T
he last few years have been kind to the California wine indus-
try. A multi-year drought notwithstanding, vintners have been
blessed with a string of good vintages. At the same time, a
reasonably healthy economy has consumers trading up and buying
more expensive wines on a regular basis.
"We've had some of the best years I can remember," says Rob
Davis, winemaker at Jordan Winery in Sonoma County's Alexander
Valley. Davis certainly has the perspective to make such a statement:
He's been at Jordan since 1976, the winery's inaugural vintage.
The past few vintages have provided "a pretty good run," adds
Doug Fletcher, vice president of winemaking for Terlato Wine
Group. Fletcher also can take the long view: He's based at Terla-
to's Chimney Rock winery in the Napa Valley, where he started as
winemaker in 1987.
California vintages often are judged through the lens of Napa
and Sonoma, particularly Napa and Sonoma Cabernet Sauvignon.
But winemakers up and down the state who make wines ranging
from Chardonnay and Pinot Noir to Syrah and Zinfandel report
that the past several vintages have been good, especially those since
2011, which was troublesome in several areas.
BY LAURIE DANIEL
AMERICAN
MADE
AMERICAN
Jordan
Winery's
Rob Davis
T
he last few years have been kind to the California wine indus-
California's wine industry's string of strong vintages.
FIVE GOOD
YEARS...
and C ounting
StateWays | www.stateways.com | September/October 2016
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