Carboniste Corralitos Extra Brut 2020

Viticulture

Source grapes for this wine exclusively from the Corralitos area of the Santa Cruz Mountains. This is a unique and highly expressive wine growing region due to very sandy soils (decomposed marine sediment)and winds from the Monterey Bay. I have never found Pinot noir that is so expressive at sparkling levels of ripeness. This vintage includes three neighboring vineyards including Deer Park Ranch, La Vida Bella, and the Francis J Vineyard.

Vinification

After harvest, grapes were pressed whole cluster and settled for 1-2 days as juice. Clear juice helps to retain the purity and focus of this wine. The juice was fermented in barrel with native yeast at 60-70°F for 3 weeks. The fermentation sediment was kept with the wine in barrel for12 months without the addition of sulfur dioxide. The wine was bottled with fresh yeast and a small amount of sugar. After 22 months in bottle, the yeast had consumed the sugar, the sediment was removed, and we added back a small amount of juice and wine. The final closure is a cork and cage.

Tasting notes

The 2020 blend is 64% Pinot Noir and 36% Chardonnay and it exhibits loads of orange peel, apricots, almonds, and toffee.

Winery Description

After meeting at UC Davis, Dan and Jacqueline Person worked around the world, then around California. These experiences informed their perspectives on winemaking. Dan worked for Schramsberg Vineyards for 3 years, making traditional sparkling wines from California grapes. Based on that experience, Dan decided there was a need for a new interpretation of California sparkling wine. Jacqueline was concurrently making still wines from a variety of terroirs across the Golden State, terroirs that have inspired the vineyard selections for CARBONISTE.

From Dan...
“In my mind, you don’t try to make Bordeaux in Burgundy, that would be silly … So why are we, in California, trying to make Champagne? The climate is very different, the soil is different, and fundamentally we have a different terroir … So I launched this company as an experiment to figure out what we could be doing in California that’s not simply an emulation of Champagne. Imagine you take a piece of fruit from the outside of a tree, sitting in the sun and it's really ripe and warm, it has a very strong fruit expression. If you get fruit from the shady part of the tree, it's still hard and not ripe. Fundamentally what happens in California is that we have all the sunshine, all the sweetness, and you can taste it … In a blind tasting, you would never be confused once you learn the difference.”

From Jacqueline...
“I love wines of distinction. Winemakers around the world are working to produce unique wines from their cellars, using their fruit. Wines of place and style. Making these wines is a noble pursuit, which we hope to accomplish at CARBONISTE.”

Together Dan and Jaquiline are dedicated to making sparkling wines that are modern and reflective of the grape and the place.

The wines are always made with food in mind, so the gas pressure is a bit lower than champagne, and the etiquettes are designed with fresh seafood pairings in mind. Making their own unique, California sparkling wine is a noble pursuit.