14 Impressive and Diverse Wines

While California, Oregon and Washington are easily the best-known U.S. states for wine production, bottlings are made in all 50 states—and some of them are worth your attention.

In upstate New York, cool-climate varietals—aromatic whites such as Riesling and Pinot Blanc, as well as reds such as Pinot Noir—continue to make strides. Forge Cellars is the Finger Lakes project of Château St.-Cosme vigneron Louis Barruol and his U.S. business partners. The two debut versions here, the deeper Les Allées and the more elegant regular bottling, both show promise. Heron Hill, Lamoreaux Landing and Keuka Lake Vineyards check in with more typical Finger Lakes styles, offering a Pinot Blanc, a sparkler and a Riesling, respectively.

“As is usually the case in my tastings of Colorado wines, Ben Parsons’ The Infinite Monkey Theorem is the leader in quality, offering versions with depth and polish.”

Colorado’s wine scene is developing quietly, with several dozen producers now operating and sourcing their fruit primarily from the Grand Valley AVA, located east of Grand Junction at about 4,700 feet of elevation. Early returns indicate Rhône varietals might be the ticket here, with bottlings of Syrah, Cinsault and Mourvèdre leading the way. As is usually the case in my tastings of Colorado wines, Ben Parsons’ The Infinite Monkey Theorem is the leader in quality, offering versions with depth and polish. The Infinite Monkey Theorem’s facility itself is located in downtown Denver, and owner/winemaker Parsons has made a name for himself with his innovative approach, packaging some of his wine in cans, using Colorado and California fruit, and assembling intriguing varietal blends.