Chardonny
  
Chardonny - (Shar-doe-nay)
  
California's best white-wine grape, justly famous in France's Burgundy and
  
Chablis regions. The wine at its best is dry, full-bodied, with an apple-
  
like aroma, it ranges from fresh and grapey to rich and complex, with a 
  
greenish-yellow to golden color. Before being bottled, the wine is often
  
aged in small oak barrels; this process increases its complexity.  Lately
  
another style of Chardonnay features less richness and higher acidity. 
  
These less complex wines are usually easier to drink with seafood and 
  
poultry featured in the new lighter style cuisines.  These wines are often
  
grown in the cooler Central Coast, in the Los Carneros district of Napa 
  
and Sonoma and some on the North Coast near the Pacific Ocean.  Chardonnay
  
is typically the best dry white wine most regions have to offer.  In 
  
California about 345 wineries offer this grape. Some of the finest
  
Chardonnys come from Acacia (Los Carneros), Alexander Valley, Bacigalupi, 
  
Bargetto, Beaulieu(BV), David Bruce, Buena Vista, Burgess, Cakebread, 
  
Caneros Creek, Chalone, Chappellet, Chateau Montelena, Chateau St. Jean,
  
Creston Manor, Clos du Bois, Clos du Val, Conn Creek, Cuvaison, Deloach, 
  
Dry Creek, Far Niete, Firestone, Freemark Abby, Grgich Hill, Heitz, 
  
William Hill (Gold Label), Jekel, Jordon, Kendall-Jackson, Mayacamas, 
   
Mirrassou, Robert Mondavi, Newton, Robert Pepi, Joseph Phelps, Pine Ridge,
  
Raymond, Rutherford Hill, St. Clement, Saintsbury, Silverado, Simi, 
  
Smith-Madrone, Sonoma-Cutrer, Stag Leap Wine Cellars, Sterling, Stony
  
Hill, Trefethen, and Zaca Mesa.
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Sauvignon Blanc
   
Sauvignon Blanc - (So-veen-yaw Blawn)
  
Second Grape only to Chardonnay for the production of dry white wines in 
  
California. The grape is usually described as having a grassy aroma and 
  
flavors and can have some nice fruit to the wine.  When produced as a dry 
  
wine, it is often aged in small oak barrels, making this wine a suitable 
  
companion to fish and shellfish.  A few wineries offer sweet versions, 
  
but the number is decreasing due to the rapidly growind demand for the 
  
dry, crisp style. There is also a popular marketing name used, Fume Blanc,
  
usually dry-finished.  This trend was started by Robert Mondavi Winery in 
  
the late 60's.  Of the about 200 producers of Sauvignon Blanc here are
  
a few of those winerys: 
  
Berginger, Davis Bynum, Cakebread, Callaway, Caymus, Chateau St. Jean, 
  
Creston Manor, Concannon, Dry Creek, Groth, Iron Horse, Kenwood, McDowell, 
  
Robert Mondavi, Newton, Paulsen, Robert Pecota, Joseph Phelps, 
  
Charles F. Shaw, Silverado, Sterling.
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Chenin Blanc
  
Chenin Blanc - (Shay-nan Blawn)
  
Popular white varietal grape making a fresh, fruity wine grown on North 
  
and Central Coast vineyards. The flavors are often compared to melons, 
  
pears and peaches.  Most are finished slightly sweet to medium sweet and
  
intended for early consumption.  Dry-style Chenin Blancs come mostly from
  
smaller Napa and Sonoma producers, who often age their wines in small oak 
  
barrels.  Produced at about 110 wineries in California, quality Chenin
  
Blancs come from: 
  
Beringer, Burgess, Callaway, Chappellet, Dry Creek, Grand Cru, Hacienda, 
  
Kenwood, Charles Krug, Landmark, Louis Martini, Mirassou, Pine Ridge, 
  
and Robert Mondavi.
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Riesling
   
Riesling - (Reece-ling)
  
A fruity, fresh and crisp wine, ranging from dry to sweet, with a flowery,
  
spicey aroma.  The best wines have complexity and finesse similiar to a 
  
rough after-taste and are otherwise bland in comparison to some German 
  
counterparts.  Particularly good wineries include:
  
Alexander Valley, Bargetto, Beaulieau(BV), Berginger, Chappellet, 
  
Chateau St. Jean, Field Stone, Firestone, Freemark Abbey, Heitz, 
  
Jekel, Charles Krug, J. Lohr, Louis Martini, Mirassou, Robert Mondavi, 
  
Montery, Joseph Phelps, Rutherford Hill, Smith-Madrone, Stag's Leap 
  
Wine Cellars, Stony Hill, Trefethen, Wente Brothers, and Zaca Mesa. 
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Gewurztraminer
   
Gewurztraminer - (Ge-vertz-tra-me-ner)
  
California's equivalent of the white-wine grape originally from the French
  
province of Alsace; among the most successful of California's Rhine-type
  
grapes.  'Gewurz' in German is 'spicy'; the wine is zesty and aromatic.
  
