California is often described as a Cabernet and Chardonnay state, and by acreage that is roughly true. But the interesting part is what the same grape does in different hands and different places, and how much the house style has shifted since the 1990s.
Ripeness is the argument underneath most of it. Pick later and you get weight, sweetness of fruit and higher alcohol; pick earlier and you get lift, structure and something closer to the European reference points. Neither is a mistake. Knowing which one a bottle is aiming at tells you more than the varietal name does.
For how these grapes taste alongside the places that grow them, start with the California regions collection. The club’s own tasting pieces are gathered in Hot Wine Topics.