Premium California wines to buy in 2018

Anne Krebiehl MW picks out 33 exciting Californian wines that impressed her at a recent tasting in London...

Sunshine in St James’s Street spelled the right kind of weather for a tasting of premium Californian wines in May, and the self-styled ‘American-inspired’ restaurant Avenue was the perfect backdrop, a space flooded with light that’s dedicated to contemporary, sophisticated American dining.

The tasting was hosted by four UK wine merchants who have championed Californian wine and built up enviable portfolios of both blue-chip estates and high-achieving newcomers – Vineyard Cellars, The Wine Treasury, Roberson Wine and Flint Wines.

It afforded me an excellent chance to pick out some top premium California wines that are represented in the UK, and which will offer plenty of drinking pleasure. A bonus was the opportunity to taste some of the more powerful wines with a little bottle age: it shows how well they can evolve and how much mileage there still is ahead.

Scroll down to see Anne’s tasting notes and scores for over 30 premium California wines

Diversity

California’s coastline is 840 miles long, covering almost ten degrees of latitude from San Diego to the Oregon border, creating numerous spots where vines excel.

It’s this scale that helps to produce different layers of expression – how much a vineyard is exposed to the vast, cold and deep Pacific; whether it’s above or below the fog line; whether it catches the morning or the afternoon sunshine – even before we think about the myriad stylistic decisions every winemaker takes.

My notes here focus on the classic varieties of California, but there were also unusual candidates on display such as Roussanne, Trousseau, Viognier, Grüner Veltliner and Grenache Blanc, plus Californian stalwart Zinfandel.

Two sides of the coin

Both the old and the new California were present at the tasting: muscular Cabs as well as more svelte ones; juicy Pinot Noir from the Russian River plus more tender expressions from the coast; Chardonnays that are all about popcorn and vanilla while others aspired to transparent tension. If ever there was a perfect illustration of pluralism, this was it.

The lovely thing to note is that the well-worn styles of ‘big California’ stand classically alongside the second-wave producers. As Jamie Kutch, one of California’s most inspired Pinot Noir winemakers, once put it to me: ‘I wanted to paint in nuance, not just in primary colours.’ Today, a Californian provenance can mean many things and what was presented was really stylistic depth and breadth at a world-class level.

Scroll down to see Anne’s tasting notes and scores for over 30 premium California wines

Diversity

Two sides of the coin

Anne’s top picks from the tasting:

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Corison, Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley, California, USA, 2014

Kutch, McDougall Ranch Pinot Noir, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast, California, USA, 2012

Mail Road Wines, Mount Carmel Vineyard Chardonnay, Santa Barbara County, California, USA, 2014

Chanin, Bien Nacido Vineyard Chardonnay, Santa Barbara County, Santa Maria Valley, California, USA, 2014

Domaine de la Côte, La Côte Pinot Noir, Santa Barbara County, Sta Rita Hills, California, USA, 2015

Drew Family Cellars, Estate Field Selections Pinot Noir, Mendocino County, Mendocino Ridge, California, USA, 2014

Hirsch Vineyards, San Andreas Fault Pinot Noir, Sonoma County, Fort Ross-Seaview, California, USA, 2014

Kongsgaard, Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley, California, USA, 2015

Matthiasson, Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley, California, USA, 2014

Mayacamas, Chardonnay, Napa Valley, Mt Veeder, California, USA, 2015

Melville, Block M Pinot Noir, Santa Barbara County, Sta Rita Hills, California, USA, 2014

Mount Eden Vineyards, Chardonnay, San Francisco Bay, Santa Cruz Mountains, California, USA, 2013

Pahlmeyer, Napa Valley, California, USA, 2014

Silver Oak, Cabernet Sauvignon, Sonoma County, Alexander Valley, California, USA, 2013

Smith-Madrone, Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley, Spring Mountain, California, USA, 2013

Anthill Farms, Anderson Valley Pinot Noir, Mendocino County, California, USA, 2013

Brewer-Clifton, Chardonnay, Santa Barbara County, Sta Rita Hills, California, USA, 2016

Duckhorn Vineyards, Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley, California, USA, 2014

Mount Eden Vineyards, Cabernet Sauvignon, San Francisco Bay, Santa Cruz Mountains, California, USA, 2013

Patz & Hall, Hyde Vineyard Chardonnay, Napa Valley, Los Carneros, California, USA, 2015

Quintessa, Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley, Rutherford, California, USA, 2014

Sandhi, Chardonnay, Santa Barbara County, Sta Rita Hills, California, USA, 2015

Tatomer, Pinot Noir, Santa Barbara County, California, USA, 2015

Faust, Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley, California, USA, 2015

Leviathan, California, USA, 2014

Long Meadow Ranch, Anderson Valley Pinot Noir, Mendocino County, Anderson Valley, California, USA, 2015

Lutum, Sanford & Benedict Vineyard Chardonnay, Santa Barbara County, Sta Rita Hills, California, USA, 2015

Moone-Tsai, Charles Heintz Vineyard Chardonnay, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast, California, USA, 2015

Patz & Hall, Dutton Ranch Chardonnay, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley, California, USA, 2015

Patz & Hall, Chenoweth Ranch Pinot Noir, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley, California, USA, 2014

Twomey, Anderson Valley Pinot Noir, Mendocino County, Anderson Valley, California, USA, 2014

Flowers, Chardonnay, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast, California, USA, 2016

Rochioli Vineyard & Winery, Pinot Noir, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley, California, USA, 2014