The release of the 2014 Red Car Rosé of Pinot Noir is upon us. Harvested at a cool 21 brix and immediately whole cluster pressed, this dry and aromatic Rosé is a true vin gris, fermented like a white wine without skin or seed contact. In 2014, the wine is bone dry at 12.7% alcohol, in a dashingly light shade of pale melon-pink and with an aromatic profile of tangerine oil, pink grapefruit, and bing cherries. Cool-climate West Sonoma Coast vineyards give the wine its hallmark style, with the biodynamically-farmed Bybee Vineyard in Sebastopol Hills making up the backbone for this wine.
The 2012 Chardonnay Ritchie Vineyard is one of the more subtle wines readers will taste from this iconic Sonoma Coast site.
The Chardonnay grapes for Red Car's 2012 Sonoma Coast Chardonnay were hand harvested at low sugars (22.2 brix) and immediately whole cluster pressed. The juice was settled overnight then barreled down into French oak (10% new) to undergo primary and secondary (malolactic) fermentation. The minimalist style (non-interventionist techniques, native yeast, natural acidity, limited racking) yields a wine of great purity, concentration and palate smoothness with a racy acidity and chalky minerality rarely associated with California Chardonnay.
Heaven & Earth is a vineyard designated Pinot Noir from the La Boheme Vineyard, which lies just outside the town of Occidental along the Sonoma Coast. La Boheme is a Red Car monopole. The Calera clone, California’s smallest clustered heritage selection, dominates the blend, contributing concentrated fruit and finely grained tannins. 89 points Wine Spectator: Tight and full-bodied, with loamy earth, dried currant and berry flavors. Touches of herb, sage and forest floor give this complexity and depth. Very closed and backward at this stage. Drink now through 2016.
2012 Estate Vineyard Pinot Noir 750mL Red Car’s Estate Vineyard is continuing to prove itself, year by year, as an extraordinary site in the West Sonoma Coast. It is blessed with sandstone soils left from an ancient inland sea known as the Ohlson Ranch Formation. The vineyard sits at 1,000 feet in elevation in the northern most part of the chilly and mountainous Fort Ross – Seaview AVA. Its close proximity to the ocean moderates temperatures and makes it susceptible to rain and fog during the flowering season, which keeps yields low. The Fort Ross-Seaview appellation is one of the least developed areas along the California coast line and the crisp ocean air and colossal redwood trees create a unique sense of place. Tastes: Black Raspberry, Orange Zest, Redwood Spice
One of the original Rhone Rangers, Red Car has been producing Syrah longer than any other varietal. Today, it is at the forefront of the style evolution in California Syrah. Restraint, naturally high acidity, true Northern Rhone Syrah perfume, and silky tannins are important components in Red Car's 2010 Sonoma Coast Syrah along with native yeast fermentation, moderate stem inclusion and being aged in 500L puncheons for 12 months. Sourced from three of the stand-out Syrah vineyards in Northern California, the Red Car Estate Vineyard in the Fort Ross - Seaview AVA, the Martinelli Family’s Zio Tony Vineyard and the Vivio Vineyard (Joe Vivio’s eponymous site in Bennett Valley), this wine showcase’s Red Car’s commitment to balance.