Pinot Gris/Pinot Grigio (grey Pinot) – this grape is very extensively available in Oregon, but California grows a large amount of it as well. At 17,000+ acres it is one of the top 5 white grapes grown in California. You can find excellent Pinot Gris all up and down the USA West Coast, but certainly plenty of it from California. It is dry, fresh, acidic, and full of life. Flavors of honeysuckle, almonds and some spiciness to it is often in the glass. It is a lovely grape. A nice white wine only winemaker that offers a number of Pinot Grigio’s is Massican. Make sure you try some Pinot Gris from either California, Oregon or even Alsace France as these places have great Pinot Gris, that is much different (better?) than say that average $17 Pinot Grigio from Italy.

Let’s move onto special red varieties with so much to offer:

Merlot – this is a special grape that is truly loved in France, but less so in the USA. It is a medium to full bodied grape that can do wonders in the lead role. I love it, especially special ones from Napa Valley where the grape does exceptionally well. My favorite Merlot and most likely the most expensive wines I own, comes from the Sullivan Collection. Delicious, so complex, and almost worthy of that lofty price. If you want a more introductory Merlot, try a bottle of Duckhorn Three Palms Merlot, which is about $100. Or look at this post on the Comeback of Merlot in California, which offers really excellent suggestions. Thanks WE!

Zinfandel – If you have not tried really well made Zinfandel from California you should. It is perhaps the most versatile of the grape varieties in this blog. It can go from elegant, and crisp and light, to very rich, dark and brooding, so the variety has a tremendous spectrum. Usually the wines in the store are big and tannic, and are referred to as jammy. I would recommend you try a really special winemaker team that exists at Turley wine cellars. Turley specializes in the very best old vine vineyards of Zinfandel across California and their selections are so good. I buy from them, whenever I feel I need more 5 star Zinfandel. Turley can be found in the best restaurants where the sommelier really knows their stuff, and many of the wines are under $100 a bottle, which compared to Bordeaux blends out of Napa, is a bargain.

Pinot Noir (or Grenache) – Pinot Noir is extensively grown on the West Coast, and with superior results. This grape really loves the cool climate of the coastal Pacific of North America, we are so blessed out here. The interior version of Pinot Noir is Grenache and to a lesser extent other varietals of Rhone. Why? because of their fruity profile yet strong acidity (from elevation) and full body (from thick skins). These are all fruit forward varieties and if you like more fruit forward and less heavy oak or thick tannins, then these two grape varieties are for you. There is so much good Pinot Noir all across both California and (especially) Oregon. Pinot Noir is like the most heralded grape from Oregon, as is the Pinot Gris mentioned above. I think any fairly expensive Pinot Noir from the West Coast is going to do you well, I have found some great ones from Edna Valley and of course Sonoma, Napa and Mendocino to get you going. I am going to send you to this Pinot Noir landing page, at my favorite Wine Enthusiast, where good information is generally free. Enjoy a Pinot Noir tonight in fact, it’s a really luscious, fruit filled grape. Yes you can even try Meiomi which is probably the most well known supermarket Pinot Noir that exists across North America. But many wonder, is that Pinot Noir?

The post Whites and Reds – more hidden California favorites appeared first on Frank's El Dorado wine blog.

If you are a starter at this, I have found good Viognier can be had from Australia’s mass production wineries that will show the typical minerality, robust acidic profile but never too acidic, and these wines are not highly oaked. They are an easy step into the Viognier world. Viognier’s from Australia are an excellent value. Both Australia and New Zealand produces Viognier, as does South Africa, France, Croatia, Greece and South America. In North America its plantings are as diverse as Virginia, Texas, British Columbia and the Baja Peninsula. So its diversity in regions is phenomenal.

What can you expect from Viognier?
For me, the bouquet usually includes:

Stone fruits (typically apricot) honeysuckle, roses, flowers, light pineapple or mango, light citrus, tangerine. And oh yes, not really any lemon like a lot of other whites.

Other expert notes, include almond extract, toasted bread, fig, anise. Viognier can be flowery, yet still be a standup dinner wine. That’s the amazing part about this varietal, a nuanced bouquet, but also highly structured, somewhat big and plenty dry (because the vintner wants it that way).

The color usually looks like this, a medium or light-medium gold from punch downs and pour overs the wine will extract more stone fruit flavors typically and the complexity may improve.

A key aspect I have found with Viognier is that the wine is quite susceptible to oak and the tangential flavors a barrel will bring. Hopefully you find a lightly oaked Viognier as this is important in my experience. This is one of the reasons I recommend a quality Australian or more low cost Viognier that is highly rated, these will not be over oaked, have the proper acid and bouquet notes, and provide a gentle introduction. Some mass produced Viogniers to get started with that are available across the USA, are from Cline, McManis, and Yalumba (Australia’s largest producer). Any of those three will get you started properly.

A classic example of the grape if you are willing to spend a bit more, is how Tablas Creek makes their Viognier. It is classic, clean, yet very complex, not a lot of oak at all. Tablas Creek is essentially direct to consumer so you will have to use their website, linked above.

In the mountains of the Sierra Nevada, where I live, our AVA’s produce some amazing Viognier’s, as the terroir is well suited to the varietal. If you thinking about a heartier Viognier, probably more robust than coastal Viognier, than you have found the appellations that will deliver this experience. The Viognier’s of the Sierra Nevada are for wine geeks, highly sought after.

Some of the best producers that I have tasted (come back to for Viognier) in the Sierra Foothills are in no particular order:

Element 79 Vineyards

Casque Wines

Cedarville Vineyards

Miraflores Winery

Holly’s Hill Vineyards and Winery

Lava Cap Winery

In fact, Wine Enthusiast rates the Lava Cap and Cedarville Vineyard Viognier’s as Cellar Selections and both of these producers know Viognier extremely well. The Viognier at Lava Cap is done in a very Burgundian way.

If you have never had Viognier and you prefer a dry white wine with hints of apricot, stone fruits, flowers, (lighter) citrus and excellent minerality and for some a creamy mouth feel thanks to Malolactic fermentation. It’s time to get a bottle of Viognier, and chill out on a summer’s night! I drink a lot more Viognier than I do Chardonnay or anything Sauvignon Blanc or related. But like anything when done right Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc can be fantastic too. As will Riesling or Gewurztraminer.

The Sierra Foothills however is Viognier Country, just ask one of our local winemakers. Sometimes they tell you.

“My Viognier does better than all my other varieties” and that should stand for a lot, since the fruit is the start of a great wine.

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