Great Wineries Are Built on a Foundation of Overall Consistency

The question of personal taste intrudes on the larger question, unanswerable, of what’s best. What’s best is personal. I love hazelnuts and apple pie, not necessarily at the same time; my wife dislikes both and especially together.

People are always asking me what I consider to be the best Cabernet, or the most consistent Cabernet. But any answer is merely one man’s opinion, even though it may be based on tasting of more Cabernets in a year than you taste.

Therefore, instead of trying to determine which winery does a particular wine better than any other, I have chosen to look at which wineries do a consistently great job with every wine in their line, top to bottom.

Obviously, if a winery makes just one or two wines, this gives it an edge over those who make many. For that reason I have established as a ground rule that all wineries must make at least three wines. This means that Jordan, Hanzell, Saintsbury, Laurel Glen, Dunn, Grace and others are excluded from consideration as most consistent winery.

Top Producers Omitted

Another rule: The winery had to be in business at least five vintages and those wines have to have been released so the public can evaluate them. And all wines during the five years are considered. This leaves out such new top producers as Spottswoode, Hess, Forman and Ferrari-Carano.

This also means that a winery that just released its 1985 Cabernet had to have a 1981 to qualify for this list of most consistent producer.

A third rule: If a winery makes many products, all are evaluated, and all wines in a winery’s line are taken into consideration. This means if a winery does fine Cabernet and Chardonnay, but only mediocre White Zinfandel and Pinot Noir, the winery’s average score drops.

And a fourth rule: The winery gains points for value.

Obviously, this list is highly personal and one that will be challenged by a lot of people who feel I have left out someone by accident. It will also be challenged by people who feel my palate was shot off in the war. But with only 10 spots open and hundreds of wineries from which to choose, someone had to finish 11th, and personal taste across a wide variety of vintages and wine types dictated my selection.

I did, however, fudge a bit with some wineries that were considered for the top 10 and failed by a fraction, I have listed a few of them and a reason why they did not make the top 10. Also, I have created a list called 10 Wineries to Watch, all of which have recently showed excellence that may not be noticed by the public.

I would like to have expounded more on the rationale for this list, and the explanations below are brief because of space limitations. But evaluations that went into this analysis took the better part of six months and included conversations with dozens of wine makers, wine lovers and retailers.

1. Silverado Vineyards--Wine maker Jack Stuart has quietly established this property as one of the most prestigious in the Napa Valley. The winery’s amazing run of Chardonnays through the 1980s (despite some awkward vintages); its complex, herbal-scented Sauvignon Blancs, stylish Merlot and dynamic, classically structured Cabernets almost never fail to rank at the top, regardless of vintage. “Give the vineyard credit for everything,” said the modest Stuart of his Yountville-area property. “Even in the bad years it will produce good fruit.” Prices for Silverado wines are well under what they could command if the Disney family, the owners, chose to milk the place. This is a winery that often gets overlooked in the mad rush to buy the latest $25 Cabernet. Silverado sells its for $12.75. Some limited Reserve wines are in the offing. A winery without the glitz but with amazing reliability.

2. Sterling--A large-scale winery that makes 150,000 cases of wine per year, Sterling has developed a house style of wine that is amazingly reliable. The Graves-like Sauvignon Blanc, the steely-floral/complex Chardonnay, elegant Merlot and the handsomely restrained Cabernets, with the Bordeaux lilt, are striking wines every year. Now, with the new Winery Lake property, Sterling has achieved a new strata with its Chardonnay, and, under the Three Palms label, is doing a Merlot/Cabernet to rival Petrus. On top of that, the Sterling Reserve red, a powerhouse blended Bordeaux style wine, is a tribute to wine maker Bill Dyer’s velvet hand.

3. Navarro--As I began researching this article, this small Mendocino County winery was not even on my initial list. But as I tasted through the latest run of amazingly rich, complex Chardonnays; deep, Burgundian Pinot Noirs, and then the consistently impressive dry Gewurztraminer, I realized that Ted Bennett’s rolling Anderson Valley hillside land produces some phenomenal fruit. Add to the list late harvest Rieslings and Gewurztraminers and an occasional small lot of Muscat or a Beaujolais-style Pinot Noir and you have a winery that has hit top rank with virtually no fanfare. The fact is that the only people who know about Navarro are travelers who warm themselves in the tasting room, since these wines are rarely found in retail shops. With his small production, Bennett sells mainly to mail order clients and to restaurants.

