2009AD Rouge

North Coast Red Wine | $26.00 | Available Now

Tasting Note:
An intoxicating blend of rich black cherries, Asian plumb and ripe strawberry are layered with soft floral aromas of violets and lavender. The palate is silky and complex with more ripe summer fruits and a hint of semi-sweet chocolate. Structured yet approachable this wine can be enjoyed immediately or saved for a special occasion.

Production Notes:
Quite possibly the funnest wine to make and blend, we take pride in creating a final product that is both complex and structured yet easy to drink and approachable. In the true spirit of Chateauneauf du Pape we blend multiple varieties to achieve our final cuvee. Grenache and Syrah are the primary components of the blend and play an important roll in the overall balance of the wine. Grenache provides the soft luscious red fruit base while syrah adds dark fruits, game, mint and and structure. Mourvedre plays a key roll in the blend as well, adding savory blue fruits and spice. Carignan is full of tenacity with intense color and is blended in small amounts to finish off the 2009AD Rouge. We use a combination of French and American oak of which 25% is new. This adds to the overall structure and complexity of the wine without distracting from the natural beauty of the blend. This wine was bottled un-finned and unfiltered to maintain its natural essence as pure and raw.

2010AD Rose

North Coast Rose | $18.00 | Available Now

Tasting Note:
A fresh and expressive aroma of passion fruit, cherries and pineapple with secondary notes of ruby grapefruit. The palate is textured yet crisp and lively,reflecting the complex array of flavors offered on the nose. clean citrus notes follow on the finish and leave one with a sense of longing for one more sip.

Production Notes:
2/3 of the 2010AD rose was bled from Mourvedre and Grenache must after only a few hours on the skins. The lots were fermented in neutral French Oak barrels and stirred on the lees to add texture and mouth feel. 1/3 of the rose was Grenache that we picked a little earlier than normal to add freshness and vibrancy to the final blend. This last lot was macerated on the skins for a few hours then lightly pressed off and moved to a tank that had previously held our white wine skin fermented reserve wine. The rose juice was fermented on the drained Marsanne, Roussanne and Viognier skins. This process left us with incredible tropical aromatics and a wine with tenacity and personality. When blended together we achieve a beautiful complex refreshing rose that is unique among others. This wine was bottled un-finned and unfiltered to maintain it's natural essence as pure and raw.

2010AD Blanc

North Coast White Wine | $26.00 | Available Now

Tasting Note:
A truly hedonistic blend of honey suckle, bacon and fresh melon aromas are complimented by hints of crushed mineral on the nose. The palate is both expressive and refreshing, layers of textured fruits are complimented by mouthwatering acidity that gives way to a long and impressive finish.

Production Notes:
We believe that in order to capture the true complexity in a vineyard site, fruit must be harvested in multiple passes. This is especially important when dealing with Roussanne, Viognier and Marsanne as they can offer incredible aromatic complexity but often times at the sacrifice of freshness and acidity. We harvested some lots earlier than others to naturally achieve balance between aromatics, texture and acidity in the final cuvee. All lots were pressed off and fermented in neutral French Oak barrels where they were stirred on the lees to promote mouth feel and aromatic complexity. Certain lots were selected to undergo full Malo Lactic conversion while others not allowed to go through this process, again promoting a natural balance in the final wine. 10% of our reserve white wine was added to complete the 2010AD Blanc. This added another level depth to the wine as the reserve lot was both a skin fermented wine and 100% New French Oak. This wine was bottled un-finned and unfiltered to maintain its natural essence as pure and raw.

2008 AD

Red Wine | $20.00 | Sold Out

Tasting Note:
This wine shows seductive notes of ripe blackberry, blueberry cobbler, fresh strawberry and vanilla. A well balanced palate backs up initial impressions, and gives way to silky, refined tannins for a satisfying finish.

Vineyard Information:
The AD series is by far our favorite wine to produce year in and year out. Tucked away in hidden valleys and on forgotten hillsides are some amazing vineyards, many of which are well over 100 years of age. We have made it a point to seek out these special "forgotten" vineyards and produce a wine of outstanding character and quality worthy of the Carlotta seal of approval. These vineyards deserve a voice; the AD series (Aran & David's red wine) is just that. Accessible to all and second to none, the AD series is a direct result of our "Pursuit of Happiness"

Production Method: The AD series was fermented in small 1 ton vats and underwent a two week fermentation during which a meticulous punch-down regimen was executed. After fermentation the wine was drained and pressed off into 40% new American Oak barrels where they were aged and carefully watched after until the wine was bottled unfined, unfiltered on May 3rd 2010.

200 cases produced

2009 Marsanne

Alder Springs | $32.00 | Sold Out

Tasting Note:
A powerful and complex wine, the 2009 Alder Springs Marsanne has impressive tropical aromas of fresh pineapple, guava and ripe peach, with secondary notes of slivered almond, honey and peach pith. The palate is well textured and delivers what the nose promises, layers of succulent stone fruits.

Vineyard Information:
Alder Springs is one of the most aggressive vineyard projects ever started in California. With elevations ranging from 1,700-2,700 ft above sea level and a location just 7 miles from the coast line, this vineyard is extreme in every way possible. With probably no equal in attention to detail, Stuart Bewley has meticulously matched each aspect, rootstock and variety at Alder Springs Vineyard. Tight row spacing and dense planting of up to 2800 vines to the acre result in extremely low yielding plants; bearing fruit with unrivaled concentration. Warm days and cool nights along with a combination of unique soils make this terroir truly special.

Production Method:
The Marsanne was harvested at 26 brix on October 12th 2009. The fruit was hand sorted, then de-stemmed and crushed into stainless steel tanks. We used dry ice to cold soak the juice for 4 days before beginning fermentation on the skins. We closely monitored phenolic development until flavors and structure found balance, which was around 10 brix. Free run juice was then fed via gravity flow into second use French oak where it finished fermentation. The wine underwent regular battonage to further increase mid-palate weight and was aged for 7 months before being bottled unfined, unfiltered on may 3rd, 2010.

50 cases produced