Italian varieties in CA?

Many of the California vineyards were originally planted by Italian immigrants and many of my favorite red and white varieties are Italian (Nebbiolo, Sangiovese, Sangrantino, Ribolla, Verdicchio, Arneis), yet you do not see many Italian varieties coming out of California. For sake of argument, I'm excluding Zinfandel/Primitivo which is primarily identified as American.

So what have I missed? I recently saw a note for an American Ribolla and I do like the Tablas Creek Vermentino (although they would rather call it Rolle), surely there must be some growers/producers taking a shot with these grapes. Is anyone doing a decent Nebbiolo? After all, if the world economy rolls snake eyes we may be limited to US wines.

Barbera, particularly from the higher elevations. An easy to find one is Easton.

There's a long history of Barbera in CA, I recently was the mule for a bottle of '58 Louis Martini, but unfortunately mules aren't fed wine.

Sangiovese seems to be the most prominent Italian variety planted in CA. I've not been abig fan of the few Sangiovese and Nebbiolo I've tasted. But scarcely a wide sample, maybe there's some good stuff out there.

I wonder if growers at least in warmer parts of CA would be better off with Southern Italian varieties (Nero, Aglianico, etc)

I wonder if growers at least in warmer parts of CA would be better off with Southern Italian varieties (Nero, Aglianico, etc)

Dale, there is at least a little bit of Aglianico planted in Amador County. I don't know about Nero but that doesn't mean it isn't out there, too.

I forgot about Barbera (which I seem to do a lot, everytime I open one I wonder why I don't buy more). I've had a number of decent CA Barberas.

Just this past weekend I was at a wine shop in Annapolis and needed one last bottle to fill a case so asked the merchant to pick it for me. He knew exactly what he wanted and when it wasn't on the shelf he went in back to bring a case out of the warehouse then had to enter it into the register. I am watching and wondering what he is all excited about and then I see the bottle. All this I thought for a California Dolcetto (Palmina Dolcetto). I have not tried it yet but have high hopes.

[Robin Garr]

Dan, Bill Mosby at Mosby Vineyards in Buellton, near Santa Barbara, loves Italy and Italian wine and grows an amazing array of Italian varieties. They don't always ring the bell as Italian lookalikes, but Bill and his staff are great folks, and I have a warm place in my heart for them. Check out their long portfolio at
http://www.mosbywines.com/pages/winelist.htm
and then back up to the main page for much more info about the winery.

In Paso Robles, Caparone Winery does aglianico, nebbiolo and sangiovese yearly and at prices below $20 a bottle. I think they are better young then aged but in some vintages, they are quite good.
And they have been doing these wines since the 1950's.
Best, Jim

No discussion of Italian varieties in CA would be complete without mention of Palmina. Steve and Chrystal Clifton are making beautiful renditions of Italian favorites.
Seek some out, I think you'll be impressed with the quality of these wines.

http://www.palminawines.com/

no affiliation, just a satisfied consumer, spreading the word

I second John: I think Steve Clifton at Palmina is doing an amazing job with Italian varieties (Dolcetto, Barbera, Nebbiolo, Arneis and others). I think he's one of the best winemakers in the state, particularly if you like wines that have moderate alcohol and good acidity.

I used to sell these wines but am no longer selling any wine from CA.

Thanks for all the suggestions--time to do some exploring.

Sangiovese seems to be the most prominent Italian variety planted in CA. I've not been abig fan of the few Sangiovese and Nebbiolo I've tasted. But scarcely a wide sample, maybe there's some good stuff out there.

Yup, I'm the same way. Using quality and price as criteria, all of the Ameican versions of Italian wines I ever tasted were inferior in both categories. You could always get better wine for less money from the 'homeland'. Maybe that has changed, but I wouldn't know as I got so tired of repeating "This is crap!" whenever I tasted some pale lame Nebbiolo or Sangiovese with no varietal character that I gave up on them.

If you guys tell me I can but American Italowines that are as good as the originals and competitively priced, I am willing to listen.

For may years it was the same with Rhones but I have tasted quite a few convincing Syrahs recently. The so-called Rhone blends have fared less well - again, often more expensive and simpler and/or less typical than the French original.

Bill -

Keep an eye out for Vino Noceto's Sangiovese (their lowest-end wine rather than their Reserve or single-vineyard bottlings). It goes for under $20 and generally tastes closer to a decent Italian wine than most other Cal-Itals. Their fancier Sangios can be excellent but they cost quite a bit more and are often much more "Californian" to my taste.