If the blooming season doesn’t include sunny travel plans this year, but you’ve got California on the mind, you can still treat yourself and invite over for dinner. From aromatic, fleshy red wines to fruity, vibrant whites, the region offers a range of products as delicious and varied as its landscapes, and at every price point. So, whether it’s a wine in the twentysomething price point for an evening of roasted chicken, or a luxury cuvée for a terrific tomahawk, embark on a tour of all California has to offer.

Sophisticated Chardonnay

Located just two hours from San Francisco, Monterey County is recognized as one of the Californian terroirs best suited to chardonnay. Fresh, charming and enveloping, the Chloe cuvée promises beautiful texture alliances with baked brie, a seafood vol au vent or pasta in cream sauce.

Supple and charming red

The very first vintage created by the estate, it was the wine that started the adventure by establishing the framework and rigour in the development of its product range. A hit with customers thanks to its charming side, its supple tannins and its versatility at the table, go ahead and serve it with red meats in sauce or a blue-cheese beef burger.

Unique and ample

A pioneer in organic viticulture in California, Bonterra delivers the goods here with a cuvée predominantly made of Chardonnay, complete with a few bunches of Muscat de Roussanne and Viognier, which bring its uniqueness. Aging for a few months in oak barrels adds notes of “toast”. Coupled with its ample texture, it is the ideal choice to pair with pasta in creamy sauce and au gratin, or a mushroom risotto.

A classic

This Cabernet, which celebrates more than 40 years at your table, is undoubtedly one of the best sellers. Aromatic and fleshy, it seduces with its aromas of black fruits, pastry, licorice and vanilla. Bright cherry flavours mingle with notes of caramel and oak to finish in a very supple finish. A treat with marinated flank steak or ribs.

Ample and fresh

Building on the local success of their Pinot Noir, Imagery does it again with a Chardonnay to which Chenin Blanc, Viognier and Muscat are added to complete the picture. Featuring an ample mouthfeel, it offers frank flavours of pear, apple and lime, all complemented by milky notes. An elegant and fresh white perfect for fish in sauce or for a local cheese plate.

Generous Pinot

If Pinot Noir is usually the source of lighter wines, here the Californian sun and the addition of a touch of Petit Verdot to the blend gives it a generous body, accentuated by oak contact. Very supple, it is ready for pork tenderloin with prunes or a duck breast with berry sauce.

Seductive Zin

Mostly made up of Zinfandel, this fleshy and seductive red offers a bouquet of jammy berries, notes of leather, oak and spices. The palate is round and layered with flavours of dark fruit, blackcurrant and toffee in a long finish with a hint of spice. Try it with a rack of lamb or pasta with tomatoes and braised beef.

Textured Chardonnay

The Chardonnay from the Diamond collection offers a rich and creamy texture with a beautiful impression of fruit and an appreciable balance. Seductive aromas of yellow apple and tropical fruit precede a palate with subtle flavours of vanilla and apricot. A light buttery impression surfaces in a long, round finish. Perfect for a lemony veal escalope or a cod fillet.

Bold Pinot

Unshackled winemakers have the freedom to source throughout California to ensure they find the best grapes, from the best regions, to create the best wines. So here is a bold and bright wine, with dense aromas of rhubarb, cherries and herbs, which is not shackled by the rules of classic denominations. On the palate, dried cranberries and cherries are balanced by notes of dark spices and vanilla. A wonderful match to a pulled beef risotto

Captivating blend

This cuvée is inspired by the “blends” of black grape varieties, traditionally imagined by the first Italian immigrants in the prestigious Napa Valley. Therefor the Zinfandel, Cabernet Sauvignon, Petite Syrah and Syrah grape varieties waltz for some aging time in French and American oak barrels, a third of them new. Accents of red cherry, blackberry, dark chocolate, sweet spices and ripe raspberry are found in a dense and coated mouth, all fading into a vanilla finish. Sublime with duck breast.

Powerful and enveloping

In the Napa region, only a handful of producers can brag of being wineries that work entirely with their own production. This is the case here, which allows the estate to meticulously monitor all stages of the winemaking process. Powerful, fleshy and enveloping, this Cabernet Sauvignon cuvée will seduce the most demanding wine lover. A sublime pairing with a leg of lamb.

Cabernet for occasions

The producer describes the wine as having seductive aromas of fresh black cherry, dark caramel and a slight touch of smoke. The ample palate reveals supple and smooth tannins in a complex profile of vanilla, ripe black fruits, roasted coffee and spices. Enough to create a memorable evening with a filet mignon in pepper sauce or a braised lamb shank.

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In partnership with Wines of California.