Iconic American Wines

This week, The Washington Post's Food section is looking at the iconic American meal - Thanksgiving - from the perspective of iconic American chefs. So I thought it would be fun to discuss iconic American wines. This proved to be more difficult than I expected, for any such list is necessarily subjective and eminently debatable. So I invite you to read what I came up with and suggest your own here in the comments.

Chardonnay from Bien Nacido? Napa Valley Cabernet? I've tried to capture "iconic" wines that have made American wine what it is today, and wines that are shaping its future. Please let me know what you think.

Enjoy!

Comments

[Brian]

Dave,
I was under the impression from somewhere along the line that Oregon pinot noir was the best that state had to offer (white or red) and was at least the equivalent of California.

Is that no longer the case? Or am I just mistaken (or possibly biased, since my wife is from there)?

-Brian

[Dave McIntyre]

Nothing has happened to diminish Oregon Pinot Noir that Im aware of. As I said in the column, this is a very personal list, and I hoped readers would post their own comments and suggestions here or on the Washington Post  Web site - so Im glad you took the time to do so. Indeed I mentioned Oregon as a rival for California in Pinot, but decided ultimately to go with Carneros and Saintsbury because of their influence over the years. With Oregon, I wanted to emphasize Pinot Gris because of the current market craze for Pinot Grigio, and the proliferation of Pinot Grigio from US wineries. Oregon was first in this country with Pinot Gris, as David Lett at Eyrie Vineyards was the first vintner to plant the variety in the US. (Unfortunately Eyrie is not distributed anywhere I can get it.) Oregon has developed a distinctive style with this grape that falls somewhere between Alsace and Italy and is uniquely Oregons. Ponzi is a terrific example, so I featured it. There are other contenders, too!