Wine in El Dorado County

We love transparent, delicious, easy, characterful, and deeply flavorful wines that are finely structured and relatively low in alcohol: Chinon, Bourgeuil, Beaujolais, Mondeuse, Marzemino, Lagrein, Barbera, Albarino, Vermentino, Txakolina . . . . you get the idea. What we don’t understand is why this style of wine is rarely made in the New World. While there is a school of thought that says New World wine has to be richer, higher in alcohol, and riper, we don’t buy it. We believe that if the grapes are planted on cool, appropriate sites, well-farmed, picked ripe at reasonable sugar levels, and truly minimally handled in the cellar, we can make just such wines without compromise in the New World. 93% Cabernet Franc from Camino Alto, Barsotti, Matagrano and Boeger Vineyards, El Dorado County. 7% Gamay from Barsotti Vineyard, El Dorado County, fermented separately with the native yeasts, aged and settled for four months in stainless steel with minimal sulfur, 13% alcohol naturally, blended and bottled.