The New California Wine

A comprehensive guide to the must-know wines and producers of California's "new generation," and the story of the iconoclastic young winemakers who have changed the face of California viniculture in recent years.

The New California Wine is the untold story of the California wine industry: the young, innovative producers who are rewriting the rules of contemporary winemaking; their quest to express the uniqueness of California terroir; and the continuing battle to move the state away from the overly-technocratic, reactionary practices of its recent past. Jon Bonné writes from the front lines of the California wine revolution, where he has access to the stories, philosophies, and techniques of top producers.

In this groundbreaking debut, Bonné paints an unflinching portrait of the current state of the industry: its strengths and shortcomings, its essential wines and those not worth pursuing. Lush full-color photographs, as well as a region-by-region tour of some of California's lesser-known growing areas, reveal the people and places behind the bottles. Finally, a comprehensive purchasing reference lists all the must-know producers and their best wines, making The New California Wine an essential resource for finding and buying the very best the state has to offer.

Introduction 
 
PART 1 - Searching for the New California
The New Winemakers 
The Rise and Fall 
The New Farming 
The Secret Life of Grapes 
The Myth of the Estate 
The Table Wine Dilemma 
 
PART 2 - The New Terroir: A California Road Trip
The Meaning of Place 
Contra Costa County 
Sonoma 
Sierra Foothills 
Santa Cruz Mountains 
Lodi 
Anderson Valley 
Santa Rita Hills 
Paso Robles 
Ventucopa 
 
PART 3 - Wines of the New California: A Guide
Pinot Noir 
Chardonnay 
Cabernet 
Revising the Rhône 
The New Whites 
Back to the Future 
 
Maps
List of Producers
Acknowledgments
Index