The Experts Raise a Glass: America’s Best Wineries
By Colman Andrews
Identifying what we believe to be the best wineries in the United States was an extremely challenging mission. The sheer quantity and variety of good and great wine being made in this country has grown exponentially in the past two or three decades. Wine is now produced in all 50 states — though admittedly Alaska’s offerings are mostly made from fruits and berries, plus grape juice imported from more temperate climes — and almost every state has at least a few, if not a carload, of examples well worth drinking.
This ranking isn’t a beauty contest, giving points for attractive settings or handsome architecture, or a guide to fine winery dining. While some of the places listed do indeed offer visual or gustatory attractions — we’re concerned with what gets put into the bottle and poured into our glass.
The wineries on our list were nominated by experts in the field — sommeliers, wine writers, chefs, and restaurateurs, along with wine-savvy editors at The Daily Meal.
The No. 15 ranked winery, Linden Vineyards in Virginia. (Courtesy: Linden Vineyards)
Where possible, we factored in our own tasting notes of recent vintages; we also consulted the leading wine publications and newsletters and considered recent awards from prestigious competitions.
We considered not just individual wines, though, but the overall place of each winery in the American wine scene. Is is a dependable veteran, tried and true? An audacious innovator? Does it specialize in just one or two grape varieties, or do a sterling job with 20? Is it representative of its corner of the wine country? Does it help, in one way or another, enhance the reputation of its region, and/or of American wine in general?
We also factored in quality-to-price ratio. While this wasn’t our principal criterion, we did feel that value should be considered in our ranking strategy.
In the nomination process, we asked our panel to consider not just the obvious places — California, the Pacific Northwest, New York State — but the entire country. The vast majority of our choices, about two-thirds of the wineries listed, did turn out to be Californian.
We’re proud of the following list, and grateful to the experts who helped us compile it. We’re also excited to hear your feedback: Did your favorite American winery make the cut?
See more of the best wineries in America
#15 Linden Vineyards, Linden, Va.
This 4,000-case winery, whose first vintage was 1987, has been producing consistently elegant and well-made wines from Bordeaux varieties and a few other grapes in a challenging wine region from the start. On the site of an abandoned hardscrabble farm in the Blue Ridge Mountains (one of Law’s wines is a Bordeaux blend called Hardscrabble), proprietor Jim Law grows cabernet sauvignon, cabernet franc, merlot, and petit verdot, but also sauvignon blanc, chardonnay, petit manseng (from which he makes a complex late-harvest dessert wine), the French-American hybrid vidal, and the celebrated norton, a grape with native American parentage first cultivated in Virginia. “Jim Law is one of the most unsung heroes of winemaking on the East Coast, if not the country” says Keith Beavers, wine writer and proprietor of New York City’s In Vino wine bar. “He is very adamant about single-vineyard bottlings and chooses his blends carefully from vineyard to vineyard, creating some of the most focused wines in the United States.”
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#14 Domaine Drouhin Oregon, Dayton, Ore.
Courtesy: Domaine Drouhin Oregon
After a blind tasting of pinot noirs at the Paris Wine Olympics in the late 1970s, when an Eyrie pinot noir from Oregon placed second behind one of its famed Burgundies, Maison Joseph Drouhin decided that it was time to take a serious look at that state’s Willamette Valley. Look they did, and buy property, too, and in 1989, Domaine Drouhin Oregon opened. From the start (and they had a long head start, of course), the winery has been producing mostly pinot noir and some chardonnay under the watchful eye of fourth-generation winemaker Véronique Drouhin-Boss. Today the wines are known for their balance, refinement, and ability to retain freshness with age. As Daniel Johannes, corporate wine director of Daniel Boulud’s Dinex Group, puts it, Domaine Drouhin’s pinot noir is simply “great American pinot with a French accent.”
#13 Matthiasson Winery, Napa, Calif.