4. Chappellet--Up a mountain on the eastern side of the Napa Valley, Donn and Molly Chappellet grow grapes in rocky soil and produce some of the most stylized wines in the state. Reticent to promote until now, Chappellet often has been overlooked by connoisseurs, but wine maker Cathy Corison’s marvelous dry Chenin Blancs and Rieslings, lean and delicate Chardonnays, and rich, layered Cabernets make it a standout for consistency.

5. Iron Horse--When he heard I was going to put Iron Horse this high up in the list of most consistent wineries, a compatriot said, “Hey, I agree. I love the wines, but they can be a little lean and light.” Fine, I replied. I love lean wines. In addition to Iron Horse’s excellent sparkling wines (rated here two weeks ago), Forest Tancer fashions a nuanceful Chardonnay; a delicate, Beaune-like Pinot Noir and complex Cabernets (from Alexander Valley fruit). The winery’s cool-climate Western Sonoma property makes wine that requires an understanding of subtle elements, and for that reason the Chardonnay and Pinot Noir often can be overlooked. But with time in the bottle, they are stunning examples of what California can do best.

6. Chateau Montelena--By contrast to Iron Horse, Chateau Montelena is located in hot Calistoga, but the vineyards are in a little valley where the Chardonnay and Cabernet ripen, but not too much or too quickly. Throughout the years, Montelena’s intensely flavored wines, including a marvelous Zinfandel, have shown remarkable staying power in the bottle. The latest Chardonnay and Cabernet releases are equally impressive. These wines have long been sought by collectors for the cellar, and wine maker Bo Barrett continues the tradition.

7. Beringer--Considering the size of this winery and the number of different wines it produces, Beringer is probably the most mystical winery in California. The fact that wine maker Ed Sbragia can make such good wine across such a broad line, and hit it every year, is a real tribute to the late Myron Nightingale and to viticulturalist Bob Steinhauer. The Cabernets and Chardonnays are the obvious winners in this line, but the Zinfandel, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Noir, Gewurztraminer and more are proof that big wineries can still make great wine. And the wines are reasonably priced and widely available.

8. Fetzer--For size (nearly 2 million cases) and dependability, no one can match this family-run Mendocino County operation for value. Every wine in the line is true to varietal type; they are impeccably made and the line includes 18 wines, including the well-priced Bel Arbres line.

9. Raymond--Populist wine in a classic style. The rich Napa Valley Chardonnays, delicate Sauvignon Blancs and supple Cabernets have been broadly appealing and well-priced. Alas, a fine Zinfandel has been dropped from the line.

10. Kenwood--The Sonoma counterpart to Raymond, with a broad line of extremely well-made wines, including the stylish Sauvignon Blanc, improving Cabernets, rugged Zinfandels and Pinot Noirs that show both power and grace. Only the Chardonnay needs improvement.

A lot of wineries were considered for this list of most consistent, and quite a few fell short by a shade. Here are a few of those, listed alphabetically:

Caymus--A great producer of Cabernet and Zinfandel; some of its other wines have been erratic.

Clos du Val--Terrific Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc and impressive, long-lived Cabernet, Merlot, Zinfandel and Pinot Noir. However, I have been less impressed by the Chardonnays.

Cuvaison--Under wine maker John Thatcher, since 1985 the wines have been outstanding, notably Cabernet, Chardonnay and a marvelous Merlot.

Dehlinger--Another Western Sonoma County winner, with a marvelous Chardonnay and Pinot Noir every year. The Cabernet has been a shade erratic, and the best wine Dehlinger made, Zinfandel, was recently discontinued.

Domaine Laurier--This cool-climate Sonoma County property has impressed me throughout the years, but not for bigness. The wines show grace, and recent Cabernets and Chardonnays are marvels of complexity.

