A guide to Californian wine: The North Coast
The key to understanding California wine is diversity; topography, terroir and climate vary drastically along the expansive coastline. With numerous prestigious wineries and countless family-owned ones, there is a huge variety of fine wine to be enjoyed at every price point. The Golden State is the fourth-largest wine producer in the world, with over 3,000 wineries. Over eighty per cent of all North American wine is made in California. European vines were first planted here during the Gold Rush days of the 1800s. California’s first stab at fine wine began in 1823, after monks planted vineyards at the Mission San Francisco de Solano.
The North Coast reigns supreme for winemaking; for most people, Napa Cabernet Sauvignon remains the star turn of the state. Yet “Napa Cab” represents only a small fraction of the North Coast’s eclectic output. The state’s most important region, can turn its hand to almost wine style: red, white, rosé and sparkling wine. While many famous labels are attached to sub-regions (such as Oakville) dotted across the wider vineyard area, an increasing volume of excellent wine is marketed under the auspices of the North Coast American Viticultural Area (AVA) designation. An AVA is a delimited grape-growing region with specific set of growing conditions that make wine from the region distinguishable.
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Geography and terroir
The North Coast region contains over 1.2 million hectares of agricultural land. As a result of its size and range of meso-climates, it is exceedingly difficult to produce a tidy summation of North Coast growing conditions. Soils range from volcanic to calcareous and sandy loam; Los Carneros boasts a relatively cool climate, while St Helena can be baking hot in the summer.
However, we can observe that Californian summers are typically very much drier than those of many European wine regions; the Northern California is the only part of California where some vineyards can exist without irrigation. Proximity to the Pacific Ocean and intervening topography are the two major factors that influence the North Coast’s climatic conditions and subsequent wine styles. For this reason, Los Carneros, situated close to San Francisco, can produce fresh and balanced Pinot Noir. Yet, certain inland sites, sheltered by western hills, are considerably hotter and drier. In these areas, late-ripening varieties like Grenache and Zinfandel are more suited to the terroir.
Key North Coast grape varieties
Many premium North Coast wines are based on internationally popular wine grapes, such as Cabernet Sauvignon. Yet styles can vary enormously, depending on the local climatic conditions and winemaking.
- Sauvignon Blanc– in California, Sauvignon Blanc offers an expression distinct from New World styles like New Zealand Marlborough and Elgin, South Africa. The wines may be less aromatic, with a softer texture and more weight on the mid-palate.
- Chardonnay– This variety thrives in the North Coast region, yielding both fresh, steely wines and ripe tropical wines. In Los Carneros, Chardonnay produces superlative traditional sparkling wine, with ample acidity and freshness.
- Pinot Noir– if planted in the coolest corners of California North Coast, Pinot Noir can be sublime. At its best, it offers an attractive combination of ripeness, acidity and structure, with notes of crushed red berries.
- Cabernet Sauvignon– This iconic grape has long been responsible for California’s finest and most prestigious wines. Unlike Bordeaux, single-varietal expressions are very common in California.
- Merlot– Traditionally blended with Cabernet Sauvignon’s, producing rich and voluptuous wine, ripeness is seldom an issue. This variety is widely grown across the state.
- Zinfandel– California’s signature red grape, Zinfandel can yield extremely potent wines in the North Coast. It is genetically identical to Primitivo, the main variety of Puglia in southern Italy.
Key North Coast wine districts
The North Coast AVA is available to any producer in the wider region, providing they adhere to certain rules pertaining to grape yield. Certain growers prefer to market their wines as a North Coast AVA because winemakers can blend wines obtained from different sub-regions and counties. This practice is forbidden under the rules of delimited AVAs, such as Rutherford and Stags Leap. Pan-regional blending provides the winemaker more options, if, for example, one area suffers a disastrous vintage. This freedom can also allow for more complex wines.
Napa County
Cabernet Sauvignon reaches its peak in the vineyards of Napa Valley. Winemakers continue to produce exceptional Cabernet of unparalleled concentration and structure. Prior to the 1960s, the district was a sleepy rural community, scarcely visited by outsiders. That all changed when Robert Mondavi opened his iconic winery in 1966, attracting other investors to the valley.
It remains one of California’s most important vineyards. Climatically, the southern end of the valley is much cooler than the north, by more than 5 degrees Celsius. Oceanic breezes through the Knights Valley and large diurnal range, help to maintain acidity in the grapes. The most elegant Cabernet Sauvignon wines are made from sites located on the valley hillsides at higher elevations, particularly the western slopes.
However, Cabernet Sauvignon is not Napa valley’s only viticultural success. A great deal of ripe and generous Chardonnay is being made across the AVA, while Petite Syrah planted on the slopes of Mount Veeder offers a good imitation of Hermitage, northern Rhône. Sadly, relatively little Zinfandel is cultivated in Napa Valley today, due to a phylloxera scare in the 1990s.
Sonoma County
California’s undisputed champion of Burgundy varieties, Sonoma County produces bright Pinot Noir and beautifully scented Chardonnay. As elsewhere in California, proximity to the ocean has a decisive effect on growing conditions on the Sonoma coast, ranging from maritime-influenced vineyards of western Russian River Valley to the arid climate of Alexander Valley, situated further inland. Some excellent Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel and Bordeaux blends are also being made in the county, particularly in the Dry Creek Valley and Sonoma Mountain areas.
However, Pinot Noir and Chardonnay are Sonoma valley’s most prized wine commodities. Many of the top vineyard sites are producing wines with Burgundian freshness and Californian exuberance. Top Sonoma Chardonnay bears a striking resemblance to Premier Cru Meursault. Meanwhile, the sparkling wines of Los Carneros, a sub-region that spills over into Napa County, have few rivals in the New World.
Mendocino County
In addition to some high-quality Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel and Merlot, you’ll find esoteric gems including Nebbiolo and Cortese in California’s northernmost wine county. Italian immigrants have been a vital part of the economic and cultural life in Mendocino county for many decades; Parducci, the county’s oldest winery, was founded in 1932.
It is also one of the state’s most beautiful regions famous for its immense forests in Redwood valley. Champagne house Louis Roederer saw the potential of Mendocino’s Anderson Valley in the 1980s, when they established a new sparkling wine brand in the US. The lower reaches of the valley are also ideally suited to the cultivation of aromatic varieties like Riesling and Gewurztraminer. Grapes ripen slowly in this part of the west coast, producing fresh white wine with good acidity. It’s another example of how the state’s wine geography can offer up a surprise or two.
Enjoying North Coast Californian wines
There are sub-regions in the North Coast where grapes regularly achieve high levels of ripeness and alcohol. However, the “sunshine in a bottle” cliché is only part of the story. Pinot Noir grown in the Petuluma gap will confound your expectations of New World wine. Vintage bubbly from Anderson Valley and Los Carneros can give top Champagne a run for its money.
Nevertheless, North Coast red wine can deliver plenty of rich fruit and opulence, particularly if they’re based on Merlot or Zinfandel. Charcoal-seared meat is an ideal pairing, in addition to robust casseroles and intensely flavoured marinades. North Coast aromatic whites like Sauvignon Blanc and Riesling work tremendously well with sashimi and scallops with Asian seasoning; try roast duck or Osso Buco with a North Coast Pinot Noir.
Related pages
An insider’s guide to Californian wine: Central Coast>