For Outstanding California Wine, Look for Bottles Made With Grapes Grown on These 16 Vineyards

If you can't memorize the thousands of winemakers and wineries around the world, keeping a mental note of which wines are guaranteed to delight and which wines should get poured down the sink, there's one trick to identifying the best potential bottle of wine: knowing the name of top vineyards that might appear on the label.

This trick is especially useful in a large winemaking region like California. Many of the state’s best vineyards aren’t necessarily “estate” properties (i.e., owned by and growing grapes for only one winery). Instead, they sell their grapes to a range of producers, who often make single-vineyard wines from them.

Simply knowing the names of these vineyards is a smart way to streamline your wine-buying process and increase your chances of picking a great wine. To keep things relatively simple, the list here only includes a handful (well, a large handful) of top vineyards, all of which are among the larger, highly-sought-after sites that sell grapes to multiple California wineries.

Take a look and learn these names. You'll never look at the wine aisle the same way again.

Bien Nacido

Bien Nacido is a benchmark of California's Santa Maria Valley — it is the vineyard against which all of Santa Maria is measured. Of its roughly 3,000 acres, about 600 are actually planted to vines. Several grape varieties grow here, but Pinot Noir, Syrah, and Chardonnay particularly thrive in the site's undulating hills and varying slopes and aspects, which receive breezes off the Pacific, which funnel up through the uniquely west-east oriented Santa Ynez Mountains. 

The Miller family, a fifth-generation Californian farm family, began planting Bien Nacido in 1973. As of today, over eighty clients purchase grapes from Bien Nacido. Many big-name producers are among them, but it's the smaller, boutique wineries that have made Bien Nacido famous. —J.C.

Producers to seek out

Au Bon Climat, Bien Nacido Estate and Solomon Hills Estate, Chanin, Covenant Wines, Foxen, Fess Parker, Gary Farrell, J. Wilkes, Joel Gott, Ledge Vineyards, Migration, Ojai, Orin Swift, Paul Lato, Presqu'ile Winery, Qupe, Twomey, Tyler, and others.

Wines to try

The 2021 Au Bon Climat Historic Vineyards Collection Bien Nacido Vineyard Chardonnay ($40) is one of the most classic expressions of this site. It offers sleek, bright citrus aromas and flavors alongside toasty, buttered brioche, yellow apple, and vanilla bean notes. Potent floral aromas on the long finish.

The 2019 Qupe Bien Nacido Hillside Estate Syrah ($45) showcases how Syrah thrives in this vineyard. Winter spices mingle with rich blackberry, raspberry, and a touch of coffee.

Elegant red and black fruit notes are on display in 2019 Migration Bien Nacido Vineyard Pinot Noir ($90). Expect fine silky tannins, salty crushed stones, and vivid volcanic ash earth notes, with a clove-tinged cherry on a spicy finish.

John Sebastiano Vineyard

Microclimates in Santa Barbara County make the area a phenomenal place for Syrah, especially in the 100 acres at the relatively new John Sebastiano Vineyard. So what does John Sebastiano Vineyard (JSV) have going for it? "The place is magic," says the vineyard's co-owner John Wagner, who also makes wine under the Peake Ranch label. "It's high, with six or seven radically different soil types, it's romantic and cool, and it gets that ocean breeze. The wind is so strong, that if you open the door to your truck haphazardly, it'll blow the door off the truck."

In particular, John Sebastiano sits "in the Goldilocks zone at the eastern edge of the Sta. Rita Hills appellation," explains Dragonette winemaker Brandon Sparks-Gillis. "Here, the east-west orientation of the Santa Ynez Mountains and the Sta. Rita Hills allows direct ocean influence, funneling in cool wind and fog from the Pacific Ocean. The relatively high elevation slopes face south, catching the sun, wind, and fog, creating an extremely long growing season which is perfect for Syrah." But JSV should not be pigeon-holed simply as a Syrah site;, it also produces excellent Grenache and Pinot Noir. —J.C.