Courtesy: Matthiasson Winery
Steve and Jill Klein Matthiasson have years of experience in the sustainable agriculture field, and Steve is a vineyard consultant for some of the best-known wineries in California, so they definitely know their way around grapes. Those grapes aren’t always what you’d expect, however. Their most popular wine, called simply Napa Valley White Wine, combines sauvignon blanc, sémillion, ribolla gialla, and tocai friulano (the grape known legally in Europe now as simply friulano). In addition to their chardonnay, cabernet sauvignon, and Bordeaux-style blend, they make a meaty red from the northeastern Italian variety called refosco dal penduncula rosso. They even make vermouth from a UC Davis-bred cross (semillon and gewürztraminer) called flora. Their Rhône-inspired rosé is an irresistible warm-weather sipper.
#12 Caymus Vineyards, Rutherford, Calif.
Courtesy: Caymus Vineyards
Founded in the Napa Valley in 1971 by the Wagner family, Caymus is justly famous for, above all, its Napa Valley and flagship Special Selection cabernet sauvignons (the latter produced only in the best years). Chuck Wagner, son of winery founder Charlie Wagner, oversees winemaking for both, the latter of which twice earned recognition from Wine Spectator as the “Top Wine of the Year.” (Caymus zinfandel is also a wine to be reckoned with, and the Wagners separately produce various wines under the Mer Soleil, Conundrum, Meiomi, and Belle Glos labels.) “Picture-perfect vintage-in and vintage-out,“ notes chef–restaurateur Norman Van Aken, “the Wagner family’s wines have elevated the scope of what was even possible for American wineries, and forever changed and shaped the market’s love and appreciation for fine wine.”
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#11 Littorai Wines, Sebastopol, Calif.
Courtesy: Littorai
Heidi and Ted Lemon founded their winery in 1993, with the idea of producing refined chardonnays and pinot noirs from distinct vineyards in Sonoma and Mendocino counties. Considering themselves to be winegrowers more than winemakers, they have their own take on sustainable farming practices and are more concerned with being stewards of the land than with specific certifications. The results of this philosophy end up in the bottle, and they’re all good. Ted Lemon worked in Burgundy for Domaine Dujac in Morey-Saint-Denis, Guy Roulot in Meursault, and Domaine Roumier in Chambolle-Musigny, and his wines have a Burgundian refinement and sense of nuanced power.
#10 Robert Sinskey Vineyards, Napa, Calif.
Courtesy: Robert Sinskey Vineyards
A remarkable winery that combines award-winning wines with a stunning venue, Robert Sinskey Vineyards (or RSV, as it fashions itself) is not to be missed. Fully 100 percent of its grapes are certified organic, and winemaker Jeff Virnig prides himself on using soil-building and farming techniques that protect the 200 acres of vines located in the Stags Leap and Carneros areas of Napa Valley. Robert Sinskey produces California’s best pinot blanc and an extraordinary vin gris of pinot noir in addition to his cabernet sauvignon, pinot noir, and various proprietary blends (among other wines); one of these is a new venture called Orgia, a uniquely complex pinot gris. Owner Robert Sinskey may be, as he calls himself, an “atypical” vintner, but no one can doubt his passion or the quality of his wines.
#9 Leonetti Cellar, Walla Walla, Wash.
Courtesy: Robert Holmes Photography
Thirty years ago or so, when the Pacific Northwest premium wine industry was in its infancy, “experts” from California used to take it as an article of faith that Oregon and Washington could maybe do all right with white wines and delicate pinot noirs, but could never produce red wines with any real richness or intensity. We like to think that the first time any of these doubters got a mouthful of Leonetti, they felt pretty damn silly. The winery was launched in 1977, as Walla Walla’s first commercial producer. Today, Chris Figgins, son of the founders, unfailingly turns out some of America’s most demonstrative, complex, purely delicious cabernet sauvignons and merlots (usually with small percentages of complementary grapes added), a largely cabernet Bordeaux-style reserve blend, and a sangiovese (the 2012 includes a bit of syrah and aglianico) that would taste at home in the Maremma.
