Winemaker Notes
A blend of very old vine organically farmed Carignane in Mendocino County. On the rustic side and reminiscent of old California. The wine is 100% Carignane from Redwood Valley, a 50/50 blend of two vineyards, the Lolonis Family Vineyard and the Martinson Ranch. Both of these vineyards are head-trained and dry-farmed and extremely old.
Responsible for some of the most stunning old vine red wine on the planet, Carignan has an amazing capacity to survive dry, arid climates and still produce lovely, mouthwatering wine. In Spain it goes by the name of Mazuelo or Cariñena and while it may have originated there in the province of Aragón, its popularity lies elsewhere, particularly in Languedoc-Roussillon. Somm Secret—Historically Carignan did not enjoy the respect that it does today. In the mid 20th century, Carignan covered nearly 140,000 ha in Algeria, where it was made into low quality bulk and blending wine to supply mass-market demand.
Situated in northern Mendocino County, the Redwood Valley appellation sits at about 200 feet higher than the surrounding areas and is directly west of Potter Valley. The AVA is ideal for less common grape varieties such as Barbera, Carignan, Valdiguie and Viognier among California’s other usual suspects.