Producers to seek out

Byron, Carlson, Couloir, Dragonette, Duckhorn, Foxen, Herman Story, Holus Bolus, Joel Gott, Kosta Browne, Ojai, Orin Swift, Paul Lato Atticus, Peake, Samsara, Sanguis, Siduri, Storm, Story of Soil, and Tatomer.

Wines to try

Dragonette Cellars' 2021 Syrah John Sebastiano Vineyard Sta. Rita Hills ($65) is a beautiful wine, with a aromas of dark berry fruit, dried tobacco, cured meat, and candied violets. It’s medium-bodied with concentrated black and blueberry flavors, crunchy acidity, and an energetic mineral-tinged finish.

John Wagner's personal project, the 2021 Peake Ranch Pinot Noir John Sebastiano Vineyard ($75) delivers spicy, cinnamon-tinged red cherry and red licorice notes, with tangy acidity, and a perfumed finish.

Radian Vineyard

Along with its neighboring vineyards Bentrock and Puerta del Mar, Radian is owned by The Hilt Estate. Perched on the southwestern tip of the Sta. Rita Hills AVA, Radian doesn't fit the stereotypical idea of serenity associated with most vineyards; instead, its terrain features steep, un-walkable ridges and extreme, lose-your-hat-forever winds at its highest elevations.

Radian’s cool days and cooler nights, plus its silica-laced diatomaceous soils (and plenty of sunshine), do wonders for the quality of its grapes. Pinot Noir reigns here alongside Chardonnay. The Hilt's winemaker Matt Dees is known for getting nerdy about perfect soil conditions and maintains a strict no-pesticides or herbicides policy — tricky work for Dees, but the result is stunning, energetic, gorgeous wines. —J.C.

Producers to seek out

Babcock, Chamisal, Dragonette, The Hilt, Ken Brown, Liquid Farm, and Paley Wine Co.

Wines to try

The Hilt Estate's 2021 Pinot Noir Radian Vineyard ($90) is deeply flavorful with black cherry, cola nut, and cedary notes. The long, fruit-spice finish is marked by chewy tannins and crisp acidity. Note also: The Hilt’s winery and tasting room opened to the public in 2021, and if you're planning to visit Santa Barbara County, this is a must.

The 2022 Liquid Farm Radian Vineyard Pinot Noir ($84) is another bright, lively rendition of Radian Pinot, with loads of spicy black-cherry fruit, earthy notes, and zippy, tangy acidity.

Durell Vineyard

Bill Price, who also owns Gap's Crown vineyard, has an eye for picking out great land.Durell, one of Sonoma County’s powerhouse vineyards, holdss 610 acres of vines, mainly Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.

"Durell is special because it's at the confluence of so many different forces of nature," says Ryan Prichard, winemaker at Price’s Three Sticks Winery. Wind and fog rolls in from both the Pacific Ocean and the San Francisco Bay at Durrell; the soils vary from sandy loams to ancient rocky river beds to volcanic, iron-rich clay. Mix these factors together and the result is grapes perfectly primed for producing iconic wines. Durrell Pinots are expressive, and its Chardonnays intense;no wonder winemakers flock to the site. —J.C.

Producers to seek out

Armida, Auteur, Chateau St. Jean, DeLoach, Dunston, Fulcrum, Gary Farrell, Kistler, Patz & Hall, Saxon Brown, and Three Sticks Winery.

Wines to try

The 2022 Three Sticks Winery Chardonnay Durell Vineyard ($70) is downright delicious. Leading with lime, grapefruit zest, and white flower notes, the palate is medium-bodied with scintillating acidity.

The 2021 Kistler Chardonnay Durell Vineyard ($150) offers decadent layers of Golden Delicious apple, poached pears, quince, and salty minerality on the long finish. It’s a remarkable Chardonnay.

