a single wine was mentioned twice!
Take heed, fellow cork dorks. And if you have the coin, be sure to hunt down these living legends. Not all of them are prohibitively priced.
Note: Some quotes have been edited for clarity.
John Sumners
Drinks journalist and VinePair contributor; California and Portugal specialist; author: “There’s More Than Port In Portugal: The Unpretentious Guide to Portuguese Wine”
@grapeguzzling
Bedrock “The Bedrock Heritage” Red, Sonoma Valley: Somehow, inexplicably, Morgan Twain-Peterson managed to outdo his justifiably worshiped father, Ravenswood founder Joel Peterson. The student has now become the master for all things Zinfandel, old vines, and heritage vineyards. The Bedrock team continues to organize and advocate for the protection of these threatened, culturally irreplaceable sites via the Historic Vineyard Society. But this one? This one is their baby. The one they own. The gnarled, ancient vines they know like the back of their hand. It’s liquid history and heritage. Take a sip, ponder all the life’s work and multigenerational love that went into this land, and try not to cry into your glass.
Ridge “Monte Bello” Red, Santa Cruz Mountains: Cali Cabernet has received a lot of flak lately — fairly or not — for its modern homogeneity of style and profile. But no one can deny the distinctive greatness of this wine, its vineyard, and the overall role that Ridge has played in California’s history and in helping to pioneer site-specific cuvées. Napa gets all the love, and yeah, those wines are phenomenal as well. Yet in my humble opinion, this inimitable mountain magic is without question the most uniquely important Cab-based wine in the Western Hemisphere. Nothing like it anywhere lives up to all the hype, and still priced well below its Napa cult brethren.
Ramey “Hyde Vineyard” Chardonnay, Carneros: David Ramey is a legendary member of the Zelma Long-mentored winemaking tree. Nicknamed California’s “Professor of Chardonnay” for his refinement of classical techniques in the state, he makes wine through a Burgundian lens for sure. But he also proudly embraces the wondrous expressiveness of California fruit — as opposed to those winemakers misguidedly ashamed of its inviting glow. Hyde Vineyard was his O.G. bottling when striking out on his own terms in 1996, and it continues to drop jaws vintage after vintage. There’s just something about his elegant way of chiseling Hyde’s ebullient fruit without hiding its cheery warmth. A touchstone of California Chardonnay in all its glory.
Melville “Estate” Syrah, Sta. Rita Hills: It’s not famous, nor historical, nor expensive. But Syrah is my desert island red variety, and this is a super-savory, gamey cool-climate example that’d make Côte-Rôtie producers swoon. Western Santa Barbara is now revered for its Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, but it’s the Syrah (usually harvested in late November!) from these chilly, chalky soils that gives me goosebumps with every sniff and sip. Chad Melville continues to make what I consider California’s entry into the Syrah olympics. When I’m back in the Golden State, it’s the first thing I pick up.
Clara Klein
Lead sommelier, Sunday Vinyl
@clarantula
Dalla Valle “Maya” Red, Oakville, Napa Valley: The “Maya” wine from Dalla Valle is a significant emblem of California wine culture, representing innovation, legacy, and the pioneering spirit that has helped shape Napa Valley’s reputation on the global stage. I was lucky to work a small part of the harvest a few years ago with the razor-sharp Maya and iconic Naoko. In 1987, Naoko and Gustav Dalla Valle expanded their original vineyard by planting five acres of Cabernet Sauvignon, naming it the Maya Block, and introduced the first “Maya” wine blend in 1988, combining Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. The Maya Clone of Cabernet Franc, now proprietary to the estate, originated from Mount Veeder but remains unidentified due to lack of early records. I am continually amazed by the pure deliciousness and complexity of this wine.
Michael Cruse “Ultramarine” Sparkling Wine: Cruse completely redefined sparkling wine production by focusing on the expression of a single vineyard site and vintage, inspired by small grower-producers in Champagne who prioritize terroir over blending for a house style. Ultramarine is crafted with minimal intervention, using ambient yeasts and traditional methods like hand-riddling and disgorging to maintain purity and a strong sense of place. To boot, he always selects fruit from iconic California parcels of vines. It’s no wonder I save all of my tough questions on sparkling wine production for Michael when he comes to town. Thank goodness he is such a good sport!
