Falstaff Magazin International 00/2021

wine / CALIFORNIA The

wine / CALIFORNIA The tasting room at the Harlan family‘s Promontory Estate, in the hills of Oakville. San Francisco is constantly caressed by a cool Pacific influence: coastal fog is a feature of life in Northern California. Clearly, the attribute ‘golden’ in California’s nickname refers to its inland areas where sunshine is always abundant. But it is exactly this ocean influence that makes so much possible. The clash of cold Pacific air and inland heat is exactly what creates such compelling climates for wine growing. Drive north out of the city, across the Golden Gate Bridge, and you reach wine country: Napa and Sonoma, California’s most famous wine regions. They are as diverse as they are beautiful with a mountainous, sometimes even wild landscape, fragrant redwood forests, statuesque and singular valley oaks and vineyards ablaze with yellow mustard flowers in spring and red clover in summer. QUALITY NOT QUANTITY While California with its 257,000 hectares/635,000 acres of vineyard represents 81% of the total US wine production, Napa and Sonoma vineyards represent just 16% of the total vineyard acreage. This tells you that quality not quantity is key here. More than half of California’s wineries are in this northern part of the state: many have world fame, some even have cult status among collectors. Sonoma and Napa are distinct but both get their character from the coastal topography that also shapes the climate: mountain ranges and elevations govern how much or how little Pacific influence there is and, consequently, which grape varieties are cultivated. With their range of climates, Sonoma and Napa can cover the entire spectrum of wine styles, from brisk and refreshing sparkling wines, via fruity white and reds to the most structured and long-lived red wines. NAPA Getting to Napa Valley makes the climatic situation clear. The valley is framed by the Mayacamas and Vaca mountain ranges, running either side from north to south. Intense sunshine lights up and warms the entire valley but then nature‘s fantastic air conditioning kicks in. The cool ocean fog waits until the daytime heat starts to dissipate and is drawn into Napa Valley from the Pacific via San Pablo Bay. INTENSE SUNSHINE LIGHTS UP AND WARMS THE ENTIRE VALLEY BUT THEN NATURE‘S FANTASTIC AIR CONDITIONING KICKS IN. Photos: © 2020 JAK WONDERLY PHOTOGRAPHY, provided 52 falstaff summer 2021

Thev vineyard crew at Peay Vineyards in the rugged wilderness of the Sonoma Coast. As it tucks into the valley floor, it allows the grapes to consolidate all the sugars and complex flavour compounds accumulated during daytime by arresting them in this cooling air. The mountainside vineyards may receive less of the ocean influence, but the cool nights still offer excellent concentration and balance due to the higher altitudes. The two mountain ranges are key: the Mayacamas prevent the cooler air from the Pacific from having a permanent influence, the Vaca range is a barrier to the even fiercer inland heat of the Central < summer 2021 falstaff 53