Something game-changing happened for California wine exports a few weeks ago. A cohort of British wine buyers who had previously associated California only with cheap and not very cheerful brands and unthinkably expensive and often exaggerated Chardonnay and Cabernet was exposed to something completely different. Not that the wines on show at an all-day event celebrating “The New California,” organised by London wine merchants Roberson, were bargains. But the wines themselves presented a completely different and refreshing face of America’s wine state: bone dry with nerve, tension, intrigue, geographical awareness, no more than 13.5 per cent alcohol and, in most cases, the promise of developing into something even more interesting. The day of tasting and presentations was named after a controversial new book by Jon Bonné, the wine editor of The San Francisco Chronicle, who led the talks.
Jancis’s picks: Particularly strongly recommended: Smith-Madrone Cabernet Sauvignon 2009 Napa Valley
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