The 2021 Gary Farrell Chardonnay Durell Vineyard Sonoma Coast ($75) is medium-bodied with a sumptuous caramel-tinged finish. Think white flowers, quince, and bright mineral qualities.

Dutton Ranch

Not all great vineyards are necessarily a single contiguous property. To prove that, consider Dutton Ranch, an archipelago of 74 variously-sized vineyards (none larger than about 50 acres) covering 1,100 combined total acres of grapevines across the Russian River Valley and Green Valley AVAs.

In a sense, it's a kind of Burgundian model, with one family — the Duttons — in charge of the entire constellation of vineyards, leasing out vineyard blocks or individual rows to various producers. Dutton Ranch today is owned 50/50 by brothers Joe and Steve Dutton; Joe and his wife, Tracy, also own the wine label Dutton Estate, and Steve Dutton and Dan Goldfield are partners in the Dutton-Goldfield wines.

The origins of Dutton Ranch date back to 1964 when Joe and Steve's parents bought the 35-acre "Home Ranch" site in Graton, CA. Today, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir dominate what Dutton grows, along with Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling, Syrah, and some old-vine plantings of Zinfandel. You'll want to look for either "Dutton Ranch" on a label, or the names of their single vineyards, for instance Emerald Ridge, Morelli Lane, or Shop Block. —J.C.

Producers to seek out

The Calling, Chappellet, Davis Family, DuMol, Dutton Estate, Dutton-Goldfield, En Route, Francis Ford Coppola, Kistler, Marine Layer, Migration, Patz & Hall, and Siduri.

Wines to try

Black cherry and black raspberry notes are present in the 2021 Dutton-Goldfield's 2021 Dutton Ranch Emerald Ridge Vineyard Pinot Noir ($74). This wine is broad-shouldered, with a candied red berry mid-palate and whispers of cinnamon and cedar through its silky finish.

Cherry-pie spices, orange peel, and grapefruit notes appear in the 2021 Chappellet Grower Collection Dutton Ranch Pinot Noir ($70). Expansive, with chalky tannins and hen-of-the-woods earthy notes, and mixed wild berry flavors, it finishes with zingy acidity.

Sangiacomo Vineyards

After emigrating from Genoa, Italy, in 1913, the Sangiacomo family started farming pears — the popular crop of the day — in Sonoma County. In 1969, they started growing wine grapes, and for many years, fruit from their 1,600 acres of vineyards has been sought after by many of the state’s top wineries. Today, over 90 producers bottle “Sangiacomo Vineyard” wines (including the Sangiacomos themselves, under their own name). — R.I.

Producers to seek out

Amici Cellar, Anaba, B.R. Cohn, Benzinger, Barnett, Buena Vista, Chappellet, Cuvaison, Decoy, Flowers, Folie a Deux, Frank Family, Landmark, Myriad, Newton, Prisoner Wine Company, Ram's Gate Winery, Rombauer Vineyards, Sangiacomo Wines, Saxon Brown, Schug Winery, Thorn Hill Vineyards, Three Fat Guys, Walt Wines, and Westwood Family Wines, to name just a few.

Wines to try

The vibrant 2022 Barnett Vineyards Sangiacomo Vineyard Chardonnay ($48) captures the vineyard's floral, citrus-and-stone-fruit character beautifully.

The 2021 Sangiacomo Family VineyardsSonoma Coast Pinot Noir ($70) is made from a blend of fruit from several Sangiacomo parcels: Roberts Road Vineyard, Amaral, and Fedrick. It’s a juicy,fleshy Pinot with clove-tinged cherry flavors and satiny tannins.

The 2022 Schug Sangiacomo Vineyard Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast ($56) is muscular and spicy, with tart cherry and blood orange notes and balanced acidity.

