Vintages - Places in the Sun

The sun can seem especially far away at this time of year, so why not bring it home? Let the wines of sunny California, from regions like Napa, Sonoma, Paso Robles, Monterey, Lake County and the Sierra Foothills, brighten your evening. Read on and let your imagination (and taste buds) savour the sunshine.

Sun-kissed, fog-cooled vineyards have made the tiny Napa Valley a champion wine region of the New World, with top wines that stand shoulder to shoulder with the great names of the Old World. Napa’s rich, varied assortment is made possible in large part by its diverse soils, which encourage exquisite Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Noir, Merlot and Zinfandel, and some of the most iconic, sought-after Cabernet Sauvignons in the world.

With more soil types than France, Sonoma crafts a seemingly endless array of vinous expressions and varieties. The Russian River Valley is famous for its Chardonnay and Pinot Noir sourced from the region’s cool, foggy areas. Varied and hilly topography creates warmer pockets where Zinfandel, Cabernet and Merlot can also ripen evenly. The gravelly soils of the Alexander Valley are ideal for Cabernet Sauvignon, creating famously elegant expressions. Chardonnay, Merlot and Zinfandel also perform well here, as do Sauvignon Blanc, Viognier, Cabernet Franc and Malbec.

Monterey is best known for its vibrant Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, which excel in its fog-cooled coastal vineyards. But complex, varied mesoclimates, including sites with some of California’s longest growing seasons, allow more than 42 varieties to be grown here. Monterey Country is approximately 145 kilometres from north to south and contains eight distinct sub-regions.

Home to winemaking since the late 1700s, Paso Robles is a breathtaking tapestry of rolling hills, flatlands, rivers and mountains. The area has maintained a strong, independent cowboy culture, and most of the 200+ wineries are family-owned. Daytime temperatures of between 29 and 40°C that drop  to 12-18°C overnight allow Zinfandel, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah, Grenache, Viognier and Roussanne to develop intense flavour and varietal character.

Lake County is just north of Napa and Sonoma. The majority of the vineyards are planted near Clear Lake, California’s largest body of freshwater. The combination of the aspect, the impact of Clear Lake and the poor quality of the soil produce impressive concentration and intensity in the region’s Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Zinfandel and Sauvignon Blanc.

Winemaking in the Sierra Foothills began in the 1800s but was cut off by Prohibition, reappearing again in the 1970s. In contrast to regions where vines were torn up for other agricultural options, vineyards here were merely abandoned, bequeathing the area a wealth of old-vine Zinfandel plantings. 

Many top-flight wines, like the Orin Swift Abstract 2020, are blended from fruit sourced from prime sites in different AVAs across California. As a result, they are simply designated “California” on the label.