Wineries to Know - Lake County California

Date Added: March 10, 2010 08:07:35 AM

Author: Mark Aselstine

Category: Wineries: USA: California: Lake County

Wineries to Know - Lake County California

Over the past few years Kendall Jackson has given rise to the inclination that all wines from Lake County in California are cheap, affordable, mild, uninteresting and only suitable for everyday consumption. Truthfully this is partially true, but Kendall Jackson purchases grapes from all over California to make these wines and there is some incredibly interesting wine being produced in places like Mendocino.

Guenoc Estate Vineyards: Perhaps the best story in regards to ownership of any winery anywhere, plus great wine makes this estate worth the trip to the isolated property. Originally planted by English actress Lillie Langtry back in the 1850's the land is now owned and farmed by the Magoon family. The Magoon's are interesting in that the family is descended from Hawaiian royalty and obtained the land, in what must amount to one of the few good trades ever with the United States government, by giving the government the 21 acres that the University of Hawaii currents sits on in exchange for 23,000 acres in Lake County. Guenoc now makes one of the last remaining Carmenere's in the entire world, which is unfortunate because the grape can produce an amazing dense and intense wine when grown well.

Steele Wines: All things in Lake County seem to lead back to Kendall Jackson and Steele is no different with it's owner and winemaker Jed Steele having been trained at Kendall Jackson. He is known for producing the type of well rounded, easy to drink wines that have helped to make Kendall Jackson a household name. He now uses that same expertise (when combined with some higher quality fruit and farming practices) to make a number of generally under-appreciated world class wines from this small winery.

About the Author

Proprietor of Uncorked Ventures Wine Clubs which is owned in part with brother in law Matt Krause. For more information on wine gift please visit us online.

Ratings You must be logged in to leave a rating.
Average rating: (0 votes)

Comments

No Comments Yet.

You must be logged in to leave a Comment.

ARTICLES

Wine Investments - Are the Top Yielding Wines All Made the Same?
If you are new to world of wine collecting or investing in wines, you may be wondering just why some vintage wines can easily go for thousands of dollars others are fairly cheap to pick up. It is no secret that not all wines are made the same way, as some have different ingredients, are made with different types of grapes, are produced in different locations or are made using different methods. But what about the top 5 wine investments that you can make? These can easily go for prices anywhere from $1,500 to as much as $5,000. Are they all made the same way? What makes each of these types of wine different from one another?

Argentinean Wine
For many years, Argentina was producing a wide range of wine from inexpensive yet drinkable, to truly world class quality and collectible, yet few people outside of South American could find a single bottle of Argentinean wine. Part of the reason for the lack of exports is that Argentineans drink more wine per capita then any other country in the world, save Luxembourg. That means that the wine industry sells at least 70% of its wine to local customers, leaving very little left over for international markets, especially when you take into account the large amount of...

Chilean Wine
Chile has burst onto the wine scene in the past 15 years. Known for inexpensive, fruit forward extremely drinkable Cabernet Sauvignon throughout much of the United States, the Chilean wine industry is capable of producing much, much more. Have you had an expensive Chilean Cabernet Sauvignon?

Amarone Wine
Amarone is a very special and unique wine. After the grapes are harvested, they are put through a very different process. This process not only affects the taste of the wine but the color, structure and body.

US Wine States - Washington
Do you know why currently is Washington State the second largest wine maker state behind California? Because its climate is good for grapes and generally receive two more hours of sunlight than most of the Californian vineyards. Washington has great young wines. Travelers have to try it.