Hyde Vineyard

Ever since 1979, when the Hyde Vineyard was founded, you can amble through the morning fog in Carneros  to find founder Larry Hyde tending to his yield. Hyde makes remarkable Merlot, Viognier, and Syrah, but the real superstar here is Chardonnay, which attracts a Who's Who of the most revered California Chardonnay producers. (You may also know Larry's partner in the HdV Winery — Aubert de Villaine, whose family co-owns Burgundy’s famed Domaine de la Romanee-Conti.) — J.C.

Producers to seek out

Amici, Aubert, HDV, Hyde Vineyard Estate, Joseph Phelps, Kistler, Miner, Patz & Hall, Paul Hobbs, Radius, Ramey, Ram's Gate, Saxon Brown, Tor, and DuMOL.

Wines to try

The 2021 Ramey Chardonnay Hyde Vineyard ($85) shows gingery spices, a hint of wild rosemary, and plenty of complex citrus fruit notes. It’s evidence that everything winemaker David Ramey touches turns to gold.

The 2021 Amici Chardonnay Hyde Vineyard ($75) is rich with a spicy and nutty finish — a remarkable white wine from. the talented Jesse Fox along with top-notch consultant Tony Biagi. 

The 2020 Patz & Hall Pinot Noir Hyde Vineyard Carneros ($65) is a richly scented, fruit-forward Pinot with floral and spice aromas, from an iconic California Chardonnay producer (recently bought back by founder James Hall from its previous corporate owners). This is an earthy,bold red with fine tannins and a long, inviting finish.

Gap's Crown Vineyard

This 406-acre vineyard, owned by Bill Price of Three Sticks Wines, is perched on a southwestern-facing slope of Sonoma Mountain in the Petaluma Gap. Three Sticks winemaker Ryan Prichard sums up nicely why the site is special: "It sees fog early in the afternoon and is one of the last areas that the fog burns off in the morning. This cooler weather and almost constant wind throughout the vineyard cause the berries to develop smaller and with thicker skins. In the fermenter, this higher skin-to-juice ratio causes the wines to develop intense concentration, with some wonderful tannins that allow them to age gracefully for years." — J.C.

Producers to seek out

Bruliam, Fulcrum, Guarachi, Kosta Browne, Lutum, MacPhail, Patz & Hall, Ram's Gate, Sojourn, Three Sticks Wines, Trombetta, and Walt.

Wines to try

The 2022 Three Sticks Chardonnay Gap's Crown Vineyard ($70) has silken layers of lemon, candied ginger, and quince give way to honeysuckle, all supported by a spine of firm acidity and immense length.

The 2022 Kosta Browne Pinot Noir Gap's Crown Vineyard ($165) has haunting dark-cherry aromas, and is broad and expansive, evoking cranberry and candied cherry flavors, witha mineral-tinged finish.

Beckstoffer George III Vineyard

What makes Beckstoffer Georges III such a noteworthy vineyard isn't necessarily the climate or the soil at this 300-acre ranch in Rutherford (originally planted by Elizabeth Rutherford in 1895), though those certainly help. Rather, Georges III owes its historical significance to the acclaim one wine has received: the Beaulieu Vineyards Georges de Latour Private Reserve Cabernet, one of the defining Cabernets of Napa Valley in the 1960s and '70s. — J.C.

Producers to seek out

Adobe Road, Alpha Omega, B Cellars, Boich, Fairchild, Hunnicutt, Krutz, Myriad, Purlieu, Schrader, Sojourn, and Taub.

Wines to try

The 2022 Myriad Cellars 'Empyrean' Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Vineyards George III Napa Valley ($198) is generous and high-toned, with vanilla and cigar box notes. Full bodied but with silky, feather-weight tannins, it offers bold sweet blackberry, cassis, graphite, and earth notes, with a long finish that goes on a full minute or more.

The 2021 Boich Family Cellars Beckstoffer Vineyards Georges III Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley ($170) is one collector-level wine worth seeking out. It's a dark ruby-hued, hefty red whose aromas and flavors suggest  blackberry pie spices, violets, crème de cassis, and blackberry liqueur.

