The 17 Most Important California Vineyards All Wine Lovers Need to Know
A great trick for buying the best bottles of California wine? Memorizing the names of top vineyards so you can spot them on labels.
Prepare yourself. You're about to learn a new life hack in the realm of wine selection. No longer will you stare blankly in the grocery store wine aisle wondering which wines are the ones you want to take home; no longer will the wine labels stare back at you and laugh with disdain at your ignorance; no longer will you bring home a dud and lose the respect of your family and friends.
If you can't memorize the thousands of winemakers around the world and keep a mental note of which wines are guaranteed to delight and which wines should get drained down the sink, there's one trick to identifying the best potential bottle of wine: knowing the name of top vineyards that might appear on the label.
Okay—this isn't completely foolproof, but many of the great producers share grapevines from distinct appellations with the most desirable soils and climates before turning those grapes into vinous gold. Simply knowing the names of these hallowed vineyards supplying the magic fruit is a smart way to streamline the wine-buying process and increase your chances of picking a real prize. To keep things relatively simple, this list here only includes a handful of top California vineyards. Truth be told, this is by no means a complete list. It could easily be doubled or tripled (and to list every worthy vineyard would be to write a sizable book, so if you're a book agent, I'm up for the gig!), but the vineyards listed here are among the larger, highly-sought-after sites that sell grapes to multiple producers in California.
Take a look and get familiar with these names. You'll never look at the wine aisle the same way again.
5. Dutton Ranch
Not all great vineyards come in tidy packages of a single contiguous property, and to prove it, there's Dutton Ranch, an archipelago of 74 variously-sized vineyards (none larger than about 50 acres) boasting 1,100 combined total acres of pristine grapevines across the Russian River Valley and Green Valley AVAs. It's a kind of Burgundian model, with one family—the Dutton family—in charge of the entire range of vineyards, leasing out entire vineyard blocks or individual rows to various producers. Dutton Ranch is owned 50/50 by brothers Joe and Steve Dutton. Meanwhile, Joe and his wife, Tracy, own a wine label called Dutton Estate, and Steve and Dan Goldfield are partners in Dutton Goldfield wines.
The origins of Dutton Ranch date back to 1964 when Joe and Steve's parents bought the 35-acre "Home Ranch" site in Graton, CA. Today, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir lead the pack, along with plantings of Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling, Syrah, and some old-vine plantings of Zinfandel. You'll want to look for either "Dutton Ranch" on a label, as well as names of their single vineyards, like Emerald Ridge, Morelli Lane, and Shop Block. Emerald Ridge, for instance, is planted to Pinot Noir, Syrah, and Viognier, and takers are Dutton Estate, Dutton Goldfield, Chappellet, Nickel & Nickel (for En Route), and DuMOL.
Producers: The Calling, Chappellet, Davis Family, DuMol, Dutton Estate, Dutton Goldfield, En Route, Francis Ford Coppola, Kistler, Marine Layer, Migration, Patz & Hall, and Siduri
Wines to Try:
2018 Dutton-Goldfield Dutton Ranch Pinot Noir Emerald Ridge Vineyard Russian River Valley, Green Valley ($68)
Black cherry and black raspberry notes, broad, with a vibrant candied red berry mid-palate and whispers of cinnamon, vanilla, silky tannins, and cedar through a mocha and candied violet finish.
2018 Chappellet Grower Collection Pinot Noir Dutton Ranch Russian River Valley ($49)
Lofty baked cherry pie spices, orange peel, flamed grapefruit; expansive with chalky tannins and hen of the woods earthy notes, forest floor, and mixed wild berry flavors, finishing long and strong with zingy acidity and zip. Find it at vivino.com.
2018 Marine Layer Jentoft Vineyard Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast ($60)
Black cherry, wet river stones, smoky wild herbs; medium-bodied with distinct underbrush notes, forest pine, and creamy dark berry fruit framed by elegant and savory tannins, and good grippy acidity. A lingering zesty smoked grapefruit note takes this wine home.
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