A little over a decade ago, there were whisperings of a California wine revolution. Small producers, hidden in abandoned warehouses and sourcing grapes from obscure plots across the state, were united by the idea of making fresh, European-inspired wines that could break up the monotony of California Cab. At the time, America’s obsession with 100-point Napa Valley wines had reached a fever pitch. The state seemed to have selling wine down to an exact science: Take a conventionally made wine, put it in a heavy bottle that portrays luxury, slap on a label boasting an elite vineyard pedigree, get a healthy helping of praise from one-note critics, and you have a hit.
Alternatively, a small group of up-and-coming winemakers were focused on easy-drinking low-alcohol, high-acid wines, made for everyday consumption. They were thoughtfully made from grapes sourced from small organic farms, often showcasing the underappreciated varieties and areas of California’s North Coast — Vermentino from Lodi, Charbono from Lake County, Aglianico from El Dorado. This was the underground of California wine. There were no lavish tasting rooms or corporate investors, just scrappy winemakers finding any way to make wines they believed in.
The discreet rumblings of change were highlighted in wine writer Jon Bonné’s 2013 book, “The New California Wine,” which focused on the producers behind this movement. It told stories of the rebels who dared to challenge the state’s formula for making “fine wines” and were forging a new path. It was a guide to California’s most exciting bottles,
