Napa, 55 miles northeast of San Francisco, is California’s most famous wine region, and its wineries continue to set the standard both nationally and internationally. Napa produces only 4% of California’s wines, but accounts for 25% of its wine revenues. Napa’s grapes are the most coveted in the state, and its nearly 400 wineries produce world-class wines.
It was Napa that put California on the world wine map in 1976, when several little-known Napa wines won top honours over French wines at a blind tasting in Paris. French judges tasted top-quality Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay from both regions, and awarded best-in-class to California over the French wines.
The Napa Valley is an appellation within the American Viticultural Areas (AVA) system, which is a guarantee of source but not related to quality or production. There are also 14 sub-appellations (each AVAs themselves), which vary in climate, topography, and elevation. The most important appellations are Rutherford, Oakville, Spring Mountain District, Mount Veeder, Howell Mountain, Atlas Peak and Stags Leap District.
Napa's providence for growing fine wine grapes is based on the diversity of its microclimates, which include a bay, mountain ranges, valleys high up in the mountains, and the proximity of a volcano. The volcanic eruptions of two million years ago blessed the valley with three dozen different soil types. Napa would ordinarily be too hot for fine-wine production, but the cool winds and the fogs from the Bay area provide ideal conditions for long hang times, allowing the grapes to develop rich and complex flavours. Napa wineries also boast strict selection of grapes, high-tech equipment, temperature-controlled barrels, and wines that command high prices as a result.
Napa is synonymous with Cabernet Sauvignon, producing powerful, opulent and lush wines that are counted among the world's best. Enormously concentrated and structured, they are also extremely age-worthy. Some of these top-quality Cabernet Sauvignons aren't made exclusively from Cabernet, but often have small amounts of Bordeaux varieties- Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Malbec, and/or Petit Verdot - blended in. (By law, as long as the other varieties make up less than 25% of the wine, it can still be labelled Cabernet Sauvignon). Frequently called Meritage, these wines are often the most complex and expressive Cabernet Sauvignons of all.
For Chardonnay, Napa offers a range of styles, ranging from fresh and crisp to the more complex wines that also hold their own against France's famous Burgundies. Sauvignon Blanc from California is often termed Fume Blanc , depending on the winery's choice in labelling, but there is no distinction between the styles. Most winemakers favour the Bordeaux style, with ageing in oak barrels and creamy, long flavours. But the best Sauvignon Blancs have the fresh and citrusy flavours of more modern winemaking, with the vibrant acidity and fresh flavours the varietal is known for.
Zinfandel is regarded as California's own grape variety (although its origin is the Italian Primitivo), and most of the world's Zinfandel acreage is planted in Napa. A very versatile grape, its range includes the sweetish pink White Zinfandel to jammy and robust wines that are nearly purple in colour.
Napa also produces some outstanding sparkling wines, made by the traditional méthode champenoise. Many of them are produced by famous Champagne and sparkling wine firms who established joint ventures in the state, as well as by boutique wineries. Like the top Champagnes, California's best sparkling wines are made by blending twenty to sixty separate still wines, in order to achieve complexity and finesse. California's benevolent climate allow sparkling wine to be made every year, and the style is light-bodied and pure in flavour.
With Napa's passion for innovation, it's no surprise to find wines like zinfandel port and cabernet sauvignon port, as well as icewine. For the latter, gewurztraminer grapes are harvested and placed in cold storage to bring temperatures near freezing, and then vinified according to the traditional process.
