Vineyard Notes: Gary Gonsalves farms about 100 acres of grapes in Contra Costa County, many of them 100+ year old plantings of intermixed Carignane, Cinsault, Mourvedre, Petite Sirah, Grenache & Alicante Bouschet, among others. Horse Ranch Vineyard lies within the city of Antioch, less than a mile from the famous Evangelho Vineyard & on the same dry sandy soil. It is a mixture of Mourvedre, Carignane & Alicante Bouschet planted around the turn of the 20th century.

Cellar Notes: We brought in 2.5 tons of this fruit & destemmed it to 2 open-top bins. The juice was left to ferment with native yeasts, which took approximately 10 days. The wine was pressed to tank, allowed to settle, then barreled to 6 neutral oak barrels on 9/20/20, where it matured with regular topping until July 2022. Before bottling, 10% Malbec from Heringer Vineyards was blended in to enhance the mid-palate. The wine was bottled unfiltered & minimally sulfured on 7/15/22.

Tasting Notes: This vintage of Carignane may be slightly more robust than some previous vintages have been, but that is to its benefit, as it retains much of the whimsical fruit-forwardness of the grape, while adding some depth that others might have lacked. On the nose, the wine is rich with dark fruits - mostly black cherry & blackberry - backed up by the typical cola & sarsaparilla notes. There is an intriguing whiff of wisteria flowers & a basil herbality as well. In the mouth the wine is dense with brambly fruits, cola, mocha & finishes with a lingering dried black plum.