#8 Smith-Madrone Vineyards and Winery, St. Helena, Calif.
Photo: Meg Smith
A couple of amiable, bearded-and-mustachioed brothers, Stuart and Charles Smith (no relation to prolific Washington State winemaker Charles Smith, No. 52) — vineyard manager and winemaker, respectively — make their winery home near the summit of Spring Mountain, long known as the home of some of Napa Valley’s best producers. Here, they farm about 34 acres of cabernet sauvignon, chardonnay, and riesling, with small quantities of merlot and cabernet franc for blending. Production remains small — about 5,000 cases a year — and Smith-Madrone wines seldom show up on trophy lists, but connoisseurs who really know California wine tend to love them. The chardonnay and cabernet sauvignon regularly win gold medals around the country, and the winery’s exquisite riesling was named “Best Riesling in the World” in 1979 at the International Wine Championships sponsored by France’s Gault-Millau magazine. They’re under the radar, but on top of their game — which is why The Daily Meal named Smith-Madrone its 2014 Winery of the Year.
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#7 Heitz Cellar, St. Helena, Calif.
Photo Modified: Flickr / atl10trader / CC BY 4.0
The late Joe Heitz was a pioneer of modern-day fine winemaking in the Napa Valley. He was a no-nonsense kind of guy, who had little patience with self-styled wine experts and liked to affectionately tweak what he saw as the pretensions of his fellow winemakers. He also made some of the best wine California has ever seen. Heitz and his wife, Alice, bought their first plot of Napa Valley vineyard land in 1961 and three years later acquired a 160-acre vineyard in St. Helena, and made a handshake deal to source additional cabernet grapes from a plot in nearby Oakville that became known as Martha’s Vineyard — wine from which remains as one of the signal achievements of American winemaking. Besides his landmark cabernets, Heitz made fine wines from sauvignon blanc, chardonnay, and zinfandel, and championed a little-known Italian grape with strawberry-scented fruit called grignolino, from which he made both a delightful light-bodied red and a tasty rosé. Today, the Heitzes’ children, winemaker David Heitz and winery president Kathleen Heitz Myers, honor their father’s legacy and continue to produce wines of which every American wine-lover should be proud.
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#6 Dunn Vineyards, Angwin, Calif.
Courtesy: Dunn Vineyards
Randy and Lori Dunn founded their winery in 1978, before the now-respected Howell Mountain AVA was even established, and their outstanding varietal cabernet sauvignon is partially the reason behind the creation of Napa’s first sub-AVA. Dunn Vineyards is now a family affair, with the Dunns’ son Mike and daughter Kristina also contributing to the production of their two wines: their flagship Howell Mountain cabernet sauvignon and a popular Napa Valley labeling that is about 85 percent Howell Mountain fruit (both are packaged in bottles with a distinctive red wax seal). Dunn cabernets express restrained alcohol, powerful tannins, and excellent acidity, making them extremely long-lived and hard to get — but worth the search.
#5 Woodward Canyon Winery, Lowden, Wash.
Courtesy: Woodward Canyon Winery
Named 2014 Washington Winery of the Year by Wine Press Northwest, Woodward Canyon is a sustainably run property (no herbicides or pesticides in the vineyards and gardens, recycled corks, green energy in the winery) that produces its state’s best cabernet sauvignons — and there’s lots of strong competition — and a range of chardonnays and merlots that can match character with anything produced in America. Owner Rick Small and winemaker Kevin Mott also have a way with Rhône varietals; their Walla Walla Valley Erratic Reserve, involving syrah, mourvèdre, and grenache, proves that intensity of flavor and refinement of texture are not mutually exclusive.
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#4 Calera Wine, Hollister, Calif.
