Great American Wines That Stand the Test of Time
It's rare to think of American wine in terms of a pantheon. American consumers have always been drawn more to what's flashy and new rather than to established producers who have demonstrated consistent, focused excellence over the long haul.
Perhaps that's because few demonstrably great and influential producers have been able to stay the course without changes in ownership that radically altered the character of the wines. Robert Mondavi Winery is one example. With producers like Mayacamas Vineyards, Diamond Creek Vineyards and Heitz Cellar, the changes in ownership have been too recent to fully understand their effect.
Who does that leave? I think immediately of Mount Eden Vineyards and Ridge Monte Bello in the Santa Cruz Mountains. In Napa Valley I would single out Philip Togni Vineyard, Spottswoode and Corison, and in Sonoma Valley, maybe Hanzell Vineyards.
What about in newer areas with histories stretching back just a few decades? I nominate Littorai. Few growers and producers populated the western Sonoma Coast in 1993, when Ted and Heidi Lemon made their first vintage, 150 cases of chardonnay from the Mays Canyon Vineyard. The incessant fog, the isolation that might require a 90-minute drive to pick up a part and living off the grid made the area too difficult and risky for many.
But the Lemons were drawn by the geological diversity. The area they settled on, mostly around the town of Occidental and farther north along the coast, was large and varied with many nooks and crannies. Mr. Lemon, whose training and early career were in Burgundy, was searching for areas in California where he could explore the sort of differing terroirs for chardonnay and pinot noir that he found so intriguing in France.
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