Hirsch Vineyards

David Hirsch didn’t buy his remote Sonoma Coast property planning to grow grapes, but when a winemaker friend suggested the land might be good for Pinot Noir, he took the leap and planted vines in 1980. Initially, he sold grapes to top producers like Littorai and Williams Selyem, then in 2002 started making his own wines as well. 

Hirsch is unquestionably one of California’s top Pinot Noir sites, and also one of the defining vineyards of the far Sonoma Coast, yet it almost was never planted to vines. As David Hirsch recalls, “It was originally a sheep ranch. And when I bought the property, I had no desire to be a grape grower. But my friend Jim Beauregard — who’s actually an unrecognized pioneer, and pretty much single-handedly revived Santa Cruz Mountains viticulture — came up in 1980 to check it out. We were walking around one of the pastures where the sheep were grazing, and he turned to me out of the blue and said, ‘You plant pinot here and this will be a world famous vineyard.’ And to this day, you know, 40 years later, I still haven’t been able to get out of him how he knew that.” But it’s lucky for anyone who loves California Pinot Noir that he did. — R.I.

Producers

Failla, Hirsch, Littorai, Twomey, Ultramarine, and Williams Selyem.

Wines to try

The 2021 Hirsch Vineyards San Andreas Fault Pinot Noir ($65) is remarkably fresh, with high-toned red berry fruit and a lifted floral elegance, tightly wound upon first opening, eventually unspooling into raspberry and dark cherry notes tinged with wild sage, first floor, and pops of juicy, tangy grapefruit peel.

The 2021 Failla Hirsch Vineyard Pinot Noir ($95) offers a heady mix of spice and red fruit, suggesting cherries and strawberries with whispers of clove and cinnamon. It wraps up with refreshing acidity and a long spice-driven finish.

The 2022 Williams Selyem Hirsch Vineyard Pinot Noir, Sonoma Coast ($110) cherry aromas are backed by cranberry, pomegranate, and cola flavors. It’s medium-bodied, with silky tannins and a lingering finish.

To Kalon

To Kalon, which means “highest beauty,” was first planted in 1868. It is both one of Napa Valley’s oldest vineyards and one of its greatest. Even so, it has a complicated history, to say the least; currently, it is two adjacent vineyards, one owned by Robert Mondavi Winery and one by grower Andy Beckstoffer, who sells grapes to a range of top-flight wineries. —R.I.

Producers to seek out

Alejandro Bulgheroni Estate, Alpha Omega, Amici, AXR, Bounty Hunter, Mondavi, Realm, Paul Hobbs, Provenance, Schrader, Tor, and Vice Versa.

Wines to try

Though To Kalon is mostly known for stratospherically expensive Cabernet, the layered, complex, and subtly oak-inflected 2021 Robert Mondavi To Kalon Reserve Fumé Blanc ($95) (a wine made from Sauvignon Blanc that is aged in oak) is a stellar tribute to its history.

The 2022 Tor Kenward Family Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer To Kalon ($350) is a stellar Cabernet Sauvignon, full of currant and black cherry notes, lavender aromas, and bold, ripe tannins.

The savory, layered 2019 Realm Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard ($470) offers iron-like minerality that gives way to rich, black and blue fruit notes, with an undercurrent of cedary spice. Power and beauty rolled into one, and very hard to resist.

Evangelho Vineyard

When developers and officials in Contra Costa County made a push to raze the Evangelho Vineyard and use the land to build apartments, they didn't know what they were up against. In fact, the whole story behind Evangelho, one of the oldest vineyards in the United States, is one of perseverance. Despite the vineyard's origins stretching back to the 1890s, nearly all of its original vines are still intact and thriving.

Evangelho hasn't been ravaged by age, and the property's sandy soils have helped prevent any damage from periodic outbreaks of phylloxera—not bad for a vineyard whose next-door neighbors are a gymnastics center and a tire shop. And the breezy San Francisco Bay air in Contra Costa County helps to keep the eclectic and sustainable selection of grapes here going strong: Zinfandel, Carignan, Mourvèdre, Palomino, and Muscat are among them, along with several others. —J.C.

