The new wave of Californian wines: 6 bottles you should be drinking

Our wine columnist Nuria Stylianou on why you shouldn't dismiss Cali wines
Give Californian wines a chance...
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Nuria Stylianou23 March 2016

Californian wines often get short shrift for being too big and bold, the loudmouth at the party - high in alcohol and extraction techniques. Think Californian and you may automatically think of chardonnay: full-bodied, high alcohol, low in acidity and packed with in-your-face flavours of oak, butter, vanilla and too much fruit. You might also think of pinot noir, with overly baked and jammy red fruit flavours. Perhaps you make a point of skipping right over these when thirstily eyeing up the wine list.

Blame the Nineties and the then-popular style of chardonnay, hosed down with these overpowering characteristics - like a teenage boy who’s overdone the Lynx. This is down to techniques used in the winery. Pushing the envelope in terms of ripeness and oak has little to do with the grape itself and its natural capabilities. The promotion of this heavier, oaky style is to blame for a sea of chardonnay critics.

Thankfully, the American mantra of “bigger is better” is no longer the case. Premium chardonnays are being produced in cooler Californian regions, such as Carneros and Russian River Valley, with a lightness of touch and showing more restraint, evoking the Burgundian styles that are so loved and trusted (think Chablis, or a Meursault with its with crisp, fresh fruit and minerality).

Californian wines

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This is largely due to In Pursuit of Balance, an organisation set up in 2011 seeking to change the outdated view of California pinot noir and chardonnay wines. It champions the winemakers who are steering clear of high alcohol and high extraction methods. Bigger is not better, balance is better - working with the grapes and their natural surroundings with minimal manipulation in production techniques, allowing the expression of terroir to shape the final product. Fruit, acidity, structure and alcohol all work in harmony with no single element dominating. Looking towards Europe in style, use of oak in chardonnay is no longer heavy-handed; alcohol is moderate and acidity is high due to harvesting at lower sugar levels.

And the pinots are also more expressive of the cooler-climate terroirs, maintaining the natural acidity without being overly jammy and balanced with minimal intervention in the winery.

So, next time you’re out shopping or browsing online, if you’re in search of a pinot that’s light with gamey or vegetal aromas, or you’re simply restocking a favourite Meursault, head straight to the Californian section and leave that judgemental face at the door.

Nuria Stylianou is our WSET-qualified wine and spirits columnist. Email her on nuria.stylianou@gmail.com and follow her on Instagram @nu_on_the_vine

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