American wine production first started in the east, where European immigrants gathered, and it really developed after the "Gold Rush" in California in the mid-18th century. The European influx into California was strangled in the bud. After Prohibition was lifted in 1933, wine was able to develop again. Due to California's superior climatic conditions, it soon became a wine center in the United States, and the development of top-quality wines was naturally concentrated in California. Napa Valley has the highest quantity and quality of top red wines, and Napa Valley has become synonymous with top wines in the United States. With development, American wine has gradually expanded to areas with superior climate conditions along the Pacific coast, forming the current wine-producing areas along the coasts of California, Oregon and Washington State.

1. California Laurel: Robert. Robert Mondavi Winery (Napa Valley, California)

Cabernet Sauvignon red wine is the king of wine in Napa Valley. Robert Mondavi Winery is famous for producing the top Cabernet Sauvignon in Napa Valley. world.

Robert bought his first vineyard in 1962. When the winery was founded, it distinguished itself from the industrialized winemaking that was prevalent in California at the time with its small quantity and high quality. The Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon produced in 1974 achieved the highest price ever sold in an American leather case three years later. It became a milestone in the history of the development of high-end wine in the United States and made the Robert Mondawe Winery a symbol of high-end wine in the United States.

This winery has a To Kolan wine tasting room that specializes in wine collections. The Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon is often produced in eight vintages. Wine lovers can have a vertical tasting of the Reserve Wine here, which is a very rare opportunity.

Wine tasting: Cabernet Sauvignon red wine in Napa Valley is mainly made from Cabernet Sauvignon grapes, with Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, and sometimes Malbec. The blending ratio is different for each winery. . The vintage Robert Mondavi Cabernet Saubignon Reserve has a deep color and a very classic Cabernet Sauvignon aroma, blackcurrant fruit aroma, fir, cigar box, coffee and smoke aroma; heavy body, concentrated and mellow, strong tannins, aged Great potential. In the past, this wine was better appreciated after aging. In recent years, in addition to maintaining the mellow and powerful style of the past, this wine also pays special attention to the fruity aroma and rich texture, making it more mature and beautiful.

Brewing: Whether it is grape cultivation or winemaking technology, this winery is famous for its numerous experiments and pioneering developments. In the vineyard, you can see grapevines with different pruning methods in different plots, in order to pursue the best combination of grape rootstock strains and soil climate. Working with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to use satellites to track grape ripeness to achieve the most accurate time for grape picking.

2. Natural flavor: Harlan Estate (Napa Valley, California)

The winemaking concept of Harlan Estate is to express the characteristics of the vineyard to the greatest extent without fragmentation. De-stemming, gentle fermentation, no need to pump juice, attention to detail, minimal intervention, brewing a concentrated, deep, refined and elegant red wine, adding a brilliance to Napa Valley's top red wines.

Wine tasting: Harlan wine has a strong style and is the most majestic and solid red wine in Napa Valley. Harlan red wine from the best years has deep purple color, classic blackcurrant fruit aroma, licorice, cappuccino coffee, chocolate aroma, combined with fir wood and saddle leather aroma: concentrated and mellow, complex layers, mature and powerful tannins, aging potential Strong and unique among Napa Valley red wines. The 2000 Harlan Estate has a charming aroma of black currant fruit, fir wood and coffee aroma in the vintage; the entrance is soft and elegant, pure and layered, with a balanced structure supported by silky tannins and a long finish.

Brewing: The Harlan vineyard is carefully managed and divided into 24 plots. The grapevines in the plots with different orientations are neatly pruned to control the lushness of the grapevines and maintain low yield to improve the quality of the grapes.

3. Newcomer: Screaming Eagle Winery (Napa Valley, California)

Screaming Eagle Winery has become a popular winery in California in recent years. The owner of the vineyard, Jean Phillips, initially sold grapes to wineries in Napa Valley. In 1992, she tried making wine at home for the first time and was praised by connoisseurs. It became the number one most popular red wine in Napa Valley. A vintage wine was born.

Since the annual output is only 500 cases and the quality is very high, the price of new wine has increased six times in 10 years.

Wine tasting: The most classic aroma is blackcurrant, which is very impressive. The taste is mellow and smooth, rich and fragrant. The tannins of the new wine are not very astringent, and the strength is generally felt in the middle and late stages, showing the aging potential of the wine. 2001 Screaming Eagle has classic blackcurrant fruit aroma, liquorice, spices and smoke. It is heavy-bodied, rich and pure. It has the classic sweet tannins of the Napa vintage. It is ripe and powerful, yet elegant; the aftertaste is very long. .

Brewing: Jane’s winemaking philosophy fully expresses the characteristics of the vineyard. The grape yield is medium, and the ripe grapes are harvested. The fermentation in the half-ton fermentation barrel is very unique, which is a factor in maintaining the pure fruit aroma. Cultured in 65% new French oak barrels and unfiltered before bottling.

4. Combination of old and new: Opus One Winery (Napa Valley, California)

Opus One Winery red wine is a classic top red wine developed in Napa Valley since the 1980s. It was built as a joint venture between the Robert Mondawe family and the Baron Philippe family, which owns Mouton Winery in France. It is the first winery in Napa Valley to specialize in brewing a top-quality red wine.

In 1979, Robert and Baron Philip decided to cooperate. In 1981, a single box of new wine that had not yet been launched was auctioned for US$24,000, exceeding the auction price of all American wines at that time.