Producers to seek out

Bedrock Wine Co., Cruse, Dashe Les Enfants, Desire Lines, Neyers, Precedent, Ridge, Terrible, Three Wine Co., and T-Vine.

Wines to try

The 2019 T-Vine Evangelho Blend And We All Grow Old ($50) has some old vine magic going on: raspberry, currant, and black cherry notes with deeply earthy and exotic floral aromas.

Tart cherry and dark citrus notes with berry aromas and a smoky undertone are present in the 2023 Bedrock Wine Co. Evangelho Vineyard Heritage Red ($40). Bedrock owner Morgan Twain-Peterson has been instrumental in the fight throughout California to keep the state’s heritage vineyards in the ground (as opposed to being pulled out and the land devoted to yet another housing division).

The 2017 Three Wine Company Zinfandel Evangelho Vineyard Contra Costa County ($42) from winemaker Matt Cline has spiced blackberry flavors with a peppery garnish. It's a full-bodied, rich, and tasty red that drinks great on day one, and even better on day two.

Charles Heintz Vineyards

Even with only 100 acres to its name, the Sonoma Coast’s Charles Heintz Vineyards sits on such varied terrain that can claim many more than a couple of microclimates within its borders. Its proximity to the Pacific coast provides excellent maritime fog coverage and there's plenty of diversity in the soil, which ranges from clay to sandy loam. A longtime jewel of Sonoma County, the Heintz Ranch has been in operation as a source for highly sought-after grapes since 1912, and the enduring quality of its Chardonnay and Pinot Noir keeps top winemakers coming back for more. —J.C.

Producers to seek out

Amici Cellars, Ceritas, Cruse, LaRue, Littorai, Marine Layer, Migration, Moone-Tsai, DuMOL, and Senses.

Wines to try

The 2019 Migration Chardonnay Charles Heintz Vineyard ($69) is rich and inviting with tropical fruit notes, pops of honeysuckle and baking spices, and juicy acidity.

The 2021 Littorai Chardonnay Charles Heintz Vineyard Sonoma Coast ($125) is peachy and citrusy, with vanilla and wet stone notes; it’s brilliantlybalanced with bright acidity and layers of flavor—truly one of California’s best Chardonnays. If only it were easier to find; Littorai’s wines are snapped up quickly by top sommeliers and collectors around the country.

The 2021 Cruse Wine Co. Charles Heintz Vineyard Syrah ($45) shows dark berry notes, savory white pepper accents and an airy, elegant profile—cool-climate Syrah at its best. 

Sanford & Benedict Vineyard

Sanford & Benedict, planted in 1971 in Santa Barbara County’s Sta. Rita Hills appellation, helped bring the region’s affinity for Burgundian varieties to national awareness, and remains a source of some of California’s best Pinot Noir and Chardonnay grapes. Gavin Chanin has been using its fruit for 20 years now, first as assistant winemaker at Au Bon Climat and since 2012 at his own winery. “I always dreamed of making wine from S&B,” he says. “I asked for fruit in 2007, ’08, ’09, and on until 2012, when I think they just got sick of me and said yes!” —R.I.

Producers to seek out

Sanford, Chanin, Au Bon Climat, Racines, Sandhi, Tyler, Presqu’ile, and others.

Wines to try

The 2021 Chanin Sanford & Benedict Vineyard Chardonnay ($60) from winemaker Gavin Chanin is impressive year in and year out, with floral and citrus notes rising from the glass. It’s a stellar example of Chardonnay from the Sta. Rita Hills.

The 2020 Sandhi Sanford & Benedict Pinot Noir ($60), transparently ruby-hued and full of wild herb, black tea, and red cherry aromas and flavors, captures the elegant exoticism that has made this vineyard so renowned for its Pinot Noirs.

