Tasting Notes: A wine of harmony, delicate balance, and velvety tannins, this Carignan fleshes out to reveal white flowers, dried sage, and wet stone. The wine has beautiful lift, delicious juiciness, and plush dark berry flavors, with a mouthwatering finish. The minerality and ocean-like salinity are qualities that we love in the Carignan from this vineyard.
Winemaking: Native yeast. 28% carbonic maceration. Of the remainder, 20% whole cluster in small, open-top fermenters. Aged for 11 months in neutral French oak barrels. Unfined and unfiltered.
Technical Details:
Composition: 100% Carignan
Vineyard: Feliz Creek
Appellation: Mendocino County
pH: 3.5
TA: 6.3 g/L
Brix at harvest: 23.5
Alcohol: 14.1%
175 cases produced
Food & Wine
"17 Off-the-Beaten-Path California Reds"
"Get ready for a trip to the south of France, told through the eyes of Kyle Jeffrey, Brad Jonas, and Miriam Jonas, co-owners of the uber-small production Minus Tide wines, including this Carignan. Jeffrey says that Carignan is one of the heritage varieties of Mendocino County, and their grape source at Feliz Creek Vineyard is among the oldest, with vines dating back to 1908. Florals such as rose petals and violets join thinly sliced saucisson sec, black olives, and white pepper. Soft, silken dark fruit rides along a salty finish. Pair this with cured meats and a hearty cassoulet."
91 Points - Wine Enthusiast"Excellent, highly recommended""One of the heritage varieties in California, this robust Carignan stands out for its potent, focused black fruits, hints of wood smoke, tobacco and leather, all wrapped in moderate tannins for a structure that should help it age."