Âmevive “Ibarra-Young Vineyard” Marsanne, Los Olivos District, Santa Ynez Valley: One of the first things my boss Bobby [Stuckey] and I bonded over was both pouring ’80s-era Bob Lindquist’s Qupé Marsanne on a tasting menu sometime during our career. The iconic Ibarra-Young Vineyard is a historic vineyard in the Los Olivos District AVA, originally planted by Charlotte Young in 1971 and still owned by her daughters. Since Alice Anderson and her partner Topher de Felice took over in 2019, they have continued its legacy with holistic, regenerative organic, and biodynamic practices on these 10 acres of own-rooted vines. It’s incredible to see how Alice continues to honor the legacy of this parcel of land while breathing new life into its wines.
Littorai “One Acre Vineyard” Pinot Noir, Anderson Valley: I would be remiss not to include the legendary Ted Lemon on this list. Ted and Heidi’s journey began in the early 1990s after Ted studied winemaking in Burgundy and worked with renowned vignerons. Littorai pioneered by-the-acre contracts, promoting balanced crop loads and encouraging organic and biodynamic vineyard management, with half of their production now estate-grown or managed using these environmentally conscious practices. In 1993, One Acre was the first vineyard-designated Pinot Noir that they ever produced and remains a wine that always seems to have its own gravitational pull.
Charles Antin
Global head of auction sales and auctioneer, Zachys Wine Auctions
@charlesantin
Heitz “Martha’s Vineyard” Cabernet Sauvignon, Oakville, Napa Valley: Since 1966, Heitz has been making this single-vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon of style and class. Napa wasn’t what it is today back then, so to have the foresight to bottle this as a standalone wine nearly 60 years ago is a true accomplishment. It’s far and away my favorite Napa Cabernet and one of the most distinctive — especially if you pop a bottle of the ’74.
Scar of the Sea “Bassi Vineyard” Chardonnay, SLO Coast: It’s at best a cliche to call a California Chardonnay “Burgundy-like,” and at worst insulting to winemakers on both sides of the equation. But what Mikey Giugni has done with his Bassi Chardonnay is to create something elegant, lengthy, persistent, and refreshing — a nod to the Old World but with California’s imprimatur.
Diamond Creek Cabernet Sauvignon, Diamond Mountain, Napa Valley: One of the first to make site-specific wines in Napa, Diamond Creek’s four wines (Gravelly Meadow, Red Rock Terrace, Volcanic Hill, and the rare Lake) have always impressed Bordeaux lovers, of which I count myself one. Al and Boots Brounstein created the winery from nothing in the mid-1960s, when creating four wines from one 20-acre parcel just wasn’t something that was done. The way these wines age is proof that they knew what they were doing: I recently opened an ’84 Gravelly Meadow and it was the wine of the night, next to many very old Bordeaux.
Screaming Eagle Cabernet Sauvignon, Oakville, Napa Valley: How could the Mount Rushmore of wine be complete without the founding father of cult California? Since their first vintage in 1992, made by Heidi Barrett, the brand has become synonymous (for better or worse) with high-end Cabernet Sauvignon, and today it is frequently on the auction block as one of the world’s most expensive wines — and certainly Napa’s most expensive. The thing is, it really is that good. When you drink it, which is invariably infrequently, it’s dense but not overly so, lengthy, elegant, and ages unbelievably well.
Camille Lindsley
Beverage director and owner, HAGS NYC
@lees_sleaze
Au Bon Climat “Hildegard” Pinot Blanc/Pinot Gris/Aligoté, Santa Maria Valley: Jim Clendenen is inarguably one of the greatest minds of California Wine of the last 100 years. He was down to earth, unpretentious, and making stunning wines that are (still!) modestly priced and forward thinking, especially for the SoCal area. While ABC is known for their beautiful Pinots and Chardonnays, this wine to me encapsulated a referential side of ABC that highlights Clendenen’s thinking in creating the winery. Named after Emperor Charlemagne’s wife Hildegard, who begged her husband to start drinking some white wines to avoid staining his beard, this bottle is an ode to the non-Chardonnay white grapes of Burgundy. Not their most well-known bottling, but one of the most distinct and memorable wines from ABC. While many wineries have made Burgundian-inspired wines in California, I’ve still never seen anyone make a wine like this!
