10 of the Most Important Vineyards in the U.S.

When thinking of the great vineyards of the world, it’s tempting to focus on France. Vineyard sites from Burgundy, Champagne, and beyond are meticulously classified in “cru” systems, the official designations that show the hierarchy of the plot directly on the label. But just because the U.S. doesn’t have an official ranking system, doesn’t mean there aren’t stand-out vineyards consumers should pay attention to.

While many American wines are blends from across different regions, winemakers will often craft a single-vineyard wine when dealing with a special site, and most of the time the vineyard site will be listed on the label. Some notable vineyards were essential in establishing wine regions and others offer distinct terroir that contributes to stand-out wines. Bottles from prestigious, coveted vineyards can often garner a hefty price, though some more under-the-radar sites on this list deliver incredible character (and history) at approachable prices.

While this list is by no means exhaustive, it’s a great start for those interested in exploring bottles from some of America’s most famed and coveted sites. Read on to discover 10 of the most important vineyards in the U.S.

Bacigalupi Vineyard

While wine geeks might recognize Napa Valley’s Chateau Montelena as the winery behind the winning Chardonnay in 1976’s Judgement of Paris, they might not know what vineyard the grapes for the history-making wine were sourced from. In Montelena’s famed 1973 Chardonnay, 40 percent of the fruit actually came from the Bacigalupi Vineyards in Sonoma’s Russian River Valley. Charles and Helen Bacigalupi established this vineyard in 1956 when they purchased 121 acres of land on Westside Road, right outside of Healdsburg. Bacigalupi Vineyards now consist of 125 acres of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, which have been planted and managed for the past 30 years by John Bacigalupi and his family.

Bechthold Vineyard

Planted in 1886, the Bechtold Vineyard is the oldest continually farmed vineyard in California’s Lodi AVA. It’s also home to the oldest plot of Cinsault on the planet. The site is 25 acres of gnarly, dry-farmed vines that produce incredibly expressive examples of Cinsault with concentrated red fruit, spice, and mineral character. Several wineries work with this site, but shoppers are most likely to find an example from the renowned Turley Wine Cellars.

Bedrock Vineyard

Farmed by Bedrock Wine Co. — a winery with a particular interest in historic vineyard sites — the Bedrock Vineyard is a 152 acre plot in the heart of Sonoma Valley that dates back to 1854. It was originally founded by General William “Tecumseh” Sherman and General “Fightin” Joe” Hooker. After the phylloxera epidemic in the 1880s, the vineyard was replanted in 1888, and the vines have been producing grapes for 135 years. These older vines from the vineyard are used in Bedrock Wine Co.’s Heritage bottling, which is a field blend of all 27 grape varieties planted in the site, but it’s dominated by Zinfandel.

Bien Nacido Vineyard

Founded in 1973 by brothers Stephen and Bob Miller, the Bien Nacido Vineyard is renowned for its remarkably cool-climate site in the heart of California’s Santa Maria Valley. It’s planted to Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Syrah, producing elegant expressions of each of these grapes, under the influence of the area’s coastal breezes and rocky soils. The renowned Santa Barbara site is now home to the world’s most single-vineyard designations.

Eyrie Vineyard

David Lett is widely credited with pioneering viticulture in Oregon’s Willamette Valley, and it all started with the Eyrie vineyard. In 1966, Lett and his wife Diana moved the first 3,000 vines in the Willamette Valley to this plot in the Red Hills of Dundee. He is credited with planting the first commercial Pinot Noir vines in Oregon, setting the groundwork for the region’s massive success with the variety. David and Diana decided to name the site Eyrie for the red-tailed hawks that nest in the fir trees near the vineyards. The winery’s original vine bottlings all come from this vineyard.

Keuka Lake Vineyards

Dr. Konstantin Frank was a pioneer in Finger Lakes winemaking, known as a champion of planting vitis vinifera in the area. He saw the steep slopes and slate soils around Keuka Lake as an ideal location for Riesling and planted the first vinifera vines in the eastern United States in 1957, sparking the “Vinifera Revolution.” The winery still works with old vines of Riesling and Pinot Noir that were planted in 1958 on its Keuka Lake vineyard sites.

Monte Rosso Vineyard

Located in the high-elevation Moon Mountain AVA of Sonoma, the Monte Rosso Vineyard is a unique site that generates wines with particularly high acidity for the area. It sits at 1,300 feet above sea level, on a south-facing slope on distinct volcanic red hill loam soils. The first vines were planted here in 1886 to Zinfandel and Semillion — some of which are still producing fruit. The family that originally owned the vineyard sold it to Louis M. Martini in 1938. Martini planted the site’s first Cabernet Sauvignon vines in 1940, which are still used in the Louis M. Martini’s wines today, now under the ownership of E. & J. Gallo. The Cabernets from this site are lauded for their lifted acidity and expressive character.

Sky Vineyards

Though California is renowned for its Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel is the grape central to much of the state’s wine history. And one of the most prized Zinfandel vineyards that remains in California today is the Sky Vineyards estate, planted in 1973. This site is located at 2,100 feet of elevation, the highest vineyard plot on Mt. Veeder, and has red volcanic soils. Though many of the original vines were lost to phylloxera and the 2017 fires, Sky Vineyards still produces earthy, concentrated Zin from this unique site.

Three Palms Vineyard

The Three Palms Vineyard is an essential site for California Merlot. The iconic Duckhorn Vineyards first started working with this vineyard in 1978, and — though Merlot has had its ups and downs in the U.S. — the Three Palms Vineyard bottling from Duckhorn continues to be one of the country’s most highly regarded luxury examples of the grape variety.

To-Kalon Vineyard

The To-Kalon Vineyard might just be the crown jewel of Napa Valley’s prestigious Oakville benchlands. At the base of the Mayacamas Mountains, this site has well-drained alluvial gravel soils, which leads the vines to produce small, concentrated berries that produce Cabernet Sauvignon wines with intense character. In 1954, the MacDonald family planted the first vines on the property since Prohibition, and for 60 years exclusively sold the grapes to Robert Mondavi, used in his early Opus One bottlings. Grapes from this vineyard are now used in a number of high-end Napa Valley wines, and in 2004, the fourth generation of the MaDonald family decided to start making their own wines from the prized estate.

*Image retrieved from Dene’ Miles via stock.adobe.com

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