Looking at the modern era, post-WWII, what wines were most important to the California wine industry? It's not the best, or most expensive, or even the most popular, but what wine most helped make the state's and the country's wine industry the giant it is today in the premium wine market.
Gallo Hearty Burgundy
Many people's first California wine was from this jug during the state's high-growth years of the 60s through the 80s. In those days many were also drinking rotgut like Strawberry Hill or Bartles & Jaymes, but didn't necessarily associate it with California wine. Hearty Burgundy has been around since the '60s and is a blend of Central Valley Zinfandel, Petite Sirah, and other grapes, with the "magic" being that it tastes the same every year. Today it's probably Gallo's Barefoot, André sparkling, Carl Rossi, or maybe Apothic. Yeah, all the wines mentioned here are from Gallo.
Chateau Montelena Chardonnay
The Judgement of Paris, 1976. It's the upstarts vs. the establishment. Spoiler alert: the California upstarts won. Chateau Montelena's 1973 Chardonnay is still revered for that victory. Interestingly, Stag's Leap 1973 Napa Valley Cabernet beat out all the fancy Bordeauxs in the red wine judging, but lacks the reputation that Montelena has. People still buy Montelena's Chardonnay because of that event almost 50 years ago.
 |
| Chateau Montelena Winery |
Mondavi Fumé Blanc
Fumé Blanc is Sauvignon Blanc in a style invented by Robert Mondavi in the 1960s. At the time most Sauv Blanc was blended into various sweet white wines. Mondavi made his dry, then aged it in oak barrels. There is no legal definition for the name Fumé Blanc, so anyone can use it. Often it's not oak aged nowadays. Mondavi's Fumé became one of their most popular wines and is still highly-regarded today. This wine was probably the first white wine purchase by many people that wasn't Chardonnay.
If you go back 25+ years you'll find most California red wines, Cabernet especially, were dry and tannic when young. You may have heard of different techniques used in the vineyard and the winery to tame those tannins and make the wines more approachable when young. This all started with the Caymus Cabs in the 1970s when instead of making it tight, tannic wines like they do in Bordeaux he went for ripe and fruity and easy to drink on release. This is the predominant style for Napa Cabs today. Even Old World wineries are copying what Caymus pioneered.
Sutter Home White Zinfandel
In the 1980s Zinfandel was falling out of favor. There is a belief that many Zin vineyards were saved by the sudden popularity of the "soda pop wine," white zinfandel. Whatever you may think of it, Sutter Home has made untold millions of cases of the stuff and got a lot of people drinking California wine.
Wente Chardonnay
In the early 20th century Wente imported Chardonnay cuttings from France. Most of California's Chardonnay is now from what's known as the Wente clone.
Kendall-Jackson Vintner's Reserve Chardonnay
Fruity, soft, somewhat sweet and a Chardonnay for the masses (that's not meant in a bad way). Several years ago I talked with a guy who was a winemaker with KJ in the early-80s. He thought he screwed up a batch of Chard by leaving residual sugar in it. Turned out to be his best mistake ever.
The Benziger wine family made their money in the 1980s with a $5 "reserve" Chardonnay that sold millions of cases. This was a go-to "real" California wine for many because it was affordable. There was a Proprietor's Reserve Red, too. How much of it was sold because it was labeled reserve was always a point made by those upset he used the reserve name on a cheap wine, or maybe by those that were jealous of his success. The Benziger family sold off the Glen Ellen label long ago and moved into premium wines.
A. Rafanelli Zinfandel
Zinfandel is the all-American grape (from Croatia!), has its home in California, is Sonoma County's secret, and the king of Dry Creek Valley. Rafanelli popularized, and for some people still sits at the peak of premium Zinfandel. This is even though they are a small, family operation that many have never heard of.
 |
| Rafanelli Winery, nope not fancy |
Opus One
A collaboration between Robert Mondavi and Baron Phillipe de Rothschild to make a Bordeaux-style wine to rival, well, Bordeaux. Opus was founded in 1978 and caused quite a stir. It was expensive, it was good, and the Opus One estate was somewhere everyone wanted to visit. It was built across the highway from Mondavi's winery. This was the introduction to a super-premium wine for many consumers. Now Napa is full of such places.
Some of this information borrowed from americanheritage.com
No comments:
Post a Comment