Eight Californian wines to celebrate Joe Biden’s inauguration

It has been quite a tumultuous time in the United States of late, hasn’t it? A rampaging pandemic, mass protests over police killings and now an outgoing president impeached for a second time. While next week’s inauguration of Joe Biden will take place amid unprecedented security, it should also be a moment of celebration that a more unifying and rational figure is entering the Oval Office, while a black woman, Kamala Harris, will become vice president.  

So what better time to recommend a selection of fine Californian wines, to toast the new administration and perhaps look forward to a more peaceful partner across the pond? While there are great wines being produced in Washington state, Oregon and New York, their overall production is miniscule compared with California, and the wines are much less readily available in the UK. So instead let’s turn to the four grapes for which California is best known and on which its reputation is founded. Next week I’ll be recommending some less well-known wines that hold exciting promise for a more diverse picture of Californian wines in the future.

But first to those reliable staples: two selections each from big chardonnays, ethereal pinot noirs, bold cabernet sauvignons and spicy, rich zinfandels.

Most Californian chardonnays tend to be on the oaky side, but the Reata Sonoma Coast Chardonnay 2018 (£20.00 sainsburys.co.uk) made by Linda Trotta, the Napa Valley Winemaker of the Year in 2018, is a balanced, stylish affair, with carefully integrated oak that is countered by refreshing acidity and lovely creamy, lemony flavours, with a crisp finish. 

A simply perfect wine for shellfish, oysters or an aperitif. If the former could be modelled on lighter chablis, the complex Talbott Kali Hart Chardonnay 2018 (£24.99, or £14.99 if bought as part of a mixed six-bottle purchase, majestic.co.uk) from the Santa Lucia Highlands, to the south of San Francisco, is more traditionally Burgundian, with ripe tropical fruit flavours, some apricot and lemon notes, bags of vanilla and brioche hints, making this a good partner for any white meat dishes, but particularly pork belly. 

When it comes to cabernet sauvignon, we expect big, bold, smooth wines, with tar and chocolate notes and black fruit flavours; wines that need time to breathe once the bottle is opened and are partners for roast meats and richer vegetable dishes. In those respects, the Bonterra Estate Collection Organic Cabernet Sauvignon 2018 (£12.99 waitrose.com), from one of the first and biggest organic brands in the US, does not disappoint, with a distinctly rustic quality that derives from the organic production and some lovely black cherry and blackberry flavours. 

If you really want to celebrate Biden and Harris in style, then you might want to splash out on the DAOU Cabernet Sauvignon 2017 (£55.20 hedonism.co.uk) from the slightly lesser-known Paso Robles area. This is a very big wine in every sense – decant well in advance, buy some top-notch steak and enjoy it slowly to savour its rich, concentrated, black fruit and tar flavours. And a big hunk of aged cheddar or manchego to follow, I think. 

Californian pinot noir, mostly grown in inland valleys, often ones with cooling breezes and occasional fogs, is a completely different beast and justly famous for its beguiling combination of smoky, earthy notes and bright, refreshing cherry- and cranberry-inflected flavours. The Angeline Pinot Noir 2018 (£15.99 flagshipwines.co.uk), which draws its grapes from a variety of vineyards from around the state, is a good introduction to the style: juicy and refreshing, a light chill will really bring out the cherry fruit flavours and give a surprising depth to the finish. 

For a slightly more complex and intense experience, the Chanin Santa Rita Hills Pinot Noir 2018 (£24.85 vinvm.co.uk; £28.95 thewhiskyexchange.com) from close to Santa Barbara has more cherry and earthy flavours, together with cinnamon and some slight green-vegetable notes. Both these wines are ideal companions to duck, game and chicken. Finally we come to Zinfandel, which is the closest thing California has to an indigenous grape. 

Although it originated in Croatia and has become popular in southern Italy as primitivo, California has really made the grape its own. And there is something in its Italian name – it is sometimes, somehow a bit “primitive”, with unrestrained, rustic, dark fruit flavours, spiky as a bramble, some hints of violets and baking spice and a definite sweetness, now and then giving it a young port quality. Not a wine for everyone, but when it is tamed and treated well, it’s a terrific bottle for big baked pasta dishes and grilled or roast meats – think barbecue or campfire cooking, where charring of meats give a kind of sweetness that matches the wine. Just avoid the more bargain or “blush” version. 

The 100-year-old vines used in the Ravenswood Old Vine Lodi Zinfandel 2017 (£19.50 xolounge.co.uk), from one of the best areas for Zinfandel, help to deliver more mellow flavours that offer smoothness and depth, while the Bear Flag Sonoma Zinfandel 2016/17 (£24.99, or £22.49 if bought as part of a mixed six-bottle purchase, majestic.co.uk) achieves a similar result through judicious oak and bottle ageing.  Beware the 15 per cent ABV, but savour something distinctly Californian. There will be more distinctive Californian wines next week, but in the meantime, I think we can all raise a glass to the incoming 46th president on the 20th…