California has landed..
California has landed and boy did we have to wait for it. We began curating this intake back in June ’23 and duly settled our payments well ahead of the new year.
With the world economy moving into a period of ongoing uncertainty, rising costs, a vulnerable ZAR, disasters at port, you’ll understand some of the challenges and considerations faced in bringing these wines to our shores.
That said, we hope this endeavour will serve to underpin to you the level of conviction we have in these producers.
We’ve gone all in and it’s important, we think, to have them here. To take the road less travelled.
The latest intake from California sees us dialling in on the ‘A’ listers, as we’ve dubbed them. Our experience over these intakes has taught us that the best value to be had in Californian wine is to be found in the exceptional.
They meet the criteria in expressing points of difference. A sense of place. Individuality. A wholly unique wine drinking experience.
Read the full set of notes HERE
.....or skip the reading and go straight to the shop!
Overview
Our latest intake from California is the finest yet, led out by an exceptional 2021 vintage. Punishingly dry conditions, even weather in the growing season, no shock events or fires (as 2020) and cooling temperatures at harvest resulted in a relatively stress-free season with long hangtimes for the grapes. The result are balanced wines, vibrant, precise fruit, refined tannins and lively acids.
“Many wines are spectacularly vivid and beautiful” (Vinous)
It was a top year for Arnot-Roberts. The wines of Duncan Arnot and Nathan Roberts have always shown a vitality and lift, their gentle hand and low interventional methods making for a brilliant marriage for the richness and brightness of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay in 2021. Meanwhile, their Syrah bottlings are at a new level in 2021. Look out for the ‘Clary Ranch’ Syrah 2021; a cold, marginal and exposed coastal site that excels in the conditions of 2021.
Jamie Kutch has reined in the use of whole-bunch in 2021 from around 90% to 50% in his Pinot Noir bottlings, yielding a set of sleek and racy expressions. Undoubtedly, one of the smartest Pinot Noir producers in California, whilst his other specialist varietal, Chardonnay, are intense on minerality and restrained in fruit. Altogether, beautifully judged.
Over at Sandhi, we have managed to prize just 12 btls of their coveted ‘Romance’ Chardonnay 2020. This comes in from a small site at their estate, Domaine de la Côte, for which Sashi Moorman and Raj Parr are also partners. A producer at the core of first generation, progressive Californian producers to take off this millennia. As ever, the Domaine de la Côte Pinot Noir bottlings remain elusive, and we’re thrilled to receive a small allocation of the ‘DDLC’ estate bottling from this outstanding property.
Continuing in the Sta. Rita Hills, we’re delighted to announce a first intake from Donnachadh, a young and ambitious estate with Ernst Storm overseeing winemaking, the younger (better looking) sibling of Hannes Storm here in the Cape. Alongside Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, we had to land some of their estate Gamay. The varietal is a rarity in Santa Barbara and presenting a case for more of the vineyard area.
We also welcome a Syrah specialist project in Piedrasassi. Another feather in the cap for Sashi Moorman of Sandhi and Domaine de la Côte fame, situated in the Santa Maria Valley. There are two wines on offer, including a muscular, black and blue fruited expression from the ‘Bien Nacido Vineyard’ and a deliciously, savoury Santa Barbara County from three distinctive vineyards.
Finally, Cabernet Sauvignon. We’re spoilt for pedigree here. Two vintages from the mountainous vineyard of Mayacamas in Napa, one of the finest and more important Cabernet’s of the region. They have remained traditional and authentic over the decades, eschewing the fashion of overt ripeness and glossy new oak interference so often attributed to the influence of Robert Parker. These are blockbuster in the best sense.
Whist Napa often takes the headlines, do not discount the expressions from above the cloud line in the Santa Cruz Mountains. Mount Eden Vineyards and their sister property, Domaine Eden are among the benchmarks here. Always spectacular and true to place, whilst the value to style relative to comparable peers in Napa has long attracted plaudits for those in the know.
Finally, a first intake of the rare ‘Montecillo Vineyard’ Cabernet by Arnot-Roberts, from a ridge splitting the Napa Valley and Valley of the Moon in Sonoma County. One of the world’s great and ancient Cabernet vineyards, whilst Arnot-Roberts can lay claim for being the top exponent of this special site.
The Region
The California wine region is vast, spanning some 750km between Santa Barbara in the south and Mendocino County to the north, and accounting for around 90% of USA wine production.
Lining the coast of California are the cold waters of the Pacific Ocean. As the cold currents meet the shore in summer, they create blankets of cool fog which are sucked inland. The most famous vista to demonstrate this, is that of the Golden Gate Bridge towering out of the fog in summer. The fog brings cool air to moderate climate, and governing vineyard suitability and plantings is the ability of this fog to reach inland pockets.
Image Credit: Bob Minkin Photography
The wine growing regions of the USA are designated by their American Viticultural Area (AVA). The first AVAs in California were established as recently as 1981, launching with the Santa Maria Valley AVA and Napa Valley AVA. Surprisingly the first designated AVA in the USA came with the Augusta AVA in Missouri, in 1980.
Of note, are the Mountain AVAs, such as the Santa Cruz Mountains, one of the first AVAs to be defined by its mountain topography rather than geographic boundaries, largely determined by the all-important fog line.
In Santa Barbara County the mountain ranges run west to east, rather than north to south as typical in North America. These so-called transverse valleys, allow cool fog to channel inland as far as 75km. A cool bed for Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, whilst later varietals such as Syrah further inland are well worth seeking out.
This region shot to fame with the movie Sideways in 2004, which made a star of the Pinot Noir varietal. Around the same time, a group of ambitious upstarts were making a home here and have been gaining a cult following ever since.
Among this intake are a number of first generation and progressive producers, a Pacific Swell of talent to have emerged since 2000. Historic pedigree is on show via the likes of Mayacamas in the Napa Valley, and Mount Eden in the Santa Cruz Mountains, whilst Domaine de la Côte is a modern classic.
See our new intake of California gems HERE