Ashanta “Sankofa” Foraged Feijoa & Foraged Apples, Oakland/Occidental: New up-and-comers in the California wine scene, Will Basanta and Chenoa Ashton-Lewis of Ashanta Wines are crafting wines that are as delicious as they are innovative. Made from feijoa (a.k.a. pineapple guava) and foraged apples, this is sparkling, dynamic, and one of the most unique wines I’ve had coming out from the Golden State. Chenoa, a fifth-generation winemaker and fifth-generation Oakland native, grew up near Bushrod Park, played sports there growing up, and her grandparents attended Black Panther meetings at this same park decades earlier. Chenoa and Will noticed feijoa trees lining the blocks near Bushrod Park and decided to make a sparkling wine, co-fermented with foraged apples. The result is magic — a wine where the terroir, the story, and the taste are unforgettable.
Cathy Corison “Kronos Vineyard” Cabernet Sauvignon, St. Helena, Napa Valley: If I had to pick one classic Napa Cabernet, 10 out of 10 times it would be Cathy Corison’s Kronos. Cathy is a living legend of California wine and has consistently made gorgeous, well-crafted, timeless Napa Cabernet Sauvignons. The Kronos vineyard is Corison’s flagship — planted in 1971 and with most of the vines still remaining on their own rootstock. The wine is distinctly Napa, but distinctly different in style than the many super-ripe, oaky Cabernet Sauvignons of the braggadocio stripe. Her wines are restrained but generous, real gems of Napa!
Scythian Wine Co. “Revolution Red” Zinfandel/Palomino, Cucamonga Valley: Talk about history in a bottle! Scythian Wine Co. is a collaborative project helmed by master sommelier and wine superstar Raj Parr, the Galleano family, and Abe Schoener. Amazingly, this vineyard, planted in 1912, has never been irrigated or chemically treated and almost all of the vines are over 100 years old. Oh, it’s also in the middle of Los Angeles! Prior to Prohibition, Los Angeles was slated to become a major wine epicenter of the state, and this vineyard is a remaining piece of that history many wine professionals, myself included, aren’t taught about when learning about the state’s history. Prohibition is a wild time in American history and its impacts on wine culture, especially in California, cannot be understated. This wine is the embodiment of that history.
Matthew Horkey
YouTuber, wine writer, and international wine judge
@drmatthewhorkey
Small Vines Wines “Estate” Pinot Noir, Russian River Valley: Owned and operated by Kathryn and Paul Sloan, this small producer will make many a believer in Californian Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. They make several single-vineyard offerings, but the Estate Pinot Noir is well worth seeking out. In the past, the Pinot Noir from Sonoma was often too much of everything for me — fruit, oak, and alcohol. This wine is anything but that. It’s got the pretty dark fruit and perfume of great Pinot combined with the leather and mineral notes one might expect in stellar Côte de Nuits. With the prices of West Coast Pinot continuing to soar, scoop this one up while you can.
Zaca Mesa “Estate” Syrah, Santa Ynez Valley: How is this wine under $25? There’s no shortage of great Californian Syrah, and the bang for your buck compared to Cabernet is astonishing. Zaca Mesa is one of the oldest wineries in Santa Barbara County (many of the region’s great winemakers worked here at some point) and the first to plant Syrah back in 1978. This is readily available and accessible out of the gate, and is reminiscent of a high-end Crozes-Hermitage with bright California fruit. It’s the perfect wine to bring to a dinner party or crack open at home with a medium-rare steak.
Liquid Farm “Golden Slope” Chardonnay, Sta. Rita Hills: A small project by Jeff Nelson has gained critical acclaim in the last few years. He makes a slew of single-vineyard wines from some of Santa Barbara’s top sites and two staple Chardonnays: White Hill, which is an ode to Chablis, and Golden Slope that pays homage to the Côte de Beaune. I recently pulled a bottle of 2015 from the cellar and shared it with several European wine professionals, which raised all of their eyebrows. This wine has impeccable balance in its youth, and you don’t have to worry about premature oxidation with time in the bottle. The wine itself is stellar and the beautiful label belongs in a class all by itself.
Harlan Estate Red, Oakville, Napa Valley: Yes, this is one of the cult Cabernets from Bill Harlan, but the recent vintages are a balance of the classic California Cab with the tobacco and mineral notes you’d find in Pauillac. Harlan Estate’s flagship red wine is the antithesis of the stereotypical big, burley Napa Cab. There’s real finesse here, and the wine is delicious in its youth. Unfortunately, the price is out of reach for most pocketbooks, but it remains one of the most impressive American red wines that I’ve ever tasted.
