Uncorked: U.S. wine industry too young to call Grand Cru

A sign rises up from the highest point in Dach Vineyard at Domaine Anderson in California.

Three letters are written on it: DRC.

It marks the location of the DRC heritage clones; the abbreviation is short for Domaine Romanée-Conti, the legendary Burgundian estate. While the American wine industry has developed American Viticulture Areas to mark appellation boundaries for wineries and consumers, our European counterparts have a head start of a few centuries when it comes to knowledge about their prime vineyard real estate.

Catholic monks labeled the best Burgundy sites for centuries. A more formal system was adapted in 1861, and, finally, Grand Cru and Premiere Cru came to pass in the 1930s.

In Bordeaux, it was the Wine Official Classification of 1855.

So, as Dach Vineyard and its DRC sign look up the valley toward Boonville in the Anderson Valley Appellation nestled alongside the majestic redwood forest, is there such a thing as American Grand Cru?

Domestic winemakers point to the American industry being a mere blip on the radar when compared to its European counterparts.

“We have potential, but to use the term is arrogant,” said Domaine Anderson winemaker Darrin Low. “There are famous vineyards and there are hard-to-get wines. There are consistent producers of great character wines. Even the term, DRC, the placard is close to our vineyard. There’s a reverence for Grand Cru in Burgundy earned over centuries. Because we are so young, it’s almost unfair of us to use these names.”

Instead, Low is focused on quality. He hosted the Anderson Valley Terroir-ists last week as local winemakers compared notes from wines in what they think could be five distinct neighborhoods for potential sub-AVAs, inside their AVA.

“That’s a high order to separate anything toward Grand Cru,” Low said. “What committee are we going to form? In 1855, Bordeaux had one. But, it’ll be difficult. Market factors will dictate what wines and producers are sought after.”

With a chuckle, Gran Moraine and Zena Crown winemaker Shane Moore agreed with Low. While the Oregon winemaker has turned out awesome wines at both wineries, the sites haven’t been a vineyard for long.

“It’s such a young industry,” Moore said. “The vineyard I work with is 15 years old; we are starting to get known, but it was a strand of forest 30 years ago.”

In Napa Valley, there’s no First Growth classification system like Bordeaux, but market demand and prices have started to dictate one.

Gamble Family winemaker Jim Close said Bordeaux houses make a wine from a single vineyard. But, many American growers sell to different winemakers. He pointed at the difficulty of choosing which wines would fit into a classification system.

“I don’t find it necessary to set something like that in stone,” Close said. “We are still a young winemaking region with lots of sites to be discovered. If something like that is decided, then we might miss an opportunity for another site to be discovered.”

The discovery process is a mission James Hall has been on for 30 years. The Patz & Hall winemaker has wines from some of the top pinot noir and chardonnay sites in California. It’s all about the hunt and uncovering a new vineyard with dynamic characteristics.

Yet, he’s humble when it comes to any Grand Cru declarations of American vineyards.

“American Grand Cru is a loaded term,” Hall said. “There’s a lot of pressure to equate one’s wines with Grand Cru status. There is a hierarchy of quality. I’d use a small ‘g’ from Grand Cru and say Hyde Vineyard is one of those.”

Because vintages are prone to the whims of Mother Nature, Hall pointed to sites that are not just in high demand, but stand out year after year, regardless of the producer.

“There’s a few definition points for a vineyard to be spectacular,” Hall said. “Firstly, it has to consistently produce great wines. Not just because of perfect weather. It’s always at the top of the pyramid, whether it’s hot, wet or whatever. Second, the diversity of wines produced.

“With Pisoni Vineyard, 10 to 12 producers would say it’s the best wine in their house,” Hall said. “With Hyde Vineyard, 10 to 12 producers would say it’s the best wine in their house. There’s a universal consensus, with wineries, critics and consumers just starting to coalesce. There are a lot of opinions on which vineyards retain that title. Remember, we are still so young at (winemaking).”

He also listed off Gap’s Crown, Burnside, Jenkins Ranch, Hyde Vineyard and Alder Springs in Mendocino with its diversity of plantings as sites that stand out.

When Matt Dees grew up in Kansas City, he was far from any Grand Cru vineyards, but he was intrigued by plants. While he might have been the kid on the baseball team picking grass and weeds in the outfield during the game, he was always trying to tune in with things that grow.

That attitude has stretched into his winemaking career. As the winemaker at Jonata and The Hilt, Dees knows his properties inside out. He’ll detail the sandy spot atop a ridge just before the fence line, or the corner of the property that never seems to totally dry out since it sits in a low spot.

“You’ve got to have an intimate knowledge of the land,” Dees said. “That way you know how far you can push it.”

As for some of the vineyards in Santa Barbara that might be American Grand Cru, Dees has a few ideas.

“Bien Nacido for chardonnay and syrah might be [the] finest anywhere,” Dees said. “Sanford & Benedict, when I step on that vineyard, it feels like I am on hallowed ground, I get goose bumps. Mount Carmel and Fe Ciega have that feeling, too.”

Marchese Lamberto Frescobaldi, president of Frescobaldi Group and 30th generation winemaker, has deep family roots in the Italian wine industry. When he studied at California-Davis in the 1980s, he noticed American wine culture was focused on the winemaker.

But, focus on the vineyard and site is a trend that has developed.

“In the U.S., it was winemaker-driven,” Frescobaldi said. “Now in Napa, people talk about Mount Veeder or Pritchard Hill. There’s also a change when you look at a wine, it has to be good, but has to have a soul and the focus on the location.”

Finding the next great American vineyard location is the fun part. Perhaps in a few centuries, winemakers will examine today’s vineyards and form a classification system.

In memoriam

Jim Clendenen, 68, founder of Au Bon Climat, died on May 15.

He started the winery in 1982 after a post-undergraduate trip to Burgundy and Champagne inspired him to move beyond a potential law career. Years ago, when I was a cash-strapped graduate student at Northern Illinois University, his Santa Barbara County wines in the $20 neighborhood hit my sweet spot.

A triangle label adorned his bottles, and while the winery’s name was often mispronounced – it’s translated as “a well exposed vineyard” [or “in the right climate”] – no one forgot the delicious wines.

Tasting notes

Bernard Vallette, Beaujolais, Quatre Saisons, 2018 ($24.99): Raspberry, cherry, granite and a lithe frame are a welcome introduction to the gamay variety. Drink it slightly chilled for a lighter red wine alternative in the summer.

Constantia Uitsig, Sauvignon Blanc, 2019 ($17.99): A charming white from South Africa that had grapefruit, fresh-cut grass, thyme, sage and bay leaf flavors.

Pot de Vin, Rosé, 2020 ($14): The south of France delivers again. This time the Languedoc producer turned out a wine from 100% syrah that had tart cherry skins, watermelon and a green pea shoot note.

ROAR, Santa Lucia Highlands, Pinot Noir 2019 ($44): Floral notes emerge from the glass with gardenia and orange zest also on the nose. There’s Earl Grey tea, black cherry and cranberry flavors. A very soft texture on your palate.

Turnbull, Napa Valley, Cabernet Sauvignon 2018 ($45): Licorice, coffee grounds and black cherry flavors. Incredibly elegant as the flavors and mouthfeel were all evenly aligned. Even better on the second day it was open.

• James Nokes has been tasting, touring and collecting in the wine world for several years. Email him at jamesnokes25@yahoo.com.