James Berry

Not too many figures in Paso Robles have earned the title "kingmaker," but if anyone has, Justin Smith of Saxum fame would be one of them. His parents, James Berry Smith (affectionately known as "Pebble") and Terry established the James Berry Vineyard in 1981, and Justin Smith helped put the site squarely on the map with his Saxum wines (the waitlist is about four years for an allocation). The James Berry Vineyard has been hailed as one of California's "grand cru" sites by one of its most ardent fans—the retired critic Robert Parker.

Situated roughly 10 miles from the Pacific Ocean, the vineyard’s sea breezes, sunny days, and clay-loam topsoil over an ancient seabed rife with marine deposits all work to produce world-class Grenache and Syrah grapes (along with smaller parcels of Roussanne, Grenache Blanc, Counoise, Carignan and Petite Sirah. Winemakers from all over the region hope to get their hands on James Berry fruit, but Smith runs a tight ship and sells to only a handful of producers. The vineyard is farmed organically and is heading toward regenerative practices. —J.C.

Producers to seek out

Carlisle Winery, Kinero, Ledge Vineyards, Saxum, Torrin, Turtle Rock, and Villa Creek.

Wines to try

The 2022 Saxum James Berry Vineyard Rhône Blend ($179) combines Mataro, Syrah, and Carignan for an explosion of dark blue fruits, espresso beans, cassis, violets, and a satiny texture.

The 2021 Carlisle Syrah James Berry Vineyard Willow Creek District ($66) is full-bodied, with silky blackberry fruit, cedar spices, suggestions of blueberry preserves, and ultra-fine-grained tannins.

Garys' Vineyard

Comparatively modest in size at only 50 acres, this Santa Lucia Highlands vineyard is named after not one, but two people named Gary: Gary Franscioni and Gary Pisoni, both legends in California grape-growing. Syrah is planted here, but the cool, constant winds of the Santa Lucia Highlands make it no surprise that Garys’ Vineyard’s big draw is its Pinot Noir. —J.C.

Producers to seek out

Alfaro Family, A.P. Vin, Bernardus, Capiaux, Daou, Kosta Browne, Loring, Lucia, Miner, Miura, Morgan, Neyers, Roar, Siduri, Surh Luchtel, Testarossa, and Vision.

Wines to try

The 2021 Twomey Pinot Noir Garys' Vineyard ($72) moves from wild berry and cedar aromas to blackberry and dusty cherry fruit, with, elegant tobacco and dark chocolate accents throughout.

The 2021 Pisoni Vineyards Lucia Pinot Noir Garys' Vineyard ($70) is incredibly high-toned, its bright cherry character, giving way to grapefruit zest, orange peel, and dark chocolate notes. It finishes round and luscious.

Shake Ridge Ranch

Shake Ridge is a vineyard that’s famous among winemakers, but not many people who aren’t winemakers know its name. That’s partly because it’s remote — nearly 2,000 feet up in the foothills of the Sierras — but who knows why else, because the grapes that proprietor Ann Kraemer grows here make exceptional wines.The location was originally settled in the 1870s by Italian immigrants, who cultivated grapes (among other crops) to help feed mining camps; once the miners left the region, it reverted to pastureland for some eighty years, until the Kraemer family planted vines in 2003. —R.I.

Producers to seek out

Bedrock, A Tribute to Grace, Keplinger, Desire Lines, Yorba Wines, Jolie-Laide, Cantadora, and others.

Wines to try

Newfound's 2022 Shake Ridge Vineyard Mourvedre ($55) is savory and earthy, a great California interpretation of the classic red grape of France’s Bandol region.

The 2021 A Tribute to Grace Shake Ridge Ranch Grenache ($70) sees the talents of star winemaker Angela Osborne brought to bear on Shake Ridge fruit, and the result is unsurprisingly delicious: floral, silky, layered, and lingering with spicy wild cherry flavor.