YOLO! California Dreaming at CHEERS！

Gif Credit: giphy.com

For those in the chillier parts of China, it's nice to dream of warm distant climes, like California, a place with the added bonus of tasty wines.

Napa Valley & Clarksburg

Napa Valley is the most famous place for wine.

Although there are 142 AVAs or American Viticultural Areas throughout California, including 17 within Napa County itself, which means you can find worthy grapes and delicious wines all over the state.

Photo from: Baidu

One AVA is Clarksburg, established in 1984 and found due east of San Francisco, south of Sacramento and spread across several counties, including Yolo. 

(No, that name is not inspired by the phrase You Only Live Once, but instead has native American origins.)

Photo from: Baidu

Clarksburg itself is a quiet place, with the town having just over 400 residents—I’ve seen longer lines of people at HeyTea in Beijing. 

Photo from: Baidu

But that area produces quality grapes from dozens of varieties, most of which are sold to producers in nearby places like Napa, Sonoma and Lodi.

CHEERS X Criss  Cross

CHEERS has two wines, under the Criss Cross label, produced using Clarksburg grapes at LangeTwins winery in Lodi County. 

And one using grapes from Lodi itself, a wine region with an even more fascinating history that we will cover in an upcoming post.

Criss Cross Chardonnay

Criss Cross Chardonnay, aged in American and French oak barrels, has citrus and apple character, and an initial buttery whiff. 

If you lean toward a richer and creamier style of Chardonnay, one for which California is well-known, this is worth a try.

Criss Cross Cabernet

Criss Cross Cabernet delivers ripe black fruit with smoke, chocolate and spice characteristics. 

This wine is rounded out with 10% each of Merlot and Petite Sirah grapes. And has a heartiness that should help one cope with these chilly evenings.

Criss Cross Old Vines Zinfandel

Criss Cross Old Vines Zinfandel

Finally, there is Criss Cross Old Vines Zinfandel, with grapes from Lodi vines that average 80 years old. 

This one is actually 84% Zinfandel, which is something of a signature grape for California, with a half-dozen varieties making up the rest, including Tannat, Teroldego and Aglianico. 

Expect ripe plump red fruit plus pleasant vanilla and toasty notes from the barrel aging. 

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Grab a bottle, pour a glass and start California dreaming.

Original by Jim Boyce, Grape Wall of China 葡萄围城

Tap here to read more original articles on wine culture.

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