North America really means California. Although wine is produced in nearly every American state, California accounts for 90%. It’s a ‘land of plenty’ and we believe Napa is an old Wappo Indian word meaning ‘of plenty’. With 100 different grape varieties and a wide range of climates, the Californian wine producing area is so vast and varied it probably mirrors the whole of Europe.
Robert Mondavi led the way for Californian wines with his life long wine crusade bringing worldwide recognition for the wines of the Napa Valley. One of his most forward thinking and interesting ventures was the Opus One winery set up in Oakville, California in the late 70s. This was a joint venture with Baron Philippe de Rothschild to create a single Bordeaux style blend based on the Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon.
We have Opus One 1999, 2000 and 2001 but you have to be a keen connoisseur to pay the price.
The Domaine Carneros Winery and its The Famous Gate Pinot Noir also has an interesting heritage. Again in the late 70s, Claude Tattinger founded Domaine Carneros when he was searching for a suitable spot for a winery on US soil. Having built a solid reputation for their sparkling wine, they added the production of this Pinot Noir to their repertoire in 1992. Rich and velvety. Delicious!
For those wanting to spend a little less, try our range of wines from the St Francis winery located in the Sonoma Valley.
That’s the reds covered. What about the whites? We’re still searching for that middle of the range stunning Chardonnay but we do like La Crema from the cooler Russian River Valley.
