The Golden Age of West Coast Wines

It’s been seven years since Jon Bonné published New California Wine, which he was inspired to write after his expectations for California wine were upended by an exciting new wave of winemaking. He’d moved to the Bay Area from the East Coast to write about wine for the SF Chronicle, but was secretly harboring the notion that all California wine was ripe and jammy and oaky—and generally uninspiring. This was in 2003, when indeed that style could be found, and when the whole wine world was still in the throes of critic-score mania. It didn’t take long for him to realize, however, that there was something else afoot in California… there were luminaries like Ridge’s Paul Draper and Calera’s Josh Jensen who were using restraint and terroir as guiding posts. And there were newer faces like Abe Schoener of the Scholium Project with an experimental ethos and a cult following. 

While California was developing this exciting new wine culture, so too were Oregon and Washington. Oregon’s wine industry really broke ground in the 60s, but a wave of phylloxera in the 90s meant that many of their vineyards had to be replanted, giving vintners an opportunity to carefully rethink their planting selections after years of working with the terroir. Washington State, too, convened a new commission at the end of the 80s to investigate terroir and develop their appellation system, marking a new beginning for the modern Washington wine industry. Now, in 2020, vineyards in both states are reaching maturity, while many winemakers have accumulated several decades of experience. The winemakers of the West Coast’s avant garde are crafting better, more sophisticated wines than ever before. And the beauty of the current wine scene is the enthusiasm for new voices. 

Domestic Buyer Kaj Stromer and I have recently been talking about how we are in a “golden age” for West Coast wine—with an influx of new talent and well-honed skills from the veterans, the wines are not just a departure from the overripe model for experiment’s sake, they are in fact some of the most pure expressions of the specific and varied terroir that the West Coast has to offer. He says: “Through the passing of time, the ‘New World’ has come into its own...what we have now, that we didn't have before, is real vine age and a better understanding of what should be planted where and how that has to be handled. It's all a function of exploration, year after year, one generation to the next, building, growing and learning what works ... and now we're here ... and soon the next wave of innovation begins.”

The bottom line is that the wines coming out of the West Coast are better than ever. They’ve long surpassed the overripe/overdone glut they were once in. Here we’ve highlighted a few of our favorites—each unexpected in its own way, and each absolutely world class in its execution. This is by no means encyclopedic, but it’s a great way to get your feet wet.

NV Cruse Wine Co. “Cruse Tradition” Zero Dosage Sparkling $44.95
Proprietor Michael Cruse, dubbed Winemaker of the Year in 2016 by the SF Chronicle, is a scientist by training. Founded in 2013, Cruse Wine Co. has gained a cult following for his unique, sophisticated wines that he calls “unabashedly Californian.” This is a sophisticated sparkler comprising an almost equal split of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, mostly from the 2017 vintage, with the rest being reserve wine. The wine spent 2 years on the lees, and that translates in the glass to a creamy texture with brioche and pastry notes, citrus and honey.

2019 Ovum “Big Salt” Oregon White Blend $18.99
Ovum is founders Ksenija and John House’s Oregonian ode to white wine. They say that drinking Ovum should be like listening to AM radio in stereo, and it’s an apt description of the experience: no unnecessary bells and whistles, and you can hear (or in this case, taste) every note. Big Salt is a co-fermented blend of Riesling, Gewurztraminer, Early Muscat, and miscellaneous others, and it is floral and vivid as an early spring morning on the beach. There’s a high amount of acid, a luscious body with a long floral finish and a hint of saline. This will be a great accompaniment to the Thanksgiving dinner table. 

2018 Whitcraft “La Rinconada Vineyard” Sta. Rita Hills Chardonnay $49.99
Whitcraft is a veteran of the Santa Barbara wine scene, opened by Chris Whitcraft way back in 1985 after 10 years of hosting a local wine radio show. Today his son, Drake, is at the wheel, and the wines are made with minimal intervention and an eye toward freshness. This Chardonnay has juicy Granny Smith apple notes that integrate seamlessly with the toasted oak and lifted, juicy palate.

2019 Combe “Stolpman Vineyards” Ballard Canyon Trousseau $29.99
How did Trousseau make it from the Jura to Santa Barbara County? In this case, it was thanks to star somm Raj Parr, who recognized the potential of all the limestone on the Stolpman property in Ballard Canyon. Their first release was 2014. Speaking of Thanksgiving, this would be an absolute knockout on your table. It’s got delicious crunchy cranberry and raspberry fruit but with savory pepper notes as a counterbalance, plus a touch of grip on the end. Put a slight chill on this, and I assure you it’ll go down dangerously easily!

2015 Rogstad “Tidrik” Anderson Valley Pinot Noir $19.99
Founded by Steve Rogstad, a winemaker with  20+ years under his belt. This is really a spectacular small-production Pinot for $19.99, and, with only 124 cases produced, you should snatch this up while we have it. A touch of vanilla, black cherry cola, and sandalwood weave into a medium bodied, silky wine. Delicious.

2018 Melville “Block M” Sta. Rita Hills Pinot Noir $59.99
Melville is another Santa Barbara benchmark winery. Block M sits atop a sun-exposed and wind-swept mesa on the west side of the estate above several feet of botella clay soil, planted to Dijonnaise clones. With no new oak on this wine, you get high-toned red berry notes and an intriguing complexity on the nose, including a succulent hint of celery salt. The palate has a graceful body with round, juicy, sweet cranberry fruit. 

2019 Day “Hock & Deuce Mae’s Vineyard” Applegate Valley
Founded with the 2012 vintage by Brianne Day. The Hock & Deuce is a co-fermented blend of 80 percent Syrah and a whopping 20 percent of Viognier, grown in Applegate Valley/southern Oregon. It’s medium-bodied, elegant, and food-friendly with spicy black pepper and raspberry notes, plus a gorgeous floral quality from that Viognier. It’s just lovely. 

2016 Corison Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvigon $99.95 
Cathy Corison is by no means new on the scene. She has been making wine for 40 years, and was the winemaker at Chappellet in the 1980s. She’s been a leader in crafting exceptional, restrained, enchanting wines, even when the style in Napa was to go big or go home. Thankfully she didn’t go home, she kept making wine, and today hers are among the absolute best in the region. This gorgeous wine was sourced from benchland vineyards between Rutherford and St. Helena. Aged 20 months in small French oak barrels, with an extremely deft touch. This is astounding. Elegant. Complex. Blueberry, blackberry, currant, lavender, green peppercorn, and leather on a body that has power and grace. This wine makes one of the most compelling cases for California wine out there, and it’ll turn any cynic into a believer. 

- Kate Soto