Dry Creek--The state leader in Fume Blanc, it also makes lovely Cabernets, Petite Sirahs, and some of the best Zinfandel around. Slight inconsistency a few years ago kept it out of the top spot.

Inglenook--In the last three years, John Richburg has repainted this Napa Valley palace, and it now glows with amazingly well-made wines, including Gravion, Cabernet, Charbono and the proprietary Reunion.

Matanzas Creek--Great Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc producer whose red wines showed a tendency toward hardness. Also, new wine maker David Ramey has some plans to change the style, so let’s wait.

Mondavi--Cabernets that set the tone for the rest and dramatically improving Pinot Noirs are the best efforts these days, but the Chardonnay is made in a style I can’t understand and the Fume Blanc lacks what it once had.

Preston--A dry Chenin Blanc, Petite Sirah, Zinfandel and Sauvignon Blanc are about as exciting as anything anybody makes, but some of the red wines have been a little hard.

Simi--Just about everything Zelma Long touches turns to gold, and except for a Chardonnay style that eludes me, this winery is knocking at the door to the top 10.

Trefethen--This Yountville winery came about as close to cracking the top 10 as anyone: wonderful, artfully styled Chardonnay, superb dry Riesling and improving Pinot Noirs. It’s the Cabernet that has mystified me, being less than I hope for year to year.

There are other wineries with much to recommend them, but because of past inconsistency, they are categorized as 10 Wineries to Watch, because of dramatic moves that already show they are on the right track:

1. Byron--Ken Brown has a masterful touch, and his Central Coast Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs have been most impressive in the last two years.

2. Monterey Vineyard--For a property that has had such an erratic past, it’s amazing how fast Cary Gott has turned this place around with dramatically good wines.

3. Frog’s Leap--Each vintage, this small Napa Valley property seems to improve on already excellent Cabernet, Zinfandel, Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc.

4. Franciscan--A program to upgrade the barrels, adding lots of new French oak, has given Greg Upton just the boost he needed, and the first efforts are exciting.

5. Grand Cru--Great, consistent Chenin Blanc and improving Cabernet now have a companion wine, Chardonnay, which Bob Magnani intends to make with style.

6. Christian Brothers--Dick Maher, president of the winery, helped put Beringer on the right track a decade ago, and he has his venerated Napa Valley property on the same track now. Latest wines are exciting.

7. Congress Springs--Small, overlooked property in Santa Clara County with an array of excellent white wines and lean, age-worthy reds.

8. De Loach--The highly praised Chardonnays are, to my palate, eccentric, but the winery’s latest Gewurztraminers, Zinfandels and Pinot Noirs are impressive.

9. Freemark Abbey--A period of inexactitude seems to have passed, and new wine maker Ted Edwards has put the place back on target.

10. Gundlach-Bundschu--Wine maker Lance Cutler has improved every wine in the line recently, with the Chardonnay, Zinfandel, Cabernet and other wines scoring well in major competitions.

There are other wineries worthy of attention, too, but they are out of the mainstream in terms of the wines they make (specializing not in Chardonnay or Cabernet), and they are listed here because of their success in unusual areas:

1. Bonny Doon--No one in the state hears as different a drummer as Randall Grahm, and his wines (featuring Mourvedre, Marsanne, Grenache among others) are stylish and exciting, if a bit pricey.

2. Santino--This Amador County winery makes delightfully rich Zinfandels, superb White Zinfandels and outrageous late harvest dessert wines. Wine maker Scott Harvey, trained in Germany, is one of California’s finest wine makers, deserving more recognition.

3. Chateau De Baun--A winery that is 95% dedicated to the Symphony grape, a Muscat cross that produces fresh, delightful wines under the hand of Roland Shackelford and consulting enologist Jamie Meves.

4. R.H. Phillips--Using Chenin Blanc as its No. 1 wine and crafting a delightful, complex Semillon, this Yolo County winery always offers good values.

Wine of the Week: 1986 Quail Ridge Sauvignon Blanc ($7.50) -- A crisp melon and citrusy/spice character in the aroma and a delicacy in the taste lead to a soft and impressive finish. A “small” wine that is well priced.