Ben & Yolanda Papapietro
Winemaker and co-founders, Papapietro-Perry Winery
@papapietroperrywinery
Williams Selyem “Rochioli Riverblock Vineyard” Pinot Noir, Russian River Valley: Burt Williams and Ed Selyem started their journey with a few tons of grapes back in the early 1980’s as one of the original garagistas. They eventually had a cult-type following and truly put Pinot Noir from the Russian River Valley on the map. The vineyard is on the banks of the river, with cool foggy evenings and warm sunny days. This wine was their first vineyard designate back in the mid-1980s. The nose is rich with plenty of dark bramble berry flavors and dry herbs.
Benovia “Cohn Estate” Pinot Noir, Sonoma County: This is a small family-owned estate with plantings primarily of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. This flagship wine is from their oldest estate vineyard, and they describe this as “a painfully low-yielding” vineyard, with only one ton per acre. However, the intensity of the fruit shines through with a dark ruby color, complex flavors of cherry and a subtle floral hint, nice minerality, and a lovely long finish.
DuMOL Chardonnay, Russian River Valley: This winery was started in 1996, with Andy Smith in the winemaking position since the early 2000s. He became a partner and finally purchased the winery in 2015 with other investors. Although they own several of their own vineyards, they do source from various locations in the Russian River Valley, Green Valley, and Sonoma Coast. This Chardonnay is bright, crisp and has just the right amount of rich fruit flavors to make it a perfect accompaniment to rich buttery pasta sauces, creamy cheeses, pork, shellfish, or chicken. It is a favorite go-to wine (when you can find it). The lots are small and the wine can be hard to find since it sells out quickly when they release to their members.
Rochioli “Little Hill” Pinot Noir, Russian River Valley: The Rochioli family has been farming in Sonoma County since the 1920s when Joe Rochioli Sr. and his family emigrated to the United States from outside of Lucca, Italy. They farmed on the Wohler Ranch and eventually started farming their own property in the 1930s. Tom Rochioli is a third-generation winemaker and produces several wonderful wines from their properties. Little Hill is outstanding with intense cherry, cinnamon, and wonderful minerality. They have received many accolades through the years, and the fourth generation is now part of the operation.
Rick Jones
Proprietor, Napa Valley Winery Exchange
Singer “Baker Lane Estate” Syrah, Sonoma Coast: While celebrating their 20th vintage, Stephen Singer’s efforts remain somewhat unknown except to a few in the industry. Located in Sebastopol in western Sonoma, his vineyard focus is solely on the Northern Rhône varieties of Syrah and Viognier. The cool microclimate of his vineyard allows longer hang time for the grapes, resulting in wines with layered complexity, balance, and depth, while providing just the right amount of acid to support the fruit.
Schramsberg “J Schram Blancs” Sparkling Wine, North Coast: I’ve long been a “Champagne only” type of guy — and still feel the best sparkling wine comes from there — but you have to give it up for Schramsberg, one of the oldest wineries in California. For years, the quality of it has been ignored simply because it wasn’t made in the Champagne region. I admit to thinking this way in the past, a position I now consider a failure to my profession. This sparkling wine absolutely rocks. And when tasted side by side with various vintage Champagnes, it’ll convince you of how far we’ve come in matching the quality.
Wayfarer “Estate” Pinot Noir, Fort Ross-Seaview: Jason Pahlmeyer is a flashy guy, and if given the chance, I’d encourage you to shake his hand. You’re likely to learn something about this growing region, one that he’s clearly passionate about. With no disrespect to other regions, some of the best Chardonnay and Pinot Noir come from this AVA in Sonoma Coast. Finding truly memorable Pinot Noir is rare, especially younger ones. Yet if I were going to mark an “X” on the Pinot Noir map of California, this is where I found the gold!
Anthem Winery, Napa Valley: I rarely discover a winery that can impress my parsimonious rating system across the board with all of their wines, but Anthem Winery surely comes close. For a winemaker to show such precision with multiple varietals is a rare talent indeed, which makes it hard to pick just one to recommend. Their Sauvignon Blanc, Merlot, and two Cabernets are stunning, so it’s up to you and how deep your pockets are to choose. I realize the risk people face relying on a reviewer’s opinion alone when purchasing an expensive bottle of wine, but in this case, I honestly believe you’ll agree after your first taste.
The article The Mount Rushmore of California Wine, According to 8 Wine Experts appeared first on VinePair.