Fine Wine from the United States of America

Joseph Phelps Winery, United States of America

Overview and History

Wine has been made in the US for over 400 years, but it is not until the second half of the 20^th century, when economic development set in after the second world war, and especially starting in the 1970s, when California’s iconic lighthouse wine producers started bringing change and renewed winemaking interest across the country. Today, America is the world’s fourth largest wine producing country behind France, Italy, and Spain.

The US has its own appellation system, known as ‘American Viticultural Areas’ or AVAs, of which there are around 200. AVAs indicate, first and foremost, the region of origin where grapes are grown, and more than half of the total AVAs are in California. The most planted grape variety in the US is Chardonnay, with Cabernet Sauvignon and Pinot Noir also of major importance; and Merlot and Zinfandel following closely behind.

All 50 states produce wine to some extent, but California accounts for 90% of the country’s total wine output, and is way ahead of the next three states, Washington, Oregon, and New York. Furthermore, Texas and Virginia are starting to get a bit of attention abroad. 

California is the largest and most important wine region in the US (almost a super region) – close to 90% of all American wine comes from the state. Northern California is red wine country and dominated by Cabernet Sauvignon; Napa Valley is the most famous wine region, although only 4% of California wines come from Napa.

George Calvert Yount planted the first vines in Napa in 1836 - the Napa AVA Yountville is named after him. Around 20 years later the first winery appeared in 1854. Montelena, Inglenook, and Ridge are some of the first wineries to be founded in California in the late 1880s. The Mondavis were some of the first people to plant Bordeaux varieties in the decades following the Second World War, and the late 1960s and 1970s saw many of the top estates we know today being founded, including Phelps, Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars, Montelena and Spottswoode.

Californian wines’ success at the Judgment of Paris in 1976 – beating several of Bordeaux and Burgundy’s finest producers in a blind tasting hosted by Englishman Steven Spurrier – was the real beginning of modern times for California, and American wine as a whole, and following this event, the top wines swiftly rose to global renown.  The late 1980s and 1990s saw the influence of Robert Parker and the arrival of so-called cult wines, with tiny productions, high Robert Parker ratings, and often astronomical prices, including Screaming Eagle and Sine Qua Non.

Key Grape Varieties

Today Cabernet Sauvignon is only the second most planted grape variety in California, after Chardonnay which covers almost 20% more land. Merlot also enjoys great popularity. Topography and soil types vary, throughout the state, with altitudes, proximity to ocean and mountains, but generally cooler coastal areas are planted to Pinot Noir and Chardonnay whereas the hotter inland regions are kept for Cabernet Sauvignon and other Bordeaux varieties.

The wines (especially the Cabernet and Bordeaux Blends) are amongst the finest in the world, still today frequently competing for supremacy with the classic European regions, but in comparison the aromatic profiles, of the Californian wines, are often bolder and riper, with fuller bodied palates and denser more opulent textures, nevertheless though, in the finest examples this is all balanced by firm acidity, velvety tannins and long lengths.  

Key Regions and Sub Regions

In the US, we focus on California which is broken down into several key sub regions, which are:

• Napa Valley
• Santa Cruz Mountains
• Sonoma County