Courtesy: Calera Wine
Think you know California pinot noir? Think again. The only winery located in the Mount Harlan AVA of California’s Central Coast, Calera was one of the first modern-day wineries to plant pinot noir in the state, after winemaker Josh Jensen found a high-elevation, cool-climate location with soil rich in limestone. His pinots show Burgundian influences, balancing richness and elegance. Robert Parker, the most influential of wine critics, called Calera one of the most “compelling” pinot noir specialists “of not only the New World, but of Planet Earth.” Calera has also produced chardonnay, viognier, and aligoté at their 100 percent gravity-flow winery, and these are hardly to be ignored. John Tilson of The Underground Wine Letter salutes the winery’s “consistently superb wines over its entire history and strong advocacy of traditional winemaking.” Works for us.
#3 Au Bon Climat Winery, Santa Barbara, Calif.
Courtesy: Au Bon Climat Winery
For more than 30 years, Jim Clendenen’s pioneering Santa Barbara County winery has been producing wines — above all chardonnays and pinot noirs — that set the standard for the region, and for California in general. Sourcing grapes from the legendary Bien Nacido Vineyard and from other top plantings in the area, including his own organically farmed Le Bon Climat, Clendenen makes memorable wines with skill, wit, and above all remarkable consistency. Anyone lucky enough to have tasted such wines as Clendenen’s rich and racy 2010 30th Anniversary Nuits Blanches au Bouge Chardonnay, lusciously fruity 2011 Second Coming Viognier (under the Clendenen Family label), or sexy 2001 Vita Nova Reservatum (a California “super- Tuscan” comprised of sangiovese, cabernet franc, and merlot) will understand why Au Bon Climat deserves to be ranked as one of the very best wineries in America.
#2 Ridge Vineyards, Cupertino, Calif.
Courtesy: Ridge Vineyards
The esteemed Paul Draper’s legendary Ridge Vineyards has been an industry leader for over 50 years, making superb traditionally styled wines from some of California’s best vineyards with admirable, almost incredible, consistency. Ridge subscribes to the philosophy that winemaking should be as natural as possible, and the winery’s fantastic quality is achieved through sustainable farming, hand-picking and -sorting of grapes, use of native yeasts, naturally occurring malolactic fermentation, and minimal employment of SO2. Ridge produces vineyard-specific varietals and blends from the Sonoma, Santa Cruz Mountains, and Paso Robles AVAs. The oldest of the Ridge estates, Monte Bello, was first planted in 1885, abandoned after Prohibition, and replanted in the 1940s. As vines age, production drops; but the remaining grapes keep gaining in concentration and complexity. The winery’s zinfandels are legendary, its cabernet sauvignons highly praised, its chardonnays, merlots, petite sirahs, and Rhône-style blends are top-of-the-line. No wine producer is perfect 100 percent of the time — but Ridge comes very close.
#1 Tablas Creek Vineyard, Paso Robles, Calif.
Courtesy: Tablas Creek Vineyard
A leader in the use of Rhône varietals in the Paso Robles region, a leader in the fight for approval of 11 sub-districts in the area, and a leader in advancing sustainable and biodynamic vineyard practices not just in its own region but throughout California, this 25-year-old Paso Robles property — owned by noted wine importer Robert Haas and the Perrin family of Château de Beaucastel (Rhône Valley royalty) — is as good as it gets.
The wines are just amazing: rich, juicy whites (largely roussanne) and reds (mostly mourvèdre) sold under the Esprit de Tablas (formerly Esprit de Beaucastel) label; the more approachable Côtes de Tablas offerings (based on viognier for the white, grenache for the red); the fresh, sunny Patelin de Tablas rosé (grenache) and white (grenache blanc); the limited-edition single-variety wines released from time to time based on a wide variety of grapes (vermentino, petit manseng, and tannat as well as more familiar Rhône varieties) — it’s hard to know what to open first. John Tilson of The Underground Wine Letter hails Tablas Creek “for bringing Old World know-how to a new viticulture area,” adding that “Sustainable agriculture practices and traditional winemaking have established them as a role model for Rhône varietals [in California] and the wines are consistently excellent.” Sommelier, wine educator, and wine blogger Elizabeth Schneider puts it more succinctly: “They just make kick-ass wine year after year.”
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