Wine tasting: Opus One red wine is characterized by an elegant style. Pencil lead, saddle leather and sandalwood are its own aroma characteristics: elegant and soft entrance, fine tannins and balanced structure. Among them, the 1996 wine is very impressive. This wine has a deep purple color and elegant aromas of cigar box, spices, tobacco and smoke, combined with the aroma of ripe blackberries. Rich and concentrated, supple and rounded tannins; with a long finish of cigar box and spice.

Vinification: Opus One grape cultivation adopts intensive planting method, with 6012 grapevines per hectare. The purpose of intensive planting is to encourage the roots of the vines to penetrate deeper. Because there are many grape trees planted, the number of fruit ears is large, and the fruit shape becomes smaller due to competition with each other. The yield is controlled through fruit thinning, allowing the grapes to develop rich flavors. During the harvest season, picking often starts at two in the morning to maintain the acidity and fresh fruit aroma of the grapes. Grapes from different plots of the vineyard were fermented separately to observe the impact of soil and microclimate on the flavor of the grapes. Oak barrel cultivation uses more than 10 kinds of French oak barrels to cultivate the compound aroma of the wine and the complexity of the wine quality. After the new wine is bottled, it needs one year of aging in the bottle before being released on the market.

5. The fragrance of Oak Village: Joseph Phelps Vineyards (Napa Valley, California)

The Backus vineyard where Phelps produces top-quality wine is known as " "Real Grand Cru", made from grapes from this vineyard in Oak Village, has unique chocolate, berry aroma and mineral gas.

Oak Village is the largest sub-production area of ??Napa Valley’s Grand Cru vineyards. It has concentrated a large number of famous top wineries. Jiefei Winery purchased this vineyard to become Oak Village’s top winery. One member.

Wine tasting: Insignia red wine is mainly Cabernet Sauvignon, with Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Malbec added, depending on the quality of the grapes in different years. 2001 Joseph Phelps Insignia is made from 89% Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot and Malbec. The wine is deep purple in color, with strong aromas of blackberry fruit, licorice, spices and tobacco; it is heavy-bodied, mellow and rich.

6. Shafer Vineyards: Shafer Vineyards (Napa Valley, California)

The Shafer Vineyards founded by John Shafer is the first in Napa Valley. Production area (Stages Leap District), the winery's slope garden selects Cabernet Sauvignon. The characteristic is that it is brewed with 100% single-vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, without blending other varieties, so it is unique. This winery has been growing grapes organically since the 1980s, and even uses owls instead of chemical rodenticides to get rid of gophers in the vineyard.

Wine Tasting: The wine on the market reflects the characteristics of Napa Valley red wine. It is fruity and easy to drink, but still has considerable aging potential for many years. Rich aroma, silky texture and velvety tannins.

It can achieve a rich and soft taste without blending Merlot, which is the characteristic of Cabernet Sauvignon in the Lule Leap producing area. Shafer Hillside Select Cabernet Saubignon 2000 is a deep purple-red wine with classic blackcurrant aroma, spicy aromas of licorice, cinnamon and cigar box aroma; it is heavy-bodied and has a rich and well-balanced taste at first taste. In the middle, you can feel the weight and support of tannins. , with astringent aftertaste, is a good product among the inferior vintages in Napa Valley. Shafer Hillside Select Cabernet Saubignon 1998 is a dark purple-red wine with a rich fruity aroma, black currant and slight blackberry jam aroma, fir wood and mineral aroma; heavy body, rich taste, depth, good balance and strong taste liquor.

Brewing: The grapes of Saifu's top wine come from the Poyuan Vineyard, which is about 22 hectares. It is on the hillside behind the winery. It has full sunshine, ocean fog drifts in in the evening, and cool nights. This kind of climate Very helpful for grapes to reach perfect ripeness. Vineyards hang diagonally on the slopes. The slope of the Poyuan vineyard is steep (45 degrees), the slope is large, the soil is shallow, and the soil is gravel. Grapevines need to root down hard to grow. The grapes have a long growth period, good maturity, small grape particles, low yield, and abundant fruit flavor. Because the Poyuan grapes are particularly fruity, they can withstand three years of oak barrel cultivation, and then be bottled and matured for one year, which lasts for four years.

7. Taste of volcano: Peter Michael Winery (Knight Valley, California)

Peter Michael Winery is in The Knight Valley, Sonoma County Valley), separated from Napa Valley by the St. Helena Mountains. This winery was built by British entrepreneur Sir Peter Mack.

Wine tasting: The red wine of Peter Michael Winery is mainly Cabernet Sauvignon, blended with Merlot and Cabernet Franc. It has rich aroma, exquisite purity and elegant style. 2002 Peter Michael Les Pavots Vineyard red wine, deep ruby ??red color, aroma of raspberry, plum, fir, coffee and mineral gas; heavy body, silky and delicate texture, exquisite tannins, balanced structure, and a very long aftertaste of red berry aroma , elegant and pleasant.

Brewing: The vineyards spread downwards along the top of the slope deep in the valley, with a slope of about 40 degrees. The soil is volcanic ash, the soil surface is covered with volcanic rocks, and the water permeability is very good. Here, the Sauvignon Blanc vineyard is at the lowest point, with Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot red grapes at the top, and Chardonnay grapes are planted on the high slopes with an altitude of 460 to 660 meters. The grape planting density here is high, the growth period is long, the maturity is good, the yield is low and the fruit is strong, which is the basis for making top wine.