This wine comes from Carignane vines farmed by Tom Delbarba. The vines descend a soft slope, bordered by Mataro and Zinfandel on the west. They are huge and somewhat haphazard in their demeanor. The fruit ripens early, with a high-degree of acidity. This was the second vineyard that we harvested in 2010, ahead of every white vineyard.Carignane flourishes under these conditions; the wine is iron-bloody, and for all its ripeness, nearly severe. It is a wine of structure and reticence, not fruit and richness. This wine represents a single reserve barrel from the two that we made; I am happy to say that Tom will triple our harvest (to 3 tons) in 2012.
Please order no more than two bottles.
Well structured, nearly severe Carignane, from 100 year-old vines in the San Joaquin delta.