March 2023 – Jen Connan Hertfordshire Wine School
Wines from the USA – Well, that basically means wine from California. 80% of US wine by volume comes from California – the rest from mostly Washington, Oregon and NY State. The USA is the 4th largest wine producer in the world after Italy/France/Spain. It is also the largest national wine market. Americans may not be individually large wine drinkers but there are 300million of them.
So, 4 whites, 4 reds. All the stuff you’d expect, 6 from California, 2 from Washington. Almost all available from well known suppliers. A very good selection.
DOMAINE CARNEROS VINTAGE BRUT 2016 – 12%, £28. Napa Valley, California (owned by Taittinger)
A Champagne style fizz. Classically bready/biscuity Methode Champagnoise style. From the Champagne Company. 9/10
CHATEAU STE MICHELLE DRY RIESLING 2020 – 12.5%, £10. Columbia valley, Washington state
A very nice well bodied Riesling, citrus, floral hints of petrol. High acidity. Waitrose - 8/10
SAND POINT SAUVIGNON BLANC 2020 – 12.5%, £9.95. Lodi, California
Not like a NZ SB at all. A very different style. Quite acidic. Least popular wine of the evening. The Wine Society. 6/10
BONTERRA ESTATE COLLECTION ORGANIC CHARDONNAY 2020 – 13.5%, £14. Mendocina Valley, Washington State
A classic old school oaky, buttery chardonnay. Malolactic fermentation. I loved it. 8.5/10 Waitrose
EDNA VALLEY VINEYARD PINOT NOIR 2019 – 14%, £13.99. Central coast, California
This is the wine from the film “Sideways”. A warm weather Pinot noir. Very full bodied. No tannins. Some oak. 9/10. Majestic
BOGLE VINEYARDS MERLOT 2019 – 14.5%, £12.95. Clarksburg, California
Very smooth and solid. Hides the high alcohol well. Hints of smokiness, toast, cedar. 9/10. Wine society
FREI BROTHERS CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2019 – 14.5%, £20. Sonoma county, California
Oaky, plum & black cherry. Smooth tannins. 9/10. Waitrose
RAVENSWOOD ZINFANDEL 2021 – 14.5%, £14. Lodi, California
Now owned by Gallo. Dry farmed with no irrigation, so low yields. A fair bit of residual sweetness. Pretty good but not the best red on the night. 8/10. Majestic
One point about the Reds is that they all have that slight hint of sweetness/residual sugar typical of American red wines. I guess that’s how the US market likes it. Occasionally it does tip over into an almost sweet red style.
A good evening. Jen is an excellent speaker.
