William Kelley’s top 10 American fine wines of 2015
William Kelley, Decanter contributor and American wine expert, muses over the top wines he tasted during 2015. An envious list for any wine lover.
William Kelley, Decanter contributor and USA wine expert, muses over the American fine wines he tasted during 2015 and picks his top 10 to share. Featuring a Schrader Cabernet Sauvignon from the legendary Beckstoffer To Kalon vineyard and a 40-year-old Chappellet Wine Cabernet Sauvignon that is still a bright ruby black. This is certainly an envious list for any wine lover.
See all the top 10 American fine wines here:
Kalin Cellars, Cuvée Billon Pinot Noir, Sonoma County, Alexander Valley, California, USA, 1994
The best North American Pinot Noir I’ve ever tasted, husband-and-wife team Terry and Frances Leighton produced only two barrels of this magical wine to commemorate...
1994
Kalin CellarsSonoma County
Schrader Cellars, Beckstoffer To Kalon Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley, Oakville, California, USA, 2013
To my mind this is often the most savoury and potentially complex of all Schrader’s different cuvées. In 2013 the wine is deep, brooding and...
2013
Schrader CellarsNapa Valley
Philip Togni Vineyard, Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley, Spring Mountain, California, USA, 2013
Englishman Philip Togni has been quietly producing some of Napa Valley’s most consistently excellent and classically proportioned wines from his estate high on Spring Mountain...
2013
Philip Togni VineyardNapa Valley
Eyrie Vineyards, Pinot Noir South Block Reserve, Willamette Valley, Oregon, USA, 1985
The late David Lett, who established Eyrie Vineyards in Oregon’s Willamette Valley, was one of North America wine’s visionary pioneers, and this Pinot Noir alone...
1985
Eyrie VineyardsWillamette Valley
Kalin Cellars, Cuvée LD Chardonnay, Sonoma County, California, USA, 1993
Another 'stealth cuvée' from Kalin Cellars, California’s most idiosyncratic winery, this Chardonnay spent an amazing twenty-two months sur lie—something that used to be common in...
1993
Kalin CellarsSonoma County
Chappellet, Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley, California, USA, 1975
The volcanic soils of Chappellet’s spectacular property on Pritchard Hill produce one of the most brooding and long-lived wines in Napa Valley that sometimes remind...
1975
ChappelletNapa Valley
Sandhi, Rita's Crown Chardonnay, Santa Barbara County, Sta Rita Hills, California, USA, 2011
95
Sandhi is the brainchild of sommelier-winemaker Raj Parr, who benefits from tips from his friend Jean-Marc Roulot of Meursault—and it shows. The 2011 Sandhi Rita’s Crown is a stunning Chardonnay, bursting from the glass with aromas of lemon oil, apple, wet rocks, spring flowers, a framing of vanilla oak and nutty suggestions of reduction. On the palate the wine is intensely concentrated with a lovely core of deep minerality and beautiful cut and focus.
2011
SandhiSanta Barbara County
Ridge Vineyards, Monte Bello, San Francisco Bay, Santa Cruz Mountains, California, USA, 1995
This is the example of a lovely wine in a lovely place. A few years ago, the 1995 seemed a bit dry and tannic, and...
1995
Ridge VineyardsSan Francisco Bay
Dominus Estate, Napa Valley, California, USA, 1991
95
Christian Moueix's 1991 Dominus Estate is cruising along in the cellar and has reached a beautiful plateau of maturity. Aromas of black cherries, cassis, graphite, rich loamy soil and summer truffle are the prelude to a wine of impressive depth and spherical balance. Just a hint of torrefaction in the aromatics alludes to the challenges posed by the California sun; challenges that more recent vintages of Dominus indicate Moueix's talented team have entirely mastered.
1991
Dominus EstateNapa Valley
Rhys Vineyards, Alpine Vineyard Pinot Noir, San Francisco Bay, Santa Cruz Mountains, California, USA, 2013
86
2013
Rhys VineyardsSan Francisco Bay