Although the wine is not as remarkable here as it is in France, it is 
  
still good and fresh, light in sweetness and body. The drier wines have a 
  
stronger varietal character. Traminer, related to Gewurztraminer, is less 
  
distinctive, but is a good dry white wine.
  
Gewurztraminer wines are produced by several wineries.  Notable ones 
  
include:
  
Chateau St. Jean, Firestone, Matanzas Creek, Joseph Phelps, 
  
Rutherford Hill, Simi, and Stony Hill.
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Cabernet Sauvignon
   
Cabernet Sauvignon - (Cab-air-nay So-veen-yawn)
  
The most successful red varietal grape in California, often making wines
  
of the world class beauty and depth. In Napa and Sonoma counties it 
  
develops a ripe almost black-currant concentration that is mixed with 
  
some minty, weedy, herbaceous and even vegetative overtones. Although 
  
frequently astringent when young, these wines soften while ageing in the 
  
bottle (10-15 years for the big wines) until their full flavors comes 
  
through.  These are usually expensive and fine quality wines. These days, 
  
instead of just using the Cabernet grape making a very boastful wine, the 
  
wineries have been blending with varietals from Bordeaux (Merlot, Cabernet
  
Franc, and Malbec) making them a little smoothier and well-balanced. The 
  
main varietal titled on the label must have 75% of that grape in the 
  
bottle and 25% can be blended.  There are at least 300 wineries producing 
  
this varietal, these are some of the finest produced:
  
Alexander Valley, Beaulieu(BV), Burgess, Cakebread, Caymus,
  
Chappellet, Clos du Bios, Clos du Val, Conn Creek, Cuvaison, Groth, Heitz,
  
Jordon, Kenwood, Charles Krug, Mayacamas, Robert Mondavi, Mount Eden, 
  
Newton, Joesph Phelps, Pine Ridge, Raymond, Rutherford Hill, St. Clement,
  
Shafer, Shown & Son, Silevado, Silver Oak, Stag's Leap Wine Cellars, 
  
Steltzner, Robert Stemmler, Sterling, William Wheeler, William Hill
  
(Gold Label), and Zaca Mesa.

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Merlot
  
Merlot - (Mair-Lo)
  
Has come into fashion within the last decade from the early 70's, when 
  
Cabernet was being planted and Merlot was grown as a blending grape to
  
soften and add some complexity to the wine.  However, after the grape 
  
matured they found it could produce well on its own and did so.  They 
  
were producing meduim to deep red color, with herbaceous aromas somewhat 
  
like Cabernet's but were softer with a supple texture.  Making Merlot 
  
have some popularity, about 75 wineries produce it. 
  
The exceptional ones:
  
Carneros Creek, Clos du Bios, Clos du Val, Duckhorn, Firestone, 
  
Mill Creek, Rutherford Hill, Stag's Leap Wine Cellars, 
  
Sterling, and  Veedercrest.
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Pinot Noir
   
Pinot Noir - (Pee-no Nwahr)
  
This red grape is of high reputation in Burgundy being a principal red 
  
grape of France, which have puzzled California winemakers because in
  
spite of large plantings in a variety of soils and climates, they have
  
often been thin flavored and simple, seldom offering the rich, robust 
  
but velvety texture the grapes reputation is based. Even though in recent 
  
experiments with location, trying some different technique's, performance 
  
of this varietal has inproved especially if the winemaker has patience and
  
funds to make this effort.  These favored locations are in cool area's and 
  
enriched limestone-soil.  About 149 wineries are producing Pinot Noir at 
  
this point, some of quality are: 
  
Acacia, Alexander Valley, Beaulieu(BV), David Bruce, Davis Bynum, 
  
Carnerous Creek, Chalone, Firestone, Landmark, Santa Cruz, Saintsbury, 
  
and Trefethen.  
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Zinfandel
  
Zinfandel - (ZIN-fan-dell)
  
A red grape of unknown European origin, sometimes known as the "mystery 
  
grape" and now considered California's own.  The quality varies from a
  
vin ordinaire to superior varietal wine.  The best come from the cooler 
  
regions and are light-bodied and fruity with a raspberry-like aroma. 
  
Most can be drunk young, but those with high tannin content improve 
  
with age.  Zinfandel wines from warmer regions are less impressive, 
  
while those from hot areas, or those produced from grapes harvested too 
  
late, may taste heavy and overripe, with a raisin-like aroma. 
  
Zinfandel is also blended into California clarets.  There are about 190 
  
producers of this grape and some good ones come from: 
  
Boeger, David Bruce, Buehler, Buena Vista, Burgess, Davis Bynum, 
  
Callway, Richard Carey, Carneros Creek, Caymus, Clos du Val, Conn Creek, 
  
Cuvaison, Dehlinger, Deloach, Dry Creek, Firestone, Grgich Hill, Kenwood, 
  
Louis Martini, McDowell, Mirassou, Joseph Phelps, Preston, Round Hill, 
  
Rutherford Hill, Sausal, Shenandoah, Simi, Sonoma, and Zaca Mesa.
  
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